Sneak peek inside San Jose's newest craft beer haven (Video)
Mike Messinger plans to open his new downtown San Jose
restaurant by the end of June. (Lauren Hepler, June 11, 2013)
- Lauren Hepler
- Economic Development Reporter- Silicon Valley Business Journal
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The 7,000-square-foot Farmers Union restaurant should open June 28 at 151 W. Santa Clara St. It features 60 beers on tap and a food menu designed to complement the (mostly) craft brews, proprietor Mike Messinger told me. The business is owned by an investment group called 151 Partners LLC.
“What we’re trying to create is a destination place for people to come from all over,” Messinger said. "Beer is also doing really well down here. Everyone’s adding more taps."
Messinger said the project has been in the works since late 2012 and initially grew out of a casual conversation with Tom McEnry, fellow San Pedro Square Market investor and now a partner in the restaurant. McEnry owns several properties in the area, including the 1874-era Masson-Lefranc building that now houses the Farmers Union.
"We were just sitting at the Starbucks across the street looking at it," Messinger said. "In our opinion, it’s the best corner in downtown."
Executive Chef Charles Crossley, formerly of San Francisco's Potrero Brewing Company and Berkeley's Paragon Restaurant and Bar, said he hopes the Farmers Unions' "upscale comfort food" will help augment San Jose's dining scene.
"San Jose has been ready to be a food town for a while," Crossley told me. "There just hasn't been enough talent trickling down (from the San Francisco area)."
General Manager Aaron Williams, of management company KemperSports, said the restaurant is also gunning for craft beer aficionados by focusing on local brews. Beer prices start at $6.50, though the 36-seat bar — located right in the center of the restaurant — will also serve wine and cocktails.
Lauren Hepler covers economic development, sports, and hospitality for the Silicon Valley Business Journal. She can be reached at 408.299.1820
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