Rocky Mountain Drive-In

Where: Rocky Mountain Drive-In, 43 S 500 W, Provo 

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Onion Rings, Potato Twirl, Bacon Cheeseburger & Ranch Burger

What It Cost: $14.49

What We Thought: 

Another burger place, another ho-hum meal. The old-school dining atmosphere and out-of-the-way location gave us hopes that Rocky Mountain Drive-In would be one of those special finds with great food, but unfortunately it only turned out to be average. 

The one thing that was NOT average were these onions rings -- these are no question, the BEST onion rings I've had in Utah! It was so strange because everything else was just normal, but these onion rings were exactly the way I like them - no weird beer-batter breading or sogginess. They had a crisp, crunchy batter exterior and they were the perfect onion ring thickness. I had to bat away Owen's hand because I certainly did not want to share these golden rings of goodness!

The burger was nothing special. The bacon was perfectly prepared and flavorful, but the cheese was fake-tasting and the burger too wimpy and charred. They had fairly decent buns, but flavorless iceberg lettuce and tomatoes. If you are one of those people who like thin classic burgers, then you might go for this, but it just din't really do it for us.

The ranch burger was exactly the same as the bacon burger, except the mayonnaise was swapped for ranch dressing and it had white American cheese instead of yellow. Meh.

Now this little guy was exciting -- they had one on display at the cash register, and I just had to try it because it looked so interesting! It was a potato, sliced and pulled into a long spiral, and then baked I think...it basically tasted like a bunch of thick crunchy homemade potato chips, on a stick. Kind of weird, but fun to eat! Not sure if I would order one again, but it was certainly entertaining!

What You Should Do: First off, if you do decide to go here, do NOT use the bathrooms! They are downstairs, in a dingy little corner and were pretty scary. I probably would also not recommend seeking this restaurant out specifically, unless you are a huge onion ring lover like me. I probably would never go here again, unless I got a super craving for onion rings. I also have heard their milkshakes and scones are pretty good, so you may want to try these as well. But altogether, Rocky Mountain Drive-In is pretty typical, and I feel like there are better burgers here in Utah County.

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Vinto

Where: Vinto, 418 E 200 S, Salt Lake City

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Blackberry Italian Soda, Roasted Vegetable Piadine, Tuttabella Pizza, Butterscotch Budino, and Nutella Gelato

What It Cost: $40 (including tip)

What We Thought: 

Located in both Salt Lake City and Park City, Vinto offers casual Italian food with a modern atmosphere. Though they were pretty busy the night we went there, the service was pretty quick if not overly-friendly. I really liked the interior decor of the restaurant, and thought it was a fun place to eat (though I wished we had been seated in the comfy-looking circular booths!)

I was feeling a little daring, so I ordered something that I didn't know what it was - the roasted vegetable piadine. It was basically like a really messy, open burrito. The "warm, tender unleavened flatbread" was more like a crispy dry tortilla that cracked and fell apart as you tried to eat it, but at least the inside of the sandwich (??) was interesting. The arugula was some of the most mild greens I've ever had, and there was a great variety of roasted vegetables that were all super tasty! I just wished that it was served in something that was more malleable, but that's probably less "authentic." In any case, if you vegetarian, then Vinto has a lot of delicious choices.

The pizza was very delicious, but only after we realized that the little dish of seasonings on the side was intended for the pizza! The pizza comes with a little plate of parmesan, red chili flakes, and dried oregano, which are really necessary to bring out the flavor and savoriness of this tasty pizza. The sausage was plentiful and delicious, and the roasted red peppers were colorful and wonderful as well. Owen isn't a huge fan of caramelized onions, but the ones on this pizza were not too overpowering and added greatly to the pizza. This is definitely a pizza I would want to repeat in the future.

They surprisingly had a lot of dessert options I actually wanted to try, so we had to go for some! The butterscotch budino was a chilled pudding with a salted caramel topping and whipped cream. It was so indulgent and SO goooooood. Owen and I kept fighting for the spoon to have a go at it, and I wished that we had ordered two! The salted caramel had rather large crystals of salt, which were a fun surprise while eating the smooth pudding, and the biscotti was wonderful when dipped in a little pudding!

Unfortunately, the meal ended on a sad note with this exceptionally overpriced and pathetic gelato. The gelato was served far too cold, so it had more of an icy quality than the smooth texture you normally think of with gelato. The Nutella flavor was barely noticeable, and I thought it was pretty teeny for "two scoops" of really expensive ice cream. The cookie on top was cute and tasty, but it didn't make up for my disappointment with the subpar gelato.

What You Should Do: Go for the pizza and budino - everything else was only just alright. I thought the atmosphere was fun, and the Italian soda was actually one of the better ones I've had (not pictured). The pizza was definitely delicious, and they have many other flavors that sounded equally interesting and appealing. Budinos are really time-consuming to make, so I would also recommend getting this scrumptious dessert if you're in the mood!

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Mystery Post...

Today's post is going to be a little different....

Take a look below and try to guess where this sandwich is from: 

Super thick piles of freshly sliced turkey, layers of salami, crisp lettuce, tomatoes and onion, all on a super soft hunk of white bread?

Would you ever guess that this sandwich was from....Walmart????

I can hear the sound of your jaw dropping right now.

Where: Walmart, 1355 Sandhill Road, Orem

Who Went: I ordered a sub sandwich for my on-campus club, around 20 people

Number of Visits: 3

What We Ordered: Two 4-foot long sub sandwiches, one with turkey and salami, the other with turkey and roast beef.

What It Cost: $44 (which is around $2 a person!)

What We Thought:

I'm not a huge Walmart fan in general, and I almost always go to Target instead, but the one thing Walmart does have going for them is their catered sub sandwiches. When you are looking to do something besides the ever-present pizza at an event and you are on a budget, these sandwiches are a relatively healthy and super low-cost option! They may even be cheaper than pizza (unless you're into those $5 disks of horror...). And the sandwiches are actually pretty good, as you can see from the pictures! It's not really a place to go out to eat, but I just thought I should share this with you because it's a great choice for catered events or even if you don't feel like cooking one night!

This is not a sponsored post. I was just so surprised at the quality and cheapness that I had to share it with you all! 

Michelangelo's

Where: Michelangelo's on Main, 132 S Main Street, Salt Lake City

Who Went: Owen and Chelsey

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Lemon Italian Soda, Melon with Prosciutto, Gnocchi with Bolognese Sauce, and Rigatoni with Side of Asparagus Soup

What It Cost: $45.00 (including tip)

What We Thought: 

Another Italian restaurant, another disappointment. We originally planned on going to Siegfried's Deli one night in Salt Lake, but they were surprisingly closed so we had to walk around and find somewhere new. Michelangelo's was just right around the corner and had only one other table filled, so we decided to go in. 

We started out with some bread, and I was a little disappointed with this teeny bread bowl! I mean, I shouldn't be eating that much bread before my meal anyway, but seven measly little cubes? And the bread was actually really good so we wanted more, and it just looked so silly in the huge black bowl it was served in.

Owen ordered a lemon Italian soda which was not very sweet at all (super tart) and did not have much cream. Plus, no refills. Not impressed. And expensive.

I wanted to substitute my soup or salad side option for one of the appetizers and just pay the difference, which the server said I could do. I chose to get the honeydew and prosciutto, because I love prosciutto and it sounded interesting. The melon was not very ripe, but the prosciutto was thinly sliced and flavorful. I think I enjoyed it more than I would a normal side, and it was a nice refreshing break from my heavy pasta.

Owen chose the asparagus soup for his side, which was also hilariously small, and not all that wonderful. It was good and filling, but the asparagus flavor was a little wimpy and not exceptionally creamy. I probably would want to try another soup if I went there again.

I ordered the gnocchi because I love gnocchi and it is a huge pain to make on your own. The gnocchi here was smaller than I've had before and a little sticky, but it had good flavor. I liked the bolognese sauce, which was meaty and fresh, and there was a good sauce to pasta ratio. I would have preferred more than a little sprinkling of basil (it was kind of just a tease), and since it was a potato-based pasta, it was very filling. Was it a decent meal? Yes. Was it something I couldn't make at home for a quarter of the price? No...

Owen's rigatoni was probably the best dish out of everything we ordered - it was coated in a slightly sweet red sauce with cooked onions and spicy sausage that was all very tasty. It was much less heavy than my dish, and had a nice blend of Italian spices. But once again, pasta is so easy to make! And this wasn't really anything very difficult at all.

What You Should Do: Stay at home and make Italian yourself! Pasta is so cheap and easy to make on your own, so I almost always feel like I'm paying way too much for what I get. My server forgot to substitute in the melon for my side, so not only did I end up paying more, but I didn't get a soup or salad that my meal should have come with! The service was not very attentive, and the food was only alright. If you are really craving Italian food and feel like you have money to spare, then Michelangelo's is usually not very busy and would be an acceptable choice. Otherwise, the quest for reasonable Italian food shall continue...

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Suki Hana

Where: Suki Hana, 28 S State Street, Salt Lake City

Who Went: Chelsey

Number of Visits: 1

What I Ordered: Chicken Teriyaki with Noodles

What It Cost: $5.25

What I Thought:

Where I'm from, Asian restaurants serving pho and teriyaki are as prevalent as Mexican restaurants are here. So every now and then I get a serioussss craving for some salty, sticky, saucy teriyaki that must be filled! Since City Creek is a popular destination for me and all my shopping, I decided to give Suki Hana a try at the City Creek food court.

I am sorry people, but this is some sad teriyaki. The noodles were obviously prepared hours ago and were slightly cold and oily. And the chicken, though it did satisfy my craving, was definitely nowhere near the best teriyaki I've ever had. It was drowning in too much sauce and felt soggy. There was enough salt and MSG in the dish to make it palatable, but I don't think I'll go here next time I get the teriyaki urge.

What You Should Do: The City Creek food court has lots of different options, and in the future, I'd probably recommend avoiding this one. Though inexpensive, the food was not very good quality, the teriyaki was very sad, and the noodles were too oily and tepid to be enjoyed. Check out Taste of the Red Iguana instead!

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