Still, it is a little sparse on space, but it can't be helped. Assuming you get a seat (I'd recommend arriving there before 11:30, or right around then if you're going to get a timely lunch in) there are fresh containers of kim chee (I'm not familiar with the Japanese term for it) available for someone awaiting their order.

Lunch specials come in a variety of flavors--pick from a variety of Ramen, and accompany it with fried rice, white rice, or gyoza, all for an affordable USD8, which is less than your average bowl of ramen anywhere else.

I've been eating a lot in Mountain View lately, so expect more to come from the downtown district, if you crave something delicious.

That's pretty much the only bad thing I have to say about this restaurant. While the noodles were soggy and the dish tasted more of oil than the savory spiced chicken and vegetables, which were basically untenable even relative to the noodles, my co-workers took pity and offered me their dishes, which were done rather well.

They tried to assure me of better eats than I had currently experienced, but I wasn't convinced. I'd probably actually not go there at all. Still, there's a bevy of Thai food available in the Mountain View downtown, and there've been a couple I've been meaning to mention. I'll get to those soon.

Up at the end of Prospect Road (keep driving, things get unfamiliar mighty quick) is a set of trails on the Fremont Older Open Reserve. It sports a bevy of footpaths through winding, grass-green hills that take you to different parts of town (which, if you know as well as I) that surprisingly wouldn't seem linked to such a vast, natural space. Apparently, you could walk to San Francisco from there, and though I'd like to take that trek someday, for now, I'm content with the fresh air and exercise.

The scenery is great, with rolling green knolls (especially in the winter months) against a backdrop of Silicon Valley. Fresh air and open sky is all that surrounds you when you're out there, with plenty a scenic view.

I had a bit of a creepy experience there, which maybe I'll go into later, but bonus points if you locate the super-creepy PET CEMETARY that's there!!!

Pluto’s engages its diners with a variety of salads, entrees, and sandwiches. They’re all made to specification so I can’t even get into the veritable bevy of combinations you could produce while you’re there, all supplemented by fresh breads and side dishes that invoke everything from greasily delicious fast food to home-cooked holiday meals. I myself had a tri-tip steak salad festooned with honey-glazed walnuts, bleu cheese, and sautéed mushrooms (with several other ingredients I pretty much chose on a whim) and a side dish of barley and mixed vegetables, which while sounding dry on paper was mouthwatering. I finished their generous portion, driven by an inexorable need to eat it all, rather than actual physical ability to contain the food. Needless to say, Pluto’s is more than a satisfying experience, and with an easy price range of USD7-10, it’s really pretty easy on the wallet too.

Well, I'm not one for the destitution of being a cubicle monkey, so it was more of an ironic thought for me. However, I was very much enthralled by the idea of having work, finally, and was willing to celebrate.

So to follow my Santana Row-themed postings (which are probably going to extend well over the week I said I'd do it in, it seems), I went to celebrate at Magianno's Little Italy. I've been to a couple of Magianno's, all that are really quite similar in terms of menu and service, but the one at Santana Row has a certain something special about it.

Situated in the plaza that I mentioned in my previous post, Magianno's in Santana Row has a wonderfully energetic atmosphere among the low lights of the front bar and the rearward restaurant. It serves healthy portions of all sorts of Italian dishes under the sun, emphasizing family-style dining in a very sociable environment.

The architecture has rich dark wood panel finishings, and long tables centering rings of smaller booths. Service was paced rather well for the portions they deigned to serve (my friend Tony was wandering up and down the table socializing with a bowl under one arm more akin to a bucket than an actual dish) and I was beyond full well before we finished our entrees. It should be noted, that despite the healthy amount you'll probably end up taking home, you'll be looking to drop a good amount of dough at this place. I spent about USD20+ (a share of appetizer, a drink, and a bit of dessert), but I didn't splurge that night; I was celebrating after all!

Magianno's also has takeout, which is done in a little side room accessible from outside so you don't have to wade into a loud and chatty, bustling dining environment. It's a classy place if you're looking for good eats, and is placed in a region where there's plenty to do when you finish your meal.

The interesting thing about Cluck U (which I prefer to call i is that it has something called the 911 challenge: a level of spicy sauce not even listed on the regular meal slathered upon a plate of a dozen wings, it requires a waiver to undertake (though I consider that more stage dressing to heighten the mood) where you have to finish the serving in twenty minutes(?) without the use of beverages or napkins. I hear the spiciness is enough to sear your fingers even when you touch the sauce, which I have never encountered before. Spicy food and I have had a long-contested relationship so I don't dare try the challenge, but assuming you succeed you get a t-shirt and a spot on the local legendary wall of fame for eating possibly the most taste-bud rending sauce in the world.

I will stick to my regular wings, thank you. The sauce in itself is generally fairly spicy, and comes in eight different levels with names like "Atomic" and "Thermonuclear Death", but get past the sting and you're in for a tangy treat. Wash it down with an ice cold beer as you watch a game on the dozen plus monitors strung up around the eating area and you're in for a satisfying experience.

Just remember, they don't take credit, so bring some cash if you want to dine here. Definitely worth a try if you're in the San Jose area.

The food came quickly, and each item was interspersed with fresh baked herbal bread and a very telling pesto dip that propels you into old Tuscany when it touches your tongue. Service was excellent--while I noted my server was particularly busy, I was attended to by a pleasant (and attractive young woman who saw my bread plate filled and my glass full at every chance she got.

Now what you'd expect from first glance at the meal was disatisfaction at its seemingly meager proportions, but let me assure you that was not the case once I was done. It was a nice hot meal that filled just the right corners of what I'd consider my prodigious belly, and when the check came it was not heavy on the wallet either. For all that plus great service you can usually expect to pay upwards of USD20 or more, but it actually didn't quite pass far over the USD11 mark, which was an unusual surprise.

The particular location, as is themed by this week's posts, was located in Santana Row, which by standards of upscale shopping districts would usually make you feel indulgent in even browsing their stores, but the meal was actually well worth the cost and then some. I left a big tip behind and they left me with a smile. Definitely a place to go to for a quick meal or an extended lunch period, without breaking the bank, which is always a good thing.

Santana Row is an upscale shopping center fashioned to make it look like a local downtown. After its infamous fire that delayed construction for another year, it was completed in full, sporting high-end merchandising, fine dining, and luxury apartments that overlook the entire center.

The layout of the buildings runs six parallel blocks down the actual road called "Santana Row", and what could be considered an additional row of blocks running alongside neighboring Winchester Boulevard. It is conveniently located at the 280 Winchester Exit, or the 880 Stevens Creek exit, depending on which direction you're coming from, and across the street from one of my other favorite haunts, Valley Fair. But we'll talk about that one later.

I've lived here all my life, in and around the Silicon Valley, and I love San Jose. I hate big cities, but I love our downtown. I hate the suburbs, but I love OUR suburbs. I want something a bit rural, a bit quiet, a place where you can know your neighbors and like them and have them over for coffee and carrot cake, yet I love the convenience and excitement of living someplace where you can get a world-class meal at 2am, where there's always some kind of show happening, where the theater and the ballet and ice hockey all jostle each other merrily. There's a theme park close by with some of the best rollercoasters in the nation, and public parks, historic attractions, hiking, camping, boating, horse-back riding...

I love this place. I hope I can share with you what there is to love about my home town.