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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ALAMEXO

Where: Alamexo, 268 S State Street, Salt Lake City

Who Went: Owen and Chelsey

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Guacamole en Molcajete, Carne Asada Tacos, Enchiladas Barbacoa de Res

What It Cost: $63.76

What We Thought: 

Expensive, quite tasty, artisan Mexican food.

Mexican food in Utah certainly is of no shortage (thank goodness).

I have to make a confession to you - there are no other guacamoles in my life anymore. I've given them all up in complete devotion to this perfect, amazing, wonderful guacamole. The servers surely hate it, since they are required to mix up all the perfectly chopped ingredients in the molcajete right by your tableside, but it is so fresh and creamy and ripe and amazing that I will have to have to inconvenience them longer. It has inspired me to make molcajetes my new gift for newlyweds, because if it is the secret to Perfect Guacamole, everyone needs access. STAT.

Alamexo focuses on fresh, flavorful, and inventive Mexican flavors, and each dish shines in a unique way. The food is very filling and satisfying - definitely work up an appetite before going here!

Even the side dishes are divine - flavored rice with pepitas and slow roasted black beans with cotija. The beans were so delicious, I wish I could eat them every day!

I ordered the tacos de carne asada, so I'm sure you could imagine my surprise when this "DIY" plate appeared in front of me :) In the mini skillet, there was melted Oaxaca and adobe marinated bistek topped with pico de gallo, which I was to pile onto fresh tortillas. Though the flavors were quite delicious, THERE WAS SO MUCH CHEESE. The cheese was really rich, and I have to admit, it was a big intense and a little indigestion-prone...

And then, churros con chocolate. WOWZA. It has redefined churros for me, they were so amazing. This almost led to challenges in our marriage, since I tried to sneak it from my husband's plate...

What You Should Do: I would totally go again, just for the guacamole. It was definitely filling enough for a meal! I just wonder two things -- 1) Would they be totally pissed? and 2) Will I still get the churros? It is a little expensive, but for a special Mexican treat, you can't beat this place!

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CHIPOTLE

Where: Chipotle, 1011 E 2100 S, Salt Lake City

Who Went: Chelsey, Kierea, and Hallie

Number of Visits: 5

What We Ordered: Chicken Salad, Sofritas Salad with Guacamole, Carnitas Salad (three girls, three salads. I know.)

What It Cost: $7.60 (for one person)

What We Thought: 

Of all restaurants that Provo is lacking, Chipotle is the one I hear brought up the most. Like, seriously. Why isn't there a Chipotle in Provo? (it has something to do with liquor licenses, parking, blah blah excuses! #chipotleinprovo) Alas, there isn't one yet, so I'm going to give you the lowdown so you can determine if it is worth the approximately 35-minute drive to the nearest one.

In short, yes.

Chipotle is a nice mix of organic and Fresh Mex tastes, that are pretty dang good, despite them being a chain. They aim to provide the most fresh and flavorful ingredients, which come together in a couple great options -- burrito, bowl, salad, or tacos, all with the same meat options. They have chicken (my favorite, a little spicy, and totally great), barbacoa (Owen's favorite), carnitas (Hallie's favorite), sofritas (seasoned tofu - Kierea's favorite), steak (Tim's favorite), and veggies (no one's favorite. Just kidding. It's actually quite good also). The rest of the line-up seems kind of similar to our fave Mex chain, Cafe Rio -- cilantro lime rice, black or pinto beans, four types of salsa (including a corn salsa, which I really like!), cheese, sour cream, romaine lettuce, cilantro. It's a similar assembly-line set-up as well, which is always great because you can customize your plate as they are making it. I tried the spiciest salsa this time for the first time, and thought it was great - left my mouth with a little bit of the burn! We've had the burritos, probably their most famous item, and found them to be excellent and more than filling. I was glad that the salads and everything actually is all the same cost - I hate it when I order a salad, and it's more expensive, so I feel double cheated...

The guacamole is an extra $1.95, which I thought was a little lame-o, but after seeing Kierea's salad, I do have to admit that a) it looks really good and b) at least they give you a LOT. A LOTTA GUAC. Which is how guacamole always should be.

What You Should Do: Join a group like this one. Tweet the mayor. Come on people. We are a group of highly motivated, hungry students, and we need a Chipotle. Sadly, they don't franchise, or else I would have already opened one up here myself. Chipotle isn't the best Mexican food you'll have in Utah Valley, but its a delicious option when you're in the mood for a quick, healthy, and scrumptious meal.

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TACO AMIGO

Where: Taco Amigo, 1395 N State Street, Orem

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Three tacos -- one flour, one soft corn, one hard corn, a "chimichanga," an a raspberry milkshake

What It Cost: $17.96

What We Thought: 

You are going to have to forgive me for two major things here today with this blog post. And I am really sorry.

1. I forgot to take a picture of our milkshake, which is sort of "THE" item at Taco Amigo (that everyone talks about)

2. This is probably going to be the most racist post I've ever done. And for that, I am truly sorry.

But seriously, this is the LEAST Mexican Mexican restaurant I've ever been to. You know that you are going to get completely wrong Mexican food when there isn't a single Mexican individual eating or working at the restaurant.

Okay, okay. Enough of that. Let's talk about the food.

First up, my chimichanga, as shown above. I know. You were probably as confused as I was when this came out. A chimichanga, according to Webster's Dictionary (and I type this with the utmost irony), is a deliciously deep-friend burrito (in more or less words). This thing was just a soggy smothered burrito, if it had been fried, it was a couple days ago because there was literally no crispiness to the burrito at all, and it was just swimming in the most flavorless, bland tomato sauce, with exceptionally pitiful toppings. Sad iceberg lettuce, canned olives, and piped sour cream, all trying to mask which wasn't even that good of a burrito/non-chimichanga. I didn't even finish it.

Owen got three tacos, because he was in a taco mood and couldn't decide if he wanted a flour, soft corn or hard corn tortilla. So, all three it was. They were all filled with the famed American-Mexican mystery meat (presumable some ground beef of sorts), that weak-sauce iceberg lettuce again, and shredded cheese. Your bare bones. Granted, the meat was certainly more bearable than its competitors, like Taco Bell or Del Taco, but it was really just kind of sad.

The best part of this whole experience was that we found a new talent of Owen's -- taco hand modeling! I mean, come on, that looks really nice how he's holding it.

We eventually found some "taco sauce" which made the totally dry tacos a little better, but the sauce was nothing exciting, and the whole thing was just underwhelming. If you're going to do the cheap, American Mexican food thing, fine, just don't charge prices that are similar to what I'd pay at Cafe Rio for food that is actually delicious.

We got the fresh raspberry shake, and yeah, it was good. You could tell there were actual fresh raspberries in there. It wasn't blended a bunch, so every now and then you'd get a big ol' chunk of frozen berry, which was a little unpleasant, but I'd be willing to go back and try the peach shake, since that sounds pretty good.

What You Should Do: People. We live in a mecca of Mexican food, in all its varieties. I appreciate that this place is family-owned and local and all that jazz, but we have SO many other places that are way better, and better priced. 180 Tacos. Maria Bonita. Laura's. El Gallo Giro. El Mexsal. In fact, the next two blog posts I have are Mexican restaurants (go figure). The list goes on. And so should you. We were so disappointed after this meal that we wanted to go and eat a second dinner to make up for it. We didn't of course. But we wanted to.

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PENNY ANN'S CAFE

Where: Penny Ann's Cafe, 1810 S Main Street, Salt Lake City

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 2

What We Ordered: Pork Chili Verde Skillet and Penny Pot Potatoes, both with sides of Pancakes. 

What It Cost: $23.28

What We Thought:

Ohhhh Joe's Cafe, I hate to do this to you, but I may have a new favorite breakfast place!!!!

Of course, this one is in Salt Lake, so maybe we can still be friends? 

Penny Ann's Cafe is a tiny little place hidden in the base of a sorta-ghetto apartment complex that you would definitely miss if you blinked. Is this the secret to excellent breakfasts? Not sure, but I definitely see a trend.

They have these skillet breakfasts, which are basically everything good about breakfast, chopped up and pan-fried together. YUM. I looove their Mexican-inspired breakfast foods, and this place sure knows how to make a mean chile verde. Their eggs are always perfectly cooked, and you can definitely plan on bringing some home for breakfast tomorrow.

I mean, just look at that burrito! These are the things that burrito dreams are made of, my friends. And the flavor definitely matches up to the size -- it is seriously so good. And good luck eating all of it!

The best part of all of these meals is that they come with a side of the best dang pancakes you've ever had EVER. They are sour cream pancakes, and are somehow so much lighter, fluffier, and tastier than any pancake you've ever had. It is truly a mystery, and one that I would like to spend my whole life solving. This side of pancakes could definitely be a meal on it's own. But why would you limit yourself like that? But please, at least get the pancakes. I love them so much!!!!

And this one's my favorite -- breakfast nachos! Oh yeah. It's true that the sauce seems to be the same between the burrito, skillet, and nachos, but when you have a good thing going, why mess it up? The nachos are on these homemade tortilla chips that rival Lone Star's, and the chile verde sauce is just sublime. Plus - NACHOS FOR BREAKFAST!!

Penny Ann's is also known for their spectacular pies, and though pie for breakfast is a little intense, even for me, we got one to-go once (lemon raspberry), and can indeed confirm that it was truly divine. Can't wait to try the others. It's Thanksgiving season after all, right?

What You Should Do: Best Brunch Place Ever. I would say breakfast, but there is so much food with each serving, that you should probably count it for both breakfast and lunch. But it's reasonably priced, ultra friendly, and MAN THE FOOD IS GOOD. Especially the pancakes. Oh heavens, those pancakes.

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COSTA VIDA

Where: Costa Vida, 1200 N University Avenue, Provo

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 3

What We Ordered: Pork Salad and Steak Burrito

What It Cost: $16.45

What We Thought: 

Costa Vida. Or, in my mind "the other Cafe Rio." Finally. After much deliberation, the results are in. 

Reasons Costa Vida is better than Cafe Rio:

1. More flavor options for meat (including raspberry chipotle chicken, which is kind of exciting)
2. Usually much shorter lines
3. You can order a half salad (though it's only like $1 or $2 cheaper, but if you really are working on portion control, this could be advantageous)
4. They serve it at BYU Football games

Reasons Cafe Rio is better than Costa Vida:

1. The sweet pork just tastes better
2. Better salsa (2 of 3 visits, my salsa has had a weird, fishy taste??)
3. Better tortillas (at least when they are made fresh)
4. Bigger burritos
5. Better atmosphere (right next to the bowling alley just doesn't do it for me...?)
6. It's at the airport
7. Sauces taste better (and more of it on the smothered burrito)
8. Everything just seemed to taste fresher...maybe because Cafe Rio goes through so many customers, they have to get fresh new food more frequently? Not sure...

What You Should Do: Go to Cafe Rio instead. Join my petition to get Cafe Rio at the BYU football stadium. I'm sorry, I tried. Both are better than Bajios, however.

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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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SWEETO BURRITO

Where: Sweeto Burrito -- follow the food truck on their Facebook Page

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 1

What We Order: Smoke House Burrito and Original Sweeto Burrito 

What It Cost: $10.78

What We Thought: 

Food trucks! Fun! I mean, there is just something special about ordering food from something on wheels. So obviously we had to test out one of the most visible food trucks in the Provo area (except Waffle Love...is it worth it? The waffles just seem so expensive!)) -- Sweeto Burrito. Fun name, fun looking truck, and its often at Macey's, which is pretty close to my house so yeah. We went there. 

Burritos just do not photograph well.

The pictures are crappy and taken in my car because when its winter time and where else do you eat when you order something from a food truck in 10 degree weather? So I'm just trying to give you all a taste of reality here.

Okay let's start with Owen's burrito -- the original Sweeto Burrito. Obviously we had to try their namesake burrito because it should be one of the best, right? It's kinda similar to the Cafe Rio taco -- its got sweet slow-cooked pork, black beans, lime rice, pepperjack cheese, and a special sauce. Sounds familiar. Anyway, the flavor was pretty good, but it was hard to get into the burrito because the rice was crunchy. Not fully cooked rice is a surefire way to make a burrito pretty undesirable. We kept trying to eat it and then giving up because it's kinda hard to get around that unpleasant texture. I get it that they are working out of a truck. But if you're only doing one thing (burritos), and a lot of burritos on your menu feature the same rice, I would hope it would be fully cooked. Maybe it was just a bad night.

I ordered the Smokehouse Burrito, which has smoked shredded chicken, onion rings, bacon, cheddar cheese and cilantro ranch dressing. As you likely know, I'm a pretty big onion ring fanatic, so the one obviously stood out to me. Sweeto Burrito is definitely a fun place to get crazy combination burritos -- some with tater tots, buffalo chicken, sundried tomato, wonton strips, and a cheeseburger-inspired burrito. But the Smokehouse Burrito just didn't not impress me all that much. The onion rings got a little soggy in the burrito, and the smoked chicken was super dry and in nearly impossible large chunks that were pretty challenging to eat. So much potential, such disappointing execution.

What You Should Do: I really don't want to give up all hope on Sweeto Burrito, since hello, its food from a truck and that is just a lot of fun. I'm really hoping that they will work out the kinks during this slower winter season and that by the time summer hits, they will be pumping out quality, creative and exciting burritos. But for now, there are lots of places to get burritos in Utah County, and I probably wouldn't make this quirky truck a top destination.

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