BUFFALO WILD WINGS

Where: Buffalo Wilds Wings, 92 N 1200 E, American Fork

Who Went: Owen and Chelsey

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Huckleberry Lemonade, Triple Threat Nachos, 15-piece wings with Hot Sauce and Honey BBQ

What It Cost: $38.32 (including tip)

What We Thought: 

Okay, a bit of a disclaimer: I went into Buffalo Wild Wings having the lowest of low expectations for the food and service and everything.

Another disclaimer: I love March Madness. A lot. #favoritetimeoftheyear

So, like crazy people, we decided to go to this restaurant on a Saturday night around 7:30 during March Madness season. Obviously, I was expecting like a 2 hour wait or something, so when the hostess told me it would be 30 minutes, I was pleasantly surprised. We took our little pager with us to Walgreens across the street, bought some nail polish, sat in our car for a bit, and then were buzzed in. 30 minutes on a Saturday night during one of the most popular sports seasons? Not too bad in my opinion.

We started out with nachos that were actually supposed to be a meal I am pretty sure -- don't judge. These were called the triple threat nachos -- on one side, it was regular taco nachos, in the middle, there was buffalo chicken and blue cheese nachos, and the opposite side was nachos with pulled pork. Woof. These were seriously intense! The flavors probably went from our least favorite to most -- the pulled pork was actually pretty good, and the regular tacos were only meh. But altogether, and pretty great thing to snack on while watching the game! The cheese was definitely your typical nacho cheese (as opposed to like, you know, real cheese), but it was a pretty fun, and definitely a good value. We put a regular sized ketchup bottle in the background as a size comparison for you!!

Okay, okay, now onto the real business -- da WINGZ. When we started the meal, we told them that we had never been there before, and they offered to bring out a little sampler of the different wing sauces, that we could sample with french fries. Fun! And a great way to try out some of their more unique flavor choices :) We are boring, so we went with regular hot wings and honey BBQ. And um yeah, they were pretty dang good. Not Nicolitalia's good, but definitely at least Winger's good, and good enough that I would go there again! The 15 piece wings was PLENTY and I felt like it was a pretty decent value for the price - we definitely took some home (dinner tonight?) A lot of people have complained about the service at this location, but we must have had really great luck - we were checked on plenty of times, our food came out quickly, and our server even asked if we wanted another refill of the lemonade to go on our way out!

What You Should Do: Since I love March Madness, and they had all three games going at the same time (plus a Nadal tennis match -- bonus!!), I had a great time at Buffalo Wild Wings. It is a lot of fun to go for a big game, since people realllly get into the game, and they have more screens than I've ever seen, so you definitely won't miss a thing haha. The food is not amazing, but it is pretty good, decently priced, and wings are just delicious, okay? If you don't have somewhere to watch the games this week, you should definitely give BWW a try!

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Orville & Wilbur's

Where: Orville & Wilbur's, 1171 WSC, Brigham Young University

Who Went: Chelsey & Devynne

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Boneless Chicken Wings with BBQ sauce, Buffalo Chicken Burger, Cheeseburger

What It Cost: ~$10 for 2 people


What We Thought:


Yeah, I bet you didn't even know that this place existed. Because I totally didn't. Until I was looking at the BYU Dining website and saw a place that I totally did not recognize. And then I convinced Devynne to go there with me for lunch. It is down in the basement of the Wilk, by Outdoors Unlimited and all the pool tables. It is seriously a whole different world down there. Even though it was right in the middle of the lunch hour rush upstairs in the Cougareat, there were plenty of open tables and we did not have to wait in line to order our food. It was like the Twilight Zone of BYU Dining.

Also, I have to apologize for the not-so-quality food photos here - my camera is too big to lug around campus, and Devynne forgot to bring her camera, so these were taken on her iPod. Cool.

So, being my wing-loving self, I was excited to see that they have wings. But I should have known better when on the website it said "boneless." Basically these were chicken nuggets, not wings. They still tasted good, and the barbecue sauce that came with them was tasty, but they were certainly not the wings I was envisioning. They weren't even tossed in the sauce, which was good and bad - bad because it made them seem even more like chicken nuggets, but good because I was eating lunch and didn't particularly want to get super messy.

BYU makes good burgers. They are pretty consistent across campus, and they are delicious. People will wait in like at the Scoreboard Grill upstairs for 20 minutes for a basic cheeseburger, but they should just head downstairs where there is no line and get the equally delicious sandwich here at Orville & Wilbur's. They weren't super speedy because they only had two guys working, but it was nice that we did not have to wait in a huge line in the super crowded Cougareat.

I have to admit, I really liked this buffalo chicken burger. It was like the spicy chicken burger at Wendy's that I used to love, but twenty times better. The buffalo sauce was surprisingly good, and the breading was thick and crunchy. It was a very filling sandwich, and pretty unique compared to other chicken sandwiches I've experienced on campus.

What Should You Do: If you're in the mood for a burger, skip the lines and head to the Games Center and get some lunch at Orville & Wilbur's! Don't go for the chicken "wings," unless you're in the mood for some pretty good chicken nuggets. But it is a fun little place and they can make a decent, fresh, delicious burger and a lovely buffalo chicken burger. Check it out!

Wing Nutz

I bet that I have lulled you into a false sense of security lately with all these great places to eat...but beware! Not everything in Utah County is fantastic (you already knew that of course), so let me tell you about a place you should certainly skip.

Where: Wing Nutz, 1054 S 750 E, Orem

Who Went: Chelsey & my sister-in-law Abby

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Two small orders of wings - 1 with Jamaican Jerk sauce and 1 with Teriyaki sauce

What It Cost: $12

What We Thought: 


Let me just start off by saying that I made my first mistake when I decided that it would be a good idea to take my 11-year-old sister-in-law here before going to see the movie Monte Carlo (yeah, the one with Selena Gomez and Leighton Meester). The bar-like atmosphere may be fun for people who want to escape the normal Provo atmosphere, but it was no place for two relatively young girls on a Saturday afternoon.

Despite being female and a chick-flick lover, I do love my wings, as you all are very aware (sorry, will cut back on the wings posts...someday...). So I was excited to see their menu with a variety of sauces, and thought that maybe since they were baked instead of fried I could justify them as being more healthy or something. There were only two problems with this.

First off, the sauces were sadly boring. I could hardly distinguish between the two flavors, and it was a very superficial taste since they did not penetrate the actual wing at all. Sure they have lots of sauce options, but what's the point if none of them taste that great? Also, since the wings were baked, they didn't have any of that crunch or fantastic typical texture of wings. Such a disappointment. Not to mention that they felt incredibly overpriced for the small batch that we got (5 wings each at $6/order). Or the 25 minute wait we had to get 10 total wings for a place that pretty much only serves wings and there were only 2 other parties in the restaurant. I almost missed my movie!

What You Should Do: Avoid. There are so many other great wing places in the area, you really shouldn't waste your time or money here. The service is slow and uninviting, the prices are too high, and the wings just aren't that great. And definitely don't bring your 11-year-old sister-in-law here. It's just too weird.

Read other reviews here:

Winger's Grill & Bar

I feel like since I love wings so much, I should start a new weekly thing -- Wings Wednesday! Just kidding, we don't eat wings nearly often enough (or maybe we do...and I just don't want to admit it...), but in any case, here's some details about some of our favorite wings, on a Wednesday!

Where: Winger's Grill & Bar, 610 S State Street, Orem

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 3

What We Ordered: Trip 1: 5 original wings, 5 boneless wings with hot buffalo sauce; Trip 2: 8 original wings

What It Cost: Trip 1: $19.00, Trip 2: $12.00

What We Thought: 

Whether or not you will like Winger's is all based on your wing preferences -- if you hate any kind of sweet sauce on your wings, and prefer them straight up with buffalo sauce or something, then you will probably not enjoy the original wings. However, if you like them sweet and sticky and saucy like we do, you will love them! We got these 8 piece original wings to go one day after some shopping at Provo Town Center mall. Best decision ever. We inhaled them in literally 15 seconds. Okay, not literally, but it was a little embarrassing how fast we ate them.

I have to admit, the service at Winger's is not always the greatest. When we dined at the store on State Street, our server was very inattentive, rolled her eyes behind our backs when we asked more popcorn (which they serve instead of breadsticks or something), and took forever to refill our water even though our mouths were ON FIRE after the hot buffalo sauce. If you're looking for a great experience, this may not be the place, but you can just do what we did and get the original wings to go. You will be very happy. Also, the boneless wings kind of felt a little lame and chicken-nugget-esque after eating the regular wings...if you're going to go for wings, go all out and get the messy kind. Though if you are dining with children, the boneless may be an easier option.

What You Should Do: Go. But know you probably won't have the best service and you're just there for the wings, honestly. The rest of the menu isn't anything special, but they are called Winger's for a reason.

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Nicolitalia Pizzeria (but not for the pizza!)

Where: Nicolitalia Pizzeria, 2295 N University Pkwy, Provo (across the street from the dollar theater)

Who Went: Chelsey, Owen, Devynne, Abby (Devynne's former roommate)

Number of Visits: 2

What We Ordered: Trip 1: 10 piece hot wings, The Stallion pizza. Trip 2: 10 piece hot wings, Margherita pizza, & Strada di Roma pizza

What It Cost: Trip 1: $22.07, Trip 2: 20.45 (we had a coupon for a free margherita pizza with purchase of other pizza)

What We Thought: 

My goodness. This photo can hardly do justice to the glorious flavor of these wings. They are perfect. They are spicy. They are juicy. They are just the right amount of greasy and messy. They are heaven on earth. Order them, and you'll never go back to any other type of wings. When Owen and I started eating these our first time, we ate them in complete silence, trying to partake of that delicious flavor as fast as we could without any distraction. Then we just looked at each other and said, "Wow." No other words can describe this amazingness. 

Also, I promise this is the last post you'll hear about wings for a while! I know you think I'm obsessed with them and that's all I eat (only 90% true), but I couldn't resist sharing these with you! You must know of their wonderfulness!

Needless to say, our hopes were pretty high when our pizza arrived.

We should have just stuck with the wings. 

We ordered the Stallion pizza -- Spinach, Mozzarella, "Gah-lic," Pepperoni, and Steak. Notice how I didn't say any type of sauce? Well, it didn't come with sauce. That was weird. And dry. And it was that day where I learned the difference between garlic and gah-lic (the terminology they use at Nicolitalia, since they're from Boston I guess?) Garlic is an herb that I love cooking with and using to enhance the flavor of many meals. It is awesome and I really enjoy the smell and taste. Gah-lic on the other hand, is a huge chunk of highly aromatic and robust garlic clove that clears your sinuses completely with the first bite and completely overpowers any other flavors that may be lurking on your pizza. Stay away from the gah-lic! All I could taste on this pizza was the gah-lic, and I'm pretty sure I will be safe from vampires for the rest of my life thanks to this dining experience. 

We went back another time with my sister and her roommate, mostly to get the wings, but also because we had a coupon and thought maybe we had missed out on something. We hadn't. Their margherita pizza was only so-so (go to Pizzeria 712 instead!), and the sauce on both of the pizzas was very flavorless. 

What You Should Do: Go right now -- but only for the wings!!! Stay away from the pizza and dangerous gah-lic and just be glad that this joint got one menu item right. Oh so right. 

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.

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