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 :)

CANNON CENTER

Where: The Commons at the Cannon Center, BYU Campus

Who Went: Every freshman at BYU practically, plus my family :)

What It Cost: $10.75 for adult dinner 

What We Ordered: Ummm...anything and everything (its an ever-changing buffet). And you can always count on Jello...

What We Thought:

Ohhhh....the BYU Cannon Center. I mean, what blog called "Eat BYU" could get away with not talking about one of the most classic university establishments. So many wonderful freshman year memories were made here, not to mention those come by during summer sport camps or Women's Conference. But --- how is the food?

I have to admit, the excitement of all of the many food stations and the possibility of eating as much as you want caused a memory lapse, and I totally forgot to actually take pictures of the food. Shame, I know. But, there is this adorable picture of me and my not-so-little brother above that can give you a pretty good idea about the Cannon Center highlights. Here they are:

1. BYU CREAMERY CHOCOLATE MILK
There is no other chocolate milk on this earth that is as worthy of your stomach as this BYU Creamery delight. It is seriously soooo crave-worthy. And at the Cannon Center, you can get as much chocolate milk as you want. It's true. You can put just twenty cups of chocolate milk on your tray and GO FOR IT. There is nothing I miss more from freshman year than this chocolate milk.

2. Unlimited Waffles and Soft-Serve Ice Cream
Even better when you put the ice cream on top of the waffles, as seen above.

3. Constantly rotating menu
Which they oh-so-kindly post online for you to see, which is pretty great. If you are just a random visitor, like we were, you can check their website and go on a day when the food stations offer items that sound delicious to you. They almost always have some sort of burger, a pasta dish, a couple of soups, one exciting type main dish (it was chimichangas for us! But I've also had salmon, chicken cordon bleu, fajitas, and a whole bunch of other things) and also an extensive array of desserts (some better than others...)

4. Unlimited pre-cut fruit and you don't have to do your dishes
Things you really don't appreciate until you move out of the freshman dorms.

What You Should Do: If you're a freshman who doesn't like to cook and/or likes to eat a lot, you gotta stay in Helaman Halls and get the Cannon Center meal plan. You'll probably get tired of it by the end of the year, but it's pretty great, with an awesome salad bar at every meal, and THE CHOCOLATE MILK! And if you're just in the Provo area, there really is no more quintessential BYU eatery than the Cannon Center, so you have to try it at least once!

BYU CREAMERY

Where: BYU Creamery, 1209 N 900 E Provo

Who Went: Chelsey, Owen, Monica, Devynne, and many more

Number of Visits: Many, many, many

What We Ordered: Guacamole Bacon Cheeseburger and Garlic Fries

What It Cost: ~$8

What We Thought: 

Well everyone, it's been a crazy summer. Hopefully most of you have not noticed my utter lack of posting, but you know, we all need a summer break every now and then. Between trips to Armenia, France, San Francisco and Portland (twice), I didn't have much computer time or Provo eating time, so you'll have to forgive me. But, now we are back to the grind -- some people already have midterms, BYU's already killed it at the LaVell, and surely some people are already engaged. So let's get to it, starting with a good ol' back to school classic -- BYU Creamery! 

I seriously can't believe I haven't posted about the Creamery yet. I love this place! It's actually my favorite burger in Utah County, and it just has so many good memories and flavors and everything! The burgers are great. They are more of the thin-style burger, and their meat is always super fresh and delicious. Add some guac and bacon -- you've won my heart. I love the texture and taste and everything about them!

Another great part about the Creamery is their flavored fries -- I can never decide what my favorite flavor is! The garlic fries go great with burgers, the spicy ones are so flavorful and fun, and Owen is so pepper-obsessed that we also love ordering the black pepper ones. I would say try them all, but they are pretty filling so you may have to make more than one trip :)

It's sad, but we were so full after this meal that we didn't even get the main event -- the ICE CREAM! But don't worry, I've had it a million times before, and can't say enough good things about it. Their ice cream may be my all-time favorite, competing greatly with Tillamook and all its goodness. BYU Creamery has some amazing flavors -- my top two are Graham Canyon (graham cracker flavored ice cream with chocolate bits, don't think its weird until you try it!!) and Earnestly Chocolate (chocolate ice cream with caramel and marshmallow, another surprisingly amazing combo!), but really you can't go wrong here. Share your fries so you have enough room to get some ice cream -- and my little trick is to always get the "child size." It seems like the same size as 1 scoop, its just the right amount to satisfy your craving, and it's totally cheaper!

What You Should Do: Get in the back-to-school spirit and give the BYU Creamery a visit! They are a BYU classic, and definitely for a good reason. Everything is delicious, and the old-school decor will make you feel like BYU's been around for forever (which it has). Not to mention, you can do a little grocery shopping, and take some creamery ice cream home with you afterwards! Win win!

Read other reviews here:

Hokulia Shave Ice

Where: Hokulia Shave Ice, 1445 N Canyon Road, Provo (across the street from Helaman Halls)

Who Went: Chelsey & Kierea

Number of Visits: 1

What It Cost: $7.50

What We Ordered: 2 Small (Short Board) Shave Ice - Pineapple and Blackberry with Snocap, and Cotton Candy

What We Thought:

Why have I been wasting all my time this summer with frozen yogurt - I've totally missed out on the delicious awesomeness which is shave ice! I've always had kind of a negative attitude towards shave ice since growing up my mother never let me buy it because she said it was just expensive water with sugar poured on top. Though this may be partially true, I cannot think of anything more refreshing than one of these delectable desserts on a hot, hot Utah day. In the past, shave ice I've had was either too chunky or you run out of flavor in the first half and just end up eating plain ice by the end. No good. Hokulia makes shave ice the way it should be - finely shaved and melt-in-your mouth ice with rich, sweet, unique flavors.

They have over 60 flavors, including rare finds like red velvet, cinnamon, apricot, haupia (creamy coconut), horchata, wedding cake, lychee, and pink champagne! I got my blackberry-pineapple short board with the snocap, which is a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk that really brings this treat up to the next level. Oh, and did I mention that we both ordered the smallest size? Yeah, and they are freaking HUGE! At least three times the typical "small size" of shave ice you'd get anywhere else! You can also get the shave ice with some vanilla ice cream inside, which sounded like it would be amazing with something like coconut or root beer! Kierea loved her cotton candy flavor, and we were both shocked to see a small pool of syrup at the bottom of our cones when we finished - every bite was jam-packed with amazing flavor. Besides being the best shave ice I've ever had, the actual shack site had tables with a nice touch -- little holes cut into the table where you can place your cone without the risk of it tipping over. I don't know why, but this just made me really happy :)

What You Should Do: Definitely make it over to this little shack of heaven before the summer ends! They are only open seasonally (sadly), so you'll have to go soon! They without a doubt have the best shave ice I've ever had - a classic taste of the shave ice you love, times like a million. Go Go GO!

Read other reviews here:

ME Crêpes

Where: ME Crêpes, 1364 N Freedom Blvd, Provo

Who Went: Chelsey, Owen, & Owen's parents

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: BBQ Chicken Crêpe, Turkey Bacon Avocado Crêpe, Turkey Bacon Ranch Crêpe, Southwestern Chicken Crêpe, Oreo Crêpe and Cookie Dough Crêpe

What It Cost: $19.38

What We Thought: 

First off, I gotta say - I love that they do half-price savory crepes from 1-4 Monday through Friday! We wanted to take out my in-laws for lunch because it was my MIL's birthday and she was dropping off Michael, my BIL, at the MTC. This place was totally a smoking deal to feed 4 people, and I actually thought the crepes were pretty good!

The crepes themselves are quite large, so they seem like the don't have a ton of filling, but I think it's just because the actual crepe is so big. They were plenty stuffed enough to fill you up for a meal, no problem. The quality of the ingredients inside the crepes was admirable - the turkey was sliced pretty thick, the avocado was a bright creamy green, and I really enjoyed the barbecue sauce on my BBQ chicken crepe.

I definitely enjoyed the dessert crepes - they had just enough filling to satisfy, but not too much that it took away from the crepe itself. Up first was the cookie dough crepe, which I LOVED. Please keep in mind though that I am an enormous cookie dough fan, so I had high hopes. The cookie dough was melty and oh-so-sweet inside...I could totally go for one right now! It was a little too sweet for the other people who were with me, but I have a very high sweet tolerance, so I thought it was fantastic!

Everyone else preferred the Oreo cream crepe, which was also absolutely delicious. Tons of Oreos and sweet vanilla ice cream -- and plenty for all 4 of us to share and be satisfied!

What You Should Do: Definitely check it out! If you are interested in the savory crepes (which I would certainly recommend!) make sure to go during their happy hour and get them half-price - it's such a great deal! Who would have thought that we could fill 4 people for such tasty food for under $20?

Read other reviews here:

The Chocolate

Where: The Chocolate, 212 S State Street, Orem

Who Went: Chelsey & some girls at a bridal shower, then Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 2

What We Ordered: Kitty Katrina cake, Cazookie with half peanut butter and half white chocolate macadamia nut, Cannoli

What It Cost: $16.00

What We Thought:


We decided to check out this dessert café after it was recommended to us on our Qualtrics survey - I had been there once before for a cute little bridal shower, but it was catered just with sugar and chocolate chip cookies, so I felt like I needed to try more options to get a better perspective.

We started out with the Kitty Katrina cake - one of their most popular options with what they proclaim to have "the best buttercream" frosting ever. As we were ordering, I thought to myself that it better darn be the best frosting I've ever had, because a little slice of cake cost almost $5! You have to pay even more if you want the traditional ice cream with your cake, so I said no thanks to a $1.79 scoop of ice cream, and went for the cake straight. The cake was good, moist and full of vanilla flavor. But was it worth the heavy price tag? No way. If I'm paying almost $5 for a little dessert, it better at least fill me up or be something incredible I would never make myself. Vanilla cake that doesn't even come with ice cream? Not good enough to me.

Then we got a cazookie -- an oven-heated, slightly uncooked and gooey cookie with vanilla bean ice cream on top. We chose to get half peanut butter cookie and half white chocolate macadamia nut (also as per recommendation). Though Owen found this to be way overpoweringly sweet, I think it was actually my favorite dish of the evening. At least you felt like it was satisfying, and it was certainly large enough for two people to share. I really like gooey cookies, so this was right up my alley. The macadamia nuts in the one half were a little too big, but at least I didn't feel like they were skimping out on anything there. If I was ever to go there again, I would probably just order this for two people, and get half peanut butter and half chocolate chip.

We also got a cannoli, which was Owen's favorite. A crunchy almond-flavored pastry with ricotta and chocolate chips inside, and some smashed pistachios on the ends. It was pretty good, tasted better chilled, and at least was something unique and fun. I thought that the chocolate chips inside were a little weird and disturbed the smooth texture of the filling, but Owen was a fan.

What You Should Do: If you're out of dessert places (like we almost are!) and want to try something new, I guess you could give it a try. They do have more options than your typical dessert place, but a surprising lack of chocolate things for a place called The Chocolate...I would recommend the Cazookie to share (though the Sasquatch at Brick Oven is a little cheaper and has a brownie inside too...mmmm), otherwise your dessert option could quickly add up to the same cost as dinner! Overall a cute location but too pricey and not entirely unique.

Read other reviews here:

Roll Up Crepes

Where: Roll Up Crepes, 1605 S State Street, Orem

Who Went: Trip 1: Chelsey & Kirsten (my sister-in-law), Trip 2: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 2

What We Ordered: Trip 1: Southwest Chicken Bacon Crepe & Turkey Pesto Cranberry Crepe. Trip 2: "The Awkward First Date" (Bananas Foster Crepe with Vanilla Ice Cream) and "The Break Up"  (chocolate ice cream, Oreos, chocolate syrup - I'm pretty sure that is what the name of the crepe was, but they don't have the dessert menu updated online so I couldn't check)

What It Cost: $10.67

What We Thought:

I'm pretty sure that crepes are the new "hot thing" and there are crepe shops popping up all over the place in this area. This was one of the first, so of course we needed to check it out. To be honest with you, I can't really figure out what the actual name of this place is -- Roll Up Crepes, The Roll Up, and Roll Me Up Crepes are all options, so if anyone knows for sure, you should fill me in! 

The shop itself has some unique decor -- I described it as quaint, Owen thought it was just creepy. Take your pick I guess. The first time I went, I visited with my sister-in-law for lunch right after it opened. It wasn't too busy and we got our food pretty quickly which was good, and I actually enjoyed it a lot. I thought that the combination of turkey, cranberry and basil was a nice mix, and it was pretty filling. Kirsten's was the best - I was worried that it would just taste like a burrito in a weird tortilla, but it tasted fresher and lighter, with a spicy and flavorful sauce. It was a fun trip and I looked forward to going there again.

Then last Saturday evening, I convinced Owen that instead of frozen yogurt, we should stop by Roll Up Crepes for dessert. It was pretty busy, so we tried to order quickly and grab a seat in the rather crowded restaurant. I was pretty excited for my Bananas Foster crepe because I love caramelized bananas, and I was interested to see how ice cream would taste inside a crepe. 

This was what I got:

One skinny pathetic banana on top of some weirdly crunchy caramel, and wayyy too much butter spilling all over the place. And no ice cream to be found. I was a little confused because the crepe itself looked way too thin to have any ice cream inside, so I opened it up and found nothing. I was really looking forward to that ice cream (and I paid for it!), so I kind of pushed myself up to the front, showed the girl at the register my plate, and told her that someone forgot to put my ice cream with the crepe. "Are you sure you ordered one with ice cream?" she asked me. Are you kidding me? How rude! She totally didn't believe me, so I had to get out the menu and show her the one that I had ordered and point out where it said that it came with vanilla ice cream. Then she told me, "Oh, well, we are out of vanilla ice cream." I feel like that would have been a good thing to tell me when I had ordered. She just looked at me like "What do you want me to do about it?" so I asked if I could get a different kind of ice cream. They had butter pecan, which went fine with bananas foster, so I got that kind after many huffy and disgruntled looks. She didn't want to put on gloves to get me some ice cream, so she called up someone from the kitchen and I had to wait there awkwardly and embarrassed while 10 people were waiting behind me in line.

So once I finally got my ice cream, I dug in to my fairly destroyed crepe and discovered that it was nothing special. Basically the only flavor I could taste was all the butter that pooled around my plate, and I felt super heavy and gross afterwards.

Owen's was a little better, thankfully, because it's pretty hard to go wrong with chocolate and Oreos. The presentation was boring, and the flavors were also a little boring, but it was fine and satisfied the craving for sweet. Meh.

What You Should Do: Go if you have to. I would recommend going for lunch and getting a savory crepe, but I was so humiliated by the whole ice cream incident that I probably won't be going again. It doesn't matter how good your food is if the experience and customer service are a huge disappointment.

Sub Zero Ice Cream

Where: Sub Zero Ice Cream, 1774 N University Parkway, Provo

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen, Devynne, my uncle Spencer

Number of Visits: 2

What We Ordered: Various flavor combinations...I got mint ice cream (custard cream) with Junior Mints. Another time I ordered mine with soy milk instead.

What It Cost: Since my uncle paid, I don't remember the exact total, but it was about $4 a person

What We Thought:

Okay, it's time to come clean. I'm a total science nerd. I can actually claim to have made liquid nitrogen myself (on more than one occasion)...and it is awesome. Does it make the best tasting ice cream with the best consistency and texture? Nah. But it is the most fun way to make ice cream? Absolutely.

Sub Zero makes the whole "going out for ice cream" experience more entertaining by instantly freezing the various creams and flavorings right in front of you with a fun cloud of smoke. I don't know how they do it all the time without freezing their hands off, but it's a blast to watch.

Like any good ice cream place, they have a gazillion flavors that take you 20 minutes to decide between. They also have a gazillion different mix-ins for you to choose from (1st one free, can pay for additional), so plan on spending at least 40 minutes there if you're super indecisive like me...You ALSO can choose the fat content of your ice cream, ranging from premium (14% milk fat) to skim, soy, or rice milk. I've tried both ends of the spectrum -- just remember there is a reason normal ice cream has fat. It tastes good (and creamy and wonderful and delicious). But the soy kind wasn't too bad either. If you're vegan, then this is a great place to check out for a sweet treat!

sorry these pictures are so crummy...they are from my freshman year!

What You Should Do: Go for the experience. It doesn't taste like normal ice cream would of course, but it's still good. Plus, if you (or your date) have never seen ice cream made this way, you're missing out! Go science!