LEATHERBY'S FAMILY CREAMERY

Where: Leatherby's Family Creamery, 1872 W 5400 S, Taylorsville

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Amy's Hot Fudge Brownie with Mint Cookie Ice Cream and Jill's Cookie Concoction 

What It Cost: $15.46

What We Thought: 

Let's just start with the pictures...

I need to make a disclaimer -- we only came for the ice cream, and didn't try any of the other food. So this review is ONLY ABOUT THE ICE CREAM.

And wow, the ice cream! I mean, just looking at the photos above is enough to get me salivating all over again. The restaurant is a very vintage, retro style ice cream parlor, with unflattering lighting and pretty crammed seating, but the staff is so friendly, that you totally feel comfortable and ready for a good time. I can totally see this place as being the awesome reward for scoring a home run in your baseball game as a kid or something - it just makes you feel good. Well, until you eat WAY too much ice cream...!

These ice cream sundaes, though a little pricey, are amazingly over-the-top, gorgeous, and a LOT of ice cream! It is such a fun treat, and the ice cream is all homemade :) Owen thought his mint cookie ice cream was a little too intense -- the flavor was super rich, especially considering how much ice cream they served! I love both of my flavors -- one was a classic cookies and cream, which was super smooth and delicious, and the other was peanut butter ice cream with caramel and cookie dough! Talk about indulgent! The cookie with my sundae was surprisingly soft and tasted SO good, and wow, the hot fudge. If I hadn't been in a total ice cream coma after our experience, I would have bought a bunch of this to take home! What an amazing and scrumptious treat!

What You Should Do: We went here for Owen's birthday, and it was the perfect place to go for a special occasion treat! The ice cream was super delicious, the presentation amazing, and the brownie/hot fudge/cookies were incredibly good as well. The only recommendation I have (besides, obviously, you should go!) is the first time, you might want to share! Neither Owen nor I could even make it through half of our sundaes, so if you can agree on a flavor, you may want to save the money :)

Tenney's Pizza

Where: Tenney's Pizza,  282 East Sr 73, Saratoga Springs

Who Went: Chelsey & Devynne

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Medium Backyard BBQ Pizza 

What It Cost: $8.62

What We Thought:

If you decide to go up to those new outlet malls and need a quick bite on the way home, Tenney's Pizza is a great choice for some fast and delicious pizza nearby! 

We decided to go here because I was seriously craving pizza and Tenney's was the closest place. We took the scenic drive there through some interesting country roads to find this place, but the good news about a place that is a little harder to find is that they were not busy at all! We got a hot and fresh pizza in about ten minutes, made especially for us. It had all of the delicious flavors of your typical BBQ chicken pizza - sweet barbecue sauce, diced pineapple, thinly sliced red onion and green onion, plenty of chicken, plus something new...sweet white corn! It added some nice textural variety and a delicious sweetness. I originally didn't think I would like the crust when he brought it out to us, but it ended up being more delicious than we expected!

What You Should Do: If you happen to be in the Saratoga Springs area (or Sandy where they have another location), I would definitely recommend checking out Tenney's Pizza! They have a special gourmet flavor every day, where you can get a medium sized pizza for five dollars, and the medium pizza was definitely large enough to feed three people. They have some delicious other flavors, like buffalo chicken, pesto, and taco pizza, that I will definitely want to try in the future!

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California Pizza Kitchen

Where: California Pizza Kitchen, 575 University Parkway, Ste B28, Orem

Who Went: Owen & Chelsey

Number of Visits: 3

What We Ordered: Avocado Club Egg Rolls, Pear and Gorgonzola Thin Crust Pizza, and Habañero Carnitas Pizza 

What It Cost: $36.00 including tip

What We Thought: 

I've hesitated writing about CPK for a long time now because I am positive that it will ruin my credibility as any sort of blogger who knows things about food, but I cannot hide my love for California Pizza Kitchen any longer! I know its a chain and that it is slightly overpriced, but they have a few menu items that have just won my heart and will keep me coming back for more. 

Even thought it's located at the mall, California Pizza Kitchen is really good about getting you in as fast as they can. If you don't want to wait at all to eat, they are usually quite open if you get there before 6, and if there is a wait, then they will give you a pager and let you go shopping all over the mall until your table is ready! Much better than sitting on that patch of grass outside Olive Garden, which I've seen way too often... Every time we've been there, we've had fairly good service, even when they are super busy, and the wait is just about what I would expect. 

Even though it will surely lead to a heart attack one day, we always have to start with these avocado club egg rolls. They are SO GOOD! Stuffed with tomato, chicken, cheese, bacon, and large slices of avocado and deep fried in a wonton wrapper -- these babies are the stuff of my dreams people. They are served with this "ranchito" sauce...I have no idea what that means, but it's heaven when drizzled over these egg rolls. My arteries are probably getting clogged just by looking at this picture, but I seriously can't help myself with these.

One of my favorite parts of CPK pizzas is their crust. It's pretty thin, but still chewy and flavorful and almost has this unique tangy taste - I don't know what it is, but I love it! Sadly, this thin crispy crust pizza was, well, crispy, and wasn't as amazing as the normal pizzas to me. I liked the flavor of this pizza however. The gorgonzola cheese wasn't too overpowering, and the pears paired nicely with the arugula on top. I was worried that it would be too difficult to eat and that leftovers would be no good because the arugula would get soggy, but neither of these two things turned out to be a problem. The pear was a little drier than I would have personally liked, but overall, it was a fun deviation from the normal pizza options.

We love spicy food, and Owen almost always orders the Spicy Chipotle Chicken pizza, but this time I convinced him to try something new and we were not disappointed! The carnitas were succulent and in good supply on this pizza, and even though our waitress warned us about the spiciness of the habeñero salsa that was served on the side, we found it to be just right. The cilantro pesto base added some nice flavor to the pizza, and we thought it was delicious! 

What You Should Do: Even though it's a chain and many people may turn their noses up, I definitely think California Pizza Kitchen is worthy of your time and money. We've tried a variety of items here and have been satisfied and happy after every visit. Though I normally prefer the original crust pizzas, if you want to go thin & crispy, I would recommend the Jamaican Jerk Chicken pizza too! I love all of their unique pizza flavors and can never get enough of those darn avocado egg rolls...they've got me hooked. I've never tried any of their pastas or salads, so I can't vouch for them, but the pizzas are great and if you order two, there is almost always enough left over for lunch the next day - awesome! 

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El Gallo Giro

Where: El Gallo Giro, 346 N University Avenue, Provo

Who Went: Chelsey & Sidney

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Taco Special & Chicken Enchiladas

What It Cost: ~$12

What We Thought:


The other day, Sidney took me out to one of her favorite restaurants - El Gallo Giro. Located within easy walking distance of BYU, quick service, and hearty meals for under $5 all made this restaurant seem like a great option for convenient and delicious Mexican food.

When we got there, it was mildly busy - about 5 other tables seated. We had barely enough time to visit the salsa bar and try all of the flavors before our food had already arrived! I was impressed with their incredibly fast service, especially considering that all of our food still tasted very fresh and flavorful.

I loved their salsa bar, and all of the different flavor options! The chips were nice and crisp, and the house salsa was a little waterier than I usually prefer, but still had great flavor and they gave you plenty of it.

My tacos were way more flavorful and tasty than I had anticipated - they were filled with savory chicken and crispy bacon, complimented by light iceberg lettuce and a sprinkling of cheese. Normally I'm not a huge fan of when people just throw bacon into a dish because I feel like it overpowers all of the other flavors, but I was pleasantly surprised with how it really enhanced the flavor of the chicken without making the tacos too greasy. The rice and beans were good but not amazing - a nice side filler that rounded out the meal.

Sidney loved her normal choice of chicken enchiladas with a mild, not-too-sweet verde sauce. They were fresh and filling, substantial but not heavy, and served with the rice and beans as well. They definitely weren't the most authentic or most delicious enchiladas I've ever had, but they are a great price and super conveniently located.

What You Should Do: If you're looking for something new, fresh, and cheap close to BYU campus, take a 4 minute drive down University Avenue to this fun little Mexican restaurant. They have a ton of options, really quick service (at least when we were there), and lunch specials that will fill you up without making you feel gross for the low price of $3.99!

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Ruby Snap

Where: Ruby Snap, 770 S 300 W, Salt Lake City

Who Went: Chelsey & Michelle, then Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 2

What We Ordered: Trip 1: Zoey (Lemon Blueberry), Maris (Chocolate Caramel), Frida (Molé Chile de Arbol & Cinnamon), Ricki (Coconut Almond Chocolate), Vivianna (Mango Dark Chocolate Citrus), and Evia (Pear Marzipan Pine Nuts). Trip 2: Vivianna, Zoey, Nina (Coffee Toffee), Lilly (Lemon with Lemonheads), Virginia (Molasses Ginger), Betty (Oatmeal Apricot Cherry), Judy (Orange Cream Cheese), and Maria (Banana Crème Brûlée)


What It Cost: $12.50 for 6, plus you get a free cookie coupon for next time!


What We Thought:


It's so funny - I never thought I would go so crazy over some cookies. I mean, everyone likes cookies, but also everyone can make cookies and they're no big deal.

But then I went to Ruby Snap Bakery up in Salt Lake.

Wow.

Could I have been more wrong?

When you enter Ruby Snap, you are greeted with that wonderful aroma of freshly baking cookies - I seriously need to get a job there because smelling that 24/7 is my idea of heaven. The friendly staff welcome you and tell you about some of the incredible flavor options they have - things you would never think to combine in a cookie, and yet somehow, when you taste it, it's like they were meant to be in a cookie from the beginning of time. It's a little confusing at first since they have so many different flavors that are named with sexy little pin-up girl identities, but they have convenient little cheat sheets for you, and the staff offer to let you sample any flavor you like. And we're talking real samples here - like quarter-of-a-cookie-sized samples! Then they wrap your cookies up in the cutest box you've ever seen - I'm just so glad that they are all the way up in Salt Lake or else I'm pretty sure I would stop by there every single day.

Let's start with our favorite - the Zoey. You've never had cookies as thick and chewy as the ones at Ruby Snap. I have no idea how they do it! They manage to be amazingly soft while still cooked all the way through. Definitely my kind of cookie. As well-established in previous posts, I'm a lemon addict. Throw some blueberries in there, and you've won my heart. The Zoey cookie was the favorite for both me and Owen - it was like the best lemon blueberry muffin you've ever had hopped up on steroids, with a delicious glaze to complete it. It was seriously incredible. I could eat one of these every day.

Next, the Maris. This was a chocolate cookie with chocolate chips and a caramel center. I mean, really? How could you go wrong with that kind of flavor combination? You can't, and Ruby Snap does a fabulous job with it. I expected it to be delicious, and it definitely lived up to my expectations.

Then the Frida. I was a little nervous for this one since the description reads "Molé dough with a chile de arbol ganache center. Topped with cinnamon-toasted pepitas." I'm pretty sure the last time I had a cookie with chile in it was...um...never. But I decided to be adventurous, and boy, was it worth it. What a unique flavor explosion - and it came from a cookie! The chocolate was rich and sweet enough to balance the hint of spiciness, and it reminded me of delicious Mexican hot chocolate.

The Ricki - basically an Almond Joy candy bar translated into cookie form. I love Almond Joy, so naturally I thought this cookie was amazing. I was really impressed by the coconut flavored dough - I would have thought it would be easier to make the dough with the readily-available almond extract, but the hints of coconut in the dough really made the cookie incredible.

Next up was their flavor of the month, the Evia. The only thing that made me upset about this bakery was the fact that this amazing cookie is only available for one month out of the whole year! Of all the cookies we tried, this one surprised me the most - who would think that a vanilla bean dough with bits of pear, a marzipan center, and toasted pine nuts on top would make for such an incredible cookie? I only ordered it because the combination of flavors seemed so bizarre, and the final result completely blew my mind and my taste buds.

Finally, the Vivianna. This citrus dough cookie comes packed with chunks of dried mango and dark chocolate, a knock-out combination for any of you folks who may like fruit and chocolate together. This is their most popular cookie according to the staff at Ruby Snap, and it's clear why it is so desired. Both times when I ordered this cookie, I savored every bite, wishing that it would never end!

The next time I visited Ruby Snap, I didn't manage to get any pictures of the cookies since I grabbed them in preparation for a 12-hour road trip to Washington. They definitely made the trip way more endurable! Once again, the cookies were delicious, though this round wasn't quite as life-changing as the first batch we ordered. We really liked the Betty - a twist on your typical oatmeal cookie, and the Virginia and Judy were as soft and delicious as I had hoped. The Lilly was good, but kind of weird - the baked-in lemonheads definitely give you a unique texture for a cookie that we couldn't decide if we loved, and the Maria, their special for the month, was actually kind of disappointing. It basically tasted like a slice of banana bread with a little caramel disc on top. But I gotta say, one not-so-amazing cookie out of the twelve flavors we tried? Those are pretty good odds to me!

What You Should Do: Definitely add Ruby Snap to your list of places to try! In fact, put it at the top of your list. This place is amazing. They have wonderful staff, to-die-for-cookies, and are an all-around great place to visit. The cookies are baked fresh every day, and at the end of the day, they donate any leftover cookies to local food shelters. You know I'm a sucker for a company that supports the community. Their cookies are also available at the SLC Farmer's Market, and I hear that they will be carried soon in local Harmon's and Whole Foods grocery stores. There is definitely a conspiracy between Ruby Snap and Tillamook ice cream to give me diabetes, I tell you.

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Joe's Cafe

Where: Joe's Cafe, 1126 S State Street, Orem

Who Went: Chelsey, Owen, Grandma, Mom, Devynne, & Garrett (my cousin)

Number of Visits: 2

What We Ordered: Pancake Combo (3 Pancakes, 2 eggs, and bacon or sausage), French Toast, French Toast with Fruit Topping, Western Omelet, Joe's Omelet with Grits, Biscuits & Gravy, Steak & Eggs with Hash Browns, Orange Juice & Chocolate Milk


What It Cost: $13.22 for two people


What We Thought:


There are just two words that can most accurately describe the amazing food which can be found at Joe's Cafe:

BUTTER and LOVE

I've never really been a huge breakfast fan...until now. What I thought were pancakes don't even hold a candle to what you can get here. See that huge plate of silver dollar pancakes above? Yeah, that was what came with our order of "three pancakes." I have absolutely no idea how that enormous platter qualifies as "three pancakes," and honestly, I couldn't care one bit. And these aren't just pancakes. They are literally little bites of heaven. They are more like little freshly fried doughnuts, soft and pillowy with oh-so-much butter. I've never had anything like it. And I never want to eat any other kind of pancakes ever again. Seriously, this pancakes will change your life.

The other dishes here at Joe's Cafe were also delicious - perfect French toast, with more than enough to keep you full until dinnertime. Not only is the food amazing at Joe's Cafe, but you couldn't ask for a more fun and friendly environment. When we went on a Thursday morning, Joe was the only one there, running the whole show. He makes you feel welcome with the kind of hospitality that only a true Southerner can provide. When I placed our order and got ready to pay, he said, "Nope - you aren't going to pay me until you are fully satisfied with your food!" By the end of our meal, we were begging to pay him!

I was feeling a little adventurous, so I went with the steak and eggs. Incredible. Eggs were perfectly good, and the steak was deliciously seasoned and just the right amount of pink. The hash browns were good but not life-changing...if I were to get this again, I'd definitely go for the grits.

Which we got with the omelets! Now these are no sissy omelets - they are stuffed to the brim with rich and flavorful ingredients, and could easily fill two people. And if they weren't delicious enough, they come with a side of either hash browns or grits, and I would definitely recommend the grits! Now, normally we've only ever had savory grits, usually with some salt and a little cheese or something. But apparently the demand for sweetness in Utah reigned supreme, and Joe now serves his grits sweet. They are like a creamier, smoother version of oatmeal with just the right amount of brown sugar and slow-cooked to perfection. There was a lady in there who told me she comes in at least once a week, just to order Joe's grits. I don't blame her! Definitely the best grits I've ever had. Ever.

In addition to not being the biggest grits fan (before this meal, obviously), I also used to hate biscuits and gravy. They just seemed so fatty and gross that I was never really interested.

Times have changed my friends.

All thanks to this little dish above. Wow. I never knew biscuits and gravy could be so gratifying. There is so much spicy and savory sausage in the gravy, plenty of pepper, at least a whole stick of butter, and some of the most tasty biscuits I've ever had in this little ceramic boat of goodness. Of all the dishes we had here, I would say that the biscuits and gravy surpassed my expectations the most. And I wish certainly be having them again!

Here's the side of meat and eggs - Joe was feeling extra friendly so he gave us both the sausage and bacon. This my friends is real bacon - thickly sliced, seasoned with pepper...it just tasted more...bacon-y. Like bacon on steroids. So so so good.

And if you'd believe it, there is some French Toast under there too. There is nothing skimpy or light about these meals - just delicious Southern cooking with all the butter you ever could want. Rich, scrumptious, filling, flavorful, and unique. I really don't know if I could ever eat breakfast somewhere else again.

What You Should Do: Skip the pathetic plates served at Denny's and IHOP, and get yourself down to Joe's Cafe right now! This is without a doubt the best breakfast served in Utah, and it's served with a smile and soul music. Joe also does lunch, which I am sure is equally amazing - you can order either breakfast or lunch items at any time when he's open. I've never met anyone who hasn't had an incredible experience here, and you'll wonder how it's remained such a secret for so long! Go Go GO!

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Milagros

Where: Milagros, 970 W 800 N, Orem

Who Went: Chelsey, Devynne, Mom & Grandma

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Chicken Sweet Chili Stuffed Quesadilla with Sweet Onion Ball and Spicy Spanish Rice, Barry's Pollo Fundido with Sautéed Vegetables and Borracho Beans, Chimichanga with Borracho Beans and Sweet Green Chili Rice, and Chicken Mango Salad with Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Dressing

What It Cost: ~$40.00 for all 4 people


What We Thought:


So this lunch kind of happened on accident - a Target trip gone too long and an appointment up in Sandy meant that I needed to find a quick lunch place for us on the way up north. I was scouring my brain for restaurants along the way that I wanted to try, and I remembered Milagros from all of my trips to Winco (the best grocery store of all time)! They have a little sign outside one of their windows that says "To Go" or something along those lines, so I figured they could be pretty fast.

We got inside the restaurant and I was surprised to discover that it was not just a to-go kind of restaurant, but rather a sit-down restaurant with a server and everything. We decided to go for it anyway, giving our server the heads-up that we needed to be in and out as fast as possible. Our server ended up being fantastic - really fast with our food, being friendly despite all of our crazy demands, splitting up the checks no problem...plus, as my grandma described, "he had the most beautiful blue eyes," which can't hurt either, right? :) We loved the interior decor - full of tons of live plants and great high ceilings. Also, their cups were pretty awesome.

Like basically every Mexican place out there, we started with chips and salsa. And let me tell you, after this chips & salsa combo, I was pretty much terrified for our meal. Both salsas were awful - they were equally over-sweet and tasted straight from a jar of...really horrible salsa. Some people have complained that they don't bring you out chips and salsa every 30 seconds, but honestly, we really didn't want much to do with that so it was fine with us. We were all crossing our fingers as we waited for the rest of our food to arrive, praying for it to at least be edible.

Fortunately, we were greatly surprised! Our meals arrived, and not only were they large enough to more than fill us, but they were absolutely delicious! My mom got the chimichanga, which was perfectly fried and filled with tasty meat and cheese - not just cheap rice and beans. She loved the sweet rice, and found the beans to be a great complement.

My grandma got the pollo fundido, which was a chicken breast wrapped in a fried tortilla and served with a really creamy sauce - fantastic! There were so many flavors going on at once and it was certainly unique and wonderful. She loved how you could get the option of sautéed vegetables, a nice healthy option for usually sodium-heavy Mexican food. It came with a mix of zucchini, onions, and carrots.

I absolutely loved my sweet chili chicken quesadilla. I think it may be my new favorite quesadilla, even higher than the pork quesadillas from Cafe Rio. Others have commented that the food is all very sweet, and this is true. So if you do not like sweet Mexican food (like the barbacoa pork from Cafe Rio), then I do not recommend this place to you. However, if you are a fan of delicious flavor (Psych, anyone?) and enjoy a little sweet touch to that Mexican spice, then this is the perfect place for you. Nothing in the meal was particularly spicy (including the "spicy" Spanish rice), but we all still enjoyed everything immensely.

Finally, Devynne got the chicken mango salad, which like everything else, was amazing. The chicken was moist, mango salsa mix was flavorful, and we loved the variety of mixed greens in the salad. It came with a freshly made tortilla, which wasn't quite as life-changing as the Cafe Rio ones, but still pretty high up on the list.

What You Should Do: If you don't get immediately offended by the idea of a Mexican place that doesn't have great chips & salsa, then you should definitely check out Milagros. We loved their fresh mix of unique Mexican flavors, and it's a dream come true if you love sweet Mexican food as well. Their prices are a little high, but since two of us got the specials of the day, it ended up being a pretty good deal. For a random quick lunch stop, Milagros is a great choice!

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Lone Star Taquería

Where: Lone Star Taquería, 2265 Fort Union Blvd, Cottonwood Heights, UT

Who Went: Chelsey, Devynne, and Owen

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Burrito de Carne Desebrada, Burrito de Pollo Asado, Lone Star Nachos with Chicken, Piña and Tamarindo Jarritos Sodas

What It Cost: $28.73 for all three people


What We Thought: 


I've once said that one of the hardest questions I get from writing on this site is "What is the best Mexican food around?" Mexican food is so subjective, and there are many different variations (authentic, Tex-Mex, fresh Mexican, etc.) that I've had a hard time deciding on an official favorite.

Well, thanks to Lone Star Taquería, that difficult predicament has become easy to solve!

After reading lots of reviews on Urbanspoon.com, I decided we needed to check this place out. Tons of people say that you HAVE to get the fish tacos, but somehow, none of us were in a fish taco mood so Owen and Devynne both got a burrito and I got the nachos.

The place was TOTALLY packed and busy, so we had to sit outside. Of course, this was one of the first "nice" days that spring, so I had worn just a t-shirt and was freeeeeeezing after about 10 minutes outdoors. So I sent Owen inside to do the "BYU parking lot technique" where he basically hovered like a creepy person until someone started to pack up their stuff, and then he slid into their seat and signalled for us to come inside! I guess we have learned something at this university after all!

Our drinks were served with a slice of lime, which of course just made them infinitely better. I do love my Jarritos with Mexican food, but this just brought it to a whole new level! Plus they had a strawberry flavor, which I've only ever seen a few times...I will definitely have to get it on the next visit.

When we first received our meals, I was shocked at how HUGE the serving sizes were! For the pretty low prices, we definitely got our money's worth. And just to prove how big these nachos were...

this was how much was left after 30 minutes of eating it!!! Next time we go here (which will hopefully be soon!) I think I will just get the nachos to split. They were SO good. Best nachos, in the world probably. The chips were freshly fried and thicker than usual, which made them a fabulous base for all the nacho toppings. There was a ton of fresh and creamy guacamole on top, which they didn't even charge extra for, like most Mexican places do. The grilled chicken was exceptional well-seasoned and there was so much of it, and I loved the rice and beans as well. The only thing I regret about this meal was that it did not fare so great as leftovers the next day...but I still inhaled it anyway! Great fresh flavors, and a great deal as well.

Both Owen and Devynne got the burritos, which pretty much looked the same on the outside. According to their reports, the burritos were also spectacular, though it was hard to get a report from them because they were too busy eating and were completely immersed in the food experience.

There is a lot of good stuff going on in there. Even though the burritos were, as one Urbanspoon reviewer stated, "big enough to fit a small child in," both Owen and Devynne were compelled to finish their entire burrito because each bite was just as good as the first one!

They also have a salsa bar at the front of the restaurant, so you can load up on as much salsa as you want! Not that the burritos or nachos really needed any extra flavor, but it was fun to experiment with the different choices. We liked all of the salsas, but I think the pico was our favorite.

What You Should Do: Go immediately. This my friends, is the best Mexican in Utah I've found so far. They have amazing prices, amazing flavors, amazing service, and amazing options. I was completely blown away with how delicious their food was, and will definitely be returning soon. Though next time I think I will certainly have to try the fish tacos and bring a jacket or go on a warm summer night!

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