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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Wild Mustang

Where: Wild Mustang, 860 West 1250 South, Orem

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Six-Stack of Ribs with side of Vegetables and Sweet Potato Fries, Beef Brisket with New Potatoes and Baked Beans, Chocolate Meringue Pie 

What It Cost: Free...((on accident!))

What We Thought: 

We were originally planning to ride the new FrontRunner train to Salt Lake on the free train day, but like all free Utah things, it was super crazy and packed. So with the evening's plans ruined, we drove back towards home on University, when I noticed that the sign was turned on for the Wild Mustang. I'd seen it before and knew it was a new restaurant, so with last-minute decisiveness, we decided to pull into the parking lot! 

When we arrived, there was a little bit of a wait, and the hostess kept mentioning how she was surprised at how full the restaurant was. We were seated, and then proceeded to wait a good fifteen minutes until our server arrived.

When she finally did come around and ask if we wanted drinks, we were each given one of these sad looking rolls. I had thought that this restaurant was going to be similar to Texas Roadhouse (with hopefully shorter lines!), and they did give us some honey butter, but I was just so put out by this poor little roll. So ugly, so haphazard.

After taking our order, she gave back in another 15 minutes and brought this basket of rolls -- much better! A whole basket, beautifully shaped, and much prettier! The honey butter was soft and spreadable on the warm rolls, and my hopes were lifted again.

It took probably another twenty minutes or so for our food to arrive, so when it did, we were absolutely ravenous. My dish was probably the highlight of the meal - these were some of the best ribs I've ever had in a restaurant. The barbecue sauce was tangy and had just the right amount of smokiness and sweetness, and the meat was perfectly prepared. Sometimes restaurants manage to make "slow-cooked" into "super dry and awful," but not here! They were easy to eat, superbly flavorful, and if I'm ever in the mood for ribs, I'm going to come to Wild Mustang! The side of vegetables was alright - not really a variety of vegetables, but it was nice to have something relatively healthy to try (though I'm pretty sure they were cooked in loads of butter....)

My first side option didn't arrive with the meal because they were all out (the soup of the day), so I decided to try the sweet potato fries. Of course it took another ten minutes for them to arrive, but they were pretty good. They were out of ketchup, so I went with ranch - a viable option.

Owen ordered the beef brisket, which was served on a slice of country toast. We thought the toast was a little weird, but it ended up being pretty good if you ate the meat on top! The brisket was a little drier than we had hoped, but was still overall fairly tasty. We had to laugh at the side of "new potatoes," which were literally just two baked red potatoes, completely plain. When our server asked if he wanted butter with the potatoes, we said yes, and were brought another little container of the honey butter. I'm not sure if this was on purpose, but the honey butter on the potatoes was a little weird (but not horrible). The side of baked beans was the smallest portion of baked beans I've ever seen, and they were definitely unique - full of meat chunks and different types of beans. They weren't our favorite baked beans ever, but they weren't bad.

We decided to go for a piece of chocolate meringue pie, and she ended up bring us out two! It wasn't the prettiest pie, but it had pretty good flavor. I especially liked the meringue and thick buttery crust.

When we asked for the check, she told us that everything was on the house because tonight was the Friends & Family soft opening event! We were totally surprised and honestly awkward, but that totally explained our "complaints" about any service or lacking menu items! They didn't even have their registers up and running yet, and they were super busy (if you're going to have a lit-up sign on University on a Saturday night, people are going to come in!) with probably a not-full staff, so I completely forgive them of all service issues we had! Not to mention -- free food! Yeah, we totally lucked out on this one...!

What You Should Do: I would definitely recommend checking out Wild Mustang...now that they are open for real! Wild Mustang is like a less busy Texas Roadhouse, with better ribs! Though they were quite slow, I really can't blame them, and the service was still all very friendly. As far as the food presentation and side dish size complaints go - I'm sure they were also due to the soft opening craziness, so all in all, pretty good! We hope to be able to visit again some time when they have been up and running for a while!

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DBoy's BBQ & Grill

Where: DBoy's BBQ & Grill, 294 N State Street, Orem

Who Went: Owen & Chelsey

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Spicy Sausage Sandwich and Fries, Barbecue Chicken with Baked Beans and Potato Salad

What It Cost: ~$20

What We Thought:

Every time we've passed this restaurant in the past, Owen's thought that it was a jewelry store because of the diamond on the front door! But when I got a coupon for DBoy's, I was able to convince him that they served barbecue not baubles, and we decided to give it a try. The first thing that impressed me with DBoy's was their unique menu and centrally-located smoker. All of there meats are prepared daily in the restaurant, and if you can't make up your mind, the owner will give you more details on the food and may even let you sample some! They had some fun choices that strayed from your typical BBQ fare - mostly focusing on Greek food, like gyros.

Owen ordered a sandwich with sliced and sauced sausage inside a toasted bun. It was different than anything I've ever had, and despite the difficulty to eat, was pretty tasty. The bun was perfection, and we really enjoyed the fresh flavor of these crispy fries - they were just the right width for me! I don't know if I'd order this as a sandwich again because the meat pieces were too big and kept falling out, but it still tasted good.

I definitely enjoyed my chicken, which was barbecued on the bone and seasoned to perfection. The meat fell easily from the bone and I gave up using a fork after five minutes in and just went for it! The baked beans were piping hot and had some unique flavors, and the potato salad (which is not easily visible in this photo -- it's that bright stuff in the back!) had a bit of a Greek flair and was surprisingly good. The only thing I wished was that I had gotten more of the potato salad...it seemed like a rather small side dish compared to the baked beans and fries that Owen received. It was also served with a large slice of garlic toast, which was a nice touch.

What You Should Do: If you're in the mood for some unique, good-portioned, and decently priced barbecue food, you should definitely head over to DBoy's! It was not very busy so there was very little wait, which was surprising for food this delicious :)

The Smoking Apple

Where: The Smoking Apple, 70 N State Street, Lindon

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Pulled Pork Sandwich with Green Salad, Macaroni & Cheese, and Mashed Potatoes, Baby Back Ribs with Steamed Vegetables, Coleslaw, and Baked Beans


What It Cost: $17.84


What We Thought:


I've been really hesitant to try this restaurant because lately I've felt like all barbecue restaurants are kind of the same. I know that sounds like a horrible and overgeneralizing statement, but they pretty much all have the same menu items (pulled pork, beef brisket, ribs, potatoes, macaroni & cheese, baked beans), and they are never really do much for me. But I kept hearing more and more good things about The Smoking Apple, so while we were heading back from Herriman one day, we decided to check it out.

The interior of the restaurant is kind of small, but they had some outdoor seating available which we totally took advantage of. I was kind of confused by the way you order - they have kind of a buffet line set up inside the restaurant where you can pick your main dish and three sides, then you pay up at the cash register, find a seat, and they bring you your food a few minutes later when it's all prepared on the plate. Their service was surprisingly fast for a Friday night, though it looked like we lucked out and got there before a big rush - lucky us!

I was impressed with the variety of side options they had - ranging from your classic baked beans & potatoes to some healthier options like salads or vegetables. We went for a variety, and were pleasantly surprised by most of them. The green salad had a great mix of fresh greens, a unique dressing, and cranberries mixed it - much more than your typical side salad. The macaroni and cheese was good, but not outstanding, and we loved the mashed potatoes with the skins still partially on - definitely the most delicious way to have mashed potatoes. Owen completely devoured his pulled pork sandwich. There was a ton of pork piled high between two soft buns, and the meat was robust, tender, and bursting with savory flavor. It tasted even better than it looks! He loved it so much that the only way I could taste any of the meat was when it dropped from the sandwich onto his plate and I had to sneak it while he wasn't looking. Delicious.

Oh man, just looking at those ribs gets my salivary glands going...these were some of the ribs I've ever had from a restaurant! They were smoky, seasoned, coated in a tantalizing rub, and smothered with heavenly apple-infused barbecue sauce. The meat was not dry at all, unlike most other restaurant ribs I've had, and even though there was plenty on here to totally fill me up, I wanted more! The steamed vegetables were boring (but healthy at least), and the coleslaw was average. The baked beans were quite tasty though - they had a nice mix of beans and much more complex flavor than others I've tried. No straight-from-the-can flavor here. All around, well prepared and seasoned, and completely satisfying.

What You Should Do: Definitely check out The Smoking Apple! It totally lived up to all the hype for me, and it's without a doubt our new favorite barbecue restaurant. Next time, I think I want to go for the cornbread as a side - I saw it on other people's plate and it looked absolutely huge and amazing. If you get a sandwich, I would order the coleslaw as one of your sides and put it in the sandwich on top of the meat - it adds a delicious crunch to such a rich and savory sandwich. Oh, and did I mention it's a great deal? A delicious and filling dinner for under $20? We'll certainly be coming here again!

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Molly's

Where: Molly's, 753 W Columbia Lane, Provo

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Carolina-Style Pulled Pork with Cheddar Biscuit, Baked Beans and Mashed Potatoes with Country Gravy, Daily Special -- Half-Rack of Ribs with Shrimp Chowder and Mac & Cheese

What It Cost: $20.36

What We Thought:

Molly's, with their short window of lunch hours (11-2 M-F), is known for their classic comfort, homestyle cooking. Have you ever wondered why it's called homestyle cooking? I know I do. That kind of food is definitely not commonplace in my home..."homestyle" cooking for today would be more like quesadillas, PB&J, and maybe some pasta with red sauce. Anyway...back to Molly's...

So we got there on a Friday a little after noon, and the place was PACKED! I was surprised at how many people were there, and even by the time that we made it through the cafeteria-style line, there weren't any seats open! The service is fast, as everything is prepared earlier that day and is out & ready. I felt like the portion sizes were MORE than generous -- it is pretty heavy food, and we were both quite full afterwards.

I got the pulled pork -- it was very flavorful, and cooked to perfection. I was in love with the texture, but wasn't so keen on the sauce flavor. It was a little too tangy for my taste, and the two options for BBQ sauce on the table also had more vinegar than my taste buds prefer. The baked beans looked incredibly promising -- there were many types of beans, and a few other vegetables mixed in. Once again, the texture was enlivened with the different bean varieties, but it basically (to my non-Southern taste buds) tasted like your typical baked beans to me. The mashed potatoes were also nothing special -- white gravy on white potatoes isn't super visually appealing, and there weren't any chunks or peels in the potatoes that might make it seem like these babies were once a starchy tuber. Some people have complained about the biscuit, but I actually thought it was pretty delicious. Light, crispy on the outside, and buttery. Perfect.

Owen got the daily special -- RIBS. We have a special place in our heart for well-prepared ribs. The best ribs need to be smoky, juicy, flavorful, and not too coated in masking BBQ sauce. These ribs were top notch in all of those categories. I have never tasted smokier ribs in my life. It was amazing! The shrimp chowder was alright - not too shrimpy, which was good for the shrimp-hater within myself, though it did look a little greasy on top. Owen thought that the mac & cheese was too cheesy, but it was JUST right to me! Too much cheese? Impossible.

What You Should Do: Go! But make sure to go early so that you can get a seat! They also supposedly run out of things sometimes, so guarantee yourself a good meal by getting there as early as you can. I think I would have gone for a different selection of sides next time -- the Dutch oven potatoes have received rave reviews, and I would choose a salad to lighten things up a bit. Molly's, though only "established" in 2010, has that old-time, cozy friendly feel, and will fill you up with some well-prepared comfort food that will keep you going for the rest of the day!

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Wallabys Smokehouse

Where: Wallabys Smokehouse, 131 N State Street, Lindon (they also used to have a location in Provo, but it's closed now)

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Beef Brisket, Fresh Garden Salad, Hand Pulled Pork, Smashers

What It Cost: Free (was at a catered event), but would have cost $22.68

What We Thought:


If you're going to only have a few things on the menu, those things better be amazing. Wallabys is known for its smoked meat, especially the shredded beef and pork. We sampled their food at Owen's mission reunion, and I have to say, I was pretty disappointed. Maybe it's because I grew up helping my dad with catering events, but I have pretty high expectations for catered food. Catering events are great advertising -- you want your food to be so good that people are intrigued enough to come to your restaurant in the future. There should be great presentation, helpful customer service, and plenty of food.

Wallabys had none of that.

The food was 35 minutes late, and was sloppily thrown into a few heating dishes on a table. They ran out of their famous "smashers" (mashed potatoes but with a cheesy Australian accent) before everyone was able to make it through the line, and if you forgot to try something on your first sampling, forget about seconds. The worst part was that they made it seem like it was our fault, telling people to take smaller amounts of the food so everyone could have some.

The food was okay...the beef brisket was a little too salty for me (sadly, most beef brisket is), but the pork was pretty juicy and tasted good on top of the smashers (for those who were lucky enough to get some). The fresh garden salad with housemade dressing was acceptable -- the lettuce wasn't too wilted but there wasn't anything interesting or unique about the salad toppings.

What You Should Do: Go if you have to. Now that they aren't located in the Alpine Village apartment complex, I don't think that it is worth the drive, but if you happen to be in Lindon, you'll get full and won't feel like you're getting ripped off. The prices are fairly decent and the portion sizes are large, but....the quest for decent barbecue near BYU continues!