Walking around the streets of downtown San Jose with a coworker after a conference, we encountered a waitress posted out by a restaurant patio with 4 glasses of wine, and asked if we wanted a sample. This wasn't some sample of deep fried orange chicken from a food court, these were generously poured glasses of a Port and Sauvignon Blanc.
Naturally we were sold, so we went in and sat down for a drink. The waitress looked really excited, likely because we were the only customers there. We learned that the Bijan Wine Bar had only been open for three days, and was owned by their more famous Bijan Bakery and Cafe located across the walkway.
We navigated three tabloid-sized menus of food, dessert, and drink, but the waitress persuaded us to trying the wine flights. I guess that's their thing. My coworker had a Sauvignon Blanc flight while I had the Pinot Noir flight.
Each set of three wines was presented on a piece of paper, with circles where each glass was supposd to be placed with the name and vintage of the wine as well as a detailed description and tasting notes.
The food—while not intended to be a meal, but rather to complement the wine—left us a little wanting due to ultra small portions. The saving grace though was the Opera Cake, layers of cake and almond, amaretto and chocolatey goodness.
Definitely a place to check out some evening, after dinner, but it still has some kinks to work out.
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