Pantrucas

Where: Pantrucas Chilean Restaurant, 3161 N Canyon Road, Provo

Who Went: Chelsey, Owen, Anthony & Kierea

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Churrasco Palta, Barros Luco, Ave Palta, Completo Italiano, Cheese Empanada,  2 Peach Juices and a Mango Juice. 

What It Cost: $26.00 for two people 

What We Thought: 

In the mood for something unique, flavorful, and local? Pantrucas is a delicious little family-owned and operated treat hidden up on Canyon Road that serves Chilean fare. They have been on my to-visit list for a long time now, and when I set up a double date with one of my friends who served his mission in Chile, I knew we had to go here so I could get a real opinion on its authenticity!

We started out with three juices - two peach and one mango. Though a little on the pricey side, they definitely do not skimp out on the juice with these huge carafes filled with fresh-squeezed flavor! Definitely some of the best juices I've ever had at a restaurant, and I can only imagine how delicious and refreshing these would taste on a hot summer day! Definitely will have to come here mid-August!

My favorite sandwich was actually the one Owen ordered - the Barros Luco sandwich. It is essentially a steak and cheese sandwich, served on their homemade crunchy bread. The homemade bread is outstanding - very fresh and toasted to a fun crispness, and I really loved the marinated, flavorful, tender steak inside. They went a little crazy with the cheese, which made me love it even more! So comforting and soooo good!

Anthony ordered the Completo Italiano, which was essentially a loaded hot dog. I had no idea that hot dogs would be considered Chilean food, but Anthony said that food carts sell hot dogs just like this all over the place! The hot dog was enormous, and had plenty of tomatoes, onions, and other toppings that all looked fresh and wonderful.

The Ave Palta and Churrasco Palta sandwiches were essentially the same - the former with chicken and the latter with steak - and they were equally tasty. Served on the same bread as the above steak sandwich, these were absolutely loaded with fresh, ripe avocado, smashed and spread into a thick layer. Then the same delicious marinated meat, topped with hefty slices of thick tomatoes and herbs. So simple, but so amazing. This is another one that I bet would be absolutely divine in the summer, and it is definitely worth it.

What You Should Do: Pantrucas is definitely one of those special Provo places you should add to your list. They are very different, very delicious, and very authentic according to my friend! You may not have known what Chilean food is like, but Pantrucas can give you a fun cultural dining experience with plenty of choices to satisfy all palates.

Taste of Red Iguana

Where: Taste of Red Iguana, 28 S State Street, Salt Lake City

Who Went: Chelsey

Number of Visits: 1

What I Ordered: Enchilada Verde Lunch Special

What It Cost: $4.63

What I Thought: 

Red Iguana without all the lines? They don't have all of the options or the ambience, but the Taste of the Red Iguana at City Creek is a great option if you are in a hurry but really are craving that unique Red Iguana flavor! They have some of the best Red Iguana options, like the Tacos don Ramon and Enchiladas Suizas at the same prices. They don't have the huge menu of the normal restaurant, but they also don't have the long wait! My enchiladas had a nice and tangy chile verde sauce and flavorful chicken with soft corn tortillas, and it came with their regular refried beans and spicy rice - so good! The lunch special came also came with chips and a little bit of salsa - it was actually quite a bit of food for under five dollars!

What You Should Do: If you are in downtown Salt Lake Lake and love Red Iguana, go ahead and give the Taste of Red Iguana at City Creek! A lot of people give it a bad rap because it's not exactly the same, and of course it isn't as incredibly amazing, but for a quick Mexican tasty fix, this could certainly beat any of your other typical food court choices.

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Curry Fried Chicken

Where: Curry Fried Chicken, 660 S State Street, Salt Lake City

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Curry Fried Chicken Plate and Shawarma 

What It Cost: $23.00

What We Thought:

Curry fried chicken? I've never heard of such a thing! Indian food mixed with fried chicken - it sounded too weird not to try it, plus they had such great reviews online so I had to know what it was all about. It was pretty empty for a Thursday night, and they cooked everything hot right there for us. It took a little longer than we had hoped for, but while we were waiting, they were nice of us to bring us free pita and hummus! 

It was some of the best pita/naan I've ever had - warm and toasty that was much more tasty than a normal bread basket to start the meal out! The hummus was pretty good, but not anything too different or unique. But it was on the house, and we thoroughly enjoyed it!

Have you seen The Avengers? Are you crazy like us and stayed until the very end to see the superheroes sitting casually and eating their shawarma? Well, we did, and every since then Owen has obviously wanted to try some shawarma! It took me a long time to find anywhere that served it, but Curry Fried Chicken had it, and it was delicious. This version was exceptionally similar to a gyro (but with different meat of course), with a cool cucumber sauce, lettuce, tomatoes all wrapped up in a soft naan. We definitely want to try it again (and pretend to be awesome superheroes...okay, a little lame.... :)

And now, for the food we've all been waiting for -- the curry fried chicken! It was served atop some basmati rice, a bit of naan, spinach that tasted a little bit like it was from a can...a little salad with some cucumber cilantro sauce, some potatoes and cooked lentils. But the chicken. Oh, the chicken. I've never had anything like it! It was so hot and freshly fried, with the juiciest chicken inside and a definite curry flavor that went amazingly and surprisingly well with the normal flavors you expect from wonderful fried chicken. All I can say is you have to try it to see for yourself!

What You Should Do: Go for the fried chicken! Everything else was just alright, but the curry fried chicken was so unique and juicy and spicy and delicious...you have to try it. I am pretty sure that you can order just the curry chicken on its own (as opposed to on the plate), and I would probably recommend that since it's really the star of this show!

Cannella's

Before we begin...let's announce the Rubio's giveaway winners! 

Winner 1: Pauline Grayson

Winner 2: Adriana Westover

Winner 3: Laura Bean

Congratulations! Please email me at chelsey@eatbyu.com so we can arrange the details of your free meals!

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Where: Cannella's, 204 E 500 S, Salt Lake City

Who Went: Chelsey & Mom

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Lunch Special Sandwich with Side Salad, Bruschetta 

What It Cost: $16.75

What We Thought:

I normally hate basically every Italian restaurant I ever eat at (why do I keep going to Italian restaurants??), but a quick visit to Cannella's has given me hope for family-owned Italian joints in the future! 

I stopped by here for a quick lunch after picking up my Mom from the airport - we were planning on having an early dinner but didn't want to be starving before then so we tried to eat light (though it still ended up being quite filling!). We ordered the turkey cranberry sandwich, which came with a starter salad. The salad was interesting - it had cucumbers, pepperoncinis, chickpeas, thickly shredded mozzarella, beets, and a creamy dressing. It wouldn't really be my first choice of ingredients for a salad, but it worked for us, and I was so hungry that it tasted good anyway!

I love bruschetta, so I was delighted when we were served these pretty little bites! The crostini were nice and hearty, the basil was sliced just right, and I loved the pretty little swirls of goat cheese. I was glad that they chose to use a balsamic reduction on top of the bruschetta of straight balsamic vinegar - it gave it a little more body and a more subtle flavor.

We had ordered the turkey cranberry sandwich, and unfortunately they put in our order incorrectly and we ended up with the club sandwich, which was the special of the day. Also unfortunately, we didn't realize this until halfway through eating the sandwich, so it felt a little late to ask for the other one. Fortunately however, we didn't even think about it, because the sandwich was so good!! Cannella's make all of their best fresh on site, and it was so thick and fresh and delicious. There was a huge pile of turkey, perfectly crispy bacon, and smeared avocado, that all came together in one exceptionally tasty sandwich!

What You Should Do: Though we didn't order anything that was super Italian, Cannella's has restored some of my faith in the potential for Italian restaurant food done right. I definitely am adding it to my list of places to when I crave an Italian dinner, and I would recommend you do so too! And if you happen to be nearby at the library or something, they make an incredibly enjoyable lunch too.

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