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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CHILI'S

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Where: Chili's, 122 E 1300 S, Orem

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Chips & Queso, Guacamole Burger, Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas, Chocolate Molten Lava Cake

What It Cost: ~$30

What We Thought: 

Can you ever say Chili's without wanting to sing "Babyback Ribs"? Me neither.

After doing a survey, I had the choice of getting a $25 gift card to Chili's or Olive Garden. I'd already been to Olive Garden (post to come soon), so that was how we found ourselves at a Chili's on a Wednesday night at 5:30. Not that that's lame or anything..................................

Most people in the United States have been to Chili's at least once, so we had many recommendations for people because believe it or not, I'd never been to one! I know, it's almost un-American. Anyway, first on the list to try was "Chips and Queso." This actually isn't a menu item, you just order the queso since chips come with every meal, along with salsa. Okay, so the chips -- there is only one word I can think of SALTY SALTY SALTY SALTY SALTY. Wowza. I've never had such salty chips in my life. The salsa was even a little salty, which was weird. And obviously, queso is going to be salty, but somehow the different levels of salt kind of negated each other into something that was weirdly good. Like the kind of good you crave after a super long week where you've studied your brains out and are in a strange kind of mood where you just want to dip salty chips in salty cheese (maybe meaty?) sauce. Also, that little skillet is not as deep as it looks. But yeah...

Okay, I don't know about you, but there is something about the stratification of this burger that kind of weirds me out. Its like all of the components were in little packages that were all pre-formed and then slapped together? I don't know. Anyway, the bun was surprisingly good, the guacamole was the only thing in the meal that was oddly unsalted, so it was not all that flavorful, and the burger and vegetables were alright. Not the greatest burger, not especially crave-worthy, but not bad.

The fries were just how I like them, but OH MY GOSH THE SALT! I hope you can see the detail on those fries, but yeah, that's how much salt was on there. They were pretty good once you brushed 99% of the salt off, and doused them in ketchup. We definitely left feeling ultra bloated.

I ordered the sour cream chicken enchiladas, which I would describe as "pretty good white girl enchiladas." The chicken was pretty good, not overcooked, the sauce was tasty and there was plenty of cheese and corn salsa to satisfy. It definitely did not feel authentic in anyway, but it was probably my favorite part of it all. The black beans weren't comment-worthy, and I couldn't really go for the rice because it felt like each piece of rice took its own little oil bath. Meh. No thanks.

Then OBVIOUSLY we had to get there classic molten lava cake, which is probably the most talked-about dish from Chili's (at least that I've heard of). It was chocolatey, it was cakey, and it wasn't the worst molten lava cake I've ever had, but of course it wasn't the best. It was amazing, almost scientific, how there was the perfect ratio of ice cream to cake - they've definitely had people testing that. And the chocolate shell on top was fun in a 90s-dessert kind of way.

What You Should Do: So, somehow there are over 1500 of these across the world. Crazy, right? I don't know what that has to do with anything, except I just don't really know what to say. They really have this down to a science. The food all looked like we ordered it from a catalogue, which was a little odd. The food wasn't BAD, but it wasn't great. I probably wouldn't go again, except maybe for that cake. Though I'm pretty good at making molten lava cake, so who knows...Oh, I should also mention, the service was quite speedy and our server was very nice.

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BRIO TUSCAN GRILLE

Where: Brio (at Fashion Place Mall) 6173 S State Street, Murray

Who Went: Owen & Chelsey

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Prosciutto & Asparagus Bruschetta, Pasta Pesto, Campanelle Carbonara, Creme Brûlée

What It Cost: $59.40 (including tip)

What We Thought: 

The saddest thing as a food/restaurant blogger is when you randomly go to a restaurant because you're out shopping and are super hungry, and then the restaurant you choose happens to be super good, and you are totally unprepared without your camera! So the deliciousness of the food is not sufficiently represented by your weak-sauce camera phone, but that's life I guess. So here you go. Don't judge too harshly based on the photos -- we really (surprisingly) liked this place!

As mentioned before, I have a serious prejudice against Italian restaurants. Common themes from my previous experience at Italian restaurants include "overpriced" "could have made this at home" "disappointing" and "boring." So once again, my expectations were low coming in.

I used to say that you could really tell a lot about a restaurant when the bread first comes out. Good bread = good chances. But then we went to Macaroni Grill where the bread was heavenly and the food was meh, so after tasting this pretty darn scrumptious bread (warm and crispy on the outside...mmmm) I was slightly more hopeful, but still, IT WAS AN ITALIAN RESTAURANT, so....

Then this beauty came out. I know it does not look that beautiful courtesy of my camera phone - I tried taking a closer up shot below so you could see all the details - but let me explain it to you. On each delightfully crunchy crostino, there was melted Fontina cheese (which is definitely in my top 7 of cheese), a spread of Pinor Noir soaked onions (which made them taste almost like caramelized onions, but with a sweeter, richer taste and less slime), some perfectly al dente asparagus, topped with some actually decent prosciutto (perfectly salty and tender). Put it all together and WOW. What a wonderful flavor kick in the mouth! That sounds weird, but really, these bruschetta may be one of the best parcels of flavor I've had in a long time. I just want to eat it every day!!! I was super on the border about ordering this appetizer, because calories, blah blah blah but OMG I AM SO GLAD WE GOT IT, IT WAS AMAZING!!!!!!

Just, just try it. Please. 

Extremely excited to receive our pasta dishes after that stellar appetizer, we tried Owen's campanelle carbonara first. First off, can we just talk about how fun these pasta were shaped? Apparently campanelle means little bell in Italian, and I never knew how much I wanted to eat bell-shaped pasta until I tried it. Anyway, a super delicious alfredo sauce paired with grilled chicken, bits of crispy bacon, shredded sharp Parmesan cheese, and a little spinach, just so you can pretend there was anything healthy about this. Um, yeah this was straight up comfort food baby, and it did the job. And it did it good. If you're looking for that Italian dish that just feels like heavenly indulgence with every bite, this is what you need. 

I was in the mood for something lighter - I told Owen before we got there that I just wanted something light with fresh, flavorful vegetables that I wasn't going to regret too much after eating, preferably with a lot of basil, because basil is awesome. The Pasta Pesto (though not as pesto-y as the name may suggest) definitely fit the bill for me. It was just a classic dish with simple components, each done extremely well. Here we had really delightful angel hair pasta (its so funny how you forget how delicious regular pasta is after you've only had whole-wheat pasta for a while...) topped with loads of spinach, tomato, roasted red peppers, grilled chicken, caramelized onions, basil and sprinkled with some feta cheese. To me, it was summer in a dish. And to make it even more bright and delicious, I asked our server (who had a really enjoyable British accent) if he could bring me some lemon, which I squeezed over the whole thing and sent me off the edge. Aaahhhhhhhh. THIS is my kind of Italian food. Don't torment me with pounds of salt and butter which mask what might have been food under there -- the more simple, the better when it comes to most food, and this was no exception. As Alice Waters said, "Let things taste of what they are." Amen, sister. 

And since we really did not want the whole thing to end, after boxing up half our pasta dishes to go (not-so shabby portion sizes here), we HAD to order the crème brûlée, which was so divine, it inspired me to run back into Crate & Barrel at the mall and promptly purchase my own kitchen torch so I could try making it again at home.

What You Should Do: Honestly (like really, honestly), I cannot believe I am saying this, especially considering I've always kind of associated Brio Tuscan Grille with malls (they have one at City Creek too), but you have to try this place! I really hope we were not the exception here and I am not leading you all miserably astray, but we had such a delicious meal here, and I finally have a reason to go out for Italian food again! I mean, you really can't buy bell-shaped pasta at Macey's (I think), and somehow it just tastes better in that adorable shape :) If you're craving Italian and are finally ready to cut off the chains which bind you to the hour+ long waits at Olive Garden, Brio is definitely the place to go!

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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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ASAHI

Where: Asahi Japanese Restaurant, 1470 N State Street, Orem (don't blink, or else you'll miss it!)

Who Went: Chelsey, Owen, Lyvia, Charles

Number of Visits: 2

What We Ordered: Honeymoon Roll, Vegas Roll, Calamari, Scallop Nigiri, Spicy Tuna Roll, other various rolls

What It Cost: $45.30 for four people

What We Thought:

Sushi. On a budget. In Utah County.

Normally, these words would make me go running in the opposite direction...

But last year on Valentines Day night, somehow the stars magically aligned, and even though we didn't have a reservation anywhere (on Valentines Day! In Utah!) we miraculously stumbled on what surely is one of Utah County's hidden restaurant gems.

You'll have to forgive me again for the lackluster photos -- they really do not do this food justice, but the unlucky combination of dim lighting + dead battery on my good camera resulted in these subpar camera phone photos. But I can't hold off any longer on Asahi!

First off, this place is very reasonably priced. They have a cool, relaxed atmosphere, and a terrible location (very hard to see from busy State Street in Orem), which makes it so you don't really need a reservation, even on one of the busiest nights to eat out in the year. Their staff is incredibly friendly and fast, and its just a very inviting place to relax and enjoy some high quality sushi.

Now, I grew up hating fish during my entire childhood, so the world of seafood is still in its fledgling stages for me -- meaning I hate it when any type of fish tastes fishy or in any way not fresh. I'm very sensitive to it and am totally picky. I don't know how they do it or where they get their fish from, but Asahi's sushi and nigiri are incredible! I even liked the raw scallops (not pictured). This is pretty amazing. Their sushi chefs are fun to watch, and prepare beautiful dishes that are also fun to eat! The calamari above was good -- I've had better before, but if you're with someone who is new to calamari, it might be a good first taste, since they tasted basically like really good onion rings with a super tasty sauce. The calamari was sliced a little thin for me, but like I said, maybe good for someone who's hesitant to try it.

I'm not going to go into each roll, except to say they were all incredible delicious, and I wasn't disappointed with any of them! I know it is kind of lame of me, but I love a good Vegas roll (hardly sushi, I know, but its fried and delicious, so whatever), and they definitely make a scrumptious one. My favorite roll is kind of unique -- the Honeymoon roll. It has smoked salmon and jalapeño and a little sliver of mango in there. It is SO good! I've never had fruit in sushi before, and it is awesome!

My cruddy phone camera cannot capture the awesomeness of the little roe on top of this roll -- if you don't think too much about what it is, they are super fun to eat :) Like little popping surprises in your mouth while you are enjoying the delicious flavors of the sushi roll. Highly recommended.

What You Should Do: I never thought I would recommend a sushi place in Utah (where does the fish come from?!!??!), but Asahi in Orem is definitely a great location to check out. They make quality products at very reasonable prices. To curb that sushi craving, there is no better place! ALSO, Monday through Thursday after 7 (I think) is happy hour, where you can get rolls at half price. Its pretty amazing. Normally I feel like sushi is always a huge splurge, but at Asahi, I can get sushi I actually like for prices that I definitely like!

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LEATHERBY'S FAMILY CREAMERY

Where: Leatherby's Family Creamery, 1872 W 5400 S, Taylorsville

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Amy's Hot Fudge Brownie with Mint Cookie Ice Cream and Jill's Cookie Concoction 

What It Cost: $15.46

What We Thought: 

Let's just start with the pictures...

I need to make a disclaimer -- we only came for the ice cream, and didn't try any of the other food. So this review is ONLY ABOUT THE ICE CREAM.

And wow, the ice cream! I mean, just looking at the photos above is enough to get me salivating all over again. The restaurant is a very vintage, retro style ice cream parlor, with unflattering lighting and pretty crammed seating, but the staff is so friendly, that you totally feel comfortable and ready for a good time. I can totally see this place as being the awesome reward for scoring a home run in your baseball game as a kid or something - it just makes you feel good. Well, until you eat WAY too much ice cream...!

These ice cream sundaes, though a little pricey, are amazingly over-the-top, gorgeous, and a LOT of ice cream! It is such a fun treat, and the ice cream is all homemade :) Owen thought his mint cookie ice cream was a little too intense -- the flavor was super rich, especially considering how much ice cream they served! I love both of my flavors -- one was a classic cookies and cream, which was super smooth and delicious, and the other was peanut butter ice cream with caramel and cookie dough! Talk about indulgent! The cookie with my sundae was surprisingly soft and tasted SO good, and wow, the hot fudge. If I hadn't been in a total ice cream coma after our experience, I would have bought a bunch of this to take home! What an amazing and scrumptious treat!

What You Should Do: We went here for Owen's birthday, and it was the perfect place to go for a special occasion treat! The ice cream was super delicious, the presentation amazing, and the brownie/hot fudge/cookies were incredibly good as well. The only recommendation I have (besides, obviously, you should go!) is the first time, you might want to share! Neither Owen nor I could even make it through half of our sundaes, so if you can agree on a flavor, you may want to save the money :)

LUCKY 13

Where: Lucky 13, 135 W 1300 S, Salt Lake City

Who Went: Chelsey, Owen and Aaron

Number of Visits: Sadly, only one

What We Ordered: Regular hamburger, Ol' Man hamburger, Celestial hamburger, and three ginger sodas

What It Cost: $24.84**

What We Thought: 

Welp, all I have to say about this is that it is simply the best burger I have ever eaten. 

I feel like there are not sufficient words in the dictionary to describe how incredible the burgers at this place were. Any words I use don't do it justice.

Fresh. Flavorful. Perfect. Fresh. Delicious. No other burger in the world should even exist.

I may sound ridiculous to you, but go there. You will understand. Also, get the fried pickles. They are so fun. Cajun fries and onion rings were also so good though. You really cannot go wrong here.

What You Should Do: I feel like crying when I think about how long I have been in the state of Utah without knowing about this place. Just make sure you're over 21 and bring your ID, because it is a bar, but you don't have to drink if you don't want. JUST EAT THESE BURGERS. now.

ROMANO'S MACARONI GRILL

Where: Macaroni Grill, 4801 N University Avenue, Provo, UT

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Blood Orange & Basil Soda, Spaghetti & Meatballs, and Pasta Milano

What It Cost: $31.32

What We Thought:

Sorry these photos are so crummy - it was kind of a last minute decision to go here since we won a gift card to this restaurant the night before and I didn't feel like making dinner...so I was unprepared, but now I am here to talk about the food!

On a side note, I really should just give up on Italian restaurants. Or someone should just prevent me from entering them. It never ends well. 

So I started out with a pretty tasty non-alcoholic cocktail -- it was a fizzy blood orange soda with basil and some other stuff... I actually really liked it! But I'm the kind of person who likes weird herbs and flowers in their food, so yeah. You should try it if you never have before :)

We started the meal with a hunk of bread big enough to serve a small family, and embarrassingly, chowed it all down at lightning speed because it was probably my favorite part of the meal. Yeah. Good bread, I must say. It was flecked with rosemary and probably doused in butter, and had a perfectly crispy exterior and soft interior. Everything you could ask for in bread, if you ask me!

I ordered spaghetti and meatballs because I really couldn't think of a more classically Italian dish, and if you're going to go boasting yourself as Italian cuisine, I should hope you would do the basics darn well. Well. This is where the line of good things ended for us. The pasta was cooked fine, but the sauce was lacking (both in volume and in flavor), and the meatballs were just a source of sadness. They were a totally overcooked, completely lacking in moisture and goodness, and I'm pretty sure the kind you can cook from the grocery store are superior. Blaahhh. I didn't even finish this dish or want to take it home, which was pretty disappointing for overpriced pasta that I could have (and should have) made better in my own kitchen.

Then Owen's dish, the Pasta Milano. It was supposed to be some sort of chicken penne dish with white sauce and some array of vegetables I believe, but to be honest, all I can remember about it is SALT. I seriously have never had such a salty dish in my whole life, it was even saltier than Carrabba's! Another dish we didn't bother to finish, another dish we regretted. There is a fine line between hearty Italian food and a salt lick, and this place just went way beyond the boundary.

What You Should Do: The quest for edible Italian food (beyond pizza) served in a restaurant that actually feels worth the hefty bill that often accompanies these sorts of restaurants STILL CONTINUES. Any suggestions would be highly appreciated. I should mention however, our server was very nice and friendly.

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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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