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Club Life Loft Bar and Bistro 90 S. Second St., San Jose 408.291.0677 www.loftbarandbistro.com By Jim Harrington Hours: Mon-Wed, 11am-midnight; Thu-Sat, 11am-1:30am; Sun, 3pm-midnight. Amenities: Covered rooftop patio, plasma TVs and DJ music is soon to come. IT TOOK the owners of Loft Bar and Bistro two years to transform the then-empty old building on South Second Street into a suitably sophisticated dining and drinking establishment. All the effort was definitely worth it. The place is gorgeous, with exposed brick walls, dark-wood furnishings and hip color schemes combining to create an atmosphere that is both urban and comforting. If you've been to the Loft, chances are you've been to its rooftop patio. Since opening in late July, ingenuously during the same week as the San Jose Grand Prix was held, Loft has been attracting a stream of merry diners and drinkers who enjoy noshing on American Bistro cuisine and slurping up fancy martinis while taking in the, ahem, breathtaking views of downtown San Jose. For those who like to keep their feet closer to the ground, Loft's main bar area is a great place to enjoy a few fancy imported brews and watch games on one of the many plasma TVs. The establishment plans to offer DJ music in the near future. But its owner, Kam Razavi, is careful to make the distinction that Loft is not a nightclub. He says the plan is to create an atmosphere that closely follows Santana Row hotspots Blowfish and Straits, both of which offer music in the background while diners dine and drinkers drink. The menu updates classic American dishes and offers artful presentations of such dishes as chicken penne, meatloaf (which, for some reason, is a hot item in the foodie world these days), chicken marsala and baked halibut. The restaurant also offers a sizable low-carb menu, which Razavi says is incredibly popular. "Those sell a lot. It's amazing how many of those things we move," he says. "I lost 100 pounds on a low-carb diet, so I really believe in it." Send a letter to the editor about this story to letters@metronews.com. [ Silicon Valley | Metroactive Home | Archives ]