SAN JOSE — An urban and chic dining spot envisioned by a top-notch Bay Area chef is slated to replace the empty KQED space in a prominent downtown San Jose office tower. Parke Ulrich, of the acclaimed Waterbar and Epic Steak restaurants in San Francisco, will be the executive chef of the new restaurant being planned for the ground floor of 50 West, a highrise at a prime spot in San Jose, according to sources that are close to the deal. Chef Ulrich is also involved in a called Hurrica.
The downtown San Jose dining establishment being prepared by Chef Ulrich will offer lunch, happy hour specialty cocktails and dinner in an indoor and outdoor concept, the sources said. The space became available when KQED, a public media organization, decided to vacate the 4,000 square feet that it occupies on the ground floor of the office tower, which is at 50 West San Fernando Street next to South First Street. The 18-story highrise totals about 357,000 square feet.
Phil Mahoney and Mike Saign, brokers and executives with Newmark, a commercial real estate firm, are marketing the building on behalf of Jay Paul Co., the development company that owns the tower through an affiliate. KQED decided to exit the 50 West tower as part of a belt-tightening effort to trim expenses at a time of slumping revenue for the organization, which is one of the nation’s largest public media outlets.
The public media organization has also reduced staffing by 8%, or 34 positions, through a combination of layoffs.
