AUBERGINE & COMPANY

Where: Aubergine & Company, 1365 S State Street, Orem

Who Went: Chelsey, Owen, Kierea

Number of Visits: 2

What We Ordered: Falafel Pita, Dream Salad, Açaí Bowl

What It Cost: $23

What We Thought: 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS PLACE! There are so many times when I am just wayyyyy too lazy to want to cook dinner (especially in the hot, hot summer), but I don't want the typical heavy food at restaurants. This place FINALLY offers a generally healthy menu that isn't totally boring. And man, is it good! 

First up, the sandwiches. They start out with a homemade whole wheat pita, which is absolutely delicious, and then you can choose a main protein options (we've always chosen the falafel, but they have chicken and other meats as well) and whatever fillings you like to go inside! The setup is kind of Cafe Rio-style, where they make the sandwich right there in front of you in a tasty little assembly line, and you can specify how much you want of each add-in. They have a lot of Greek choices, such as hummus, baba ganoush, roasted eggplant, tabbouleh, marinated tomatoes, kalamata olives, etc. I love Greek food because so much of it is healthy and flavorful, and Aubergine & Company really makes the most of this! A perfectly filling, healthy, and über delicious meal.

I ordered the dream salad, and I have to admit...I haven't ordered anything else for myself here because I love this salad so much! It has spinach, romaine, chicken, green apples, red onion, parmesan, walnuts and a cilantro/jalapeño dressing. And yes, I probably could make it at home. But sometimes you just don't want to get out all of the ingredients, go through the effort of chopping everything up and washing all the dishes (yeah, I'm lazy I know). And I love how they chop the whole salad up right there for you, mixing in the dressing so it's all perfectly mixed (a pet peeve with salads at most restaurants) and incredibly fresh. At first I thought the cilantro/jalapeño dressing would be weird with the apples and everything, but it is SO GOOD. Honestly, their other salads look incredible as well, and if I could justify it financially, I would seriously eat here every day.

Finally, the açaí bowls. Basically, healthy ice cream-ish dessert in a bowl. With fresh fruit. And happiness. Açaí is kind of an acquired taste, but they keep it pretty mild in most of their bowls, so basically everyone with taste buds will seriously enjoy this. The base is like a thickened berry smoothie, and this one was topped with freshly sliced strawberries, banana, and almonds. They have topping and base choices, and they all sound seriously delicious. For those who have been to Hawaii, I have been told that they don't really taste as sweet as the ones on the island, but my sources also say they are very similar to ones you can get in Brazil. So there's that. Either way, they are dang good.

What You Should Do: Go Go GO GO GO. I can't recommend this place enough. Every time I walk away, I feel perfectly satisfied and just happy. This is happy food. Good food. Please, eat here!

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BURGERS SUPREME

Where: Burgers Supreme, 1796 N University Parkway, Provo

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 3

What We Ordered: 2 Gyros + Baklava

What It Cost: $12.66 

What We Thought: 

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

And now I want a gyro for dinner.

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

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APOLLO BURGER

Where: Apollo Burger, 452 N State Street, Orem

Who Went: Chelsey, Owen, Devynne & Tyler

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Us - Gyro, Bacon Cheeseburger, Onion Rings, "Cookie" Milkshake. Them - Chicken Souvlaki, Western Bacon Cheeseburger, Strawberry Milkshake

What It Cost: $16.99 for two people

What We Thought:

My next door neighbor Jordan told Owen that Apollo Burger was his all-time favorite burger place, but for some reason I thought that the closest location was in Draper. When we realized there was one in Orem, we made plans to go immediately! 

First off, you guys all know about my obsession with onion rings. So when our tray arrived with this HUGE pile-up of onion rings (it was quite monumental), let's just say I was a teensy bit excited. I mean, that is a hefty looking tray of food for under $20, I gotta admit.

I don't know what they do to their bacon, but seriously, it was the best bacon I've ever had on a burger!! It was super hot and crispy and thick and flavorful and amazing!!! The burger itself was pretty delicious too, but THE BACON! Obviously, the bacon was what really sold me on this burger -- the patty was decent, the shredded lettuce and American cheese didn't really win me over, and the rest of the toppings were just fine. It was a nice and thick bun, which was great and definitely necessary for a burger as big as this one.

The gyro was pretty good - not as good as Burgers Supreme, but definitely juicy and tender and flavorful. It didn't come with any lettuce, but I didn't really mind. The tzatziki sauce was still really good, and it was served in a decent pita as well.

Though the mount of onion rings was enormous, I can't say that they were my favorite onion rings of all time. The batter was less crispy than I usually like, and they cooled off super quickly. Cold onion rings...not so amazing. They were definitely better than the Cannon Center/Marley's onion rings, but they didn't blow my mind or anything.

This milkshake was labeled as "cookie," which we thought was funny - it was definitely an Oreo milkshake, but maybe there are some copyright issues with that or something? The milkshake was on the thinner/more drinkable side, had a really tasty flavor (duh - Oreos and ice cream...), but didn't really have any big chunks of Oreos like I was hoping for. Still a yummy compliment to the meal overall though.

The Western burger was essentially the same burger as mine, but with barbecue sauce and an onion ring on it as well. Definitely for those salt-cravers!

We really didn't go for creative choices as you can see - the chicken souvlaki was basically a gyro, but with marinated chicken instead of lamb. Oh, and it did come with shredded lettuce. I personally liked the additional texture that the lettuce contributed, though it was probably some of the palest Iceberg lettuce I've ever seen! Apollo Burger had many more much more interesting choices than what we went with (especially with pastrami?), and I would be interested to try something more exciting next time!

What You Should Do: Rumor has it that Apollo Burger is run by the same people as Burgers Supreme (can anyone confirm this?), but I have to admit, I liked the burgers here better! The gyro was still better at Burgers Supreme in my opinion (that's the only thing we ever order there!), but if you're in the mood for a decently-priced, juicy, BACON-y hamburger, Apollo Burger will definitely fit the bill!

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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 :)

Aristo's

Where: Aristo's, 224 S 1300 E, Salt Lake City

Who Went: Chelsey

Number of Visits: 1

What I Ordered: Orzo Pasta Salad & Regular Gyro

What It Cost: $13.73

What I Thought:

Just off the corner of the University of Utah campus, Aristo's provides delicious selections of Greek fare that are infinitely superior to anything you'd find in the Student Union! I meandered over here for a solo lunch one day and was pleasantly surprised with the results.

I ordered a gyro, which could come with a variety of different sides, including this orzo pasta salad. I am so glad I chose it over fries or something - it was amazing! I loved the rich potent flavors, adorable presentation, and it was enough food to be a meal on its own! I've been trying to recreate this at home with little success - my only hope will be to go to Aristo's and order it again and again.

The gyro was simple and superb. It was wrapped in the best, softest, most flavorful and tender pita I've ever partaken of, and the meat was cooked to perfection with just a little mix of onions and fresh tzatziki sauce. My only complaint would be that all of the delicious tzatziki sauce was piled towards the front of the gyro, which would leave the bottom half rather dry if you didn't think to mix it all in before eating it. But if you spread the tzatziki sauce, then you're golden. Definitely the best gyro I've ever had, and I'm definitely going to have to take Owen here someday since he's the biggest gyro-lover I know!

What You Should Do: If you happen to find yourself in enemy territory ;) then you have to give Aristo's a try! They have some lovely indoor and outdoor seating, wonderful service, and amazing Greek food.

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Stan's Drive-In

Man, sorry guys about being totally MIA yesterday -- it was Valentine's Day! I hope that you were all spoiled by your loved ones and that you at least got to have some good food!

Where: Stan's Drive-In, 525 N 900 E, Provo (across from Gold's Gym)

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 2

What We Ordered: Single Cheeseburger with fries, Gyro, Strawberry Cheesecake Milkshake

What It Cost: $14.30

What We Thought:

I've heard about this hole-in-the-wall place over and over again -- my old roommate who worked at the tanning place in Gold's Gym raved about their fries, and the guy who visits our research lab from across the country goes there at least once a day while he's here in Provo, and the owner knows him so well to know that he prefers ketchup with his burger instead of fry sauce.

And, according to some old articles posted on the wall in this burger joint, this restaurant was the source of the original fry sauce. A huge claim for the Utah area. I admit I had never heard of fry sauce until I came here until BYU, but it's a pretty big deal.

When we arrived there on a Saturday night at 6:45, we were the only people there. At least it made the service fast! I went with a classic cheeseburger, and Owen is obsessed with gyros, so he got one of those. The burger came with fries, and of course, fry sauce, but it was a little wimpy. I mean, look how tiny that patty is! At least it was served with dill pickles instead of horrible sweet ones, but the cheese tasted like plastic and the burger was not juicy at all. Sad. But the fries were just how I like them -- right cut/size, nice and crispy, and doused with seasoning salt. Mmmm....

I was glad that Owen got a gyro, because like lots of other small drive-in type places, they had a lot of weird things, including vegetable samosas, shrimp, turkey melts, any kind of fry you could ever want (including zucchini fries!), and lots of other things. The gyro was alright. Pros: lots of well-seasoned and cooked meat. Cons: not much else. We're a little partial to the gyros from Burger Supreme (SO GOOD!) but at least the pita was fresh and tasty too and it was quite filling. Would be nice with a little lettuce though, and the tzatziki sauce was only mediocre.

Now THIS was a good milkshake. We got strawberry cheesecake since the guy at the register recommended it, and it was so worth it! Nice and thick, rich and creamy -- it had the perfect consistency for a milkshake and the cheesecake bits in it were huge! If I ever went back here, it would definitely be for this shake!

What You Should Do:  Check it out maybe once, but there's got to be better burgers elsewhere. It was a pretty decent price, and the fries and shake were satisfying, but I was so disappointed in their classic cheeseburger. The service is fast, but probably because there is no one who is eating there. So if you're in the mood for a super speedy burger, then this may be your place. But if you're looking for a rich, juicy piece of meat, you'll have to head somewhere else. 

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Eva

Where: Eva, 317 S Main Street, Salt Lake City

Who Went: Chelsey, Owen & Jarom (my brother-in-law, who also happens to be a vegetarian)

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Spanakopita with Spicy Feta & Balsamic, Spicy Chickpea Shells, Spinach & Potato Gnocchi, Greek Mac & Cheese baked in Phyllo Dough, & Chocolate Pots de Créme

What It Cost: $57.00 (including tip, for all 3 people)


What We Thought:


Friday afternoon, I went over to my friend Katie's house and helped her with her new little baby, Eva. As I was holding Eva and playing with her, I said, "Tonight I am going to eat at a restaurant named after you, baby Eva!" However, somehow, in her little baby mind (she's only 7 weeks folks), it must have gotten processed as "Tonight I am going to eat you baby Eva!" because her eyebrows got all scrunched up and she began to wail. Back to you mama Katie!

When we walked into Eva, I knew right away that it was a good pick. It had a dingy yellowish sign outside the unassuming front door, but once we stepped inside, it was bustling with servers rushing plates, laughing and chatty diners, and LOTS of people for its tiny square footage. It was clear that this was one of those trendy & hip places that not a lot of people know about (so exclusive), which always makes me a little wary to begin with (see Sammy's). We told the casually dressed hostess who came up to us that we needed a table for three, and she informed us that the wait would be between 45 minutes-1 hour, but that she would take our names & number down if we wanted to go grab drinks or something. Of course there would be no grabbing drinks for us, but we agreed to give her my number and she said she would call us when a table was available. 

This is where I would have done things differently. Instead of wandering outside in the cold with our measly jackets, we should have planned ahead and gone shopping at the Gateway or ice skating or something. There are loads of things to do nearby, but since we didn't really have a plan, we just kind of walked around for a while until our faces froze off and we decided to check back in with the restaurant. We kind of awkwardly stood in the way at the front of the restaurant (the entryway was only about 2 feet long) and it ended up being over and hour & a half until we were seated, but fortunately our stomachs were so frozen that we kind of had forgotten how hungry we were by 8:45....

We were seated at a table in the corner of the restaurant near the kitchen, where the overhead lamp light was burned out and it was all very dim. Normally I wouldn't really mind, except I was trying to take photos of the dishes and it was a little crammed. Our appetizer arrived quickly, and all complaints in our mind vanished.

I'm a huge Greek food lover -- we had Mediterranean fare at our wedding, and though my sister was so kind and thoughtful to grab a plate for me, apparently all of the spanakopita was already out before she could snag some for us. I knew we had to order it here so I could show Owen the wonderfulness of this flaky spinach-filled dish. The spanakopita served to us at Eva did not disappoint. The phyllo dough was crispy and flaky, perfectly enveloping a mixture of cooked flavorful spinach and spicy feta. An acidic balsamic glaze complemented the rich and warm flavors of the pastry's insides, and we couldn't get enough of it. Absolutely wonderful.

Jarom, my brother-in-law, was pleased to see all of the vegetarian options on the menu, and decided to go with the spicy chickpea dish with tomato sauce, basil, and cashew cream. The term spicy was no understatement -- this dish was hot! But the wonderful kind of hot, where it's surprisingly zippy while you are taking your bite, but your mouth isn't still burning after you finish your taste and it leaves you with a pleasant aftertaste. A unique and filling vegetarian dish that we would highly recommend -- Owen loved it so much, he finished what Jarom couldn't eat after wiping clean his own plate!

You're going to judge me for this one -- macaroni & cheese, Chelsey? Really? But lately I've had a craving for cheesy pasta that would not be satisfied with any ordinary boxed meal. This mac & cheese was mixed with fresh tomato, bacon and arugula, and was sandwiched between layers of perfectly crisped phyllo dough. Talk about comfort food to the most delightful extreme. Every bite was soft, warm, rich and inviting, and though I could feel the heavy cheese sauce adding inches to my waist with every luscious morsel, I couldn't stop myself. 

What? A dish that's not topped with chopped basil?? I know, you are shocked. Owen ordered the spinach & potato gnocchi that was served with parmesan, truffle oil, mushrooms, peas, and a white wine cheese sauce. "A flavor punch in the mouth" was how Owen described it. Though he personally found it a little too rich, I thought it was utterly decadent and perfect: soft pillowy gnocchi, smoky mushrooms that didn't make me want to gag (a big accomplishment), sweet crisp peas, vibrant green spinach, all mixed together with an intense and indulgent sauce. It doesn't really photograph well, but my was it delectable. 

 And to round out our meal, we sampled their chocolate pot de créme -- a perfect ending to our meal. The chocolate mousse base was thick, sweet, had the perfect consistency, and was rich enough to complement the light and fluffy cream on top. The fruit served along with it was dulcet and ripe, a perfect pairing. I was a little disappointed in the lack of flavor of the pistachio cookie in the center, but nothing could really ruin the purity of the chocolate base. I also would have preferred chopped mint rather than two leaves artfully placed, because although they look pretty, no one really wants a large mouthful of mint leaves.

What You Should Do: Go right now! But make sure to do it right -- have one person run into the restaurant and leave your name & number, and then go shopping or do something fun instead of wandering in the cold. There is a parking lot right across the street (be sure to bring cash for it, no cards accepted) so you'll be able to rush back when they call you, and you'll be able to enjoy your night of mouthwatering Mediterranean dishes!