Adam's Mountain Cafe

Adams Mountain Cafe: Manitou Springs, CO

One of the few places, you immediately know you are going to like - Adam's Mountain Cafe is a nice restaurant in downtown Manitou Springs. Literally a stones throw away from the actual Manitou Springs, Adam's has a delightful atmosphere and a mouth watering menu. (I had a very tough time deciding what to order). Everyone there seemed to be drinking their Orange Spice Tea .. which is a sweet, hot concoction .. delightful and a must have in the Colorado winter.
The menu is .. slightly eclectic .. hopefully on purpose and features omelettes, sandwiches, pasta in addition to varied items hard to classify. There seemed to be plenty of vegetarian options available. I highly recommend the Senegalese Vegetables. They also seem to serve large portions of tempting looking salads with fresh avocados.
Adam's Mountain Cafe has a slightly admonishing note about how they cook everything fresh and individually and thus the food will take time to arrive; but our order was served quite promptly.
We entered the place hesitatingly, but left satisfied and happy. I also remember commenting about staying in Manitou Springs longer next time so I could try more from this place :-)

Food: *****
Ambiance: ****
Price: $$

Neto Sausage Co.

Neto Sausage co.: Santa Clara, CA

You can smell the barbecue from blocks away. Neto Sausage Company is .. well .. a family owned sausage company in Santa Clara. They claim, and I believe that their sausages are made from the freshest and finest ingredients. The Neto Sausage Co. sells all kinds of meat. Inside you'll find a counter where you can look at and select your choice of meat, cheese, wine and chocolates .. to go.
They have a makeshift barbecue going on Tuesdays and Fridays during lunch. Typical lunch hour is very crowded and a wait (in multiple lines .. 1 for picking up your sausage from the barbecue outside, 1 for delivering it to the sandwich maker inside and a last one for payment .. talk about inconvenience) should not surprise. They have ample sitting space at the back where you can enjoy your pick with beer or soda. The sausages served in the barbecue are actually rectangular flat patties .. so its easier to eat and you get some sausage in every bite! Talk about convenience! You get a sufficiently big sausage (or steak or chicken) sandwich, 1 small bag of chips and a can of soda for around 10 dollars.

Highly recommended - Linguica Sausage Burger (Linguica is a Portugese sausage) (try the spicy one), Italian Calabrese Sausage Burger (spicy), Italian with Herb Sausage Burger.

Gripes - I wish they had the barbecue every day instead of just Tuesday and Friday.

Food: ***** Ambiance: ** Price: $$
Last visited: mid 2008

Pei Wei Asian Diner

Pei Wei Asian Diner: Irving, TX

I had visited Dallas some 5 years ago and had lunch at Pei Wei and loved it. For five years I had to reminisce on that meal, savoring the whole experience in my mind. Luckily, I've had the chance to visit TX quite often these days and have never given up on the opportunity to eat at Pei Wei again.

Pei Wei rocks. The whole ambiance, being classy yet casual at the same time. Fresh, delicious and quick food, and courteous service make it among my top choices to eat. Let me leave no doubt. Pei Wei rocks.

If you still feel the need to read ahead, Pei Wei is a subsidiary of P.F. Chang's and you can expect the same quality of food here .. with the exception that its cheaper, faster .. and in my opinion .. with service which can be defined as non-stuck-up.

The lettuce wraps are delish, and the rice and noodle bowls are a perfect meal .. a mix of your choice of meat, fresh and crisp veggies and white or brown rice. [Go for the brown]. Dan Dan Noodles, Soba Miso, Spicy Korean ... dammit .. I should not be writing this around lunch hour. Pei Wei is the (a bit) casual equivalent of Big Bowl. There I've said it.

Food: ***** Ambiance: **** Price: $$
Last visited: mid 2008

Potbelly Sandwich Works

Potbelly Sandwich Works: Irving, TX

Potbelly (aptly named) is a nice, homely kind of place to grab a quick lunch on a weekday, or to go to for an idyllic one on weekends. They offer really good sandwiches, salads, soups and smoothies. The sandwiches are made fresh with good portions of meat; though the vegetarian sandwich is pretty good too. Shakes / Malts / Smoothies are heavenly and very satisfying in the searing Dallas heat.

Fortunately there's not a cornucopia of choice, which always confuses me. The method is quite simple. Select your sandwich, select your shake, enjoy.

Food: **** Ambiance: ** Price: $$
Last visited: mid 2008

Maria Elena's Taquería

Maria Elena's Taqueria: Alviso, Bay Area

If you like mexican food, and live in the Bay Area .. you gotta visit this place. Maria Elena's Taqueria is a BIG place in Alviso .. right where the bay starts. It looks like a small, run-down kind of place from outside .. but once you enter only then do you really get the feel of the place. This taqueria is huge .. with wings on both sides of the entrance .. easily seating more than a 100 people. Being quite far from the the usual techie-centric places (ever heard anyone go to Alviso for lunch?), its still full during lunch hour. The food is as mexican as it can get .. with medium portions.

Seating is plentiful and well spaced. Ambiance is .. well lets call it unadorned. [When I went there and entire outer wall of our wing was made of brown paper stuck on the wooden structure]. Service is fast and friendly, the salsa is fresh and tasty. Food is good .. I had the fish tacos .. though the waitress did not understand my request to have the fish grilled instead of fried .. I admit they tasted pretty damn good. The sour cream was heavenly. Enchiladas and the Santa Fe chicken salad looked good too. Should be a good place for big groups .. just make sure you reach there before the lunch crowd.

Food: **** Ambiance: * Price: $$
Last visited: mid 2008