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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EL AZTECA

Where: El Azteca, 46 E Bulldog Boulevard, Provo

Who Went: Chelsey, Owen and Aaron

Number of Visits: 2

What We Ordered: Carne Asada Burrito California Style, Salmon Tacos, Enchilada & Taquito Plate, and Chips

What It Cost: $28

What We Thought:

I remember the very first time I went to El Azteca. I was fascinated by the fluorescent painted walls and sort-of dingy-exciting-atmosphere. The burritos were bigger than could be believed, and it was a distant happy memory from freshman year.

Then they got a new location, and you know how I've got a weak spot for Mexican food, so I thought it needed another try. Unfortunately we were in a huge hurry, and of course I forgot my good camera, so you'll have to bear with me.

Though we all know how well burritos photograph anyways, right? Well sadly this time, the photo was equal to the burrito. The carne asada was dry, the "california style" was not worth the $$ (weak amount of sour cream and guacamole was sort of, old tasting. On the plus side, it was still quite as large as my memory suggested. So that was good, I suppose.

The enchiladas had a nice sauce, but the shredded iceberg and unmelted cheese kind of detracted from the overall experience. I like how they have an expansive salsa bar with many topping choices and salsa flavors so you can personalize your tacos or whatever, though none of them really sparked my interest.

We also got the salmon tacos, which were a brave choice considering...where is the nearest place that salmon live around here anyway...? Anyway, the tacos were alright - I actually found the guacamole more fresh than in the burritos, and though the onions were a little strong in the pico, the tacos were overall pretty good. The tortillas were my favorite part!

What You Should Do: I hate to be one of "those people," but I really feel like the old location was better. Cliché, I know. The flavors weren't as good as I remembered, though if I was required to go again, I'd probably stick with the tacos. But, there are lots of other Mexican restaurants around, so try to convince the others to head to 180 Tacos or something instead...

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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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SPICY THAI

Where: Spicy Thai, 3230 N University Avenue, Provo

Who Went: Chelsey, Owen, Kelsey, Daniel, Scott & Hayley

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Green Curry, Pad Thai, Pineapple Red Curry, Pineapple Yellow Curry, Mango & Sticky Rice

What It Cost: $27.25 for two people (2 entrees + dessert)

What We Thought:

Decent curry, not the cheapest prices, kind of Americanized dishes.

None of the dishes were anything to go crazy about, but none of them were bad. This meal left me full, but not really excited, if you know what I mean? I thought their heat meters were pretty accurate - I was satisfied with the spiciness of my dish, without having my taste buds burned off. But for those of you who like your Thai food REALLY spicy, Spicy Thai may not be your best bet.

The Pad Thai was pretty good - not as peanut-y as I normally like, and the sauce was pretty acidic. Of course this didn't stop me from eating the whole thing with Owen, since Pad Thai is my new favorite meal of 2014, but I've had better. I liked how you could choose what type (or if) of meat you wanted.

Cute rice container! There was plenty of rice for everyone's curry, which was nice. Nothing worse that shortages of rice! I thought it was a little odd how much they charged extra if you want sticky or brown rice though...I love sticky rice, but I definitely wouldn't "upgrade" to it here.

Normal yellow pineapple curry. Nothing too crazy here...

I ordered the red pineapple curry, and thought it was pretty good. It was actually my first red curry (I usually stick to yellow), and I was surprised to find I like it more! Nice pepper flavor coming through, which was tasty with the pineapple to mellow out the heat.

I always have to get mangoes & sticky rice! This one was much more soup-y than others I've had - it kind of seemed like the coconut sauce was just poured on top instead of cooking the rice with any coconut flavor. But mango was in season, so the fruit was absolutely divine.

What You Should Do: It's not a bad choice, but it definitely wasn't my favorite Thai place we've been to. I've heard they are really good for take-out, but I don't know if we'll be back, since it wasn't that cheap for the portion sizes.

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CHILI'S

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Where: Chili's, 122 E 1300 S, Orem

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Chips & Queso, Guacamole Burger, Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas, Chocolate Molten Lava Cake

What It Cost: ~$30

What We Thought: 

Can you ever say Chili's without wanting to sing "Babyback Ribs"? Me neither.

After doing a survey, I had the choice of getting a $25 gift card to Chili's or Olive Garden. I'd already been to Olive Garden (post to come soon), so that was how we found ourselves at a Chili's on a Wednesday night at 5:30. Not that that's lame or anything..................................

Most people in the United States have been to Chili's at least once, so we had many recommendations for people because believe it or not, I'd never been to one! I know, it's almost un-American. Anyway, first on the list to try was "Chips and Queso." This actually isn't a menu item, you just order the queso since chips come with every meal, along with salsa. Okay, so the chips -- there is only one word I can think of SALTY SALTY SALTY SALTY SALTY. Wowza. I've never had such salty chips in my life. The salsa was even a little salty, which was weird. And obviously, queso is going to be salty, but somehow the different levels of salt kind of negated each other into something that was weirdly good. Like the kind of good you crave after a super long week where you've studied your brains out and are in a strange kind of mood where you just want to dip salty chips in salty cheese (maybe meaty?) sauce. Also, that little skillet is not as deep as it looks. But yeah...

Okay, I don't know about you, but there is something about the stratification of this burger that kind of weirds me out. Its like all of the components were in little packages that were all pre-formed and then slapped together? I don't know. Anyway, the bun was surprisingly good, the guacamole was the only thing in the meal that was oddly unsalted, so it was not all that flavorful, and the burger and vegetables were alright. Not the greatest burger, not especially crave-worthy, but not bad.

The fries were just how I like them, but OH MY GOSH THE SALT! I hope you can see the detail on those fries, but yeah, that's how much salt was on there. They were pretty good once you brushed 99% of the salt off, and doused them in ketchup. We definitely left feeling ultra bloated.

I ordered the sour cream chicken enchiladas, which I would describe as "pretty good white girl enchiladas." The chicken was pretty good, not overcooked, the sauce was tasty and there was plenty of cheese and corn salsa to satisfy. It definitely did not feel authentic in anyway, but it was probably my favorite part of it all. The black beans weren't comment-worthy, and I couldn't really go for the rice because it felt like each piece of rice took its own little oil bath. Meh. No thanks.

Then OBVIOUSLY we had to get there classic molten lava cake, which is probably the most talked-about dish from Chili's (at least that I've heard of). It was chocolatey, it was cakey, and it wasn't the worst molten lava cake I've ever had, but of course it wasn't the best. It was amazing, almost scientific, how there was the perfect ratio of ice cream to cake - they've definitely had people testing that. And the chocolate shell on top was fun in a 90s-dessert kind of way.

What You Should Do: So, somehow there are over 1500 of these across the world. Crazy, right? I don't know what that has to do with anything, except I just don't really know what to say. They really have this down to a science. The food all looked like we ordered it from a catalogue, which was a little odd. The food wasn't BAD, but it wasn't great. I probably wouldn't go again, except maybe for that cake. Though I'm pretty good at making molten lava cake, so who knows...Oh, I should also mention, the service was quite speedy and our server was very nice.

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ROMANO'S MACARONI GRILL

Where: Macaroni Grill, 4801 N University Avenue, Provo, UT

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Blood Orange & Basil Soda, Spaghetti & Meatballs, and Pasta Milano

What It Cost: $31.32

What We Thought:

Sorry these photos are so crummy - it was kind of a last minute decision to go here since we won a gift card to this restaurant the night before and I didn't feel like making dinner...so I was unprepared, but now I am here to talk about the food!

On a side note, I really should just give up on Italian restaurants. Or someone should just prevent me from entering them. It never ends well. 

So I started out with a pretty tasty non-alcoholic cocktail -- it was a fizzy blood orange soda with basil and some other stuff... I actually really liked it! But I'm the kind of person who likes weird herbs and flowers in their food, so yeah. You should try it if you never have before :)

We started the meal with a hunk of bread big enough to serve a small family, and embarrassingly, chowed it all down at lightning speed because it was probably my favorite part of the meal. Yeah. Good bread, I must say. It was flecked with rosemary and probably doused in butter, and had a perfectly crispy exterior and soft interior. Everything you could ask for in bread, if you ask me!

I ordered spaghetti and meatballs because I really couldn't think of a more classically Italian dish, and if you're going to go boasting yourself as Italian cuisine, I should hope you would do the basics darn well. Well. This is where the line of good things ended for us. The pasta was cooked fine, but the sauce was lacking (both in volume and in flavor), and the meatballs were just a source of sadness. They were a totally overcooked, completely lacking in moisture and goodness, and I'm pretty sure the kind you can cook from the grocery store are superior. Blaahhh. I didn't even finish this dish or want to take it home, which was pretty disappointing for overpriced pasta that I could have (and should have) made better in my own kitchen.

Then Owen's dish, the Pasta Milano. It was supposed to be some sort of chicken penne dish with white sauce and some array of vegetables I believe, but to be honest, all I can remember about it is SALT. I seriously have never had such a salty dish in my whole life, it was even saltier than Carrabba's! Another dish we didn't bother to finish, another dish we regretted. There is a fine line between hearty Italian food and a salt lick, and this place just went way beyond the boundary.

What You Should Do: The quest for edible Italian food (beyond pizza) served in a restaurant that actually feels worth the hefty bill that often accompanies these sorts of restaurants STILL CONTINUES. Any suggestions would be highly appreciated. I should mention however, our server was very nice and friendly.

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OASIS CAFE

Where: Oasis Cafe, 151 S 500 E, Salt Lake City

Who Went: Chelsey & Tara + her daughter 

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Tomato and Fennel Soup, Blueberry Pomegranate Juice, Breakfast Croissant, Kids Quesadillas, and Grilled Salmon

What It Cost: $29.51 for me -- grilled salmon, soup and juice

What We Thought: 

I had heard a lot of good things about this place from the internet world, so when I had a chance to pick a spot for lunch with a friend, I decided to check it out! This place is especially popular amongst the more "granola" population of Utah (I can say that since I'm from the northwest haha... :), and they have plenty of vegan options for those who are into that kind of thing. They were moderately busy for a weekday lunch, but we were seated quickly even with a toddler (and they had a high chair readily available too!) 

I am showing this picture in the order I wish I had received my food, rather than the order I actually received them...what is it with restaurants not bringing soup as an appetizer any more? Does anyone really want their soup once you're gotten your main dish? I just think its weird. Guess I'll just stop ordering soup. Anyway, I had read rave reviews on this soup, which is why I wanted to try it, but it really was kind of odd to our tastes. The fennel tasted a little soapy when next to the roasted tomatoes (and I'm a person who normally really, really likes fennel) and it was pretty cold once I got a third through it and just really was not very appetizing at that point. Meh.

This blueberry pomegranate juice was probably the highlight of my meal -- yum! Wicked expensive of course, but I can imagine that it took quite a few blueberries and pomegranates to reach this point, so I am okay with it. Plus, it was delicious.

Tara got the breakfast sandwich, which looked pretty tasty, though I am not sure if I will ever be able to eat a croissant here in the states ever again after going to Paris this summer...but it seemed nice, and even had some avocado on it that looked pretty tasty.

The quesadillas were...well...cheese between tortillas. Can you really screw this up? At least they were arranged cutely on the plate I guess. No salsa though. Weird.

Then I ordered the grilled salmon, because it looked fun -- it was topped with olive-oil and merlot vinegar tossed arugula, and accompanied by a honey-lavender polenta cake and saba (a syrup made from freshly squeezed grape juice). I like weird floral food, so the polenta cake was probably my favorite part of the dish. It was slightly sweet and original and nicely cooked. The salmon tasted a little overcooked and dry to me, but I like it rarer than most people, and the arugula just kind of felt like a presentation afterthought. The weirdest part of the whole dish was how sweet the salmon was -- I couldn't tell if it was the saba or if they put honey on the salmon as well, but it was just a little too sweet for me personally. Maybe it would suit others fine, but I'm a pretty big sweet lover, so it may just be a little too much. The service was mediocre -- aside from getting my soup super late, they sat us next to the back door where staff members kept coming in and out, even hitting my chair twice, which was a little awkward. Sorry to be in the way?

What You Should Do: I know a lot of people go crazy if I post about places in Salt Lake, but don't worry, I'm not forcing you to make a trip up here for this one. I can't really say it was worth the drive, so you are welcome for saving you from a trip and a mistake. Not to mention it was pretty expensive. If you're vegan and always find a shortage of places to eat out, then maybe Oasis Cafe would be a good place for you, but I'm not so I'll probably won't choose to eat here again.

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