OLIVE GARDEN

Where: Olive Garden, 504 W 2230 N, Provo

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 2

What We Ordered: Two Italian Sodas, Tortellini al Forno, Steak Gorgonzola-Alfredo, Ravioli di Portobello

What It Cost: $48

What We Thought: 

Man. What is it about Olive Garden that seriously sucks people in? I mean, there are almost 400 restaurants in Provo and Orem, and yet somehow, there is always at least an hour wait at this place! So, though I had visited an Olive Garden a couple of times in the past, we decided to give it another go with as much of an unbiased opinion as possible, trying to get the whole "Olive Garden Experience." 

So, when we got there, we were told that the expected wait would be an hour and a half. Cool! 

Luckily we had some friends who were also waiting in line, and we weren't in any hurry, so when we were finally seated, we were still in pretty good spirits. We OF COURSE started with the free soup and salad and breadsticks -- isn't that the big draw of this place? Owen got the Zuppa Toscana (translated: Tuscan Soup), which in theory had potatoes, sausage, kale, bacon and creaminess. It was alright -- pretty heavy, oil a little visible on top, but it wasn't bad.

We also got some Italian Sodas. Not memorable. Moving on.

This little starter was actually our favorite part of the meal -- it was cheese and prosciutto stuffed ravioli with a parmesan cream sauce, bacon crumbles and bread crumbs. Crumb. Anyway, the ravioli was surprisingly flavorful, soft and creamy with nice contrasting crunch. Pretty salty of course, but actually pretty good!

Then the salad and breadsticks arrived. Such a big bowl for a one-person salad :) The salad is nothing amazing, pretty pale vegetables, but I really think that its the dressing that makes the salad pretty dang good actually. Like in the kind of way you could just eat a million of these little salads. In fact, I weirdly want some right now...

Those breadsticks. Please, just Google Jimmy Fallon + Olive Garden breadsticks. You won't regret it.

Owen's pasta was actually pretty decent. The meat was a little overcooked and challenging to slice, but there was an appropriate amount of blue cheese, and all of the flavors meshed together pretty well. I thought the sharpness of the blue cheese counteracted the typical SALT taste you get at Olive Garden, and I would definitely replicate this dish at home.

My ravioli on the other hand was HEY-YO SALT CITY! (Different than Salt Lake City of course....) I was nervous about the mushrooms because I'm actually not a huge mushroom fan, but the flavor of salt and cream totally overpowered it, so no problem there. There were oddly a ton of green onions (healthy?) and the dish was satisfying but not anything to write home about.

What You Should Do: For the love of Italian food, please just skip this place. It's not really the food, its the whole concept that really drives me nuts. People say they like Olive Garden because its affordable and convenient and reliable. Well, nearly $50 for two people doesn't seem like that great of a deal for the quality of food we got, and I could NOT believe how long we had to wait. And it wasn't even a busy time of night! We were waiting to be seated for OVER AN HOUR, which seems literally insane when we could have walked to several other decent restaurant options in a quarter of that time. Olive Garden is Olive Garden. They have it everywhere, so you probably should enjoy some of the more unique and special (and family-operated!) places here in Utah County while you can instead! 

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CITY GUIDE NO. 1 - WHERE TO TAKE YOUR DAD IN PROVO

Hey! Father's Day is next weekend! And if you forgot to get a gift (dads are THE HARDEST to shop for! They are always so selfless and don't want anything!), and don't want to be a schmuck, treat Dad out to a dinner as a thank you for teaching you knife skills and how to change the oil on the car. 

And cherish your dad. You don't know how long he'll be around for. 

Cubby's

This place is the bomb, and the giant, ultra satisfying sandwiches are even decent on the budget. Dare him to the get the extra spicy :)

Buffalo Wild Wings

Okay, this one is definitely a stereotype, but if your dad is into sports, this is my favorite Utah County place to go. There are so many screens filled with so many sports (even tennis, yay!) and it’s a lot of fun to try a bunch of different wing flavors! Skip any of the sides or appetizers - the wings are really the main attraction here. The best flavors (in my opinion) are Salt & Vinegar (sounds weird, but you gotta try it), Jammin' Jalapeño, and Asian Zing.

The Smoking Apple

If your dad's into barbecue, then you can't go wrong with The Smoking Apple. Their meats are always super juicy and flavorful, they don't run out of stuff as frequently as (ahem) other BBQ places do, and their sides are the bomb. My two favorites are the cornbread and the baked beans, but you really can't go wrong here!

El Mexsal

Pupusas = life. That's all. Oh, and everything else here they have is amazing.

Firehouse Subs

If you're taking Dad out for lunch, these sandwiches are sure to satisfy, and are definitely a treat!

Joe's Café

And of course, Joe's Café is the most excellent choice for ALL occasions -- hopefully it won't be closed, and you can treat Dad to the most incredible breakfast in his life. Trust me, this is far above those banana pancakes you were planning to bring him in bed…

Me & my dad - can you tell we're related?

SWIG

Where: Swig, 1523 N Canyon Rd, Provo

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Strawberry Bliss Soda, Dirty Coke with Cherry, Sugar Cookie

What It Cost: ~$9

What We Thought:

In essence, we like Sodalicious better. It's not as close, but I like their predetermined flavor combinations better (don't make me make too many choices here, please), the sugar cookie seemed better there, and the seating at Swig was just awkward.

What You Should Do: Go to Sodalicious to get your drink fix instead. This place is fine, but it made me think too much, and I need to save my brain power for chemistry, not sodas.

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THE MOUSE TRAP

Where: The Mousetrap Food Truck, Various

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: Many...

What We Ordered: Nicolas Cage, Dave's Spicy Crack, the Odd Father, and more

What It Cost: $16

What We Thought:

GUYS GUYS GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Since its been so long since I've posted, I kind of have forgotten how there are some true gems that I have now visited several times without informing you all! You probably are sick of these places already if you follow me on Instagram, but for those of you social media-savvy, I just HAVE to tell you about this one. 

When I eventually leave the warm embrace of Utah County, this blessed food truck is on the top 3 list of places I will miss. Do you think I could convince them to move with me? If you're reading this, please comment below (I'm planning on going to Seattle, if that helps...?)

The first time we tried this place, we were instantly hooked. In fact, we were so obsessed, that we actually kind of stalked them the next day...it was awkward.

The above sandwich is my personal favorite - Dave's Spicy Crack. First off, the name. It's just hilarious. This sandwich is loaded with pepper jack, sriracha sauce, spicy chicken, tomatoes and jalapeño chips. I was one of those kids who always put plain potato chips inside of their sandwich, to add some crunch, so this obviously was right up my alley. The bread, so good. The spicy factor, divine. The whole thing, a revelation.

The Odd Father, above, is Owen's favorite. Grilled chicken again, with sautéed onions, harvarti cheese, goat cheese, spring mix and a balsamic glaze. OH MY GOSH I LOVE THIS THING. Yeah, its a little messy, but heck, you're eating outside, so no one's going to judge. Man. I wish I was eating this right now. Crispy, crunch, gooey and amazing.

The Nicolas Cage also deserves an honorable mention. This clever concoction pairs pulled pork with sharp cheddar, green apple, spring mix, and a brown sugar glaze. For those of you who like sweet + salty + tart all in one, you HAVE to try this one. Well, actually, even if you don't like that combination particularly, you should probably try it anyway, and have your mind changed. Its so dang delicious. 

What You Should Do: Become stalkers like us. Track this truck, and enjoy. Repeat. Several times. If it's Friday when you're reading this, they are probably at the Scera Food Truck Roundup in Orem, so now you have a head start. 

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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GLORIA'S LITTLE ITALY

Where: Gloria's Little Italy, 1 E Center Street, Provo

Who Went: Owen and Chelsey

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Butternut Squash Ravioli with Side Salad and Gnocchi with Rosata Sauce and Tomato Basil Soup

What It Cost: $44.71

What We Thought: 

For some reason, I keep trying Italian food even though you know how I feel about it...But hey! Let's see if this one was worth the cost! Gloria's in downtown Provo is like one of the nicer restaurants in the area, but it's looking like it could use a little refresher. I don't know. The accordion player was kind of fun, but the girl clearing tables in basketball shorts and flip flops kind of ruined the mood...

Plus the accordion player never came to our table and asked what we wanted him to play! Totally bummed. I had a great song picked. Also a bummer - this salad. Why do restaurants insist on putting unmixed salads in bowls that are reallllly hard to mix in? Beats me. But the salad was boring, and I didn't really even eat it because, well, I'm already bored talking about it. Let's move on.

Owen started with the Tomato Basil soup, which was much more exciting. In fact, yeah I stole it from him. The soup was creamy and wonderful, and may even be better than Zupas. I know, hearsay. But it was really great! Definitely the highlight of the meal for me!

I got the butternut squash ravioli with sausage and four cheese sauce. The sauce did look like it had kind of been sitting a while, but the ravioli were really flavorful and delicious. It was a little weird though, because it totally reminded me a LOT of this pasta...Not sure who the original is, but our server assured us that they make all of the pasta in house, so I don't know...anyway, it was good. The sausage was flavorful and the sauce was certainly cheesy, and it was just a good all-around comfort meal.

Owen's dish was also high on the comfort-meal scale - I guess that's kind of an Italian food thing? I don't know. But he got the gnocchi in their signature sauce -- a creammmmy tomato sauce with cream cheese mixed it. Wowza. It was hearty. The gnocchi was pretty good. I think it was boiled and pretty sfot, and I really like it pan-fried for a bit of texture contrast, but that's getting nit-picky. It sure was a lot of pasta, and we took a good amount home, which is always nice.

We thought about getting dessert, but tried some of the gelato and found it to be icy and weirdly-flavored (and I normally totally dig gelato...), and the other desserts looked like they had been on display for a while, so we opted out.

What You Should Do: Pretty good, but $45 worth? I don't know. I think we probably made some of the best choices (I know, I sound super full of myself here...) with our meals -- ordering Italian options that can't be made as easily at home, which made the cost seem more justifiable. But still, it's a pretty expensive choice. I definitely think this would be more tasty on one of those chilly winter nights when you just want some comfort food, and make sure to order the tomato basil soup and put in an accordion song request for me, would ya?

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HRUSKA'S KOLACHES

Where: Hruska's Kolaches, 434 W Center Street, Provo

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 3

What We Ordered: Raspberry Cream Cheese and Jalapeño Sausage Egg & Cheese Kolaches

What It Cost: $4

What We Thought:

If you're ever in the mood to check out the farmer's market downtown on a Saturday morning, this place is an AWESOME breakfast stop! Of course, it is also awesome every other day of the week too...

I had never heard of kolaches before this place popped up. Apparently it's a Czech breakfast item, kinda like a doughnut/muffin/danish type of thing (though they have savory ones too!) and they are really popular in Texas. And now, they are really popular in our household!

I love how this is just a little family-operated joint that is just bringing flavors they love from Texas here to share with us. And the kolaches are seriously good -- fresh baked rolls with crisp exteriors and soft chewy insides, with scrumptious flavors to go! We loooooove the jalapeño/egg/sausage (or bacon!) ones - a little kick in the morning that comes with a serious flavor punch. The dessert ones are all fantastic too. We are definitely partial to the fruit + cream cheese combos. YUM.

What You Should Do: Follow the advice of me and your friendly Provo City mayor, and give this place a try! It's such a fun breakfast alternative, and make sure you ask them to heat them up for you! Man...I want some right now!!!!!! We've tried a bunch of flavors, and the spicy sausage one is definitely intense (you've been warned) and for some reason the cinnamon roll wasn't my favorite. BUT EVERYTHING ELSE SERIOUSLY ROCKS!

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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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RITA'S ICE

Where: Rita's Ice, 1283 N University Avenue, Provo

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen 

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Birthday Cake Milkshake and Key Lime Ice with Chocolate Custard

What It Cost: $4.26 (we had a coupon)

What We Thought:

Who doesn't love ice cream, right? Well maybe lactose-intolerant people, but anyway...we decided to try Rita's, and I was pretty excited because there was a frozen custard place near my home in Washington that was super good -- the custard was basically creamier, heavier, more delicious ice cream! I got the birthday cake milkshake. The flavor was really delicious - and really tasted like birthday cake! This treat would definitely be good for those of you who are sprinkle fanatics. Towards the bottom quarter of the shake though, it seemed like it was more sprinkle than ice cream, which was not quite as delicious.

Owen got an Italian Ice + Custard mix, choosing key lime ice + chocolate custard, inspired by the chocolate covered key lime pies we had in Key West a couple of years ago. It was kind of good - the lime was a little too tart and the chocolate not rich enough, but still fun to combine your own choices. Personally, I wouldn't go for the ice again - it was just like an overpriced slushie, but the custard was pretty delicious. I wish they had more custard flavor options!

What You Should Do: If you happen to be wandering around near BYU campus one day and it's still hot outside, this place is a fun deviation from the norm, and is worth a trip or two!

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UVRMC HOSPITAL CAFE

Where: UVRMC Hospital Cafe (aka River Rock Cafe), 1034 N 500 W, Provo (make sure to go to the one on the third level, East tower!) 

Who Went: Chelsey, Owen & Yvonne

Number of Visits: 5

What We Ordered: Cinnamon Roll Pancake, Breakfast Bagel Sandwich, PB&J Pancake, & more

What It Cost: $1.25 for a HUGE pancake!!!!!!!

What We Thought: 

So, I did a rotation at Utah Valley Regional, and I gotta admit, this cafeteria was the best lesson I learned from the whole experience (just kidding Mindi!!)

But seriously, there is no other place where you will find such a delicious and creative breakfast for so cheap! These hospital people are keeping it secret, but anyone can eat there, I promise! And it's So SO SO so SOsO good! My favorite thing is definitely the pancakes. The guy who cooks them is sometimes a little slow, but it is soooo worth the wait. And at $1.25, you can beat the price! Every time I got a pancake, I got a little thing of fresh fruit for $2, and it was the most amazing breakfast! Of course, I couldn't ever finish the pancakes because they were HUMONGOUS! I really should have taken a picture of one of them next to a fork or something so you could get a size comparison, but just imagine a full dinner plate. Yeah. That's how big they are. Up above is the cinnamon roll pancake, which yeah, tastes just like a cinnamon roll. And it rocks. The first pancake I ever tried there was the cinnamon apple pancake with caramel pecan syrup, and eating it made it impossible to pay attention in that "Antibiotic Use in Neonates" lecture I was supposed to be listening to...

My friend tried the bagel sandwich, and reported that it was excellent. But I really think I'm going to stick to the pancakes here. Lunch choices were never as exciting - breakfast is really the star here.

The PB&J pancake. Complete with happiness. SO GOOD. Another day, I tried a Carrot Cake Pancake with Cream Cheese Syrup, and I've heard rumors of the legendary Oreo Pancake. The only problem is they rotate their schedule, so you don't know what special pancake they will have that day unless you call ahead. But trust me, it's worth the effort.

What You Should Do: Call them and see when they are having that apple cinnamon pancake. It will change your life, I promise! Be warned though - they don't open until after 7. I showed up one day at 6:30 before my rotation and was exceptionally sad. And if you're a normal sane person, you can probably order one pancake to share :)

SODALICIOUS

Where: Sodalicious, 30 W 300 N, Provo (in the barber shop)

Who Went: Chelsey, Owen, Kim, Daniel, Kelsey, Jessica, etc.

Number of Visits: At least 7...

What We Ordered: Various sodas, rice krispy treat, sugar cookie

What It Cost: ~$5

What We Thought: 

OH MY GOSH HOW HAVE I NOT POSTED ABOUT THIS PLACE YET.

Sodalicious is...happiness. It's life. It's what makes everything better.

Okay, it really is a little shack on the side of a barber shop that serves soda with mix-in flavor choices. And they come up with the best combos. It's kind of bad actually. I never even really liked soda before coming here. And now, I lie in bed at night thinking about the Boy Scout (rootbeer + toasted marshmallow + half & half). I've tried so many different flavors here, and have only been disappointed once (different people have different tastes, of course). I can't remember all of the clever names they have for everything, but it is a really wonderful treat for $2. We've found the best way to maintain balance and ensure beverage success is something like: sweet soda + slightly acidic fruit + something creamy. For example, Coke + raspberry + coconut or Dr. Pepper + cranberry + half & half. Oh yeah. Don't knock it until you've tried it!

As far as the other food -- the popcorn is your typical movie theater style (meh), the rice krispy had potential, but was sadly stale, and sugar cookie is the best I've ever had.

What You Should Do: GO ON TWO PUNCH TUESDAYS. 1. Get a punch card 2. Get some soda. 3. Drink 4. Repeat (5. Bring me some?)

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