Bombay House

Where: Bombay House, 463 N University Avenue, Provo

Who Went: Chelsey, Owen, Devynne, Mom, Grandma, Uncle Lee & Aunt Sara

Number of Visits: 3

What We Ordered: Mango Lassi, Assorted Snacks, Vegetable Samosas, Chicken Tikka Masala, Chicken Makhani, Peshawari Naan, Lamb Vindaloo, Vegetable Briyani, & Regular Naan

What It Cost: ~$40.00 for two people

What We Thought:

Well, in the battle for best Indian food in Utah County, Bombay House takes the gold for us! We love their atmosphere, varied menu, and heavenly unique Indian flavors. My mother's never really been a huge fan of Indian food, but we took her here on one of her visits and now I think she's been converted! Bombay House delivers consistently delicious meals in gigantic portions, so even though some people may comment that it is a little expensive, we've always had plenty of food for at least two meals! The only thing I wish was different about this restaurant was the dim lighting, but only so I could take better pictures of their amazing food! 

Cool and refreshing mango lassi - a heavenly complement to the intense and rich flavors of Indian food. I love super spicy food, so I didn't find that Bombay House was ever too hot for me, but if you are a little more wary of spicy food, then ordering this drink could help balance things out for you!

Owen and I decided to try the "assorted snacks" appetizer, which is basically a platter of heavenly fried Indian food! It came with my all-time favorite, the vegetable samosa (if only I could eat these every day!), two onion bhaji (sliced and fried onions - like Indian-style delicious onion ring cakes), chicken pakora (fried chicken strips), and vegetable pakora (where yummy spinach was the highlight). Honestly, after eating these wonderfully fried foods, we were already pretty much full and could have called it a night!

The vegetable samosas are filled with a delicious mix of veggies - including peas, potatoes, chickpeas, and is served with mint and tamarind chutneys. I am obsessed with the tangy sweet tamarind chutney dipping sauce, and Owen prefers the mint, so it works out great!

Their chicken tikka masala is definitely the best I've ever tasted anywhere - creamy, flavorful, and rich. It doesn't look like much in the picture, but trust me, you've got to try it! This barbecue Indian classic will charm even the biggest Indian food doubters. We'll never be able to go to Bombay House without at least one person ordering this in our group because we never can get enough of it.

The chicken makhani was a similar dish to the tikka masala, but with the addition of cashews, ginger, and different spices. Though they may look nearly identical, the flavors of these two chicken dishes were completely different. The tikka masala was much more sweet, whereas the makhani dish had this unique smoky flavor. It wasn't my favorite dish that we've ordered at Bombay House, but it was still satisfying and tasty.

We ordered the peshawari naan as per recommendation of a friend, and were pleasantly surprised. I don't like raisins and my mom doesn't like coconut, but somehow combined with cashews in this dessert-like naan, it was delicious! We are definitely adding this to our must-order list of foods here at Bombay House.

My uncle ordered the lamb vindaloo, and although I didn't get a chance to taste it, he guarantees it's the best lamb vindaloo he's ever had. So there you go...

Now for my personal favorite - the vegetable briyani. If I was a vegetarian, I think I would eat Indian food every single day because the combinations of vegetables and spices is so delicious! Sometimes I prefer ordering vegetarian dishes to meat at Bombay House because the mixture of vegetables is more interesting and multi-dimensional. In this incredible basmati rice dish, there is an assortment of vegetables, garlic, onion, cashews, golden raisins, and ginger all mixed and cooked to perfection, and served with a large bowl of raita - an amazing cool cucumber-mint yogurt sauce that tastes good on pretty much everything. I would never expect that one of my favorite dishes would be a bowl of vegetables and rice, but this vegetable briyani was an unexpected delicious discovery.

What You Should Do: Definitely go. Even if you think you don't like Indian food, you've got to give Bombay House a chance. They have a ton of different options, and something to please everyone. I mean honestly, I've never met anyone who doesn't like their chicken tikka masala. If you are looking to have the traditionally very spicy Indian food, make sure to tell your server that you want it "actually hot" not just "Provo 'hot'." There's a difference :)

Read other reviews here:

Cafe Paesan

If you live anywhere near the Utah Valley area, or if you know anyone in the Utah Valley area, you surely have heard the fame of Cafe Rio. But many less people know about their Italian counterpart - Cafe Paesan. There is only one location for Cafe Paesan currently, but it's a nice change of pace if you like the Cafe Rio attitude and Italian food.

Where: Cafe Paesan, 69 S State Street, Orem

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 3

What We Ordered: Siena Spicy Chicken Pizza, Spicy Apple Braised Pork Salad with Creamy Pesto dressing, Homemade Pasta with Paesan Italian Sausage and Rosa Sauce

What It Cost: $15.91

What We Thought:

There are two things that I almost never order at restaurants -- Italian food and salads. Normally I feel like these two things are relatively easy to make at home, so why would I pay way more for someone else to make it for me? But of course I broke all of the rules when we went to Cafe Paesan since I know of the wonder of Cafe Rio salads. Since their pork is so amazing at the Mexican counterpart, I went with the apple braised pork, and the salad comes with fresh tomatoes, other vegetables (like zucchini), a piece of flatbread (I went with whole-wheat), croutons, and toasted sweet potato strips on top. I thought the creamy pesto was a good choice -- a nice compliment to the sweetness of the pork. Though it wasn't quite as juicy and saucy as the Cafe Rio pork, it was still pretty tasty, and the guy who made my salad LOADED on the meat, which is always appreciated. In the future, I would probably ask them to mix the dressing in, since the bowl is a little small to do it on your own. I'm still not sold on which way to have the flatbread -- at Cafe Rio I love it in the base of the bowl so I can wrap up the final remains of my salad into a little burrito. But with this salad, the flatbread got a little soggy towards the end, and wasn't as satisfying as I had been hoping for.

The pizza crust is rolled out and grilled right there in front of you, then they load it up with toppings and toss it into the oven. The whole process is a little slower than Cafe Rio, but since the restaurant is WAY less busy, you don't mind. Plus the decor is much more cuter and cozier, with Italian paintings and lights strung around the shop. The spicy chicken pizza has great flavor, is loaded with cheese and pesto, and they serve it with these sweet and hot peppers on the side. The pasta is also admirable -- freshly made, soft and rich. Owen always begs for us to get the pasta with Italian sausage and the creamy red Rosa sauce.

What You Should Do: Go! The Cafe Rio franchise, though sometimes deemed overrated, knows how to do fresh, flavorful food fast. This Italian twist keeps up that reputation, and is definitely worth a visit or two.

Texas Roadhouse

Where: Texas Roadhouse, 1265 S State Street, Orem (right west of University Mall, follow the smell of meat...)


Who Went: Chelsey & Owen, for Owen's birthday


Number of Visits: 1


What We Ordered: Raspberry Smoothie, Hot Wings, Medium Rare Sirloin Steak, "Fall Off the Bone" Ribs


What It Cost: $35.00* (with tip)


What We Thought: 

I don't know what the deal is with Texas Roadhouse, but the lines there are insane -- longer than the wait for Toy Story Mania at Disney California Adventure, I swear. They are always SUPER busy, and like Outback Steakhouse, usually full of some pretty manly (hairy) men, which is always interesting.

When we finally got a seat (I hear you can make reservations now, which you must make if you want to go here at a normal hour!), we started chowing down on some peanuts they had there since we were so starving. We got some of their "famous" Texas Roadhouse rolls and honey butter -- Owen thought the honey butter was weird, and I thought the rolls were only so-so. I really think that their secret is to make you wait for at least an hour so that by the time you get any food, you think it is the most wonderful thing in the whole world because you've been starving (similar technique seen at Cheesecake Factory).

Since it was his birthday, we decided to get Owen a frozen raspberry lemonade. It was pretty good and very large, which was good since it was so pricey. Then we got hot wings since we looove hot wings, and they were your typical, not too spicy buffalo wings. Good amount of wing sauce, decent dipping sauce, not too dry -- but nothing that blows your mind. I got the "Fall off the Bone" babyback ribs with mashed potatoes. First off -- the potatoes were so loaded with sour cream and butter and FAT FAT FAT that you really couldn't tell that there was any potato in there, so order vegetables or something on the side! The ribs lived up to their name I guess -- they did fall off the bone, but since they were so overcooked (slow roasted for forever apparently), they were SUPER dry. The barbecue sauce they tried to coat it with did little to hide the dryness of the ribs, and I was pretty disappointed.

Owen ordered his steak medium rare. When we got it, and he cut into the steak, it was completely cooked and brown all the way through. This my friends is not medium rare. We told our server this problem, and she brought the cook out there to talk to us. The chef told us about how most people in Provo don't know how to order steak correctly, and they always complain about it being too raw, even though they ordered the meat that way. He was super nice though and cooked up another steak for Owen, and we got it on the house! Bottom line is...Texas Roadhouse = not such great food, but really good customer service.

It was also fun because I told the server that it was Owen's birthday, and she made him get up on this little horse mount and shout "Yee-Haw!" while others sang and danced around him. This was mostly for my enjoyment, and I very much enjoyed it. Plus we got a free birthday ice cream. Never a bad thing.

What You Should Do: Go if you have to. But I would recommend taking a little drive and going up to the Texas Roadhouse in Lehi -- I have heard from many that this more well-established site has much better food than our Orem version. And, learn how to order a steak and be sure to inform your server that you actually know what you're talking about, and you really do want that steak medium rare.

image source 

Red Iguana

Though the primary goal of this blog is to focus on restaurants near BYU, there are a few places outside of Utah Valley that I feel compelled to share with you. If it's within an hour & a half drive and I think it's awesome or horrible, it's going to show up here!


Where: Red Iguana, 736 W North Temple Drive, Salt Lake City (just west of the LDS temple and Gateway mall)

Who Went: Chelsey, Owen, Monica (my lovely mother), Devynne (my sista), Jarom (my brotha-in-law)

Number of Visits: 3

What We Ordered: Enchiladas Suizas, Friday Night Special (Mango Enchiladas), Tacos don Ramon, Carnitas, Enchiladas Poblanas, Puntas de Filete a la Norteña, Shredded Beef Burritos, Horchata (every time), Fried Ice Cream, Peach Virgin Margarita

What It Cost: $40, $35, $47 (with tips added)

What We Thought:

My mom kind of has an obsession with the Food Network, and so when she told me that Guy Fieri came to Salt Lake and raved about this place, I knew we had to go. We ended up planning to go there on the night of our 1st anniversary (yay!) and we loved it so much, that we went back the next day for lunch! Seriously. I don't have pictures of all of the food we've eaten there because well, we've eaten a lot of things there. 

I don't really know how to put it better than this, but...The Red Iguana is THE BEST. If you've never been there and you are a fan of Mexican food at all, do not delay your visit here any longer. The Red Iguana is best known for their complex moles. 

When you go there (which hopefully will be tomorrow), be sure to ask for a mole sampler plate. On this plate they will dish out a small portion of each of their 7 (8 if you're on a Friday) different moles that you can try with tortilla chips to see what's your favorite. Mole is a Mexican sauce that usually involves Mexican chocolate (though not always) and lots of different spices and ingredients. And it is wonderful. 

Here are some of the images of their most popular dishes. And let me tell you, these babies are popular for a very good reason. 

 Enchiladas Suizas: Enchiladas with avocados & sour cream with mole poblano and shredded jack cheese. This is exactly how enchiladas should be -- wonderfully flavorful sauce and lots of it, and honestly I could eat this forever.

Puntas de Filete a la Norteña -- this is what Owen ordered the first time we dined there. This is not a dish for the faint-hearted! The Red Iguana is not skimpy on portion sizes, so be warned! This dish was full of flavor and spice - the meat is cooked with bacon and then it is all grilled together similar to a fajita. Served in one of their top notch mole sauces, a fantastic choice for a hungry night!

The Tacos don Ramon. I have painfully pleasurable dreams about these. Now I have to throw out a little disclaimer - I was hesitant to try these at first because I had a bad history with chorizo growing up. The one time my dad made chorizo & eggs was hands-down the most disgusting, vomit-inducing meal he ever served us (and probably the ONLY disgusting meal he ever served us), and I haven't really brought myself around to trying chorizo since that time I was 11. Oh am I glad that I got over that inhibition just for these tacos! These tacos are the best kind of greasy you'll experience, and the avocado-lime sauce that accompanies them perfectly balances the flavor. Eat these or else you will not be a complete person.

I would definitely recommend the horchata (my previous love for this amazing Mexican drink expressed here), and I got the peach virgin margarita which was pretty good -- even though it looked small, it lasted the whole meal which was nice. P.S. Free refills on the horchata, so it's definitely worth it! The fried ice cream was tasty, but nothing spectacular, so don't worry if you miss it. We've also tried some other dishes, all of which did not disappoint!

Carnitas:

Juicy, not too sweet, served with corn or flour tortillas. Amazing.

Enchiladas Poblanas: 


You really can't go wrong with any type of enchilada here.

Shredded Beef Burrito:


I'm not a huge beef fan, but Owen liked them well enough. However, if you're only going to go once or twice, we'd recommend getting one of the earlier-mentioned dishes. Their chile verde is also reportedly to-die-for.

What You Should Do: GO RIGHT NOW! But only if it is an "off-hour." We've heard rumors that this place can get insanely busy, and since they don't do reservations, you can end up waiting up to 45 minutes. However, this didn't happen to us any of the 3 times we went, so maybe we just lucked out! But to ensure a perfect Mexican dining experience, try going for a late lunch or an early dinner. There is enough food to fill you up for two meals worth, so it works out great! This is a restaurant that totally lives up to the hype, if you ask me!

Mama Chus

This Thursday, Owen was going to have to work late, so I decided to call up my friend Sidney and see if she wanted to go out to dinner. I browsed the internet for places I haven't been to yet in the Provo/Orem area (the number of places is quickly dwindling), and made a short list. As I was doing this, I came to the sharp realization that...I've eaten at a lot of places near BYU.

Trying out new restaurants is one of our favorite things to do as a married couple, and there are a TON of restaurants in the Utah Valley area. The only thing that is hard about trying new places is that sometimes it's hard to know what you're getting yourself into. A meal at a restaurant is a very personal thing. There are so many factors that go into a pleasurable dining experience: the ambience of the restaurant, the attention of the staff, the freshness, quality and flavor of the food, how you feel while eating, how you feel after you eat the meal.

We love getting recommendations from friends -- "You have to try this new place!" "You should definitely order the sweet potato fries!" "Stay away from anything with garlic on it!" But sometimes, it's just hard to know who to trust. Some places always get great reviews from friends because they are the "hip" place to eat (i.e. Sammy's Cafe) and there are some places that apparently everyone loves for absolutely no good reason (Diego's). I hate it when I get my hopes up really high for a great dinner out, and then the food tastes like it's out of a can of Chef Boyardee.

And I've decided that not only have I been to a lot of restaurants near BYU, but I actually have pretty good taste. Growing up, my dad was a chef, working at pretty well-known places like Salty's on Alki, Ray's Boathouse, and Beaches Restaurant & Bar, and I was used to good food. Every time we went out to a restaurant as a family, my mom (she was the harshest critic!) would tear apart the menu and find everything wrong with it. And my dad, well, he always said that he pretty much liked anything he didn't have to cook himself! Between the two, I think I developed a fairly well-rounded and accurate taste for what's good and what's not.

As I was thinking about this, I thought to myself, "You know what? I could be that friend who dishes out recommendations to others-- but the kind you could trust to tell you if a restaurant is really worth it or not." I've been to many places, like to take photos of food, and am very opinionated...so why not?

Here goes my first post about a dining experience I've had in the BYU area. I hope it is helpful and that you enjoy!

Where: Mama Chus, 1555 E 800 N Orem, UT 84097 (right at the mouth of the canyon, near the golf course, by that Subway and Texaco you always drive by)

Who Went: Chelsey (myself) and Sidney (dear chemistry/molecular biology study buddy)

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Chelsey: Carnitas Michocanas (not sure if the spelling is right on that, but they don't have a menu posted online) & tamarindo Jarritos; Sidney: pork enchilada & horchata


What It Cost: My total bill was $11.32 (Sidney's was a little less, somewhere around $9)


What We Thought:

I always hate to say that something tasted like "authentic Mexican food" because I've never been to Mexico, and I'm not Mexican myself, so what do I know? But I have been around a lot of Mexicans in a restaurant environment (where my dad worked), and I gotta say, this tasted like pretty authentic Mexican to me. When we got there, we were seated immediately (it was a Thursday night, around 6) and brought some chips & salsa. You can always tell if it's going to be good Mexican food based on the chips & salsa. The salsa was quite flavorful, and HOT HOT HOT! But I love spicy food, so I was all for that.

I ordered my dish, along with some Jarritos, because I'm a firm believe that all Mexican food tastes best with Jarritos (though I've heard Squirt is a popular favorite as well). It arrived in a reasonable amount of time and it was served with three flour tortillas on the side (not pictured). I was very glad that it came with rice and beans, because any Mexican served without rice and beans is just pathetic. Overall, I thought that the food was very flavorful and cooked almost just right (maybe a teensy bit dry). I was expecting it to come with a sort of sauce, and was a little disappointed when it didn't, but the guacamole, cream, and jalapeños that accompanied it provided just the right balance (and spice). It was also served over a corn tortilla, which was a little confusing since they gave me three flour tortillas on the side, but it was still good!

I feel a little bad because I think I pressured Sidney into getting the pork enchiladas instead of cheese, but it's just because I'm a huge fan of Mexican shredded pork. She said she would have preferred cheese, but if the pork was anything like the pork in my dish, then it would definitely be my top choice in meats. The sauce was mild and still tasty, and they were made in corn tortillas, just as they should be. Overall, good flavor but not outstanding or anything remarkable. The horchata was just right though -- great creaminess, nice consistency, and perfect overall flavor. If you've never tried horchata before, you must! It's a great accompaniment to spicy dishes. But make sure you get some good horchata or else you may be scarred for life...I recommend this place, or that at The Red Iguana. 

What Should You Do: GO! Go if you're in the mood for some down-and-dirty, not-too-expensive Mexican food. It was quick and tasty, but make sure you divide your meal up and take at least half home -- the portion sizes were huge! 

**Just as a disclaimer, this post was only super long because I felt like I needed to introduce why I was starting this blog -- most of the other posts will be more short and to the point!