AUBERGINE & COMPANY

Where: Aubergine & Company, 1365 S State Street, Orem

Who Went: Chelsey, Owen, Kierea

Number of Visits: 2

What We Ordered: Falafel Pita, Dream Salad, Açaí Bowl

What It Cost: $23

What We Thought: 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS PLACE! There are so many times when I am just wayyyyy too lazy to want to cook dinner (especially in the hot, hot summer), but I don't want the typical heavy food at restaurants. This place FINALLY offers a generally healthy menu that isn't totally boring. And man, is it good! 

First up, the sandwiches. They start out with a homemade whole wheat pita, which is absolutely delicious, and then you can choose a main protein options (we've always chosen the falafel, but they have chicken and other meats as well) and whatever fillings you like to go inside! The setup is kind of Cafe Rio-style, where they make the sandwich right there in front of you in a tasty little assembly line, and you can specify how much you want of each add-in. They have a lot of Greek choices, such as hummus, baba ganoush, roasted eggplant, tabbouleh, marinated tomatoes, kalamata olives, etc. I love Greek food because so much of it is healthy and flavorful, and Aubergine & Company really makes the most of this! A perfectly filling, healthy, and über delicious meal.

I ordered the dream salad, and I have to admit...I haven't ordered anything else for myself here because I love this salad so much! It has spinach, romaine, chicken, green apples, red onion, parmesan, walnuts and a cilantro/jalapeño dressing. And yes, I probably could make it at home. But sometimes you just don't want to get out all of the ingredients, go through the effort of chopping everything up and washing all the dishes (yeah, I'm lazy I know). And I love how they chop the whole salad up right there for you, mixing in the dressing so it's all perfectly mixed (a pet peeve with salads at most restaurants) and incredibly fresh. At first I thought the cilantro/jalapeño dressing would be weird with the apples and everything, but it is SO GOOD. Honestly, their other salads look incredible as well, and if I could justify it financially, I would seriously eat here every day.

Finally, the açaí bowls. Basically, healthy ice cream-ish dessert in a bowl. With fresh fruit. And happiness. Açaí is kind of an acquired taste, but they keep it pretty mild in most of their bowls, so basically everyone with taste buds will seriously enjoy this. The base is like a thickened berry smoothie, and this one was topped with freshly sliced strawberries, banana, and almonds. They have topping and base choices, and they all sound seriously delicious. For those who have been to Hawaii, I have been told that they don't really taste as sweet as the ones on the island, but my sources also say they are very similar to ones you can get in Brazil. So there's that. Either way, they are dang good.

What You Should Do: Go Go GO GO GO. I can't recommend this place enough. Every time I walk away, I feel perfectly satisfied and just happy. This is happy food. Good food. Please, eat here!

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OASIS CAFE

Where: Oasis Cafe, 151 S 500 E, Salt Lake City

Who Went: Chelsey & Tara + her daughter 

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Tomato and Fennel Soup, Blueberry Pomegranate Juice, Breakfast Croissant, Kids Quesadillas, and Grilled Salmon

What It Cost: $29.51 for me -- grilled salmon, soup and juice

What We Thought: 

I had heard a lot of good things about this place from the internet world, so when I had a chance to pick a spot for lunch with a friend, I decided to check it out! This place is especially popular amongst the more "granola" population of Utah (I can say that since I'm from the northwest haha... :), and they have plenty of vegan options for those who are into that kind of thing. They were moderately busy for a weekday lunch, but we were seated quickly even with a toddler (and they had a high chair readily available too!) 

I am showing this picture in the order I wish I had received my food, rather than the order I actually received them...what is it with restaurants not bringing soup as an appetizer any more? Does anyone really want their soup once you're gotten your main dish? I just think its weird. Guess I'll just stop ordering soup. Anyway, I had read rave reviews on this soup, which is why I wanted to try it, but it really was kind of odd to our tastes. The fennel tasted a little soapy when next to the roasted tomatoes (and I'm a person who normally really, really likes fennel) and it was pretty cold once I got a third through it and just really was not very appetizing at that point. Meh.

This blueberry pomegranate juice was probably the highlight of my meal -- yum! Wicked expensive of course, but I can imagine that it took quite a few blueberries and pomegranates to reach this point, so I am okay with it. Plus, it was delicious.

Tara got the breakfast sandwich, which looked pretty tasty, though I am not sure if I will ever be able to eat a croissant here in the states ever again after going to Paris this summer...but it seemed nice, and even had some avocado on it that looked pretty tasty.

The quesadillas were...well...cheese between tortillas. Can you really screw this up? At least they were arranged cutely on the plate I guess. No salsa though. Weird.

Then I ordered the grilled salmon, because it looked fun -- it was topped with olive-oil and merlot vinegar tossed arugula, and accompanied by a honey-lavender polenta cake and saba (a syrup made from freshly squeezed grape juice). I like weird floral food, so the polenta cake was probably my favorite part of the dish. It was slightly sweet and original and nicely cooked. The salmon tasted a little overcooked and dry to me, but I like it rarer than most people, and the arugula just kind of felt like a presentation afterthought. The weirdest part of the whole dish was how sweet the salmon was -- I couldn't tell if it was the saba or if they put honey on the salmon as well, but it was just a little too sweet for me personally. Maybe it would suit others fine, but I'm a pretty big sweet lover, so it may just be a little too much. The service was mediocre -- aside from getting my soup super late, they sat us next to the back door where staff members kept coming in and out, even hitting my chair twice, which was a little awkward. Sorry to be in the way?

What You Should Do: I know a lot of people go crazy if I post about places in Salt Lake, but don't worry, I'm not forcing you to make a trip up here for this one. I can't really say it was worth the drive, so you are welcome for saving you from a trip and a mistake. Not to mention it was pretty expensive. If you're vegan and always find a shortage of places to eat out, then maybe Oasis Cafe would be a good place for you, but I'm not so I'll probably won't choose to eat here again.

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Rice King

Where: Rice King, 278 W Center Street, Provo

Who Went: Owen & Chelsey

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: 2 Egg Rolls, Sesame Chicken, & Mongolian Beef

What It Cost: $18.93

What We Thought:


The other day when Owen & I were decided where to eat, we realized that we didn't have a favorite quick Chinese take-out place. How embarrassing! So I snapped up this Restaurant.com coupon really quick and we headed down to Center Street.

Despite the lackluster restaurant interior and greasy odor in the air, the restaurant was surprisingly populated. We were comforted by this, and many people around us seem to frequent the restaurant regularly, which is typically a good sign. We placed our order and then entertained ourselves with the Chinese Year informative paper place mats.

Rice King definitely has quick service - they brought out our food less than five minutes after ordering, and we were impressed by the very large portion sizes. The egg rolls were decent - nice and crispy, normal-tasting insides, tangy dipping sauce. About what you would expect from an egg roll and a decent price.

My sesame chicken was sadly not as good as it looks - there was hardly any sauce on the chicken, which made the overall meal dry and just tasting like flavorless fried chicken. When paired with the rice served on the side, it was overwhelmingly anhydrous. What little sauce was dripped on the plate did not have a very distinctive sesame flavor, and I was just overall not that satisfied. On the upside, I was also not very hungry by the end of the meal - I only ate half the dish and was still plenty full.

Owen's Mongolian Beef was equally unimpressive. The portion once again was enormous, and the beef was surprisingly tender, but the dish was completely lacking any flavor punch. On the menu, it showed a "spicy" icon next to this option, but we couldn't detect any heat at all. Not necessarily bad, but certainly not great - at least it was cheap!

What You Should Do: If you're in a desperate mood for some cheap Chinese food, then Rice King may be the place for you, but I don't think we will go there again - the quest for the best Chinese take-out continues! They have exceptionally large portions, fairly cheap prices (especially the lunch specials), and lots of options, just not the best flavors we've ever experienced. Any recommendations for great Chinese take-out?

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Guru's Café

Where: Guru's Café, 45 E Center Street, Provo

Who Went: Chelsey & Devynne, then Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 3

What We Ordered: SWEET POTATO FRIES, Waldorf Salad, Chicken Avocado Wrap, Burrito Grande with Carne Asada, Pan-Seared Salmon Rice Bowl

What It Cost: Trip 2: $15.00, Trip 3: $28.00

What We Thought: 

Those fries. Those wonderful, amazing, life-changing, sensational sweet potato fries. These are the things that dreams are made of people. Specifically, my dreams. Of all food items to be found in restaurants near BYU, I crave these sweet potato fries most. They are crispy and crunchy and perfectly fried on the outside, with the perfect density and soft sweetness on the inside. And paired with that southwestern sauce? Heaven. And they definitely give you your money's worth - the serving shown above is only a small order of fries, and the large is enough to feed 1.5 people a full meal! The best part about them is that I don't ever get tired of them...even the very last bit of sweet potato goodness on the plate is as incredible as the first. I don't care if you buy anything else from this place, but you MUST get the sweet potato fries! Now!

On this trip, I also ordered the pan-seared salmon rice bowl. I have to admit, I was actually a little disappointed with this. I was grateful that I ordered the half-size rice bowl - even with the half-size, I ended up taking a sizable portion home with me. There was a good mix of fresh vegetables in there, but the red pepper sauce was not super flavorful and the salmon was disappointingly fishy. I liked it on the brown rice, and it was pretty filling, but it didn't blow me away and I probably wouldn't order it again.

Owen loved his Burrito Grande, and hardly even let me take a bite of it. It had a different flavor than I was expecting - very fresh and Tex-Mex flavor. And it certainly was grande...with plenty of salsa and other flavors to compliment it.

We've also had the chicken avocado bacon wrap (a special) and Waldorf salad and loved them both. Their wraps are pretty big and filling, and I would definitely recommend them over the rice bowl. And the salad...wow. The salad was great, full of fresh produce, deliciously creamy bleu cheese, and the most delicious candied nuts.

What You Should Do: Hop in your car and drive down there to get yourself some of those AMAZING FRIES! Trust me, you won't regret it. They were even able to remedy the sweet potato fry damage that Sammy's caused my husband, which was really a miracle. They have a wide variety of food options (including vegan and vegetarian), so if you're looking for a place to go with a group where there will be something to please everyone, I would recommend giving Guru's a try! I've heard their breakfast is wonderful, so I'll be trying that next!

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Omar's Rawtopia

Where: Omar's Rawtopia, 2148 Highland, Salt Lake City (in the Sugarhouse area)

Who Went: Chelsey, Owen, and Jarom (brother-in-law, vegetarian, and it was his birthday!)

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Pizza, Bean Burrito with a side of guacamole, Pasta, Chocolate Açaí Beverage

What It Cost: $60 (for all three people)

What We Thought:

Omar's Rawtopia is the first, and only, raw food restaurant in Utah. From what I gathered from the menu, it is specifically a raw vegan restaurant - serving only unprocessed, uncooked, organic fruits, vegetables, and grains (no meat or dairy). Raw diets are becoming increasingly popular, and though I can not get into the idea of only eating cold food for the rest of my life, I thought it sounded like an interesting idea and we decided to check it out for my BIL's birthday dinner.

I started out with a chocolate açaí beverage, which was probably my favorite part of the meal. This was the half-sized beverage, and it is definitely only half of the regular size drink. But it was pretty thick and filling, so I'm glad I ordered the smaller option. It kind of reminded me of a healthier version of my childhood favorite drink, Ovaltine, but with a little chalkier texture. Throughout the whole meal, it was the difference in textures that stood out to me most, rather than the flavors. Everything had really intense and rich flavors, but sometimes the textures were just too different from what we were expecting.

Jarom ordered the pasta, and loved it. The "noodles" were made from shredded vegetables, and it kind of reminded me more of a pasta salad than anything. The presentation of each of the entreés was phenomenal, full of bright colors and interesting textural contrasts. Some people have complained that the service is too slow here at Omar's, but considering that they are not using any pre-processed foods or anything, I felt like it took an appropriate amount of time for us to receive our meals. It also is on the pricey end, but I swear there were at least 4 avocados split between the 3 of us, and there is so much fresh and organic produce in the meal that I can understand the cost.

This was the "bean burrito" - certainly unlike any bean burrito we've ever had before! Though recommended to us by the server, I think this was overall our least favorite of the three meals. The bean texture was too grainy and it just wasn't as satisfying on the lettuce wraps (not to mention my natural distate for lettuce wraps...). We ordered a side of guacamole for $1.50, and though it was pretty delicious, I felt like we didn't get our money's worth, especially since there was already avocado in the bean burrito mix itself. However, I was greatly impressed at how much the "sour cream" tasted like the real thing!

I ordered the pizza, which was full of intense pesto and pepper flavor. I liked the creamy avocado on top as well, and even though it didn't look that big at the beginning, I was only able to eat half of it, it was so filling! But I must warn you - this pizza does NOT make good leftovers! The apple buckwheat crust became soggy and the macadamia nut "cheese" texture was just too much for me to handle the next day.

What You Should Do: Even if you are not vegan or into the whole raw food thing, I would still recommend giving this place a try. It is fun to see the innovative way that they manipulate food in different ways and to see the new creative twists on traditional differences. I was surprised at how flavorful all of the food items were -- who needs artificial flavoring anyway, right? For a meal that will make you feel good inside and will cleverly challenge your palate, I would head to Omar's Rawtopia.

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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!

Mountain West Burrito

Since we're doing this whole giveaway thing, we figured we ought to tell you a little bit more about the place! 

Where: Mountain West Burrito, 1796 N 950 W, Provo (looks like an old gas station, don't blink as you're heading up State Street or else you'll miss it!) 

Who Went: Owen & Chelsey

Number of Visits: 5

What We Ordered: Roasted Vegetable Chimichanga & Burrito, Chicken Burrito, Steak Burrito, Carnitas Burrito

What It Cost: $15.50

What We Thought:

To me, there are two different kinds of good food: 1) food that tastes good while you are eating it, and 2) food that makes you feel good. Mountain West Burrito satisfies both of these things, which is what makes it so wonderful. I may be cheesy and lame, but sometimes I'm all about the organic/natural thing. It just makes you feel good to know that the food you are eating is free of harmful chemicals and was raised humanely (insert joke about raising vegetables humanely). Mountain West Burrito uses almost all locally grown, organic vegetables (avocados have to be shipped from the Glenn Annie Organics farm in Santa Barbara, CA since it is way too cold here...), organic and pasture raised chicken breast, natural angus steak, and pork from Utah family farms. You don't have to wonder where your food has been and what's it's gone through -- it's posted right there for you on their take-out menu. 

And not only is it good for the earth, but it tastes dang good as well. Let me ask you -- when was the last time that you DIDN'T feel guilty about eating a chimichanga? Never, right? (Unless you're a dude of course...) Well for me, it was last Friday night. This may sound like the most hypocritical meal, but I can't get enough of their roasted vegetable chimichanga. Healthiness, deep fat fried...just how I like it. Their vegetables taste fresh and are roasted to perfection, and just look at the perfectly crispy golden tortilla. Words cannot express.

Owen's much more of a burrito kind of guy, and you gotta admit, food always tastes better when it's wrapped in foil. Okay, not always, but in this case, it's amazing. Also, their tortilla chips that come on the side are top notch -- we watched them getting fried up right in front of us, so they are served fresh, crispy, and warm, and the pico is pretty good too. If you like it spicy, you have to try their green hot sauce. We like to drizzle it all over our food, but warning, it's pretty darn hot!

It looks a little messy and weird on the inside (note to self: half-eaten burritos are not the most photogenic), but trust us, this is worth the trip. The carnitas are perfectly seasoned and juicy, the chicken tastes different, fresher, like it was a happier chicken in its life. Okay maybe that's an exaggeration, but it is pretty scrumptious. We were a little disappointed with the steak burrito when we tried it - though its natural and angus and everything, we felt like it was lacking in flavor and not very tender. Stick with the chicken, carnitas, or roasted vegetable. It also is lame that you have to pay extra for the sour cream and guacamole, but don't go without it! The guac is fresh and buttery delicious, and the sour cream is needed to balance out all the flavors.

What You Should Do: Enter our giveaway, and go there for free! But even if you don't win, you should still go right now. The only thing we are worried about is that the restaurant has recently changed owners -- the friendly founder Joe has decided to "travel slowly through Mexico," and the Heirloom Restaurant Group (they run Pizzeria 712 and the Communal) has purchased it (read about it here). They say they are striving to maintain the same ideals and goals as the original owner, so we'll let you know if anything changes! Don't miss out on this fresh, locally supportive, gratifying Mexican goodness.