EATBYU on INSTAGRAM

@eatbyu is now on Instagram. So check it out!

BRICK OVEN PIZZA

Where: Brick Oven Pizza, 111 E 800 N, Provo, UT (just east of the tennis courts on BYU campus)

Who Went: Chelsey, Owen, Devynne, Mom, everyone from BYU...

Number of Visits: Many 

What We Ordered: We've tried a bunch -- buffalo pizza, meats-a-pizza, BBQ chicken and pineapple, make-your-own. Also, spinach & artichoke dip, lasagna, and something amazing which we will get to later...

What It Cost: ~$40 for three people

What We Thought: 

Brick Oven - a BYU-classic since 1956! I know a lot of people think that Brick Oven isn't that great, and that's it's a little overrated and just has a good location. Though they may not have the best pizza in the whole world, I love the classic and cozy environment, friendly staff, consistent food and great memories at Brick Oven.

Um yeah, a pile of cheese and spinach and artichoke. YUM. I have to be honest, I don't think that there has ever been a spinach and artichoke dip that I ever didn't like, so this may not be the most discretionary dish to order. But if you're looking for comfort food that's close to campus because that organic chemistry test didn't quite go as you were hoping...yeah, this fits the bill.

I normally refuse to order any type of pasta at a restaurant because it's so easy to make pasta and always seems insanely overpriced. But lasagna is the one exception, since it's such an ordeal to make at home! Their lasagna is pretty great - I mean, it has mushrooms (not a personal favorite), but I still like it! Also, look how much lasagna that is. Yeah, definitely good for dinner and lunch the next day.

One thing I like about Brick Oven is their flexibility and how nice (usually!) their staff is. They are always willing to substitute out a topping if you don't like mushrooms (or anything else :) and the service is generally pretty quick, even though it can get super busy. They have a great blend of cheeses on their pizzas, the sausage is super flavorful, and I'm a big sucker for fresh tomatoes on pizza!

Obviously none of these pictures are very great, since I took them on my phone, but this one above especially does not do proper justice to the amazing dessert that it is. So on their menu, they have a baked cookie with ice cream on top (a pizookie, for those who like the funny term), and it's pretty good. But, after talking with a friend who used to work at Brick Oven, I learned about the Sasquatch, a secret menu item which is the ultimate dessert -- two cookies with a brownie baked in between. Yeah. Its so, so, so amazing. And super intense, so get it to split!

What You Should Do:  Like I said before, I'm not going on the record saying that Brick Oven Pizza is the best in Utah County, but I have to admit, every now and then I get a craving that can only be satisfied by this classic BYU campus establishment. Even though its so close to campus, I love that it's big enough that you can almost always get a table within 15 minutes, even on a busy Friday night. They have a ton of cozy booths, they don't ever rush you, and they have great options if you want to share a meal (check out the pasta and pizza meals for two -- it's enough food for at least two meals!). Another perk -- nearly everyone knows where it's located, so it's super easy to meet here with friends! Plus, the Sasquatch. I'm telling you. I have dreams about the Sasquatch.

Read other reviews here:

CAFE FRESH

Where: Cafe Fresh, 498 S State Street, Orem

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 2

What We Ordered: Border Salad, Turkey Cranberry Sandwich (another time: Tomato Basil Soup)

What It Cost: $16.17

So, I've shopped at Good Earth Natural Foods a couple of times, because you know, there's always that one weird recipe that needs some obscure ingredient like xanthan gum or coconut flour, and they are the place to hit up for that. But I never really got interested in the little Cafe Fresh attached to the natural foods store until one BYU football game where I was FREEEEEZING and wanted something to warm me up, and hot chocolate just didn't sound right, and I bought a tomato basil soup from a little Cafe Fresh stand at the stadium. I don't know if they still do football games anymore, so I don't want to get your hopes up, but at that moment, that soup was EXACTLY what I needed and it tasted sooo good. After that, I naturally wanted to see if the rest of their menu was noteworthy. 

I ordered the Border Salad, which comes with all sorts of excitement like brown rice, black beans, roasted corn, jicama, sunflower seeds, and jack cheese. The salads all come with a side of a roll, but I asked if I could substitute it for fruit, which they did, but for an additional cost. The salad had a great mix of greens and it was enormous, and for some reason, they decided to serve it in those annoying slanted salad bowls that look really pretty, but are terrible for actually mixing the toppings and dressing in. Which would have been a problem except there was a more pressing issue in my way -- they had run out of forks! It was very odd. So we had to wait around for a while until they could find forks, which I thought was weird that it took so long, since they are basically located inside a grocery store which surely sells some sort of fork. The fruit was fine.

Owen got the turkey cranberry sandwich, which is served on German rye bread. And it was just the type of sandwich we both love -- the kind that you look forward to making after Thanksgiving with your extra turkey, and the bread was just the right amount of heartiness to support all of the sandwich's inner goodness. It came with salsa and chips on the side, which were tasty as well.

What You Should Do: I have to admit, I'm a little divided on this one. It's places like this that I wish I could give half stars, because I probably would give 2.5 stars. The service was not great (who runs out of forks, when half of your menu is salads and you aren't even very busy?), but the SOUP and Owen's sandwich were so good. My salad was also pretty good -- I thought the sunflower seeds were a little weird, but I'm a jicama-aholic (say that 10x fast), so I was mostly sold. I'm going to say I like it. It's not the best soup/sandwich/salad joint, but if you're already on your way buying chia seeds or Veganaise, then you won't be disappointed for a quick lunch.

Read other reviews here:

SE LLAMA PERU

Where: Se Llama Peru, 368 W Center Street, Provo

Who Went: Chelsey & Kierea 

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Lomo Saltado with Steak & Chicken, Barbecue Chicken 

What It Cost: ~$16

What We Thought: 

Okay I have to be honest, I stumbled upon this restaurant because the restaurant I originally wanted to go to wasn't open. And I've never been to Peru or had Peruvian food. So this is coming from that perspective. 

So, if you've never had Peruvian food, I bet you didn't know that nearly everything is served with French fries? Yeah, we were surprised too! Basically every option on the menu appeared to be some combination of meat served over French fries. I went with steak + chicken so I could try out both meats. The meat was pretty flavorful, nice and juicy and I liked the tomatoes. The fries were just a little weird to me, and I kept being confused about how to eat it all together. The onions were also very, very strong. There was no kissing later that evening for the husband. It also comes with rice on the side, in case you didn't get your carb fix with the fries.

Funny enough, the friend who was accompanying me on this lunch adventure was on a no-carb diet. Um yeah. Don't go here if you are trying to avoid carbs.

She ended up getting the barbecue chicken, which looked very much like super-blackened and charred chicken, and they were nice enough to substitute the fries with a pretty sad looking salad (no dressing). My friend wanted something to go with the chicken since it was quite dry, and after exhausting all the typical options, we were served something called "sauce." We asked what kind of sauce, and she said, "I don't know, it's just sauce." Hm. Well the sauce was fine I guess, though a little uncomfortable since we didn't really know what it was...

What You Should Do: I want people to go here and tell me if it's authentic Peruvian food. Like I said, I am not an expert on this, so I can only say that if you aren't familiar with Peruvian food, I probably wouldn't recommend it. It was really heavy, the fries tasted frozen, and the service was sub-par in a restaurant with very unflattering lighting and uncomfortable seating. But hey, if it's the real deal, I want to know! Guess this is a good excuse to convince Owen that we need a trip to Peru....?

Read other reviews here: