a bite of brownie

after a scenic stroll at montalvo arts center in saratoga and los gatos downtown, i was so looking forward to have a hearty dinner. a branch of this restaurant is very near to my place so it's funny that i get to try this branch which is farther from my place. i went with my vegetarian friend and i felt like doing family style. we decided on their "roasted vegetable california wood-fired pizza with homemade pesto sauce, burrata cheese, oven roasted tomatoes, cauliflower, zucchini and topped with arugula" and "mushroom pesto penne with mixed mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes tossed in a pesto cream sauce garnished with fresh basil and parmesan". both were so good! the vegetables on the pizza were fresh and the burrata cheese was a perfect on the pizza. if i am to choose, the penne had more edge on the pizza. the pesto sauce with the sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms were so tasty! i could eat the entire plate!

even though i was full already, my mind was set on trying the famous gelato place which got some awards on being the best ice cream place. we were lucky to get in before the crowd. i took a taste sample on the pistachio and oreo. i decided on the white pistachio gelato on a cone. it was a very generous scoop. it was so yummy!





Verdict: 5/5

Willow Street Pizza
20 South Santa Cruz Avenue #218
Los Gatos, CA 95030


Verdict: 5/5

Dolce Spazio Gelato
221 N Santa Cruz Ave
Los Gatos, CA 95030

i've eaten lunch buffet at this restaurant thrice and this is one of my favorite indian buffet restaurants because of its wide variety of tasty options in their buffet table. however, this time around, i got invited to my friend's tenth year wedding anniversary for dinner a la carte style. we got the appetizer "asparagus paneer bhurji flat bread - masala scrambled cottage cheese, peppers and asparagus on a naan bread with garlic tulsi aioli on a cedar plank". i loved it because it's like pizza. it was my first time to try paneer on pizza and it was a nice suprise. we ordered three entrees: curry with eggplant, another curry with masala sauce, and chicken biryani. i didn't like the curry with eggplant but liked the masala curry and chicken biryani. we had "narangi pista kulfi - rich, creamy orange and pistachio flavored ice-cream served in an orange rind" for dessert and i liked its taste and presentation. i'd give this restaurant's service and ambiance a high recommendation.
The Mynt
5210 Prospect Rd
San Jose, CA 95129

Verdict: 3.5/5 (not all dishes are good.)

as send-off party to my teammate, we had indian lunch buffet at this restaurant. i've been to a lot of indian lunch buffets and this place wasn't remarkable. the buffet table had very few options, around two chicken dishes, four vegetarian dishes and three dessert options. the buffet table wasn't arranged with easy access. two people on the buffet table can get crowded. the food tasted just fine and not significant. one of my teammates noticed the servers were all mexicans and we didn't see any indian coming out from the kitchen. she didn't like the taste of the grilled tandoori chicken.

Steps of India
2062 Curtner Ave
San Jose, CA 95124

Verdict: 2/5 (very few options, i'm not going back.)

our generous manager treated us for lunch at this expensive greek restaurant. it was a thanksgiving event. the ambiance of the place is nice too, the ceiling was high, the decor was elegant, and the place is spacious to accommodate big parties. i was observing vegetarian diet that time so i had their vegetable moussaka, "a casserole of eggplant, potato, zucchini, onion, red pepper, and tomato sauce". it was delicious! we ordered a couple of items from their dessert menu. we got bougatsa "phyllo wrapped semolina custard, caramel with vanilla gelato", sokolatina "rich chocolate cake with raspberry sauce and cream", and baklava "flakey layers of phyllo with mixed nuts, honey, and yogurt sauce". they were so tasty i wanted more. 

Thea
http://www.thearestaurant.com/
3090 Olsen Drive
San Jose, CA 95128
(408) 260-1444

Verdict: 5/5