SETTEBELLO

Where: Settebello, 260 S 200 W, Salt Lake City

Who Went: Chelsey, Owen and Aaron

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Involtini di Prosciutto, Settebello Pizza, Vico Pizza, and Pizza Special 

What It Cost: ~$50

What We Thought: 

People, people, people. 

THIS PLACE is what it is all about.

Pizza like it should be. Its seriously so good. Well unless you don't like thin, authentic-style Italian pizza which I won't judge you for of course. But I will probably feel very sad for you, because this stuff is so wonderful and amazing. 

We started with a little appetizer, with goat cheese, prosciutto, a reduced balsamic dressing, and microgreens. It was pretty good, served on a cute little wood block which was adorable, and altogether a nice way to start the meal off...but really not the most important thing here...let's get to the pizza.

The crust is so chewy and good, and the ingredients are all fresh and so flavorful -- I could eat this pizza every day. I know, I know, its in Salt Lake, and you will all cry at me that its so far away, but seriously, its so worth the drive. My pizza, seen above, had super tasty sausage, fennel, red onion and fresh basil. A warning -- it doesn't have sauce. Heathens, I know. But trust me, you won't miss it with all this goodness going on.

This pizza was the special of the day -- can't remember everything on it, except lots of cheese, some parsley, a spicy oil, very peppery meat, and a fried egg on top! If you haven't had a pizza with a fried egg on it my friends, you are missing out on something truly special.

Owen ordered the restaurant's namesake pizza, with pancetta, sausage, roasted mushrooms, and toasted pine nuts. If you're into a more traditional tasting pizza, this one would be an excellent choice, with a crushed tomato base and sensational toppings. Its really hard to rave about pizza, since its like already the perfect food. But somehow, Settebello really manages to take it the next level in a way you'll be thinking about for weeks after. 

What You Should Do: Drop all other pizza commitments and try Settebello next! If you love that authentic Italian pizza taste, I have it on good authority (former missionaries from Italy and Italians themselves) that this place is the most legitimate Italian pizza in the state, and besides that, its just amazing. And I wish I was eating it. Right now.

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180 STREET TACOS

Where: 180 Street Tacos & Chopped Salads (phew! Long name!), 3368 N University Ave, Provo

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 2

What We Ordered: 4 Tacos -- Buffalo Chicken, Thai Fried Chicken, Steak Asada & Mojo Roasted Pork, plus Chimichurri Mac & Cheese

What It Cost: $11.24

What We Thought:

Crazy tacos with unheard-of flavor combinations -- yeah, count us in! 

When this place first opened, I was a little hesitant because the sign looked pretty temporary out front, and the name seemed long and annoying (I make quick judgments, okay?). But after hearing about it from a few people and scoping out their menu online, I decided a visit must be made! Of course it was made as a very last-minute decision so I only had my phone to take pictures on, not my real camera...I apologize, but this place was pretty good, so I figured I needed to share anyway! 

Okay -- let's start with my tacos. I'm a little annoying and a show-off, so obviously I wanted to order the spiciest taco on the menu to see if I could handle it. The Thai Fried Chicken taco was the only one with two chili peppers by its title, so naturally, I ordered it. The chicken had good flavor, and I really liked the fruity-cucumber slaw which totally counteracted the hotness and made it very bearable for those looking for some heat. We were a little disappointed with the tortillas over all -- these tacos only have one tortilla (many street taco places I've visited usually use two, for good reason...) and the tortillas broke on nearly all of our tacos, causing fillings to fall out. Not a huge tragedy of course, but I'd recommend picking up a fork because you might be eating the remains of your taco more in salad-style.

Owen got the Mojo Pork and Carne Asada -- he prefered the carne asada, with its crispy strips and flavorful meat, though I actually liked the pork one better! So, I guess they are both good :) Same problem with the tortillas though. Use caution!

I ordered the chimichurri mac and cheese because it sounded weird and I'd never had anything like it before. I liked the wonton strips and chimichurri flavor added it -- it was a good combo. But the mac was a little dry and not very warm, kinda like you had heated it up 15 minutes before and then had to take a phone call or something. Would prefer saucier and warmer mac and cheese, please.

This horrendous picture doesn't really look like anything...but surprise -- its the buffalo chicken taco! Yeah, never thought I'd put those words together. But it was yummy! They pickled mirepoix (chopped celery, carrots and onion) added a nice crunch to the slightly spicy chicken, and I was a huge fan of the corn. Owen thought the taco was kinda weird, but I really enjoyed it, so I guess if you like weirdness, then this is the place for you (and me :)

What You Should Do: I would definitely say this place is worth a visit or two. Its super cheap (as tacos should be :) and they have something fun and creative that will definitely interest most palates. If they would start wrapping these tasty little morsels in two tortillas, I would be soooo close to giving them four stars because they are really fun and a good value, but for now, its still an awesome place to visit, and we will probably be stopping by there another when I don't feel like cooking!

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CHEX PARTY MIX!

YAY! SUGAR!

A little while ago, we had a chance to hang out with the awesome people from Chex! Yes, the Chex cereal that you know and love, especially me! I've always loved making my own Chex Mix from scratch, especially for road trips and when I'm hanging out with family. So when Chex asked if I wanted to come to their special Chex Party Mix event at Fashion Place Mall, I obviously had to join! 

Here was their promotion for the event --

From work potluck lunches and holiday cocktail parties, to gifts for

neighbors, friends and colleagues, there are endless occasions during 

the holidays where tasty treats come in handy. Chex® Party Mix recipes 

offer the perfect quick, easy and delicious snack. And with a wide variety 

of flavors, including sweet, savory and salty, there’s a recipe to satisfy 

every palate preference. All you need is Chex® cereal, ingenious ingredient 

combinations and only 15 minutes in the microwave.

the party station

So we got to make three types of Chex Party Mix at the event, and this little statement above was SO TRUE -- all of the mixes were SUPER easy to make (maybe only took 10 minutes, not even 15!), and were SUPER TASTY! We made three kinds -- sugar cookie, Mexican hot chocolate, and pumpkin spice. The sugar cookie one was definitely my favorite, and it's even gluten-free, if you're into that :) These would be such a fun addition to any party or event, and its super low-stress since they are so simple to make. Someone even suggested, since there are recipes online for cookie-related Chex mixes like sugar cookie, caramel cookie crunch, and chocolate macaroon, that it would be fun to have a Chex Party Mix swap instead of a traditional holiday cookie exchange! I thought this would be a fantastic idea, and it would even be easier to make a great batch of Chex Mix than baking all of those cookies! 

Can you guys tell how excited I was to make this? 

Because I was pretty excited!!!!!!!

They even had a little wrapping station, so we could take the mixes we made, wrap them up, and then give them out to friends and family. It was awesome. I came home with like 50. It was such a quick and tasty gift, I couldn't refuse! So much easier than trying to deal with plastic wrap and paper plates for traditional holiday treats :)

So I don't really do this often, but this is a sponsored post. But I only chose to do a sponsored post with Chex Party Mix because I really do love the idea, and think that it is delicious! I hope you get a chance to bring a crazy Chex mix to a holiday party this season, because they really are so easy and tasty. Their website (click here) has SO many different recipes, including Cinnamon Cider, Apple Pie, Popcorn-Pretzel Chunk, Caramel Chocolate, Ranch, Black Forest, Cornbread, Red Velvet, Peach Cobbler, and Tiramisu! I'm super partial to the savory Chex mixes, so I think I want to try their Buffalo Chex Mix recipe next!! 

TEAM CHEX MIX!

I really think you should try this out, so I included the recipe here for the one that I made -- the Sugar Cookie Chex Mix. It really couldn't be easier, and I bet you already have most of the ingredients! Recipe courtesy of Chex Party Mix of course. 

Life's not complete until you've swam in a giant bowl of Chex Mix!!

Thanks to Chex Mix and all of the other bloggers at this fun event! I hope you have a wonderful holiday season :) 

Some photos courtesy of event photographer, all others my own

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.

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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.

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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....?

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BURGERS SUPREME

Where: Burgers Supreme, 1796 N University Parkway, Provo

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 3

What We Ordered: 2 Gyros + Baklava

What It Cost: $12.66 

What We Thought: 

I don't know how they do it, but I swear this place pumps out serious volumes of delicious burger aroma every day to tempt me! Although we've tried the burgers here and weren't all too impressed, we are drawn back time and time again by a rare find -- the delicious gyros! They have a delicious meat spit roasting and rolling in the back, where they shave off thin slices of crispy, flavorful meat to fill these scrumptious pitas, topped with tzatziki, tomatoes, onions and lettuce. I don't know how authentic they are, but the one thing I do know is that they are absolutely delicious! Stick with the original gyros over the chicken -- the chicken just wasn't all that exciting.

And now I want a gyro for dinner.

What You Should Do: Skip the burgers and order the gyros at this classic BYU corner establishment. They're the Greek burrito, and they are dang delicious, and these are the best ones we've found in the Utah County area!

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MIMI'S CAFE

Where: Mimi's Cafe, 304 E University Parkway, Orem

Who Went: Chelsey & Abby

Number of Visits: 1 (maybe 2?)

What We Ordered: Cinnamon Brioche French Toast & Spinach and Bacon Eggs Benedict

What It Cost: $22.43

What We Thought:

I wanted to take my sister-in-law out to lunch after having her over for a weekend sleepover, so naturally my first inclination was to take her to the amazing and wonderful Joe's. Sadly, it was a Monday or a holiday (can't remember which), so Joe's was closed and we had to settle for something less amazing. She had already been to Kneader's a bunch of times and wasn't interested in Magleby's, so I thought we should give Mimi's Cafe a try, since I've heard people like their breakfast. 

Luckily for us, it was pretty dead, so we were able to get a seat rather quickly and place our order. The service was fine - not overly friendly but not super slow, and it has kind of an interesting atmosphere. I think they claim to be "a taste of France," and try to have a French-like atmosphere, but the restaurant was established 35 years ago, and I have to say (since I just came back from France, and feel a little less clueless), it is not really the type of bistro atmosphere you find across the Atlantic these days. Nonetheless, it was kind of quaint and they tried to make it pretty cozy even though it was quite a large restaurant. 

Abby ordered probably the best-looking thing on the menu, which was their cinnamon brioche French Toast. It came with two huge eggs - weirdly larger than the French Toast, and also sausage. The bread was nice and cinnamon-y, but was it amazing? Would I go here just for that? Probably not. It was probably a 6.5 out of 10 on French Toast, but I've had some pretty amazing French Toast in my life, so maybe I'm too critical of a judge.

I ordered the Eggs Benedict, because if there is anything I have learned from watching all of those episodes of Master Chef, it's that you can tell if someone really knows how to cook if they can properly poach an egg. And if you're putting Eggs Benedict on your menu (more than one variety, even), then your eggs better be masterful, Hollandaise perfect, and the whole thing cohesively delicious.

I don't even have to explain the disappointment when I cut into this instead. Way overcooked! There was no egg oozing, no delicious yolk to slather my English muffin in, no nothing. Super disappointing. I probably could have been appeased if there was at least hearty meat to accompany it, but the bacon was translucent, and it really just didn't do it for me. Mostly, THE EGG! Come on! It should be the star of the show! (I'm starting to sound like Gordon Ramsey...)

What You Should Do: Definitely hit up Joe's or Kneaders instead. The atmosphere is kind of fun and different, and they won't rush you through the meal, but for the high ticket price and lackluster food, you can definitely find better breakfast options elsewhere in Utah County.

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BYU CREAMERY

Where: BYU Creamery, 1209 N 900 E Provo

Who Went: Chelsey, Owen, Monica, Devynne, and many more

Number of Visits: Many, many, many

What We Ordered: Guacamole Bacon Cheeseburger and Garlic Fries

What It Cost: ~$8

What We Thought: 

Well everyone, it's been a crazy summer. Hopefully most of you have not noticed my utter lack of posting, but you know, we all need a summer break every now and then. Between trips to Armenia, France, San Francisco and Portland (twice), I didn't have much computer time or Provo eating time, so you'll have to forgive me. But, now we are back to the grind -- some people already have midterms, BYU's already killed it at the LaVell, and surely some people are already engaged. So let's get to it, starting with a good ol' back to school classic -- BYU Creamery! 

I seriously can't believe I haven't posted about the Creamery yet. I love this place! It's actually my favorite burger in Utah County, and it just has so many good memories and flavors and everything! The burgers are great. They are more of the thin-style burger, and their meat is always super fresh and delicious. Add some guac and bacon -- you've won my heart. I love the texture and taste and everything about them!

Another great part about the Creamery is their flavored fries -- I can never decide what my favorite flavor is! The garlic fries go great with burgers, the spicy ones are so flavorful and fun, and Owen is so pepper-obsessed that we also love ordering the black pepper ones. I would say try them all, but they are pretty filling so you may have to make more than one trip :)

It's sad, but we were so full after this meal that we didn't even get the main event -- the ICE CREAM! But don't worry, I've had it a million times before, and can't say enough good things about it. Their ice cream may be my all-time favorite, competing greatly with Tillamook and all its goodness. BYU Creamery has some amazing flavors -- my top two are Graham Canyon (graham cracker flavored ice cream with chocolate bits, don't think its weird until you try it!!) and Earnestly Chocolate (chocolate ice cream with caramel and marshmallow, another surprisingly amazing combo!), but really you can't go wrong here. Share your fries so you have enough room to get some ice cream -- and my little trick is to always get the "child size." It seems like the same size as 1 scoop, its just the right amount to satisfy your craving, and it's totally cheaper!

What You Should Do: Get in the back-to-school spirit and give the BYU Creamery a visit! They are a BYU classic, and definitely for a good reason. Everything is delicious, and the old-school decor will make you feel like BYU's been around for forever (which it has). Not to mention, you can do a little grocery shopping, and take some creamery ice cream home with you afterwards! Win win!

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