OLIVE GARDEN

Where: Olive Garden, 504 W 2230 N, Provo

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 2

What We Ordered: Two Italian Sodas, Tortellini al Forno, Steak Gorgonzola-Alfredo, Ravioli di Portobello

What It Cost: $48

What We Thought: 

Man. What is it about Olive Garden that seriously sucks people in? I mean, there are almost 400 restaurants in Provo and Orem, and yet somehow, there is always at least an hour wait at this place! So, though I had visited an Olive Garden a couple of times in the past, we decided to give it another go with as much of an unbiased opinion as possible, trying to get the whole "Olive Garden Experience." 

So, when we got there, we were told that the expected wait would be an hour and a half. Cool! 

Luckily we had some friends who were also waiting in line, and we weren't in any hurry, so when we were finally seated, we were still in pretty good spirits. We OF COURSE started with the free soup and salad and breadsticks -- isn't that the big draw of this place? Owen got the Zuppa Toscana (translated: Tuscan Soup), which in theory had potatoes, sausage, kale, bacon and creaminess. It was alright -- pretty heavy, oil a little visible on top, but it wasn't bad.

We also got some Italian Sodas. Not memorable. Moving on.

This little starter was actually our favorite part of the meal -- it was cheese and prosciutto stuffed ravioli with a parmesan cream sauce, bacon crumbles and bread crumbs. Crumb. Anyway, the ravioli was surprisingly flavorful, soft and creamy with nice contrasting crunch. Pretty salty of course, but actually pretty good!

Then the salad and breadsticks arrived. Such a big bowl for a one-person salad :) The salad is nothing amazing, pretty pale vegetables, but I really think that its the dressing that makes the salad pretty dang good actually. Like in the kind of way you could just eat a million of these little salads. In fact, I weirdly want some right now...

Those breadsticks. Please, just Google Jimmy Fallon + Olive Garden breadsticks. You won't regret it.

Owen's pasta was actually pretty decent. The meat was a little overcooked and challenging to slice, but there was an appropriate amount of blue cheese, and all of the flavors meshed together pretty well. I thought the sharpness of the blue cheese counteracted the typical SALT taste you get at Olive Garden, and I would definitely replicate this dish at home.

My ravioli on the other hand was HEY-YO SALT CITY! (Different than Salt Lake City of course....) I was nervous about the mushrooms because I'm actually not a huge mushroom fan, but the flavor of salt and cream totally overpowered it, so no problem there. There were oddly a ton of green onions (healthy?) and the dish was satisfying but not anything to write home about.

What You Should Do: For the love of Italian food, please just skip this place. It's not really the food, its the whole concept that really drives me nuts. People say they like Olive Garden because its affordable and convenient and reliable. Well, nearly $50 for two people doesn't seem like that great of a deal for the quality of food we got, and I could NOT believe how long we had to wait. And it wasn't even a busy time of night! We were waiting to be seated for OVER AN HOUR, which seems literally insane when we could have walked to several other decent restaurant options in a quarter of that time. Olive Garden is Olive Garden. They have it everywhere, so you probably should enjoy some of the more unique and special (and family-operated!) places here in Utah County while you can instead! 

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ALAMEXO

Where: Alamexo, 268 S State Street, Salt Lake City

Who Went: Owen and Chelsey

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Guacamole en Molcajete, Carne Asada Tacos, Enchiladas Barbacoa de Res

What It Cost: $63.76

What We Thought: 

Expensive, quite tasty, artisan Mexican food.

Mexican food in Utah certainly is of no shortage (thank goodness).

I have to make a confession to you - there are no other guacamoles in my life anymore. I've given them all up in complete devotion to this perfect, amazing, wonderful guacamole. The servers surely hate it, since they are required to mix up all the perfectly chopped ingredients in the molcajete right by your tableside, but it is so fresh and creamy and ripe and amazing that I will have to have to inconvenience them longer. It has inspired me to make molcajetes my new gift for newlyweds, because if it is the secret to Perfect Guacamole, everyone needs access. STAT.

Alamexo focuses on fresh, flavorful, and inventive Mexican flavors, and each dish shines in a unique way. The food is very filling and satisfying - definitely work up an appetite before going here!

Even the side dishes are divine - flavored rice with pepitas and slow roasted black beans with cotija. The beans were so delicious, I wish I could eat them every day!

I ordered the tacos de carne asada, so I'm sure you could imagine my surprise when this "DIY" plate appeared in front of me :) In the mini skillet, there was melted Oaxaca and adobe marinated bistek topped with pico de gallo, which I was to pile onto fresh tortillas. Though the flavors were quite delicious, THERE WAS SO MUCH CHEESE. The cheese was really rich, and I have to admit, it was a big intense and a little indigestion-prone...

And then, churros con chocolate. WOWZA. It has redefined churros for me, they were so amazing. This almost led to challenges in our marriage, since I tried to sneak it from my husband's plate...

What You Should Do: I would totally go again, just for the guacamole. It was definitely filling enough for a meal! I just wonder two things -- 1) Would they be totally pissed? and 2) Will I still get the churros? It is a little expensive, but for a special Mexican treat, you can't beat this place!

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PENNY ANN'S CAFE

Where: Penny Ann's Cafe, 1810 S Main Street, Salt Lake City

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 2

What We Ordered: Pork Chili Verde Skillet and Penny Pot Potatoes, both with sides of Pancakes. 

What It Cost: $23.28

What We Thought:

Ohhhh Joe's Cafe, I hate to do this to you, but I may have a new favorite breakfast place!!!!

Of course, this one is in Salt Lake, so maybe we can still be friends? 

Penny Ann's Cafe is a tiny little place hidden in the base of a sorta-ghetto apartment complex that you would definitely miss if you blinked. Is this the secret to excellent breakfasts? Not sure, but I definitely see a trend.

They have these skillet breakfasts, which are basically everything good about breakfast, chopped up and pan-fried together. YUM. I looove their Mexican-inspired breakfast foods, and this place sure knows how to make a mean chile verde. Their eggs are always perfectly cooked, and you can definitely plan on bringing some home for breakfast tomorrow.

I mean, just look at that burrito! These are the things that burrito dreams are made of, my friends. And the flavor definitely matches up to the size -- it is seriously so good. And good luck eating all of it!

The best part of all of these meals is that they come with a side of the best dang pancakes you've ever had EVER. They are sour cream pancakes, and are somehow so much lighter, fluffier, and tastier than any pancake you've ever had. It is truly a mystery, and one that I would like to spend my whole life solving. This side of pancakes could definitely be a meal on it's own. But why would you limit yourself like that? But please, at least get the pancakes. I love them so much!!!!

And this one's my favorite -- breakfast nachos! Oh yeah. It's true that the sauce seems to be the same between the burrito, skillet, and nachos, but when you have a good thing going, why mess it up? The nachos are on these homemade tortilla chips that rival Lone Star's, and the chile verde sauce is just sublime. Plus - NACHOS FOR BREAKFAST!!

Penny Ann's is also known for their spectacular pies, and though pie for breakfast is a little intense, even for me, we got one to-go once (lemon raspberry), and can indeed confirm that it was truly divine. Can't wait to try the others. It's Thanksgiving season after all, right?

What You Should Do: Best Brunch Place Ever. I would say breakfast, but there is so much food with each serving, that you should probably count it for both breakfast and lunch. But it's reasonably priced, ultra friendly, and MAN THE FOOD IS GOOD. Especially the pancakes. Oh heavens, those pancakes.

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GLORIA'S LITTLE ITALY

Where: Gloria's Little Italy, 1 E Center Street, Provo

Who Went: Owen and Chelsey

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Butternut Squash Ravioli with Side Salad and Gnocchi with Rosata Sauce and Tomato Basil Soup

What It Cost: $44.71

What We Thought: 

For some reason, I keep trying Italian food even though you know how I feel about it...But hey! Let's see if this one was worth the cost! Gloria's in downtown Provo is like one of the nicer restaurants in the area, but it's looking like it could use a little refresher. I don't know. The accordion player was kind of fun, but the girl clearing tables in basketball shorts and flip flops kind of ruined the mood...

Plus the accordion player never came to our table and asked what we wanted him to play! Totally bummed. I had a great song picked. Also a bummer - this salad. Why do restaurants insist on putting unmixed salads in bowls that are reallllly hard to mix in? Beats me. But the salad was boring, and I didn't really even eat it because, well, I'm already bored talking about it. Let's move on.

Owen started with the Tomato Basil soup, which was much more exciting. In fact, yeah I stole it from him. The soup was creamy and wonderful, and may even be better than Zupas. I know, hearsay. But it was really great! Definitely the highlight of the meal for me!

I got the butternut squash ravioli with sausage and four cheese sauce. The sauce did look like it had kind of been sitting a while, but the ravioli were really flavorful and delicious. It was a little weird though, because it totally reminded me a LOT of this pasta...Not sure who the original is, but our server assured us that they make all of the pasta in house, so I don't know...anyway, it was good. The sausage was flavorful and the sauce was certainly cheesy, and it was just a good all-around comfort meal.

Owen's dish was also high on the comfort-meal scale - I guess that's kind of an Italian food thing? I don't know. But he got the gnocchi in their signature sauce -- a creammmmy tomato sauce with cream cheese mixed it. Wowza. It was hearty. The gnocchi was pretty good. I think it was boiled and pretty sfot, and I really like it pan-fried for a bit of texture contrast, but that's getting nit-picky. It sure was a lot of pasta, and we took a good amount home, which is always nice.

We thought about getting dessert, but tried some of the gelato and found it to be icy and weirdly-flavored (and I normally totally dig gelato...), and the other desserts looked like they had been on display for a while, so we opted out.

What You Should Do: Pretty good, but $45 worth? I don't know. I think we probably made some of the best choices (I know, I sound super full of myself here...) with our meals -- ordering Italian options that can't be made as easily at home, which made the cost seem more justifiable. But still, it's a pretty expensive choice. I definitely think this would be more tasty on one of those chilly winter nights when you just want some comfort food, and make sure to order the tomato basil soup and put in an accordion song request for me, would ya?

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HUHOT MONGOLIAN GRILL

Where: HuHot Mongolian Grill, 693 N 920 E, Spanish Fork

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen 

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: 2 Dinner Buffets (one with sweet & sour soup, the other with Asian salad)

What It Cost: $36.78

What We Thought: 

Continuing on the Asian theme from last week, we decided to make a visit to HuHot Mongolian Grill in Spanish Fork. After trying Mongo's Stir Fry in Provo (I can't find my pictures anywhere!!! We loved it, but it might be closed? Let us know if you know anything about this!!), we were pretty excited. Excited enough to make a trip all the way down to Spanish Fork, after all :) 

I was put off from the start of the visit by the service - I am that annoying customer who always asks to be sat next to a window (hey! It was really dark in the restaurant, and I am taking pictures for all of you here!), and for some reason they refused to seat us at one of the several empty tables that were near windows. They claimed something about having to keep a rotation or something, and assured me that those tables were being used or reserved, but two of them stayed empty during our whole stay. It's a little thing, I know, but it really was only in their benefit (photo-wise). Oh well.

We ordered the dinner buffet, since that was really the only option for dinner. You have to get the full, all-you-can-eat buffet choice, and there are no cheaper options for people who aren't really in the mood to eat a ton, which was a bummer. I started out with the Asian salad, and to be honest, it looked so bleh that I didn't even really eat it. The dressing was weak (thus, dry salad), the raw broccoli was gross, and really - who is going to eat a salad when they can get as many noodles as they want? Don't fill up on this. Plus the whole package of ramen noodles on top was rather deterring.

Owen got the sweet and sour soup, which was alright. Pretty brothy and mild. Not good, but not bad.

Then we got in line to make our noodle stir fry. They have three types of noodles, various meats (pork, beef, chicken, even tofu!), an assortment of vegetables, and a whole lot of sauces. The sauces are really the highlight here, and for those of you who are easily intimidated, they have sample "recipes" where you can combine various sauces for more interesting flavor profiles. 

So you load up everything onto a plate, and then get in line to have it fried for you on the Mongolian grill. Somehow, all of those foods magically cook at the same rates, and they mix, chop and fry it all up for you right then and there. This part is pretty fun, and though you can tell they are dying of sweat and exhaustion, the fry cooks put on a little show, throwing knives and such around. I hope they are getting paid a lot! 

After waiting in two, possibly three, lines, you can finally eat your food! It's really hard to comment on the flavors of the food here, since it's your own fault if you put together a bad plate of stir fry! It's really up to you to make a good combo of meat, vegetables, and sauces. The ingredients on their own were all fresh and mostly well-cooked (broccoli and potatoes turned out a little raw, so be warned), and it's a great place for picky eaters! The only bummer was both Owen and I were totally full after one round.

We went back because we felt like we had to "get our money's worth," and $18 for one plate of stir fry really did not seem worthwhile. But we ending up totally stuffing our faces (and stomachs), and regretting it afterwards.

What You Should Do: If you're in the mood, you better come very hungry. Or if you're like a football player or something, this place may be good for you. If you are a regular person who generally only eats one plate of food per meal, you may be disappointed by high costs. We loved Mongo's because they had different size options (small, large, or all-you-can-eat) with better prices, and if HuHot went this route, we would totally be down with it. But for how much normally eat, we both thought it was too expensive. Plus they forgot our rice (not that we would have eaten it...)

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PIER 49 PIZZA

Where: Pier 49 Pizza, 3210 N University Ave, Provo

Who Went: Chelsey & Family

Number of Visits: 3

What We Ordered: Regular Pizza -- half Ghiradelli with alfredo and half Telegraph Hill

What It Cost: $16.70 

What We Thought:

There's just something about picking a local pizza place that you're loyal to. That's Pier 49 for us. Not because they are the best pizza, most creative or unique or trendy. They are dependable, never busy (which is why I've hesitated posting about them here!), and make the kind of pizza you want when you're REALLY CRAVING pizza.  

Thick and flavorful sourdough crust, just enough cheese to be delicious without overwhelming everything, and scrumptious toppings. The ghiradelli flavor is your basic Hawaiian, which we tried with white sauce this time - a little weird. Stick with the zesty tomato sauce - it's good. On the other side, we had the Telegraph Hill (might not be on the menu, but ask for it!), which has a Rajin' Cajun sauce on it (spicy barbecue!), southwest chicken, red onion and mozzarella. Ask for it extra spicy!

What You Should Do: Though I don't want them to get TOO busy, you should definitely check out Pier 49 pizza. They have locations all throughout Utah, and some of them aren't doing very well which makes me so sad! They are really good! I think the one in Provo just has a bad location -- you should really try it. The staff there is super friendly, they get the pizzas out quick, and they are the perfect pies to fix your craving. We dig it.

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BRIO TUSCAN GRILLE

Where: Brio (at Fashion Place Mall) 6173 S State Street, Murray

Who Went: Owen & Chelsey

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Prosciutto & Asparagus Bruschetta, Pasta Pesto, Campanelle Carbonara, Creme Brûlée

What It Cost: $59.40 (including tip)

What We Thought: 

The saddest thing as a food/restaurant blogger is when you randomly go to a restaurant because you're out shopping and are super hungry, and then the restaurant you choose happens to be super good, and you are totally unprepared without your camera! So the deliciousness of the food is not sufficiently represented by your weak-sauce camera phone, but that's life I guess. So here you go. Don't judge too harshly based on the photos -- we really (surprisingly) liked this place!

As mentioned before, I have a serious prejudice against Italian restaurants. Common themes from my previous experience at Italian restaurants include "overpriced" "could have made this at home" "disappointing" and "boring." So once again, my expectations were low coming in.

I used to say that you could really tell a lot about a restaurant when the bread first comes out. Good bread = good chances. But then we went to Macaroni Grill where the bread was heavenly and the food was meh, so after tasting this pretty darn scrumptious bread (warm and crispy on the outside...mmmm) I was slightly more hopeful, but still, IT WAS AN ITALIAN RESTAURANT, so....

Then this beauty came out. I know it does not look that beautiful courtesy of my camera phone - I tried taking a closer up shot below so you could see all the details - but let me explain it to you. On each delightfully crunchy crostino, there was melted Fontina cheese (which is definitely in my top 7 of cheese), a spread of Pinor Noir soaked onions (which made them taste almost like caramelized onions, but with a sweeter, richer taste and less slime), some perfectly al dente asparagus, topped with some actually decent prosciutto (perfectly salty and tender). Put it all together and WOW. What a wonderful flavor kick in the mouth! That sounds weird, but really, these bruschetta may be one of the best parcels of flavor I've had in a long time. I just want to eat it every day!!! I was super on the border about ordering this appetizer, because calories, blah blah blah but OMG I AM SO GLAD WE GOT IT, IT WAS AMAZING!!!!!!

Just, just try it. Please. 

Extremely excited to receive our pasta dishes after that stellar appetizer, we tried Owen's campanelle carbonara first. First off, can we just talk about how fun these pasta were shaped? Apparently campanelle means little bell in Italian, and I never knew how much I wanted to eat bell-shaped pasta until I tried it. Anyway, a super delicious alfredo sauce paired with grilled chicken, bits of crispy bacon, shredded sharp Parmesan cheese, and a little spinach, just so you can pretend there was anything healthy about this. Um, yeah this was straight up comfort food baby, and it did the job. And it did it good. If you're looking for that Italian dish that just feels like heavenly indulgence with every bite, this is what you need. 

I was in the mood for something lighter - I told Owen before we got there that I just wanted something light with fresh, flavorful vegetables that I wasn't going to regret too much after eating, preferably with a lot of basil, because basil is awesome. The Pasta Pesto (though not as pesto-y as the name may suggest) definitely fit the bill for me. It was just a classic dish with simple components, each done extremely well. Here we had really delightful angel hair pasta (its so funny how you forget how delicious regular pasta is after you've only had whole-wheat pasta for a while...) topped with loads of spinach, tomato, roasted red peppers, grilled chicken, caramelized onions, basil and sprinkled with some feta cheese. To me, it was summer in a dish. And to make it even more bright and delicious, I asked our server (who had a really enjoyable British accent) if he could bring me some lemon, which I squeezed over the whole thing and sent me off the edge. Aaahhhhhhhh. THIS is my kind of Italian food. Don't torment me with pounds of salt and butter which mask what might have been food under there -- the more simple, the better when it comes to most food, and this was no exception. As Alice Waters said, "Let things taste of what they are." Amen, sister. 

And since we really did not want the whole thing to end, after boxing up half our pasta dishes to go (not-so shabby portion sizes here), we HAD to order the crème brûlée, which was so divine, it inspired me to run back into Crate & Barrel at the mall and promptly purchase my own kitchen torch so I could try making it again at home.

What You Should Do: Honestly (like really, honestly), I cannot believe I am saying this, especially considering I've always kind of associated Brio Tuscan Grille with malls (they have one at City Creek too), but you have to try this place! I really hope we were not the exception here and I am not leading you all miserably astray, but we had such a delicious meal here, and I finally have a reason to go out for Italian food again! I mean, you really can't buy bell-shaped pasta at Macey's (I think), and somehow it just tastes better in that adorable shape :) If you're craving Italian and are finally ready to cut off the chains which bind you to the hour+ long waits at Olive Garden, Brio is definitely the place to go!

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ASAHI

Where: Asahi Japanese Restaurant, 1470 N State Street, Orem (don't blink, or else you'll miss it!)

Who Went: Chelsey, Owen, Lyvia, Charles

Number of Visits: 2

What We Ordered: Honeymoon Roll, Vegas Roll, Calamari, Scallop Nigiri, Spicy Tuna Roll, other various rolls

What It Cost: $45.30 for four people

What We Thought:

Sushi. On a budget. In Utah County.

Normally, these words would make me go running in the opposite direction...

But last year on Valentines Day night, somehow the stars magically aligned, and even though we didn't have a reservation anywhere (on Valentines Day! In Utah!) we miraculously stumbled on what surely is one of Utah County's hidden restaurant gems.

You'll have to forgive me again for the lackluster photos -- they really do not do this food justice, but the unlucky combination of dim lighting + dead battery on my good camera resulted in these subpar camera phone photos. But I can't hold off any longer on Asahi!

First off, this place is very reasonably priced. They have a cool, relaxed atmosphere, and a terrible location (very hard to see from busy State Street in Orem), which makes it so you don't really need a reservation, even on one of the busiest nights to eat out in the year. Their staff is incredibly friendly and fast, and its just a very inviting place to relax and enjoy some high quality sushi.

Now, I grew up hating fish during my entire childhood, so the world of seafood is still in its fledgling stages for me -- meaning I hate it when any type of fish tastes fishy or in any way not fresh. I'm very sensitive to it and am totally picky. I don't know how they do it or where they get their fish from, but Asahi's sushi and nigiri are incredible! I even liked the raw scallops (not pictured). This is pretty amazing. Their sushi chefs are fun to watch, and prepare beautiful dishes that are also fun to eat! The calamari above was good -- I've had better before, but if you're with someone who is new to calamari, it might be a good first taste, since they tasted basically like really good onion rings with a super tasty sauce. The calamari was sliced a little thin for me, but like I said, maybe good for someone who's hesitant to try it.

I'm not going to go into each roll, except to say they were all incredible delicious, and I wasn't disappointed with any of them! I know it is kind of lame of me, but I love a good Vegas roll (hardly sushi, I know, but its fried and delicious, so whatever), and they definitely make a scrumptious one. My favorite roll is kind of unique -- the Honeymoon roll. It has smoked salmon and jalapeño and a little sliver of mango in there. It is SO good! I've never had fruit in sushi before, and it is awesome!

My cruddy phone camera cannot capture the awesomeness of the little roe on top of this roll -- if you don't think too much about what it is, they are super fun to eat :) Like little popping surprises in your mouth while you are enjoying the delicious flavors of the sushi roll. Highly recommended.

What You Should Do: I never thought I would recommend a sushi place in Utah (where does the fish come from?!!??!), but Asahi in Orem is definitely a great location to check out. They make quality products at very reasonable prices. To curb that sushi craving, there is no better place! ALSO, Monday through Thursday after 7 (I think) is happy hour, where you can get rolls at half price. Its pretty amazing. Normally I feel like sushi is always a huge splurge, but at Asahi, I can get sushi I actually like for prices that I definitely like!

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