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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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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HABIT BURGER

Where: The Habit Burger Grill, 11380 S State Street, Sandy

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Teriyaki Charburger with Fries, and Jalapeño Bacon Cheeseburger with Onion Rings

What It Cost: $12.29

What We Thought: 

A Santa Barbara classic comes to Utah. I was surprised to find that The Habit was recently rated the best burger chain in the U.S., even above more prevalent choices like In N Out and Five Guys. So, obviously we had to try it! 

It was pretty busy, since it was a Friday night, but we still got our food relatively quickly. The weather was gorgeous outside, so we definitely took advantage of the outside seating! The whole restaurant kind of reminded me of In N Out a little bit -- simple menu, California vibe, low prices, quick service. The biggest difference for me, however, was the burgers were actually amazing! (Sorry In N Out fans...) Their buns were fabulous, the burgers hot, fresh and flavorful, and toppings superb. It was a lot bigger as well, and definitely felt like a great value. I liked how the teriyaki burger still had all of the flavors I wanted, but wasn't too messy, like other Hawaiian/teriyaki burgers I've had in the past.

The fries were the only downside for us - they were a little stiff and nothing too special. Liked the fry sauce though!

The onion rings totally made up for the lackluster fries! Seriously, these were hands-down the best onion rings I've had in Utah, and I am super picky about onion rings! The outside was more of cripsy, golden panko-type crust (as opposed to beer-battered, yuck), and the onions were the perfect width, and they were just awesome.

One little thing we loved here was the pepper bar - next to the condiments, there was a range of various peppers, including jalapeños, which Owen loves on burgers, and extra spicy peppers (habañeros maybe? Couldn't tell, they were green...) that we dared each other to eat while we were waiting for our food to arrive. Fun!

What You Should Do: I wouldn't say its our new favorite burger place, but if you happen to find yourself in the area, it is definitely a solid choice for a delicious burger. Excellent prices + fresh & flavorful burgers = all good in my book.

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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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TULIE BAKERY

Where: Tulie Bakery, 863 E 700 S, Salt Lake City

Who Went: Just me!

Number of Visits: 1

What I Ordered: Pain au Chocolat and Hot Chocolate

What It Cost: $8.10

What I Thought:

After Paris last summer, I have been on a rather unsatisfying quest to find baked goods that measure up to my boulangerie memories. Yeah, yeah, I realize how snobby and pretentious that sounds, but its the truth, so deal with it. I decided to check out Tulie Bakery after a friend's recommendation, and it seemed hipster/artisan enough that it might just be good :)

I ordered my favorite - pain au chocolat, in addition to a hot chocolate to sip on as a casually read a book for the first time since classes started last September. The environment was nice and cozy-chic, and I definitely liked feeling like I could take my time and enjoy the morning. The first bite into my pastry was promising -- it was buttery, flaky, and crisp. But as I continued to eat the pain au chocolat, I was a little disappointed at how chewy and dense it was in the middle. I just want the combination of crispy, flaky on the outside + light and airy on the inside! So, this was half of what I've been looking for. It still tasted good, and was overall satisfying, but just off target slightly.

The hot chocolate on the other hand, was surprisingly good! As a non-coffee drinker, I've always been a little jealous of all the pretty latte art out there, which makes for such popular Instagram fodder. So I was pleasantly surprised with this pretty little drink, and loved the creamy top which contrasted deliciously with the rich chocolate underneath. It was spiked with a little cinnamon on top, which added just the right amount of interest, and was overall a tasty little drink.

What You Should Do: So, $8 does seem a little pricey for an every day pastry and drink, but if you are in the mood for a little comforting splurge and relaxing café morning, then Tulie Bakery is definitely a good place to visit!

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CORNDOG COMMANDER

Where: Corndog Commander, Provo/Orem food truck (that day, it was at Rock Canyon Park)

Who Went: Chelsey, Owen, and Aaron

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: One Polish Corndog 

What It Cost: $3.50

What We Thought: 

You know, sometimes, you go 17 years without eating a corn dog, and then all of a sudden it just hits you. And you want one. RIGHT NOW! 

Luckily, there is a food truck right there. With a giant corn dog on top of it. 

Okay, so it wasn't really immediate. In fact, the line was super long. It actually took like an hour (we were in a really popular place) because they hand dipped every single one and popped these babies out fresh and hot. Does that sound weird? I don't know. Whatever. This was easily the best corndog I've ever had, and I'm not even a hot dog person (at all). The exterior was crispy and the breading was amazingly good. I prefer mustard only on my corndog, and luckily they supplied plenty -- everything about this was perfection in our opinion. Oh, did I mention its a foot long? Yeah, definitely twice the size of a normal corndog.

What You Should Do: If the craving hits, go find this truck!! I think it is often across from Helaman Halls (or so I've heard), and they have a breakfast one that seemed like a sausage wrapped in a pancake and fried? Uhhhh yeah. Gotta try it. What is it about food from a mobile vehicle that makes it so fun!

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CORNER BAKERY CAFE

Where: Corner Bakery Cafe, 6227 S State Street, Murray

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Cinnamon Roll and Egg & Sausage Panini

What It Cost: Like $8?

What We Thought:

So on the morning before the Chex Mix Party at Fashion Place Mall, I was kind of hungry, but didn't want to eat a HUGE breakfast because obviously we were going to be chowing down on Chex Mix, so we decided to pop in to Corner Bakery Cafe. I've had their sandwiches at a couple of catered lunches (they seem to have a really awesome contract with the University of Utah), but catered food is usually not a good representation, so anyway, we went for a bit of a breakfast snack. 

This was definitely one of the best store-bought cinnamon rolls I've ever had! Of course, Owen obviously picked out the one that had the most frosting, which is definitely a must here. I usually prefer a creamier frosting than an icing type, but this one was pretty darn good!

Mmm...panininininininiiiii. I'm not a huge breakfast sandwich person, but this one was actually surprisingly good. Super fresh sourdough bread, actually real Cheddar cheese (nothing skimpy here!), freshly cooked eggs (I actually saw them cooking the eggs, so that's good!), and applewood smoked sausage. A great little sandwich, a great little breakfast...overall, much better than I expected considering their sometimes soggy catered sandwiches...

What You Should Do: A pretty good breakfast alternative if you ask us! I haven't tried many options there, but all of the bread and pastries were fresh and delicious, and it seemed like everyone around us was enjoying their breakfast too :) I definitely want to come back here some time and give it another try!

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POP'NSWEETS

Where: Pop'nSweets, 42 E 1230 N, Provo

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Sour Patch Peach, Wunderbar, Mars, & Hello Panda 

What It Cost: $8.54

What We Thought: 

Kind of a freaky picture of me, but we had to tell you about the newest little shop along Bulldog Avenue -- Pop'nSweets. The name gives it all away -- all they sell here is pop and sweets. And a LOT of it. Rare sodas from all over the place, including my all time favorite ginger beer (super intense!) and even bacon soda (ew!). You can get those sodas chilled or even get them prepared as a float with BYU Creamery ice cream! 

In addition to hundreds of sodas, this place has candy bars from all over the world! Mexico, Europe, China, and tons others that I'm sure I am not remembering :) I can see this place becoming super popular with return missionaries who are craving candy from their mission!

I'm not a huge candy person, but obviously we had to try a couple! Let's start with my favorite, the Sour Patch Peaches! Now, everyone knows that the Sour Patch Watermelon are the best candy that you can get out of the BYU vending machines, so I obviously had to try the peaches. Um....why are these not sold everywhere?!?! They were amazing!!!!!!!!!!! So much better than the weird little dudes and even (dare I say it) the watermelons! Its like peach rings with a kick. YUMZ. Next up, Mars bar. Apparently the European Mars bar is basically like a better Milky Way. And it was better. Also a total yum. The Wunderbar, which apparently is the same as the Canadian Starbar, was a chocolate bar with caramel and a crunchy peanut center. It was reminiscent of a Take 5, but without the pretzel, and I kinda liked it! Finally the Hello Panda. They were super adorable, not exactly the tastiest, but still super fun to eat in a eating-panda-heads-kind-of-way.

What You Should Do: If you're a candy-aholic, this is SO the place for you. Obviously its not a place you'd go exclusively for dinner or anything, but I could see it as an excellent place to stop by after nailing it at the Testing Center for a little treat! We didn't try any floats because I wasn't in the mood, but I think its pretty awesome how you can come up with whatever combination float you want! You should definitely stop by and check it out.

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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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180 STREET TACOS

Where: 180 Street Tacos & Chopped Salads (phew! Long name!), 3368 N University Ave, Provo

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 2

What We Ordered: 4 Tacos -- Buffalo Chicken, Thai Fried Chicken, Steak Asada & Mojo Roasted Pork, plus Chimichurri Mac & Cheese

What It Cost: $11.24

What We Thought:

Crazy tacos with unheard-of flavor combinations -- yeah, count us in! 

When this place first opened, I was a little hesitant because the sign looked pretty temporary out front, and the name seemed long and annoying (I make quick judgments, okay?). But after hearing about it from a few people and scoping out their menu online, I decided a visit must be made! Of course it was made as a very last-minute decision so I only had my phone to take pictures on, not my real camera...I apologize, but this place was pretty good, so I figured I needed to share anyway! 

Okay -- let's start with my tacos. I'm a little annoying and a show-off, so obviously I wanted to order the spiciest taco on the menu to see if I could handle it. The Thai Fried Chicken taco was the only one with two chili peppers by its title, so naturally, I ordered it. The chicken had good flavor, and I really liked the fruity-cucumber slaw which totally counteracted the hotness and made it very bearable for those looking for some heat. We were a little disappointed with the tortillas over all -- these tacos only have one tortilla (many street taco places I've visited usually use two, for good reason...) and the tortillas broke on nearly all of our tacos, causing fillings to fall out. Not a huge tragedy of course, but I'd recommend picking up a fork because you might be eating the remains of your taco more in salad-style.

Owen got the Mojo Pork and Carne Asada -- he prefered the carne asada, with its crispy strips and flavorful meat, though I actually liked the pork one better! So, I guess they are both good :) Same problem with the tortillas though. Use caution!

I ordered the chimichurri mac and cheese because it sounded weird and I'd never had anything like it before. I liked the wonton strips and chimichurri flavor added it -- it was a good combo. But the mac was a little dry and not very warm, kinda like you had heated it up 15 minutes before and then had to take a phone call or something. Would prefer saucier and warmer mac and cheese, please.

This horrendous picture doesn't really look like anything...but surprise -- its the buffalo chicken taco! Yeah, never thought I'd put those words together. But it was yummy! They pickled mirepoix (chopped celery, carrots and onion) added a nice crunch to the slightly spicy chicken, and I was a huge fan of the corn. Owen thought the taco was kinda weird, but I really enjoyed it, so I guess if you like weirdness, then this is the place for you (and me :)

What You Should Do: I would definitely say this place is worth a visit or two. Its super cheap (as tacos should be :) and they have something fun and creative that will definitely interest most palates. If they would start wrapping these tasty little morsels in two tortillas, I would be soooo close to giving them four stars because they are really fun and a good value, but for now, its still an awesome place to visit, and we will probably be stopping by there another when I don't feel like cooking!

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