Cooking Mood

I do love to cook. That is no secret, nor has it ever been. I have recently been very very lazy and not really made anything for a long time. I have eaten, don't mistake that, my meals have just been parents/sammiches/Shameonyou21's house/restaurants/VERY BAD Red Rooster fried chicken and waffle restaurants.

No worries though! I think I have found my passion again over this last week! I made homemade scones with homemade honey butter one Sunday. I came home from work one day last week, and all of a sudden had the desire to make homemade broccoli beef. So I went to walmart, bought the groceries, came home and made it! I also threw in some homemade ham fried rice for good measure!

The night before last, I asked my new roommate around midnight----OH YEAH, I forgot another new event for my list! I got a new roommate! Idyllic Ideas finally moved in! There goes all of my future roommate bashing posts though. I know how much you all believe that too! ANYWAY, I asked her what she wanted me to make for dinner the next day. She came up with the kabobs idea.

I made both chicken kabobs and steak kabobs. I bugged Shameonyou21 at 12:30 a.m. over text message for some suggestions. I marinated the chicken in my usual soy sauce/7-up marinade starting the next morning. I did not marinate the steak, but just brushed the finished kabobs with garlic butter before cooking. Idyllic Ideas really wanted to add the fruit of the devil (pineapple) to her kabobs, so I made sure those stayed far away from my kabobs (even though those that ate them said they liked them)!

I really wanted to BBQ the skewers, but somehow, my small charcoal grill disappeared at my parents' house, so I settled for baking them instead. I guess they turned out alright...in fact, they were pretty freaking fabulous!!!

My neighbor made us dinner tonight since I have basically fed her over the last month off and on! Anyone got any other ideas while I am on a roll? You all might want to try and take advantage this roll if you know what's good for you--mmm food...good...

More Restaurant Reviews

While my evil Dell was on the fritz, I had the opportunity to sample a few new restaurants:

Paula's Cazuela-During my most recent getaway to St. George with Nats and our upstairs neighbor, Shaniqua. We decided to take a weekend and go golfing while it warm. Nats had heard of this restaurant on a previous trip with some friends of hers who live in St. George. Shaniqua and I were up for trying something new. This quaint little Mexican restaurants is located just off one of the main highways in town up on top of a small hill or ridge, if you will.

We were seated after a brief wait and although the waitress took some sweet time even acknowledging us, or taking our drink order, I thought the food was very good. Homemade chips and salsa, what's not to love about that! I didn't love the dish I ordered, but I wasn't in the mood for a salad...let alone a salad on top of a ranch dressing filled chicken burrito. Normally the ranch thing wouldn't bother me, but I wanted something different. Both Nats and Shaniqua ordered the Chile Verde Burrito (pork burrito with a spicy green sauce...its actually quite on the milder side of spicy). They shared some of their excess sauce with me so I could somewhat enjoy what I ordered. I would go here again, next time I am in town, to try some of their other menu items.

Pizzeria 712-This restaurant is located off of State Street in Orem inside the enormous monstrosity that is the Midtown Village condos (which are still and will forever and always be under construction it seems). Anyway, one of my friends, Harper, suggested we go there one night to try it out. They had just opened and she had heard good things about it. We got about five us together to go, Me, Nats, Harper, Idyllic Ideas, and Messervy.

We weren't sure if it was going to work out the night we went however, because when we arrived, we discovered that the restaurant was SUPER TINY, and there was a lot of people waiting to get in. Luckily for us, we had just the right amount of people, and that size of table just happened to open up!!! Take that all you little gross couples making out in the tiny lobby!!! Anyway, we had no idea how things worked there, and the menu seemed a little intimidating at first. We asked the waiter to explain some of the menu items to us, and kind of the general gist of the "system." All of the pizzas are made with thin crusts so one person can pretty much eat their own pizza. Some people share one also, but I am with Joey Tribbiani when he says: "Joey doesn't share food!"

I allowed myself to however, on this night, so I could see what everything was about. We ordered four pizzas so we could all share. We had to ask about a few of the different sounding toppings, but soon discovered that they are just the real authentically Italian ingredient most commonly used in Italy (Speck=Prosciutto or Cured Ham, Sopressatta=Pepperoni...go figure!). We got one that was just plain cheese with basil like a margarita style, another one of those with the pepperoni added, one with the speck and pepperoni, and another one I could find on their website menu that was more of a white pizza. (Help me out guys if you remember or if you have been there cause I can't remember from a month ago what it all entailed!) I think it had like five cheeses and garlic but it had a different sauce other than just a regular tomato. This one was everyones favorite, although the other ones we got were fabulous in in their own right!!!

The atmosphere of the restaurant is fun, they have a few waiters, and what appeared to be only two guys acting as cooks. The have a big brick style oven, and the two guys are right there behind a counter making it in front of you! Everything out in the open! As I mentioned before, I couldn't believe how small the place was. I can't imagine them not expanding either within the same complex, or franchising to another location. They will be that popular!


La Dolće Vita-I have wanted to try this restaurant for a very long time, but now that I have, I wish I had left it to my imagination and wondering. I went with a big group of friends to celebrate a mass birthday. Three of my friends had birthdays in March, so we decided to all go out to dinner once to celebrate. Some of the guys said it was good, so I was excited to finally try it out. This restaurant is located just around the corner from Ottavio's in Provo off of Center Street, and around the other corner from the big Wells Fargo complex on the side.

At first, I was extra excited because I found another place that made Gnocchi! Pronounced n-yo-kee. For those of you not familiar with this little delight, they are associated a couple of different ways. Potato dumpling, or ricotta dumpling. It is either mashed up potatoes or ricotta cheese and flour and salt...that's it. I LOVE ME some Gnocchis! Anyway, so I found a little combination platter on the menu that came with 1/2 penne alfredo, and 1/2 gnocchi marinara. I like the alfredo sauce the best with gnocchi's, so I figured since the dish already came with alfredo, they couldn't charge me an extra $2 to get a different sauce like some places. When I asked the waiter if I could get it all alfredo with no marinara, his response shocked me to the point where I wanted to get up and leave. He says that the dish is pre-made with the sauces already on the pasta that way, and then it just gets heated up.

Are you kidding me??? What kind of so called Italian Restaurant PRE-MAKES pasta that way, and why would I want to eat something that was made who knows how long ago and possibly frozen and re-heated??? Let's just say that when the food came out, it wasn't as hot as you would think food that's just been cooked/re-heated should be. It pretty much tasted how I anticipated...soggy gnocchi's and luke warm temperature...neither are a good combination. I will not go back to this restaurant...it's over priced for that kind of quality, the service was lousy, and it's just not that good. Stay away, unless you like really bad "Italian Food" if that's what you can even call it!

Strawberry Mango Goodness

While I try to get the pictures organized, and uploaded, I thought I would do a little restaurant review. The restaurant is called World Famous and it is located right on the beach in San Diego, California. Their menu changes pretty much daily, or at least they print out a new menu every day...(you know that because the date is printed at the top of each menu). Shameonyou21 and Randoval found this place a couple of years ago when they were staying here, and took a walk on the boardwalk. A short ten minute walk along the beach's boardwalk and you are there. We went there Thursday night for dinner, and then we loved it so much, we went back the night we returned to San Diego a week and a half later!

This, my friends, is my strawberry mango goodness! The actual name is Strawberry Mango Angel Food Trifle! It has giant spears of mango in the glass along the sides, a strawberry and a vanilla custard sauce (creme anglaise), chunks of angel food cake, and whipped cream and strawberries. All I have to say about this is...OH! MY! This made dinner oh so much better!

The best part about this restaurant some would say is the view. While you can't normally beat that, I would have to say that my strawberry mango goodness is almost tied with something else on the menu. What is it you ask??? It is the most rich and yummy lobster bisque (basically a cream of lobster soup) I have had since school! The cruise ship had lobster bisque offered one night, and it didn't even come close to this one. It even had some lobster bits in it! You all know how much I love me some lobster bits!!!

We joked about asking the waitress if the soup comes with free refills, so I actually asked her. She giggled, then leaned down and asked me what is was I said! I repeated my question,

"So the lobster bisque comes with free refills right?!"

She kinda chuckled again, then took my bowl (which I wasn't completely done with cause I wanted to use the bread to lick it clean) and said, "Oh it is so rich you would get sick if you ate another bowl."

As she walked away I felt my eyes welling up with tears because I wasn't done, and because she really never answered my question. I REALLY did want another bowl! It wasn't like there was a full cup of soup. I bet there wasn't even quite a half of a cup in there! JERK WAITRESS!

The second time we went, we couldn't decide what entree we wanted, so we tried all the appetizers, some delectable lobster bisque, and of course some strawberry mango goodness! I think the appetizers, and those other two dishes are the best things on the menu (from what we tried anyway).

What we tried:

• Crab Stuffed Mushrooms--These are better when you squeeze a little lemon on them, rather than eating them plain!
• Crunchy Jumbo Shrimp--Essentially these are a coconut shrimp. The sweet ancho chili sauce was tasty also!
• Lobster Spring Rolls--Lobster bits (mmm lobster bits) in a spring roll with a spicy mango jalapeno sauce...mmm!
• Big Island Ahi Tuna--If you like sushi, this is the appetizer for you! Chunks of tuna on sticky rice with a little sweet/spicy sauce drizzle!
• Peppered Seared Yellow Fish Tuna--A little too peppery in some spots (I know shocker cause I put pepper on EVERYTHING), but overall very good and it was cooked to perfection. The hot mustard sauce went perfectly with it also!
• Shrimp San Miguel--Shameonyou21 said she liked it, but the sherry flavor took over a little bit from the overall taste.
• Capellini California--Di Di didn't have much to say about this because she was too busy eating it! I tasted some and it has a very fresh flavor. No seafood in it, which was perfect for her!
• Steak and Sea Scallops--I don't like scallops very much. To me they are just ooey gooey fish balls. They have a very fishy flavor and the texture is rubbery. Randoval didn't love this, because I think the steak came with carmelized red onions and so it was a little sweeter than he likes his meat.
• Pacific Clam Chowder--I liked this very much, but once you've tasted fresh clam chowder somewhere on the coast, there isn't much you can do to doll it up. I just liked the lobster bisque BETTER!

Anyway, I am only waiting on Di Di and Shameonyou21 to get me CD's with their pictures. Let's face it...we were all going to share pictures, so I let them take the most. Anyway, in the mean time, Shameonyou21 has posted a little synopsis with some pics on her blog, so go check it out while you are waiting for me to get the CD's to give you the whole trip!

Lifetime Restaurants

I have been a major slacker...yes what else is new you say! I have been a very very bad slacker, I have two restaurants to review, and one big major announcement to make! So without annoying you any further...

I AM A LIFETIMER!!! What does that mean you ask? Well, that means that in my last 1 year, 10 1/2 months of being a faithful paid member of Weight Watchers, I have reached my goal weight, and maintained it for at least six weeks. That now means, that as long as I stay no more than two pounds over that goal weight, I am what they consider a Lifetime Member. I don't have to pay them anything ever again, and I only have to check in ONE time during the month, instead of going every single week. HOORAY!!! I have lost 61 pounds (and counting), and have dropped my pant size in half!!! YEA, YIPPEE!!!

In between, and after said blessed event happened, I managed to find a couple of restaurants to review. One was so-so, and the other BAD!

Remember "The Place of Which We Do Not Speak?" Well, someone told me that it no longer existed. That it was named something different. I figured this would be a good opportunity to find out if I simply disliked the location by the movie theater, or if it was the actual restaurant itself. I still can't tell.

Kristen, and Kristeee and I all went out to try our hand at this new place to see what we could see, while the LDS boys were supposed to be at their Priesthood Meeting session of the LDS General Conference. The restaurant is called, "La Vigna," not to be confused with a different vulgar word referring to a woman's body part, as Kristeee originally thought it was called!!!

We arrived at the restaurant, and were escorted in very promptly. It kind of surprised us being that this was usually the time all the women go out to eat, while the men were in their meeting. Kristen and I usually have issues with this restaurant telling us ten minutes, forgetting about us, even though they asked us our name twice, and the actual wait time ending up to be about 45 minutes. This was a very nice change of pace for us!!!

Anyway, we took a look at the menu, trying to decide what we could order. I noticed that much of the menu was the same or very similar to that of the previous restaurant, only maybe with a different name. The prices seemed to be slightly higher, but only by a dollar or two. We asked our waiter for some suggestions, and he gave us ONE. His favorite. OK, so not that bad, but maybe we wanted some options to choose from, maybe you could tell us what a lot of people order, or what another dish you like might be. Don't just give me one and walk away like a homer!!!

As we sat there wondering if we dared ask the waiter what happened to "That Place of Which We Do Not Speak," or for more menu suggestions, we mulled over some other options to choose from. None of us picked the waiter's favorite as it turned out. Maybe I should have. They had a dish similar to my favorite one from "that other place" (Lobster Bits), only slightly different, but I wanted to try something new. Once again...BAD IDEA!

I can't remember exactly how the dish I ordered was supposed to be prepared. I ordered the tortellini in what I thought was supposed to be a garlic cream sauce with sun-dried tomatoes. What came out was tortellini in some broken, sorry excuse for a pasta sauce I have ever seen. There was no garlic flavor in it at all, and it appeared to be either straight butter or olive oil, or a combination of the two together. In fact, there was no flavor to the dish at all, even though they had strings of basil ALL OVER the outside and on top of my plate!!!

I think the dish was called something like "Katarina de tortellini." Or something with some woman's name in it at least! If that is the way that Katarina intended that dish to be, someone should smack her upside the head with one of those hanging sausages on the walls, because as I said before, it was the sorriest excuse for a pasta sauce EVER!

I am pretty sure that both of my companions enjoyed their dishes. But how much different can you get with Marsala Chicken, and Cannelloni??? I might give this place one more try. Maybe go try their version of my lobster bits and then I can compare for sure.

While trying to search to see if a website was available yet, I came across this guy's commentary on the place. It explains what happened to "that other place" and why I thought things looked so similar in the new place. Apparently is was differences of opinion between the two partners, and that's why the Provo location of "that other place" is still in tact. I hope that since the management is the same, and only the name and the menu differ slightly from the original, their service will differ as well from what we have dealt with in the past. If it is the same...I will ban myself from eating there as I did "that other place."

Just a quick note...that other place that I went to, just stay away. It will not be in business long at all. It is called "National Express Restaurant," and it is located in Orem where the old dine-in Pizza Hut used to be by Jamba Juice. It is supposed to be a chinese buffet style, but their selections were very few...maybe like 10 or so, and the flavors weren't quite there. They had a General Tso's Orange Chicken dish, which tasted neither like the hot and spicy norm of the general's chicken, nor anything like orange as one might expect from a dish with that name. Their assembly line seemed backwards and kinda wierd. The plates were at the end of the line, the forks and napkins way over by the register, and the sweet and sour sauce was at the beginning before you ever come to the actual chicken. With the mother of all chinese buffets (LQ Chinese Gourmet by Subway off of 1200 north) only a few blocks away, I can't imagine this place staying open for very long.

New Review!

Not much has been happening recently, as I am sure you have all noticed the complete lack of blogging on my part. Nevertheless, I have managed to find a restaurant at which is worth eating, and which is worth actually reviewing since I haven't been to this restaurant before, nor had I really noticed it was in existence until a few weeks ago when I went.

As we walked out of the restaurant, I heard a woman, who was passing by, tell her friend that this restaurant was not good and to never, ever go there. I have to disagree completely, as I thought it was a very nice, fresh change from the usual Chinese crap that is out there these days. One thing that grabbed my attention right away was the dish descriptions on the menu. Some places have a very generic description that barely gives you an idea of what you are ordering. These descriptions were brief, yet informative enough to let me know what I would be getting myself into if I decided to order this dish.

The prices were very reasonable considering its location, and the amount of food you receive. Most lunches were just under $8, and they are served with egg rolls, soup of the day (this day was the egg drop soup), fried wontons, and your choice of fried or steamed rice. By the time the actual entrees came, we were already pleasantly satisfied. The food came out very quickly, and the portions were large enough to have leftovers (if you like to have leftovers) for the following day.

I ordered the General Tso's chicken. Most everywhere I have been, has this particular dish in the deep fried format. Shoots had the chicken grilled and then sauteed in the special sauce that I love so much! My favorite Chinese buffet did away with this on the menu, so knowing of another place to get it, that is even healthier than the original, was happiness in the world in which I live.

The only negative things I noticed was that the water glasses were slow to be refilled, the bill was quite slow in getting to us once we were finished eating, and then quite slow in returning it to us. The restaurant appears to be all family run and operated, so I am sure the wait staff/owner's wife and daughter had other tables to attend to, but these are just "must haves" in my book.

I reccomend this restaurant to all who like chinese food, and especially to those who aren't always down with the always fried shrimp, chicken, and pork dishes that so often accompany this type of cuisine. The website advertises that all of the food is made fresh to order, and not sitting under a heat lamp to order. That's a good way to get me interested at least. For dinner they have a "mix and match" type of entree which I thought would be worth checking out. You get a choice of starch, three choices of vegetables, and one choice of meat (or something along those lines. All of it freshly stir-fried when you order.

Slacker Reviews

I have been a slacker on a couple of reviews, so now that I have a few minutes while at work (more like I don't want to really do any official work right now), I thought I would say a few things about my experiences.

More recently, I ventured into Chili's and into the California Pizza Kitchen restaurants, both in Orem.


This one has always been kind of like a staple. It features southwest cuisine, but also the traditional burgers and fries and stuff. I have always loved the traditional fajitas. This time, Queenmeadow, her husband Stuthewise, and their 3 kids invited me out for an evening of fun since they couldn't make it to a BBQ I invited them to a little while back. One thing I love about this restaurant, is that you can use a service called "Call Ahead Seating." The idea is that your name will go on the waiting list as soon as you call, and then you pick up your pager when you get there. The wait time is the same as if you had just walked in the door, but it is from the moment you call, not when you arrive! I haven't ever had to wait very long when I used this wonderful service. Other restaurants are dumb for not implementing the same type of service. I believe this would ease the stress of a huge lobby of hungry, yet angry guests (bad combination)!

I have heard many advertisements lately for their new menu item called "Fajita Trio." (My favorite one is the game-show one on the radio, about naming that sound...cracks me up everytime I hear it)! I was kind of tired of the usual things I get everytime I go there, so I thought I would try it out. It is small portions of steak, chicken, and shrimp all cooked in a sizzling skillet with bell peppers and onions! MMM!!! I thought they were fabulous, and so did Queenie! Overall a very good experience!

CPK specializes in non-traditional pizzas with more gourmet type toppings and cheeses, etc. Along with that you will find some pastas along the same lines. They too have a call ahead seating option available, but you still have a bit of a wait once you arrive, which is no big deal usually.

One of my friends, Ms. Cvitas, graduated from BYU (or at least walked, cause she gets her diploma in August). She is from Croatia, along with some friends she as met while living here the past few years. They have green cards, and live here, while Ms. Cvitas is here only on a student visa. After the long, boring, drawn out, graduation ceremony, she had a little celebration at CPK.

We got in and got seated after a short wait, but then the server was not aware we were her table. Usually servers have sections, so if a new group comes into your section, they are your table to serve. I don't know what happened, but they gave us a free appetizer to make up for it!!! The food was prompt, and the right temperature. She had issues with keeping up on our drinks (some didn't like the italian sodas, but she wasn't around to get it changed).

The biggest beef of mine was when I paid my bill. My bill came to $11.00, and I paid with a $20 bill. She brings me back $6, but a $5 bill, and $1 bill. I have no other cash, and I was going to leave her like $3, even though it was only supposed to be like $2 technically. I would have asked her to change it out, but like I said before, she never came back. We were there talking for like 30 min after our bills came, and I had no caffeine to help me keep up the fast pace of a foreign language I can barely understand anymore as it is! So, I left her $1, and then I found a couple of quarters, so her tip ended up being $1.50. HALF! If any of you are servers in restaurants out there, and you actually want a tip, don't expect me to be leaving you the $5 bill. IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN unless you blow me away with your incredible service/food!!!


Lastly, this place shouldn't have even been mentioned cause it was so bad. Sakura Teppanyaki Grill and Sushi Lounge in Orem. I only have two words for this place. SO BAD! Perhaps these ones are better: NEVER AGAIN! Two hours to get a few sushi rolls, then it comes back either not rolled tight enough, or they used the wrong kind of rice, because they fell apart the second you touched them. Just avoid this place if you can!!!

Texas Roadhouse/Bombay House

At long last, here we go I had heard that this restaurant was good, and some even went so far as to say it was better than Ruby River. Up to this point, even though I haven't been here since I started this food critic business, Ruby River has been my favorite steakhouse to date.

I know some will still disagree with me, and some will even say that others are better. All I have to say to that, is just let me know when and where, and I will show up with my anal retentive food critic hat on that reads in giant letters "I am reviewing your establishment, please treat me and my friends like dirt!"

The atmosphere is very western-like. As soon as you walk into the restaurant, you are immediately greeted by a giant barrel of peanuts. Much the same as you would at other western themed steakhouses. Grab a handful of peanuts and have a seat while you wait. The trash can for your peanut shells is simply the floor. It is no understatement when I tell you that you are walking on shells. It sucks for the poor, 16 year old, pimple-faced kid who has to clean up all of the shells at the end of the night, but never mind that.

Once you sit down at your table, you are once again greeted with peanuts. A smaller tin bucket awaits you the moment you sit down. Good idea? Bad idea? I guess that depends on how much you like or dislike peanuts, or how many peanuts you ate during your time spent waiting for your table.

I also ordered the garlic mashed potatoes, but I think the next time I go, I am going to have to order some veggies if I get the same dish. A little too much starch on one plate for my liking, although the potatoes were very The menu selection is very broad, the prices are very reasonable for a steakhouse, and the side selections are also numerous. I decided upon the tenderloin medallions. Three, 3oz. medallions of one of the most tender cuts of meat you can get. It is served over a bed of rice pilaf, and your choice of a shitake mushroom sauce, or a three peppercorn sauce. I could not decide between the the two, so they were kind enough to give me a half and half--no extra charge!!! They were both very delish! I liked them mixed rather than I did separately though.

For once, I did not have a bad experience at a restaurant. The waitress was very friendly, very much on the ball with drinks and refills, clearing plates, checking on us...but not over bearing. I would definitely recommend this place to everyone. You just might need to experience the true ambiance and good food without me, so I don't jinx your first experience!

I am not going to say much about this restaurant. If you are in the mood for a good ethnic experience, try this place out. All of the dishes you can make as hot or as mild as you like. Just a warning though, the curries are a little on the spicy side even if you order them mild. You will start out thinking they aren't so bad, you will possibly even get a sweet flavor when you first take a bite. Then as soon as you swallow, maybe even take a couple of bites before the curry kicks in, but you will soon start to feel it in the back of your throat. You will even be tempted to make the same noise, and wiggle our fingers on your throat, just like Will Smith does in his movie "Hitch" when he has that allergic reaction, just before his face swells up like a giant balloon!

Anyway, don't be afraid to order a few dishes if you are in a group, and be sure to order some flat bread called Naan. The Chicken Tikka Masala is also another recommendation. I tried the shrimp curry--medium heat, which was very good, just got a little too hot about half-way through. My lips were burning so much that I couldn't finish the rest (other than the actual pieces of shrimp that is)!

Greg's

For some dumb reason, I have been procrastinating posting about this restaurant. I called Miss Nemesis, and she was kind enough to email me some of her pictures from the evening. She complied very quickly, and I sat on my keister and didn't do a thing about them. Nem, I apologize! ::hanging head in shame:: Nemesis, her sisters Jenny & Megan, Kristeee, Jaime & Jake, Shelly, and myself all got together and went to dinner since Nemesis was going to be in town for the weekend. Anyway, here we go on a Culinary Adventure!

Greg's Restaurant for those who know about and frequent it, is known as "The Best Kept Secret in Utah Valley." I have actually been told this by a few people, and it is not just my extremely biased opinion! Greg's Restaurant is located in the McKay Events Center on the Utah Valley State College campus. The restaurant is run by the Culinary Arts Students, and is only open during the course of the school semester. During the Fall semester, they feature International Cuisine, and develop menus from regions all over the world, such as French, Italian, Thai, Japanese, etc. During the Spring semester, they feature American Regional Cuisine, and develop menus from regions all over the United States such as Tex Mex, Central Plains, Pacific Northwest, American Steakhouse.

The price is only $16.95 per person, and they only accept reservations. They have reservation times every Thursday and Friday night ranging from 6-8 p.m. It is a five course meal, served in various creative plate presentations. You can expect to pay $30-$50 on average at other fine dining establishments in the state. You get your choice of one item from each of the following categories.

Our theme/region for the evening was Pacific Northwest. For some reason, we didn't get any pictures of the salads, but you get your choice of that too! Here is how our evening went:

Appetizers:

• Trio of Grilled Bell Pepper & Eggplant Terrine
• Deep Fried Salmon Croquettew/Caper Dill Tartar Sauce

• Mussels in Thai Coconut Broth

Soups:

• Red Lentil Soup w/Walla Walla Marmalade
• Green Pea Soup with Crab and Mint

Entrees:

• Blackberry Barbecued Breast of Chicken w/Creamy Potato Salad, Shoestring Potatoes & Chinese Broccoli w/Crispy Garlic
• Roasted Morgan Valley Lamb Top Sirloinw/Thyme Merlot Reduction, Spicy SweetPotato Hash Browns & Zucchini & Snow Peas w/Basil

DESSERTS:

• Chocolate Mocha Something w/Cream & Cookies & Chocolate Shavings (Can anyone remember what this was really called? Nem was the only one who ordered it)!
• Panna Cotta w/Strawberry Gelatin & Black Pepper Tuille

Key Personel:

Here is a copy of their menu this week, so you can get an idea of how menus vary.

"This Is Very Different From Downtown Provo"

That was the quote from a friend of mine when she walked into "The Pie Pizzeria" in Salt Lake City on Saturday. This person is as goodie-two-shoes as one person can be. I found this place through my friend Shameonyou21. I do not know where she heard about it from, prolly her sissy or something like that. It is a little underground establishment up on the University of Utah campus just a little bit North of their football Stadium.

"The Pie Pizzeria" really isn't like any place you have ever been before if you are from Utah County. The ambiance is dark, the music is loud, there are sports playing on the two TV's on either side of the dining room, and they serve alcohol!

I remember when I was in school, my fellow classmates and I were working up in Salt Lake at the Salt Palace for a few days one week. I suggested we all go here for lunch after our shift one day. There were a few of my classmates who were not LDS and ordered a beer to go with their pizza lunch. Another of my classmates was just recently returned from her LDS mission. She got so uncomfortable that she asked me for my keys to go sit in the car while we finished eating!!!

I personally love the ambiance. Maybe I am not as ultra-conservative as some others are either, but the darkness adds to the fun I think. You place your order right as you walk in the door, and they take your name. You go find your seat, and in a few minutes, they call you over the intercom and tell you to pick up your order (or in the event you ordered a whole pizza and not their express lunch by-the-slice, they will tell you that your "PIE" is ready).

I order their Cheese-Pull-A-Part every time I go. It is essentially a no-sauce cheese pizza with a top crust. Mmm, cheesy breadsticks!!! Their pizzas are heaped with cheese, and loads of toppings. If you just sort-of like a topping, this is probably the place where you will either learn to love that topping, or just learn to hate it all together!!! They have a wide selection of regular pizza toppings, plus a selection of gourmet toppings such as sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, feta cheese, and much more.

Here is a copy of their menu if you wish to check it out. I love this place, and if anyone who couldn't go, and wants to go, just give me a shout!!!

Lobster Bits

I go here often, but this is my first official visit since I became a self proclaimed restaurant critic. Kristee and I braved the Provo chain, and for the most part was very pleased. She ordered the eggplant parmigian, which turned out to be more like a manicotti. Eggplant wrapped around cheese and covered in marinara sauce. She let me taste it, and it was a surprisingly good twist to a usually very simple dish.

I ordered the Ravioli Pescatora. It is basically a seafood ravioli (mixture of crab, shrimp, lobster, and cheese) in a lobster cream sauce. Normally it is garnished with a chiffonade (thin cut strips) of basil, and tiny salad shrimps. This particular instance was tiny bits of lobster!!! Very nice surprise! There are very few things so far in my experiences that have made me want to lick my plate clean. This is one of them. I let Kristee try some too, and in fact, she came back for more later in the meal! Neither of us could finish our entire meals, so we got to-go boxes. We left them on the table when we left. CURSES!!!

For some reason, I am just cursed with bad experiences with friends at restaurants. They can usually go a million times and not have one single problem. The minute they go with me, all of a sudden there is a problem. Either the waiter, the menu, the food, the hostesses, you name it!

I seem to have better luck at the Provo restaurant than I do the American Fork restaurant. I also think the Provo one tastes a little better too. I will still probably go to the A.F. one since I have a few friends that live out that way, but I think I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Provo.

PROS: Authentic Italian feel in the ambiance. Good food. Average service. All you can eat foccacia bread (you'll have to ask for more if you eat the basket they give you, but they'll give it to you).

CONS: Wait service is average. Hostesses rarely have a clue (AF). Servers take your food and box it up for you (some people might like that but it bugs me). Chiffonade of basil is a lousy garnish. Rule #1 in plating and garnishing is that you don't garnish with something someone won't actually eat. I can't really even call it a chiffonade, these are usually giant uneven strips plopped right in the middle of the dish. It is almost as bad as another restaurant and their giant sprig of parsley that has no purpose whatsoever!

MMM SUSHI

A couple of weeks ago, Shameonyou21, and her boyfriend (whom we'll call) Randoval took me out for my birthday dinner. Actually it was more Randoval taking the two of us out. He left town the day she and I went up to Black Angus, so Randoval said he would take me out when he got back into town. After much deliberation, and veto's from everyone involved we finally decided on Tepnayaki Japanese Steakhouse in Lehi.

This Japanese steakhouse is not simply a restaurant, it's also culinary entertainment! Guests sit at communal tables surrounding Japanese-style teppan grills while skilled chefs prepare meats and veggies in a flurry of flashing knives and spatulas. The house specialty--and most dramatic option--is a simple stir-fry with fried rice or noodles on the side, although sushi also is available at almost all of the locations. The Provo location being the only one that does not have a sushi bar.

It is quite the performance when the chef lights the grill on fire to start the meal, and also a flaming volcano onion. Some don't like the end of the meal because regardless if you ordered shrimp or not, he always saves a few to toss at you to catch in your mouth. Maybe these people don't have good hand-eye coordination, or whatever, but I sure like it. They will throw chicken at you instead of shrimp if it is the shrimp part you object to, and not the actual throwing part!

When I go there with Shameonyou21, we almost always just get sushi. It's quick, easy, and there is never a wait for a table. You just walk in and sit right down. We end up gorging ourselves, and loving every minute of it.

Among our favorite choices are: the Rainbow, Mars, Green Tiger, Crunch, and the California rolls. The beef kushi appetizer is really good too!!!

PROS: Walk right in and sit down at the actual sushi bar, or in the sushi bar area. They are reasonably quick in making the rolls, and the prices are very reasonable as well.

CONS: When eating in the tepanyaki area at the tables with the chefs, you will have to most likely have a bit of a wait. At least 30 min. every time I have gone. At all locations your party will not be seated until your entire party has arrived. I don't blame them for this, but it is kind of a pain when half of your party makes a habit of being late like my brothers do! If you don't have at least 8 people, you will have to share the table with other people you don't know. Depending on how good (or uncoordinated) your chef is, you could have shrimp down your shirt, up your nose, or on your shirt. Also, it has been known to happen, that the food has flown into water glasses from the table adjacent to yours! WATCH OUT!!!

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!