Tillamook Yogurt

This post is sponsored by Tillamook. Tillamook Yogurt is farmer-owned for over 100 year. They use only natural ingredients - only real fruit and no high fructose corn syrup. All ideas and opinions are my own. 

As many of you surely realize, I love food. And though I normally prefer to write about restaurants because hey, no dishes and the food is already presented all nicely for me, I do eat the majority of my meals at home like a normal person. And whenever I am going grocery shopping, there is seriously nothing that gets me more excited than Tillamook products. The first time I saw Tillamook ice cream at my local grocery store, I literally squealed with joy and immediately called my mom, who lives in the PNW and gets to enjoy their products to the fullness. Shortly after the cheese and ice cream, Tillamook yogurt began appearing on the shelves, and I thought that life here in Utah might not be so bad after all :) I was thrilled to get to work with one of my favorite food companies of all time - I can't even count the number of times I've visited the Tillamook cheese factory, and I am highly loyal to all of their dairy products.

Tillamook recently has added a line of "Light" yogurts, which is even more exciting than their normal flavors! Like all of their other yogurts, there are no artificial sweeteners, no artificial growth hormones, no high fructose corn syrups, no artificial flavors and no artificial colors - it's all-natural in there, and all-delicious, if you ask me. Most light yogurts are sweetened with artificial sweeteners that leave that awful aftertaste, but the Truvía^® they use with Tillamook yogurts tastes nearly the same as the regular yogurt and there is no nasty aftertaste! Low calorie (110 calories per yogurt) and great taste? Win win. 

I would probably say that my all-time favorite flavor is good old Oregon Strawberry (boring, I know, but I love the fresh strawberry chunks in there), and my little brother practically lives off of the Key Lime flavor at home in Washington. They have a bunch of other fun flavors like Baked Apple Pie, Pomegranate Blackberry (so good!), Strawberry Lemonade, Mountain Huckleberry (probably my second favorite), Blueberry Açaí, and Country Orange Cream. I pretty much eat a yogurt every day for breakfast, and Tillamook is simply my all-time favorite brand. You can get Tillamook yogurt now at Macey's, Target, Winco, and probably other grocery stores nearby that I don't visit often, and I would definitely recommend you give them a try! And to provide further incentive, you can print out a buy-one-get-one-free link below! Doesn't get much better than that. Have you ever tried Tillamook yogurt? What are you favorite flavors?

Click here for BOGO coupon!

Tortilla Bar

Where: Tortilla Bar, 1454 S State Street, Orem

Who Went: Owen & Chelsey

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Chorizos, Pork Belly Tacos, & Tres Leches

What It Cost: $24.26

What We Thought:

Okay, I know, I know, two taco places in a row... I can't help it! I love tacos, they are quick and delicious and inexpensive.

We were driving home from shopping at those new dangerous outlet malls in Lehi the other night around 10, and decided that we were not quite ready to call it a night...and we wanted TACOS. Rather than stopping somewhere gross like Del Taco or Beto's (sorry to those who are fans...) we decided to stop at the long-anticipated Tortilla Bar - seriously, we've been following this restaurant since like April or something waiting for it to open! It was such a spur of the moment decision so I didn't have my camera - I apologize for the crummy phone pictures, but I just had to share this one right away!

The atmosphere was fairly dark (once again, not amazing photos, I know) and industrial, with very limited seating. It's kind of fun because the hot kitchen is right out there in the open with a bar right where you can watch the chefs work their magic. I originally tried to order the gordita from their menu, but the server said that they weren't serving that tonight, instead I could get something the guys in the back call "chorizos" that has squid. It sounded interesting, so I decided to go for it! I'm pretty sure that chorizo is really a spicy Mexican pork sausage, which seemingly had very little to do with this meal, but what the heck. I've only ever had squid in a fried form as calamari, and here in an unadorned, very fresh manner, it was new and delicious! The squid was served on top of little slices of crispy baguette with a creamy and savory sauce. The only thing that was a slight turn off where the large bits of rock salt that were sprinkled on top - they were a little overpowering, but fortunately there were only a few. On their Facebook and Twitter pages, this restaurant keeps talking about being a food rebel, and this plate definitely lived up to that reputation - it was unlike anything I've ever had before, and was very enjoyable.

The pork belly tacos were a little more similar to food we've had before - a rich juicy pork topped with pickled, sharp onions, refreshing cucumbers and crunchy chicharrónes. The tortillas were clearly freshly made, tender with a real delightful corn taste. I think I may need to have a tortilla show-down between Tortilla Bar and Taquería 27...they were both so good! The tacos were a little difficult to eat without everything falling out - a typical problem of tacos I suppose, but I felt like if the cucumbers were cut up a little bit (maybe even in half), it would have been much easier to enjoy. Nonetheless, it was a perfect little late-night snack and definitely satisfied our craving for something unique and tasty.

We weren't ready to quite be done with Tortilla Bar yet, so we went for the tres leches dessert. Not that you can really tell from the photo above, but it was a little square of soaked sponge cake with a banana topping, shaved coconut, and red pepper flakes! If you like milk at all and have never had tres leches, you are very much missing out on this sweet and satisfying dessert. It was a little disappointed with the small portion, but I guess since tres leches is very rich, you don't really need much to make an impact. I enjoyed the banana pairing, and the spicy red pepper flakes really gave it a fun kick, with a nice crunchy texture addition of the coconut. I thought it was absolutely delicious, and only regretted that I couldn't eat like four more of them!

What You Should Do: Definitely go and support this new and very unique restaurant! After all the hype, I would definitely say that Tortilla Bar is a wonderful new addition to the Utah County restaurant community, and I am very much looking forward to visiting there again and seeing what else they have to offer. One thing to be aware of though is their rather strange hours, which are posted on the door as this:

Breakfast 5 am - 11 am
Lunch 11 am - 4 pm
Late 8 pm - 5 am
Saturday Brunch 9 am - 12 pm (not sure on that last one, somehow my note got partially deleted...)

I am not sure if they really aren't open for dinner, and if they are really open all night long (I do not envy the person who has to work that shift!) but it's a great place to get a unique culinary delight at pretty much any time of day! I definitely want to try their Saturday brunch, and don't worry, I'll get better pictures next time!

Read other reviews here:

Taquería 27

Where: Taquería 27, 1615 S Foothill Drive, Salt Lake City

Who Went: Chelsey & Mom

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Roasted Guacamole, Carnitas Taco, Fish Tacos (Fish of the Day - Ono), & Carne Tacos

What It Cost: $30.18

What We Thought: 

I'm really excited because I have a lot of places to share with you that I've been lately - something about the holiday season coming up (and also finals season) has made me want to eat out all the time, so we've been to tons of restaurants lately!

Though it was difficult to find (especially if it's snowing outside!), we stopped by Taquería 27 because I noticed they've been getting lots of press of Urbanspoon. We started out with some roasted guacamole which had highs and lows - though the guacamole was very good and given in a good portion, the flavor of the roasted peppers didn't really come through. The chips were not very salted, which was a little disappointing, since they don't have salt on the tables, but overall we still enjoyed the guacamole, thought it was a good starter, and it was just the right size. Very fresh taste.

Of course we ordered some tacos for our lunch, starting with some more traditional carnitas tacos. The pork was very tender, which was a nice contrast to the crunchy chicharones, and I really enjoyed the flavor of the charred tomatillo salsa. The corn tortillas are some of the best I've ever had - they taste freshly made, are not dry at all, and add a wonderful soft flavor to the tacos.

The fish tacos were my second favorite - a delicious crunchy slaw was paired nicely with the fried fish, and I thought the jalapeño cream sauce was very good. Only one of the tacos came with a little bit of lime, which really heightened the flavor, so it would have been nice if they both had the lime. The ono was a little overcooked, but still had a nice taste, fairly decent texture, and was overall enjoyable.

These carne tacos were my absolute favorite. In so many Mexican-style restaurants we've been to lately, the carne asada meat always seems SOOOO dry. Taquería 27 wonderfully did not fall into this category - the carne tacos were succulent and flavorful, and I loved the chimichurri sauce with the savory meat. The avocado and radishes provided a delightful dichotomy of creaminess and crispness, and I wished that we had ordered 6 of this flavor!

What You Should Do: I would definitely recommend Taquería 27 as one of our new favorite taco places in Utah! This place is a little expensive for tacos, so I probably wouldn't add it to the top of my list, but it was still pretty darn good. It was the fresh-made corn tortillas that really sold me - this place aims for the freshest flavors and they claim that they don't have a freezer or microwave! I think I would have to go shopping a lot more often without those two things, but it's great for eating out!

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Moochie's Meatballs & More

Where: Moochie's Meatballs & More, 232 E 800 S, Salt Lake City

Who Went: Chelsey & Brent

What We Ordered: Small Greek Salad, Huckleberry Soda, and Meatball Sub

What It Cost: $11.94

What We Thought:

After hearing so much about this restaurant, from people in my class and from Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, I knew it would be a good choice to take my friend, Brent, who was visiting from out of town.

Unfortunately, he was scheduled to play in a soccer game later that day, so he went with a smaller salad. Normally I scoff at salads and would never buy one, but luckily this one proved to be worth it. A true Greek salad with delicious chunks of rich feta cheese, vinegary onions, and plenty of flavorful dill. It was pretty substantial for a small side salad, and was just right for Brent that day.

I decided to order the restaurant's namesake sandwich - if you're going to put meatballs in your title, they better be good! Moochie's is also famous for their creamy jalapeño sauce, and though I didn't know if it would really mesh well with my sandwich, I put it on half the sub, just to try it out! The meatballs indeed were delicious, just spicy enough with a tangy marinara sauce. There were three meatballs in the whole sandwich - they were huge! I think if I were to order this sandwich again, I would grab one of the plastic knives and cut the meatballs up a little bit first to make it easier to eat. The sandwich's bread was fresh and had a crispy exterior, and overall it was a delicious and very satisfying sandwich. Definitely worth all the hype!

What You Should Do: I would absolutely recommend trying out Moochie's Meatballs, though I may say you should either wait until the weather warms up a little bit or plan on getting it to go. The inside of the restaurant is absolutely tiny, and although they have expanded some seating into the small building next door, it can get full very quickly. If you go during an off-hour, you should be fine, and even with the large number of customers, the service was very quick. I definitely will be back to try some of their other sandwiches, and hopefully they will be just as good as the meatballs!

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California Pizza Kitchen

Where: California Pizza Kitchen, 575 University Parkway, Ste B28, Orem

Who Went: Owen & Chelsey

Number of Visits: 3

What We Ordered: Avocado Club Egg Rolls, Pear and Gorgonzola Thin Crust Pizza, and Habañero Carnitas Pizza 

What It Cost: $36.00 including tip

What We Thought: 

I've hesitated writing about CPK for a long time now because I am positive that it will ruin my credibility as any sort of blogger who knows things about food, but I cannot hide my love for California Pizza Kitchen any longer! I know its a chain and that it is slightly overpriced, but they have a few menu items that have just won my heart and will keep me coming back for more. 

Even thought it's located at the mall, California Pizza Kitchen is really good about getting you in as fast as they can. If you don't want to wait at all to eat, they are usually quite open if you get there before 6, and if there is a wait, then they will give you a pager and let you go shopping all over the mall until your table is ready! Much better than sitting on that patch of grass outside Olive Garden, which I've seen way too often... Every time we've been there, we've had fairly good service, even when they are super busy, and the wait is just about what I would expect. 

Even though it will surely lead to a heart attack one day, we always have to start with these avocado club egg rolls. They are SO GOOD! Stuffed with tomato, chicken, cheese, bacon, and large slices of avocado and deep fried in a wonton wrapper -- these babies are the stuff of my dreams people. They are served with this "ranchito" sauce...I have no idea what that means, but it's heaven when drizzled over these egg rolls. My arteries are probably getting clogged just by looking at this picture, but I seriously can't help myself with these.

One of my favorite parts of CPK pizzas is their crust. It's pretty thin, but still chewy and flavorful and almost has this unique tangy taste - I don't know what it is, but I love it! Sadly, this thin crispy crust pizza was, well, crispy, and wasn't as amazing as the normal pizzas to me. I liked the flavor of this pizza however. The gorgonzola cheese wasn't too overpowering, and the pears paired nicely with the arugula on top. I was worried that it would be too difficult to eat and that leftovers would be no good because the arugula would get soggy, but neither of these two things turned out to be a problem. The pear was a little drier than I would have personally liked, but overall, it was a fun deviation from the normal pizza options.

We love spicy food, and Owen almost always orders the Spicy Chipotle Chicken pizza, but this time I convinced him to try something new and we were not disappointed! The carnitas were succulent and in good supply on this pizza, and even though our waitress warned us about the spiciness of the habeñero salsa that was served on the side, we found it to be just right. The cilantro pesto base added some nice flavor to the pizza, and we thought it was delicious! 

What You Should Do: Even though it's a chain and many people may turn their noses up, I definitely think California Pizza Kitchen is worthy of your time and money. We've tried a variety of items here and have been satisfied and happy after every visit. Though I normally prefer the original crust pizzas, if you want to go thin & crispy, I would recommend the Jamaican Jerk Chicken pizza too! I love all of their unique pizza flavors and can never get enough of those darn avocado egg rolls...they've got me hooked. I've never tried any of their pastas or salads, so I can't vouch for them, but the pizzas are great and if you order two, there is almost always enough left over for lunch the next day - awesome! 

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Laura's

Where: Laura's, 664 N Freedom Blvd, Provo

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Chicken & Green Chile Tamale, 4 Tacos -- Barbacoa, Carnitas, Chicken, and one that was fried...can't remember the flavor!

What It Cost: $9.68

What We Thought: 

Laura's is the perfect place to bring that (potentially annoying) return missionary friend who always loves to show off their funnily-accented Spanish. Most of the menu is not in English and the only person speaking English at the restaurant was the kid who was working the register, but if you can figure out what it is you want to order, you can get delicious results! Between Owen's Portuguese and my high school Spanish classes, we were able to order a variety of tacos with a fair amount of confidence in what we were going to get!

We started out with our tamale -- this is where your Spanish speaking ability comes in handy because they just shout out the orders as they come up and you have to remember what you ordered! This tamale was definitely the best I've ever had in Utah County...I've recently become obsessed with tamales, and this soft, flavorful and super cheap tamale will definitely satisfy my cravings! This one was stuffed to the brim with filling and was not dry at all. Perfection.

They have a little salsa bar near the register where you can customize your hot and fresh tacos. Though not as extensive as some places like Tarahumara, their salad bar had all the basics you needed to make these tacos perfect. They were double-lined with soft corn tortillas which helped to keep all the goods in, and each taco presented a unique and flavor-packed taste. The carnitas taco (or was it barbacoa?) was smothered in a delicious sauce, and we had a hard time only eating half of each in order to share because they were  just too good! Rich authentic flavors, fresh preparation, and excellent seasoning all contributed to the wonderful fillings of these tacos.

I can't remember what flavor this fried taco was, but there wasn't a single flavor that we didn't like, so I'm sure it was delicious as well. The fried tortilla was a little messier to eat so I'd probably stick with soft ones in the future, but it was still fantastic. Normally I turn my nose up at any type of iceberg lettuce, but theirs was so fresh and crisp that it added a nice crunch that I don't think you'd get with other types of lettuce! I'd definitely recommend adding cilantro and a fresh squeeze of lime to all your tacos.

What You Should Do: Umm....did you see that below $10 total cost? Yeah, this place is CHEAP. And GOOD. Two of my favorite things :) Fortunately it is just outside of quick walking distance from my house, or else I am pretty sure I would go order a tamale every day. And the best part is that it wouldn't even break the bank! The only challenging part about this restaurant comes to those of us who are not very fluent in Spanish since the majority of the menu is not in English. Here are a couple of words to give you a head start:

• Pollo = Chicken
• Barbacoa = Barbecue
• Carnitas = Pork
• Lengua = Tongue
• Al Pastor = Pork with Chiles and Pineapple
• Pescado = Fish
• Carne Asada = Beef
• Camarones = Shrimp

That's all I can remember, but if you're feeling adventurous, order something new! We were pleasantly surprised by everything we got, but make sure to write it down and remember so that when they call up your order, you know to pick it up! Or just bring that return-missionary friend (you all know who I'm talking about...)

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DBoy's BBQ & Grill

Where: DBoy's BBQ & Grill, 294 N State Street, Orem

Who Went: Owen & Chelsey

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Spicy Sausage Sandwich and Fries, Barbecue Chicken with Baked Beans and Potato Salad

What It Cost: ~$20

What We Thought:

Every time we've passed this restaurant in the past, Owen's thought that it was a jewelry store because of the diamond on the front door! But when I got a coupon for DBoy's, I was able to convince him that they served barbecue not baubles, and we decided to give it a try. The first thing that impressed me with DBoy's was their unique menu and centrally-located smoker. All of there meats are prepared daily in the restaurant, and if you can't make up your mind, the owner will give you more details on the food and may even let you sample some! They had some fun choices that strayed from your typical BBQ fare - mostly focusing on Greek food, like gyros.

Owen ordered a sandwich with sliced and sauced sausage inside a toasted bun. It was different than anything I've ever had, and despite the difficulty to eat, was pretty tasty. The bun was perfection, and we really enjoyed the fresh flavor of these crispy fries - they were just the right width for me! I don't know if I'd order this as a sandwich again because the meat pieces were too big and kept falling out, but it still tasted good.

I definitely enjoyed my chicken, which was barbecued on the bone and seasoned to perfection. The meat fell easily from the bone and I gave up using a fork after five minutes in and just went for it! The baked beans were piping hot and had some unique flavors, and the potato salad (which is not easily visible in this photo -- it's that bright stuff in the back!) had a bit of a Greek flair and was surprisingly good. The only thing I wished was that I had gotten more of the potato salad...it seemed like a rather small side dish compared to the baked beans and fries that Owen received. It was also served with a large slice of garlic toast, which was a nice touch.

What You Should Do: If you're in the mood for some unique, good-portioned, and decently priced barbecue food, you should definitely head over to DBoy's! It was not very busy so there was very little wait, which was surprising for food this delicious :)

Aristo's

Where: Aristo's, 224 S 1300 E, Salt Lake City

Who Went: Chelsey

Number of Visits: 1

What I Ordered: Orzo Pasta Salad & Regular Gyro

What It Cost: $13.73

What I Thought:

Just off the corner of the University of Utah campus, Aristo's provides delicious selections of Greek fare that are infinitely superior to anything you'd find in the Student Union! I meandered over here for a solo lunch one day and was pleasantly surprised with the results.

I ordered a gyro, which could come with a variety of different sides, including this orzo pasta salad. I am so glad I chose it over fries or something - it was amazing! I loved the rich potent flavors, adorable presentation, and it was enough food to be a meal on its own! I've been trying to recreate this at home with little success - my only hope will be to go to Aristo's and order it again and again.

The gyro was simple and superb. It was wrapped in the best, softest, most flavorful and tender pita I've ever partaken of, and the meat was cooked to perfection with just a little mix of onions and fresh tzatziki sauce. My only complaint would be that all of the delicious tzatziki sauce was piled towards the front of the gyro, which would leave the bottom half rather dry if you didn't think to mix it all in before eating it. But if you spread the tzatziki sauce, then you're golden. Definitely the best gyro I've ever had, and I'm definitely going to have to take Owen here someday since he's the biggest gyro-lover I know!

What You Should Do: If you happen to find yourself in enemy territory ;) then you have to give Aristo's a try! They have some lovely indoor and outdoor seating, wonderful service, and amazing Greek food.

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Screen Door

Where: Screen Door, 2337 East Burnside Street, Portland, Oregon

Who Went: Chelsey, Devynne, Lyvia, Charles, Quinn, Mom

Number of Visits: 1

What It Cost: A lot....$100+ (gratuity included)

What We Ordered: Blackberry Lemonade, Fried Chicken, BBQ'd Beef Brisket, Pecan-Encrusted Trout, Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwich, Two Screen Door Plates - one with Mac & Cheese, Thin-Sliced Fried Pork Chops, and Red Beans & Rice, the other with Smoked Chicken and Andouille Jambalaya, Fried Catfish, and French Fries, Creole Pecan Pie, Ban-offee Pie, Mississippi Mud Pie, Hummingbird Cake, Upside Down Rhubarb Cake, and Strawberry Shortcake

What We Thought:

Of course I typically write reviews for restaurants around Utah County, but I thought I'd throw in an extra review this week for a fun out-of-town visit I've taken recently. For my birthday at home in the Pacific Northwest, I requested one of the most talked-about Portland restaurant, the Screen Door. This was before my experience with chicken and waffles at Station 22, and the Screen Door receives a lot of press for their famed chicken and waffles, as well as their famed line out the door! They are only open for Saturday and Sunday brunch and dinner everyday at 5:30, so we got there around 5 to start waiting in line! There were already people there of course, but at least we were let in with the first round of diners, even with our large party. I was impressed with how quickly they got our food to us, even though the restaurant was absolutely packed and incredibly busy. Unfortunately, when we looked at the menu, I discovered that the chicken and waffles are only served during the weekend brunch! NOOOOOOOO! I decided I would settle for the regular fried chicken and just overly compensate with tons of desserts. (I also thought it was hilarious that in addition to their traditional Southern-style plenty-of-fried food menu they had a separate menu with organic and vegan options...so Portland).

I started with the blackberry lemonade, which was heavenly sweet and flavorful. We were lucky enough to get to sit outside with the perfect Portland weather and missed out on the hustle and bustle of the indoor restaurant, which I was kind of grateful for. It was nuts in there!

I staked the first claim on the fried chicken, and being the annoying restaurant blogger that I am, I i̶n̶s̶i̶s̶t̶e̶d̶ encouraged everyone else to try something different. I absolutely loved my fried chicken - divine crispy buttermilk exterior with moist, juicy chicken inside. It is definitely at least 10 degrees better than that at Station 22....sorry. It was served with mashed potatoes which were decent and some collard greens - turns out I'm not a huge collard greens fan. But nothing on the side mattered, the real star of this plate was the huge pieces of fried chicken, and they really shone. There was so much chicken on this plate that I even gave in and shared some with everyone at the table, despite the fact that I'd really rather have eaten it all myself!

The Screen Door Plates are a fun choice for those of us who can't ever make up their mind about what to order - you get to choose three separate "sides," most of which could really be a complete dish on their own! On this plate, I was actually a little disappointed with the red beans and rice - it's one of my favorite Southern dishes, and this one was just under the expectations I had for flavor. The macaroni and cheese was good of course - cheesy, oozy, intense, and with a tasty crunchy top crust. And the fried pork was a little dry but had a nice salty crispy profile and it was all an overall enjoyable plate.

The pecan-encrusted trout was probably our least favorite plate - the fish had a little bit of a dirty taste and the pecans did not add much of a flavor-punch. The potatoes and asparagus were fine but a little boring, and there wasn't enough sauce to add enough pizzazz to the trout.

The beef brisket on the other hand, was absolutely delicious. Huge slabs of tender meat, doused in a sweet and spicy sauce was complimented with twirls of crunchy fried onions. Yum! Devynne ordered this plate and it was hard to pry a single bite from her, but I greatly enjoyed the little taste she spared :) The potato salad was a nice refreshing touch to the savory meat, and there were some forgettable greens that upped the healthiness factor at least.

Our second Screen Door Plate was ordered by someone who's not actually part of my immediate family, so I tried not to be too awkward about wanting to try everything, but he was surprisingly compliant. He greatly enjoyed the fried catfish and I was impressed with the jambalaya - since I'm not a huge shrimp fan, I thought the slightly different combination of meats was a delightful change.

This pulled pork sandwich was probably my second favorite dish that we ordered - I've never had my coleslaw actually piled on top of the sandwich, and it has changed my life! Now I always slap some slaw on top of my pulled meat sandwiches. It is so good!!! The pork was tangy and delicious, and some of the best peppery coleslaw I've ever had on a toasted tasty bun. If I ever could convince myself not to order some of that amazing fried chicken, this would be an excellent second choice.

Now on to desserts! We went a little crazy and ordered every.single.dessert on the menu! They just all sounded so good that we couldn't exclude any of them...well, we were going to say no to the strawberry shortcake, but we just couldn't leave it out. They brought out this Ban-offee Pie to me with a little birthday candle, oh-so-festive. I've never had Ban-offee Pie before - apparently it is a traditional British dessert, and it is a dessert that I am definitely going to add into my rotation! A crispy shortbread crust, tender bananas mixed with delicious toffee, all topped with a caramel-infused whipped cream. AMAZING! I may need to move back to Portland just so I can eat this EVERY SINGLE DAY!

This was the Mississippi Mud Pie, and honestly, it was gone between Charles and my brother before I could even get a bite! I was lucky to even get a picture...I'll take that as a good thing :)

The pecan pie was cute, but a little too much crust and not enough filling for me...though still delicious.

We probably should have just said no to the strawberry shortcake. You know, I've never really had a strawberry shortcake that I've been super impressed by. With this one, the biscuit was too dry and crumbly, and there were not enough strawberries or sweetness. Definitely our least favorite of the desserts.

This cake definitely made up for it though! A mix between a carrot cake and pineapple cake, this Southern classic with cream cheese frosting was absolutely delectable. I hate raisins and love pineapple, so this baby was right up my alley. In fact, I don't think I'll ever be able to have carrot cake without pineapple again! It was just too darn good this way.

Finally (I know, you thought it would never end) was the upside down rhubarb cake. Not too much to say here - the toasted almonds were a nice touch and the cake had a good flavor and texture, but I really could have gone for more fruit in the cake itself. The rhubarb flavor was more of an accent than the leading role in this cake for us.

What You Should Do: Well, if you ever find yourself in the Portland Oregon area, I'd definitely recommend going there! But if you don't mind doing me a small favor, try to go for brunch and then report back to me if the chicken and waffles are worth all the hype (and the line out the door and around the block)! There were a couple of misses in our meal, but probably just because I forced everyone to try something different - if I was a little nicer and less selfish (hey, it was my birthday at least), then probably everyone would have ordered the fried chicken and we all would have gone home as happy as me!

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