Thai Food Anyone?

This past weekend some friends and I went out for Thai food. We have a few people in this little "group" who live very sheltered lives, and so we have taken it upon ourselves to culture them in any way shape or form. Mostly with food though since it is the easiest around this sheltered valley!

We have already taken a few of them out for sushi. Most I think were pleasantly surprised by it, others still turned their noses up at it. Either way, they've tried it, so who cares in my opinion. Our latest adventure was at a small restaurant in South Orem called Bangkok Thai. They have another location in Salt Lake as well. I had seen the restaurant just in passing, since it was around the corner from my old apartment. I might not just go try a restaurant on the spur of the moment until someone usually tells me it is good, so I am glad I was introduced to it so I wouldn't have to make someone go with me!

We ordered a wide variety of dishes so that everyone can get the true taste of Thai food. I believe Thai food rates among the top three of my most favorite ethnic foods, so I was pretty excited to try a bunch of things myself. Among the things ordered, were Coconut Soup, Spicy Sour Soup, Medium Yellow Curry, Masaman Curry, Pad Thai, Glass Noodles, Beef with Broccoli (that was the "safe" choice for those who may have been really picky). Of course the staple food in Thailand is rice, so the main dish is the regular white rice, and the curry and other such dishes are simply the sides or accompaniments to the rice.

We really wanted to show them how good the desserts were, such as the flamed bananas, or the mango slices with sticky rice, but we were all way too full! I really liked the atmosphere of the restaurant as well. They have a few bigger tables in the center of the room for larger parties, but around the edges of the room are tables inside a bench of sorts. You can sit cross legged or put your feet underneath the tables if you wanted.

I recommend this restaurant to any and all who like Thai, and/or who are willing to try new foods. Just remember, the curry is a little spicy, and most places can make the curry as hot or as mild as you like. You simply have to be brave enough to ask them to either tone it down, or kick it up a notch. It will come medium if you are too chicken to open your mouth. I like it a little on the hotter side, but too much curry can make your lips feel like they are on fire, and may ruin the rest of your meal!!!

Black Angus Steakhouse

I am a little behind on my reviews, so I am only going to give you one review from the past few restaurants.

My friend Shameonyou21 and another friend DiDi took me out for my birthday a couple of weeks ago to Black Angus Steakhouse in Sandy, UT for dinner. I think I ate at this restaurant when it was located in Orem, but don't remember much about it. It was a blustery day, and we were a little hesitant to make the trip at first, but it cleared up by evening and off we went!

I had such a hard time deciding what to get. I wanted a steak, but which one??? Then once I figured that out it was the matter of which side I want, and do I want soup or salad with it as well. And if I choose salad, do I want garden or caesar? Shameonyou said the caesar was really good there. So many choices, so little time!

I finally just picked and settled on the Five Pepper New York Steak with garlic mashed potatoes. (what I almost got is just a scroll down that page) I think it was the little mushrooms that sold me on it. I was pretty much freezing so I chose the soup over the salad. I loved that decision most I think! Baked Potato Soup. It was a very creamy potato soup with good sized chunks of potatoes, but then it was topped off with a dollop of sour cream, bacon bits, and chives. Just like a loaded baked potato--go figure!!! MMM BAKED POTATO SOUP! (Oh yeah the molasses bread was good dipped in the soup too!)

The veggies on the plate were very well done, not soaked in butter, and not soggy. I was very pleased. The mushrooms were cooked in a Red-Wine Demi-Glace, and poured atop the steak. The steak was cooked absolutely perfect. I hate it when you go places and you ask for medium, and it comes out raw, so the next time you order medium well, and it comes out charred. Is there no happy medium ever?

I think all of the pepper atop the steak kind of deterred a bit from the sweetness of the mushrooms and the sauce all by itself. I am a mixer at heart, so when combined with the mushrooms (and sauce) and the garlic mashed potatoes; I was very satisfied :)

Pros: I loved the diversity of the menu. Unfortunately when you go there, and all you know is you want steak, there is a serious time of reflection that must go into your choice! Very good service. We always had full drinks, prompt greeting, and prompt receipt and processing of the check.

Cons: Little bit of a jaunt just for dinner. You will have to plan a couple hours for the journey and dinner, but other than that there isn't too much that I can say that is negative about this place.

I would, and hopefully will go back to Black Angus in the very near future!

Parker's Lighthouse

My dad, brother, co-worker and I set out for Long Beach, California on Friday, January 19th for a trade show. This show would help benefit The Ink Spot, and help us, help my pappy out of the dark ages of his profession. We left Salt Lake early Friday morning, and attended the convention for most of the day. I went to a seminar called "Coping with Caps" addressing problems we as embroiderers face when sewing hats. It was overall a very good convention. We purchased much, and are waiting for more $$$ to come in to purchase some new embroidery machines as well.
After the convention, we had a few hours before our flight home later that evening. We decided to go walk along the shoreline on the pier, and eat at a restaurant called Parker's Lighthouse and the end of the pier. I have been to this convention a couple of times in the last few years, and eaten at this restaurant once before, but never was quite so excited to go back as I was this time.

Parker's specializes in their fresh seafood, and spectacular views of the bay and also of the old Queen Mary Cruise Ship. We arrived a little before the actual dinner time(5 p.m.) and so they told us we could go up to the third floor and enjoy appetizers and drinks, and then they would call us down for dinner when the time came. We all ordered a cup of clam chowder to start. This was THE BEST cup of clam chowder I have ever eaten. I don't normally like big chunks of clam in my chowder, because the bigger they are, the more the canned, fishy taste comes out too. Being that we were on the coast, these big chunks of clam did nothing but make me want to order another cup! SO fresh and yummy.

We also ordered a jumbo shrimp cocktail, which I didn't try, because I ordered a happy-hour-special California Roll (sushi). This again, was very good, and had a very fresh taste to it. We proceeded downstairs for dinner, and I was having a very hard time deciding what to order! Everything looked so good, and I probably could have ordered anything on the menu and been completely happy.

As it turns out, I finally decided on the Salmon. As one of the "fresh catches of the day" I could choose to have this prepared in about five different ways. Blackened, Cajun style, seared, etc. I chose mine to be blackened. Very very yummy! Again, probably the best salmon I have ever had. I think I didn't LOVE how much blackened seasoning was on the salmon, but it was mostly toward the end of the meal, because my mouth and lips were kinda burning. The salmon was served over a bed of wild rice, and a vegetable medley of julienned yellow, red, and orange peppers; carrots; zucchini, and yellow squash. Fresh squeezed lemon juice, and a sprinkle of salt made this dish very desirable. My brother ordered the same thing, and he also thought it was very good.

I don't think I have any "cons" for this restaurant. Our waiter was kind of a dork, and was slow to refill drinks, and slow to get us our check, even though we told him we needed to hurry to catch a flight. I think you are going to have dumb waiters no matter which restaurant you go to, and perhaps my standards for certain things are a little high. I like what I like, and I want what I want, especially when I am spending $25+ on a nice dinner. I highly recommend this restaurant to everyone, since they have some steak and chicken dishes as well, but I especially recommend Parker's Lighthouse to those who actually like seafood!

With so much to do, in such small place, this trip just made me want to go spend a week in Long Beach, California during the warmer months. Anyone wanna go play???

Latest Review

I am not planning on saying something about absolutely every fast food joint I ever go to. I only want to tell of some fab finds, and possibly help you be more aware of some places to save you a little pain. That way it is up to you if you decide to brave them or not.

For lunch today, I went to "The Pita Pit" in Provo. It is a quaint little place on the corner of Bulldog Blvd. and University Ave. next to Panda Express. It is basically a build your own sandwich type of establishment, only instead of a bun, you have your very own pita bread pocket. They have a lot of different options to choose from. Anything from a ham and cheese pita, to a veggie pita, to a gyro pita. You get your choice of hot or cold meats, veggies, etc. and then they stuff them full of all sorts of your favorite toppings, or sauces.

PROS: Lots of variety, and you can make it just the way you like it. Very fresh taste, and a very nice alternative to all of the many similar sandwich joints around the area.

CONS: Parking Sucks. There are only a handful of spots available between the two restaurants who share essentially one building. They are very slow. The don't have a very good "assembly line" in fact there isn't one at all. The girls do not wear their hair back at all, nor do they have hats of hair-nets. I am very tempted to call the health department and tattle! If you would like to try this place, I recommend calling in your order, and in some cases (at least they used to) for a small fee of a dollar or two, they will deliver it to you! If you want to brave it without using these other two methods, be prepared for about a 20 min wait if there is more than two people in front of you!

Restaurant Reviews

I have decided that I am going to start a new thing on my blogs. My name is Foodie, so therefore, I need to have more things to do with food right?! I am going to start reviewing every restaurant I go to from here on out. If you find that there is a place I should go check out, please tell me about it. I love to try to new places!

I have finally done it! There is finally proof that I am college graduate!!! It isn't anything to do with reviewing restaurants, but I guess it is part of my credentials to be able to do it!




I went with Shmeonyou21 to Park City for what we hoped would be a fabulous lunch at a nice sushi restaurant for which we had a $50 gift certificate. When we got there we found it didn't open until dinner time, so we wandered Main Street for a while to pass the time.

I am telling Franz all of my dirty secrets. We saw a hot skier that was so hot, we were both too shy to ask for a picture with him! I settled for Franz!a






And Sheila the Moose too!




Since we had some time on our hands (about three hours)before the sushi restaurant opened, and we were both so starving, we decided to get a light lunch beforehand. We went to The Hungry Moose Pub and Grill. We ordered two appetizers to share. The "Moose Fries" and the "Chicken Fingers." We figured appetizers would be small. They weren't
PROS: Large portions. Great Main St. location.
CONS: Drinks are $2.25 each. Huge portions. Service was very slow. Two TV's with no sound and no subtitles.




After lunch, we of course needed chocolate. What better place to go than RMCF? We needed to save our appetites, since we ate too much at lunch, and wanted to eat some good sushi in a little bit. We had to go put our purchase in the car!
PROS: Lots of choices of chocolate
CONS: Lots of choices of chocolate you can't decide!



The time finally arrived for sushi! The restaurant is called Oishi Sushi Bar and Grill. I have to say, it was pretty reasonably priced for being on Main St. in Park City. I didn't absolutely love it though. It was alright, and had some new varieties you can't get around here. I think I have still had better though.
PROS: Great location just off Main Street. Very friendly, cute, Australian Hosts. Wide variety. More on menu than just sushi. Reasonably priced. Close to underground parking.
CONS: Short sushi bar--not enough room for your feet and knees. Not open for lunch. Average tasting food.

The scene just as we left Main Street in Park City. Note to those who may be planning a trip in the near future. The sidewalks on Main Street are not shoveled, and very slippery, so you may need to wear boots. It is very cold up there, so you may need a very warm coat, not just a jacket. Esp. if there is any kind of a breeze blowing! Be aware that parking is slim pickings. I think we had it even tougher because there were some World Cup events taking place that week. There are some hot skiers. Be prepared for whiplash, and go with enough gumption to ask one of them for a picture!

There is be for the first installment of Foodie's Fabulous Food Findings! Stay tuned as there is sure to be more!

More Happenings and Stuff

In addition to my previous list of fun things that happened in January, my sissy announced on New Years Eve that she was also expecting! YEA!!! My parents are obviously thrilled. "More Grandbabies...HOORAY!" She is only three weeks behind my sister-in-law, so we are going to have two brand new babies around the house for Grandma to kiss their cheeks off!

I think that's it though. Unless I find out that I got hired on at Costco for real (not just seasonal), there will be another announcement. Until then, I think things will calm down a bit.

Last night I had the pleasure of going to dinner with my good friends Nemesis, and Rules for a Reason. Sometimes it is even that much more fun when you can just vent all of the frustrations that are going on in your life. Last night was much of the same. We are all three gorgeous, successful (they both have their masters degrees, and I finally got my associates degree), single women who don't like it when people think of us as having some sort of disease. In the Utah-Mormon Culture, we are sad sights to behold. There is something wrong with us because we are not married, nor seriously dating anyone at the moment.

We decided that since we are all fed up with the "Oh so sadness" that gets thrown our way, that we would come up with some little sassy comebacks to shut them up. I don't remember all of them, so hopefully one, or both will either comment on this post, or write one of their own to add to it.

My favorites:

• Attack something they are most sensitive about. In my instance, it would be my mother's sons. Anyone who is really familiar with my family knows that the best way to get my mother angry is to say her son is cocky or something!

• Tell them you are dying of cancer, or that you have some other form of disease. When they feel as though they have just stuck their foot in their mouth, you push it in even further by telling them how it really is.

• Explain that you and your "partner" can't be legally married yet in Utah, so you are either going to move to San Francisco, or Canada; OR you had to break it off because of the above mentioned problem.

Why is it, that even when you do go on a date, everyone is already planning your wedding?

Why is it that everyone seems to think that you should be depressed, and sitting at home. Yet, likes to throw out the fact that you aren't trying hard enough to find a husband?

Why is it that everyone's uncle's cousin's great aunt's neighbor's friend's mother-in-law's dog's hair groomer who lives in Wisconsin is single, and you would be perfect for each other. Just for the fact that you are both single, and not actually compatible personality wise?

After dinner, I came home and cleaned up my apartment a bit, then snuggled into my bed and turned on Pride and Prejudice (the one with Kiera Knightly). I am pretty sure I have mentioned it before, but there is one line that I can relate to so very much. It is the part where Lizzy is outside swinging on the tire swing and her friend Charlotte comes to tell her that she is engaged to Mr. Collins. When Lizzy expresses her lack of enthusiasm for the union, Charlotte defends her decision:

"I am 27 years old, I've no money, and no prospects. I'm already a burden to my parents...Don't judge me Lizzy. Don't judge me."

The three dots are in place of the phrase "And I'm afraid." I didn't put that in the actual quote because I don't relate to that part so much. I am not going to be sitting at home feeling sorry for myself, and I don't care what you think! Just don't tell me how you think I should feel, or that I am not trying. If so, beware! I get angry just thinking about my mother saying that to me, so actually hearing it again may make me slap you silly!

On a lighter note. Here are some hotties you should take a look at. I would like to thank the folks at KiddieKandids.com for allowing me to borrow these without their permission!