Splurge me! (Version 1.0)

As I was writing about a couple of the nicer places in Vegas, it dawned on me that some of the reading population may want some ideas on where to go for a special night out. So, in this post we will be diverting from our stated mission of "champagne on a beer budget" as it were, and instead taking a look at some places where you, and your wallet, can get a little uppity! I'll preface this by saying that I am not a wealthy man, so there are plenty of pricey places that I have not had the privilege to venture to, but I have managed to sneak out for the occassional flirtation with the better life :)

Chimayo

There are lots of great places to eat in Park City, many of them splurges. This one tops the list for me, though. Right on Main Street, it's a casual sort of eatery with its western decor and (over)use of wrought iron. This is my wife's favorite place to eat in Utah, so I scored big points by taking her here on her brithday when we were merely a young couple in love...I think we had been engaged for a month and a half, actually, so I had to cement the deal before she changed her mind!

Chimayo offers Southwestern Cuisine prepared simply but elegantly, although perhaps a little different than most Southwestern places you may have been to. That's because they put a little French-American flair into the presentations, and it works wonderfully! I'm a sucker for Ceviche, and theirs is made with scallops, fish, and shrimp and is magical. Not a fish person? Try the Sugarcan Skewer of Elk, you will not be disappointed. The appetizers are as rich in variety as they are in taste and offer the perfect start to your meal. We skipped the salad, although the Stuffed Avocado with Marinated Vegetables has always looked awful tempting to me. As you move toward the entrees, you will notice a London Broil of Elk - pictured above. Get it! This is the best thing on the menu. London Broil is always tricky because (and you know this if you have cooked one) it must be sliced properly. Slice it against the grain and it will melt in your mouth. Go with the grain and you will find that you wasted your money on a tough, chewy piece of meat. The reason for this is that as you go across the grain you sever the tough, chewy fibers in the meat. Luckily, the proper slicing of a London Broil is among the many culinary skills that the chefs at Chimayo seem to have little problem with. It comes medium rare with a nice pink center, and is laid out in thinly sliced medallions topped with a Green Chile Bernaise. This dish is ethereal, even for people who don't like elk. Just relax and savor, and chew it slowly. You will want to make this dish last! The grilled Buffalo Flank Steak is another amazing piece of meat, and is finished with a nice red chili sauce. Want seafood? No problem. Among their many offerings is Striped Bass, which is a version of Sea Bass. I first had the opportunity to sample it during the 2002 Olympics. I was working security for Visa at their hospitality suite, which had its own chef, a Canadian guy from New York. He made some Sea Bass, I tried it, I fell in love. That simple. The Bass at Chimayo does not disappoint. Rich, buttery, and flavorful. For dessert, I recommend the the Maple Creme Brulee, which is served with Walnut Shortbreads. As you might expect, they have an extensive wine list to boot. Fantastic restaurant, and well worth the high prices.

Fleming's

When I was researching a new truck, I talked to a lot of people and read a lot of reports. I test-drove the Dodge, Chevy, Ford, GMC, and Toyota. What I found was that regardless of which full-size truck I chose, I really couldn't go wrong. Splurging on a fine steak place is kind of the same way. If you go somewhere where the steaks are pricey, they will probably be pretty good. I have heard on several occasions that Spencer's has the finest steaks in Utah, but since I have not been there myself I will review somewhere that I have been.

We went here on our anniversary. It is a nice place inside, about what you would expect from a steak place. They have the open kitchen in the back - a look that is becoming more and more popular, as I alluded to in an earlier post. Our server was, again as you would expect, quite friendly and very knowledgable. Along with their steaks, Fleming's is also known for their wines. In fact, the complete name of the place is Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar. As such, your meal comes complete with an in-house sommelier, which I suggest you take advantage of if not a wine expert yourself as the wine list can be quite daunting. Upon selecting a beverage, mine suggested from the wine menu and hers a prickly pear margarita, we commenced to eatin'. I don't know why I went redneck right there, but I had to balance out the snooty feel of splurgy restaurants somehow!

My selection was the special, which was a Black n' Blue New York topped with Sea Scallops and a fantastic Bernaise Sauce. Absolutely outstanding. The steak was cooked to a perfect medium-rare (read: cut with a fork!) and the huge scallops were a perfect complement to the succulent meat. Soapbox moment: If you are serious about eating steak, don't ruin the dang piece of meat by getting it well-done! Here is a secret...all steaks taste the same when they are well-done. If you like your steaks that way, please save yourself the cost of an expensive steak and go home and burn a $1.99 steak from Wal-Mart on your own grill. You will not notice the difference! Medium-rare, or medium AT THE MOST, will bring out the full flavor of the steak and give you a moist, tender piece of meat. OK, I'm done. Anyway, the Blue Cheese just brought it all together perfectly. The wife opted for a Petite Filet that was buttery and delicious, and pretty decent sized for something called "petite". Like most high-end steak places, sides come separate. We opted for the Half-and-Half (shoestring potatoes and onion rings) and Grilled Asparagus. The sides were all good, but nothing noteworthy enough to require any further praise here. Creme Brulee for dessert topped off a terrific meal, soured only by our discovery that my wife is, in fact, allergic to prickly pear. Flushed face and upset stomach aside, the meal was still a success.

Aerie

OK, I am really going to have to jog my memory on this one, because the one and only time that I have been here was for Prom...in 1994!! Do not fear, though. I was a young, aspiring foodie and already developing an unhealthy obsession for the tastier side of life :)

This place is really nice, and its location at the top of the Cliff Lodge at Snowbird provides beautiful views of Little Cottonwood Canyon. Although the menu may have changed some, I do recall having the Filet, and I recall it being fantastic. Moist, tender, and perfect. After much straining, I will unfortunately report that I cannot for the life of me remember what my date had (sorry, K!), but I do recall her giving it an enthusiastic thumbs-up. Bottom line: We all liked it, we lived like high-rollers for a couple of hours, and I would not hesitate to go back there again.

Shallow Shaft

Another Little Cottonwood locale, this one at Alta. Unlike the Aerie, this is not part of a ski resort. It is a little wooden shack on the side of the road, which you must enter by walking up a "shallow shaft" of covered stairs. Once you are inside, you find a nice, small, intimate place. The views are fantastic and the food ain't too shabby either. The prices have come down, so this is not quite the "splurge" it once was. Unfortunately, the change in price brought a change in menu, and the best item was unceremoniously dropped. The pork medallions, complete with a raspberry demi-glace, were well worth the drive up the canyon all by themselves. They have to be among the ten best things I have ever tried. So, as mad as I am that they are no longer on the much-more-casual menu, I remain hopeful that the same culinary expertise applies to the rest of the remaining menu and will keep my fingers crossed until I find myself back up there again to make an accurate judgement. Benefit of the doubt? Maybe, but I'm an optimist. Now if you'll excuse me I will be calling the Shallow Shaft and threatening torture with a wet noodle until said medallions are re-instated.

...That's all for now, more to come!

Viva Las Vegas!

What happens in Sin City may stay there, but news of what is eaten there should travel far and wide! What a great eating destination. I'm sure I won't even scratch the surface, because the are more places to eat in Vegas than there are schmucks who try to act like high rollers while gulping down a beer from O'Sheas (For those who did not get that reference, O'Sheas is famous for having ridiculously cheap drinks, and as a side note is the only place I know of on the strip that has beer pong). With one exception I will stay away from the staple of Vegas eating, the buffet. I wanted to stay entirely away, but I had to mention this one:

Brunch at Le Village (Paris Hotel & Casino)

This is not your typical buffet, as evidenced by the almost $30 price tag. But if ever you were going to splurge on brunch, this would be as good a place as any. The line is long, the restaurant is really nice, and you may even cross paths with a celeb or two - I happened to see former NFL running back Zach Crockett on my last visit. There are a million stations serving all kinds of goodies. I can't come close to remembering them all, but some of the highlights were lox (best I have ever had), incredible made-to-order omlettes, and to-die-for french pastries of any kind you can imagine. They have all the standard breakfast fare of course, and also a lot of really unique dishes. Everything is amazing. I put down 5 full plates and would gladly have eaten more had I not crossed the threshold between full and painful. Best brunch I've ever had, hands down.

OK, on to the non-buffet fare:

Batista's Hole In The Wall

This little gem is located right behind the Flamingo Hilton, and it is really easy to miss amidst the lights and glitz of the strip just a half block away. Don't miss this. This is incredible Italian food. I was turned on to this place by (who else?) The Spicy Sicilian. As I've mentioned before, when she talks about Italian Food, I listen! She took me here on our first trip to Lost Wages, and it has become a mandatory stop ever since.
This place is just too cool inside (picture at the top). There is so much decor (a mix of funky and traditional Italian) that you can scarcely see a patch of wall. And, as you can see, Batista's comes with a sweet little old man who will play old-time Italian melodies on the accordian for you. If you cannot enjoy yourself in a place like this you have serious issues!
There are no individual menus for you to look at. It's up on the wall, Jack. And unlike most places, it's pretty sparse. That's a good thing, because what they do they do very well. All meals come with Minestrone Soup or Italian Salad - get the latter, which is topped with a few big slices of pepperoni - as well as Garlic Bread, Pasta Salad, and a carafe of complimentary house wine (Red or White). You can order off the wine menu as well, but the free stuff is OK...for free stuff. You also get to finish your meal with a complimentary Cappuccino. Whew! I'm about exhausted and we haven't even gotten to the entrees yet. Trust me, you will not leave here hungry.
The entrees I have tried have been magnificent. I usually opt for the Canelloni. These are thin pasta crepes rolled into tubes and stuffed with meat and topped with cheese and two sauces (white and red). This is my favorite Italian dish, but it is unfortunately hard to find. They actually used to have it at Olive Garden(!) but have not had it on the menu for years. Anyhow, this is melt-in-your-mouth delicious. It, like most of the dishes here, is not overly complicated. They do pretty simple preparations, but they just do them better than everybody else. This is one of those dishes that I could eat every day if I could. SS usually opts for Sausage Cacciatore, which is meaty, spicy, filling, and delicious. If you like spice, meat, pasta, chunky tomatoes, bell peppers, and onions, and honestly who wouldn't like that combination, you will love this dish. Everything on the menu looks tasty, I just haven't been able to pull myself away from my favorites to try any of it. Entrees range from $20-$37 so it is a bit of a splurge, but it is well worth it!

Lotus of Siam

Reviewer after reviewer has lauded this place as being possiblt the best Thai in the country. I'm not sure I am ready to take that leap, but I will tell you that I have eaten Thai all over and this is as good as I have had anywhere. Were it in SLC, I think it would give my beloved Thai Orchid stiff competition for my Thai destination. But who wants to see an Orchid and a Lotus fight? Could get ugly!

OK, bad floral humor aside, this place is seriously good. It is in a little strip-mall square filled with Asian eateries. It is non descript and a few blocks off of the strip, but it is worth going out of your way. It is kind of a nice hole-in-the-wall inside, which is a weird way to describe something but is nevertheless accurate in this case. I ate here one time, and it was my bachelor party (and is the only part of the night that we will be revealing), which means that with all those people we got to try a lot if different stuff. Oh, and my memory did not get fuzzy until later on in the night, so you can trust this review :)

Of course we had the requisite Pad Thai and Panang Curry. Both were outstanding. We also ventured into the world of Green Curry, and found it to be fantastic as well. Then we got a little crazy. We let the waitress suggest a few dishes and ended up with a whole Pompano fish in a red curry sauce, Drunken Noodle Seafood in a dynamite chili-basil sauce, and a house special of sliced charbroiled beef in some kind of strange sauce that was moist and tender. Basically, everything we had was amazing. I'd still take Orchid's Panang, but that's like saying that you would choose a Ferrari over a Shelby Mustang. Still nothing wrong with the Shelby! This place is a must if you are in Vegas and like Thai food.

Lindo Michoacan

This place is so good, I once drove all the way from Mesquite just to eat dinner here. I didn't even stay in Vegas for anything else, just drove down with a couple people, ate, and came back to the hotel in Mesquite! This is Mexican food worth making that kind of trip.

There are four locations, but the one I always go to if on Desert Inn. It's a big place, and nice but casual inside. The service is great and the staff really knows their stuf, which helps with a menu as big as this one! To start your meal off, get the guacamole. They come make it right at your table in traditional molcajetes, while you tell them exactly how much or how little you want of the 6 ingredients (avodcado, jalapeno, onion, tomatoes, and the two key ingredients: cilantro and lime juice). Best guac I have ever had. Next, see if you can navigate the menu. Like I said, they are willing to help with this. Don't get your panties in a bunch with worry over what to order, though, everything is good. My personal favorite, partially because it it sublimely tasty and patrtially because it gives my wife this cute little retching face, is Birria. Birria is a Mexican festival dish. They take goat meat (that's where I lose the wife!) and cook it with several kinds of chiles, spices, and beer (not water). It is slow-cooked which means the meat is fall-apart tender and moist. It is actually served in the liquid it is cooked in, and you eat it by pulling bits of the meat out and placing them on a corn tortilla with cilantro, onion, and guac. Of course, some of the liquid always finds its way on as well! Folks, you have not lived until you have experienced the wonders of succulent goat at Lindo Michoacan. Trust me. Because it is so good I usually don't order anything else on the menu, although I have been known to take bites of other people's food! I can report that the fajitas are excellent, as are the Chile Rellenos de Camaron (w/shrimp if you didn't translate), the Mole, and the Carnitas, which are a specialty of the house along with the Birria. This is Vegas, which means cheap buffets but a little higher-priced restaurants, so expect to pay $15-$20 an entree. Don't worry, it's worth it!

Del Frisco's

In the interest of full disclosure, I have never actually been here. This recommendation comes by way of the Spicy Sicilian, whose boss used to love to take retreats to Vegas and would take his employees here. This is an expense-account kind of place. At over $30 (and possibly much higher) for any of their award-winning steaks, this place is definitely a splurge. Like many high-end places, sides must be ordered separate form the entree and of course will incur additional expense. The report from the S.S. is that this is the best steak she has ever had. Ever. Thick steaks, cooked to perfection, and so tender you can cut them with your fork. Buttery would be the most accurate description of their texture. Throw in a humidor and an incredible wine list, and you can see why it's not uncommon to spot politicians, actors/actresses, mob bosses, and porn stars here (hey, it's Vegas!). Add in some appetizers (the oysters are fantastic) and dessert, and it is not hard to get the bill around $100 per person. If you can afford it, though, it might also be worth every penny!

See you all in Vegas!

Quick bites - some more all-time favorites

Black Pastrami Rueben & Cabbage Soup @ Brent's Deli in Northridge, CA

I know, this is two dishes, but I always get both of them and either is more than enough reason to head to the Valley! Brent's is straight out of New York. The same place, with the same clientel you would find in the big apple. I have learned that any Deli packed with a large Jewish population usually had pretty dang good food. The first thing you see upon entering the very crowded Deli are cakes and eclairs so big that Paul Bunyan would need several friends to help finish just one of them!
Back to the stars though. These sandwiches are enormous. The regular pastrami is good enough, but the Black Pastrami just has something extra in the flavor. It is super thin, moist, peppery, and piled higher than you can open your mouth. Served on wonderful rye bread, a half sandwich is a meal unto itself. The soup, which you can get in a 1/2 sandwich & soup combo, is like candy. A sweet soup, if you can believe it, packed with chunks of cabbage and beef. It is like having dessert for lunch. Your tastebuds will thank you!

Chicken Makhani (Butter Chicken) at Amber India in Palo Alto, CA

Actually, the whole place is amazing. Hands down the best Indian I have ever had. It is also the first Indian I ever had, which is really strange. Fact is, I have been searching for something as good ever since and, while I have found some spots that come close, nothing has ever matched it. We had four dishes, all of them fantastic. The Butter Chicken stole the show though. Rich, creamy, a million different flavors dancing on your tongue, and a nice kick of Indian spices. Perfect :)

Oatmeal Pie @ Butterburrs in Pocatello, ID

There is not much good eating in Pocatello, but this pie is the real stuff! Butterburrs is one of those all-day breakfast kind of places, and the food is not extraordinary but it is solid. There a few pleasant surprises on the menu and its good enough that I would certainly not steer you AWAY from it. But, the reason it makes this list is because of the Oatmeal Pie. Think Pecan Pie filling (caramel) on homemade crust and topped with carmelized oats, coconut, and black walnuts. This is like the best oatmeal cookie you've ever had, kicked up about 5 notches and then put in pie form. I came home and told my wife it was now her mission to figure out how to make it :) My mouth is watering right now. Is Pocatello too far to go JUST to get a piece of pie?

Oktoberfest!

I love this time of year. Summer is winding down, football season is upon us, and Oktoberfest is rockin at Snowbird. As a bonus, it is always occuring during my wife's brithday, which is always a nice, ready-made idea to do since she loves German food and culture. The booths are sparse but alright...get your fill of knick-knacks and such as you make your way through. We found one place where we seem to get sucked in to buying the boy killer vests and coats each year, and another with some really cool steins and a wide selection of Ritter Sport candy bars :)
The real reason we go up, of course, is for the fantastic German food! The menu at Oktoberfest is pretty limited, but thankfully had most of my favorites. The wife and I opted for Paprika Chicken. This differs from my favorite Hungarian dish, Chicken Paprikash, in that the chicken is cooked quartered and on the bone rather than shredded and swimming in scrumptious sauce. Although I like the Parikash preparation better, this was not too shabby. Big pieces of white meat (you have to peel the skin off if you are health-conscious) came off in chunks and were dipped into the very good sauce, of which there was a tad too little. It's a bit of a mess, but worth it. The entrees are served with a big heap of sauerkraut, which was very mild. That's a good thing for me, since strongly-flavored sauerkraut does not make my list of foods I enjoy. As a side, we had spaetzle in gravy. Spaetzle are tender little dumplings and are the perfect compliment to any German meal. This particular spaetzle was very good. My kind of comfort food! My parents, who accompanied us on the journey, opted for Beef Rouladen. This is a dish of bacon, onion, mustard, and pickles wrapped up in thinly sliced beef. The beef was tender, the flavor was unique and savory, and the sauce was the right accent. Very good dish. This also came with sauerkraut, and a side of pickled red cabbage that was tasty in its own right. All of this was washed down with the traditional Black Bier (Beer), which does not taste like the dark beer that I ususally avoid, but rather substitutes flavors of chocolate in place of the hoppiness that usually dominates its similar-colored brethren. Nice change :) For dessert, the folks bypassed the delicious-looking German Chocolate Cake in favor of Apple Strudel. The strudel was good, but didn't light my world on fire. Still, a solid meal. They also have bratwurst available if you are in the mood for something tubular. Definitely worth a trip up the canyon, and you get to hear great live polka while you are eating to boot. Honestly, how can you listen to polka and not be happy? Bloody shame if you can't, I say. I was even in a good enough mood that I let my wife talk me in to going up and trying my luck on the Alpenhorn. You know, those long suckers that the Ricola guys play? Let's just say that they are a lot harder to play than they look! The sound that emanated from my vain attempt at music sounded something like cattle getting fondled. Not pretty. While you're up there, you may as well take in the Alpine Slide and Zipline, two of my favorite Snowbird activities. Just remember to use the brake every so often on the slide, as a friend of mine who moved from Puerto Rico recently discovered!

Aristo's

Last Sunday, the Spicy Sicilian had a birthday, and it dawned on me that we ought to go somewhere to eat. But where, oh where, is a foodie to take her? Obviously, I have a reputation to uphold, so I had to pick somewhere that didn't suck. Also, since her cooking is good enough to open up her own Italian restaurant, I did not want to take the chance that we would end up somewhere inferior to her culinary abilities. Fortunately, this is just the kind of situation I was made for. I often think that I know the woman better than she knows herself, and a thought came to me: Greek! She LOVES Greek! But where to go? Not to worry. Drawing deep into my memory, I recalled a conversation with my twin sister (yes, tis true I have a twin..but I'm older by 21 minutes!) about Greek food. She has been to Greece, and told me about a place around these parts that is about as authentic Greek as one could get outside of the cradle of Hellenistic culture. So, it was off to Aristo's we went.

This is located at one of my favorite spots - the cozy little restaurant row on 1300 E. right by the U. of Utah campus, and the Pie Pizzeria to boot. We waltzed in and found it sparsely populated enough that we did not need to tell them of our reservation. Out to the patio we went. I strongly suggest the patio if you are going to eat here and the temperature is even close to warm. What a beautiful setting. After perusing the appetizers, which took a while since there is an entire page of them(!) we decided that we were indecisive, and so ordered the Orektika. This is a sampler of any three spreads served with pita bread, cucumbers, and olives. We opted for the Hummus, Tzatziki (that white sauce they put on Gyros for the uneducated), and Kafteri, the latter consisting of Roasted Macedonian Peppers, Feta, Cayenne, and Olive Oil. The pita came out in a spiral container cut into perfect dipping-size pieces and was soft, pillowy, and pretty much the best pita I have ever had. The Hummus was magnificent. Smooth and creamy, it melted away inside my mouth. I would have downed it with a spoon if I could have, but there were other sauces to explore! The Tzatziki went great with the fresh cucumber slices, and lightened the palette perfectly. And the Kafteri...WOW. I can't do it justice in the written word. It was amazing.

For our entrees, we took divergent paths. SS ordered two of her personal favorite Greek comfort foods: Lemon-Rice Soup, which was fantastic, and the Village Salad. The Village Salad was, surprisingly, the highlight of the evening. It is a bowl of tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, red onions, and Kalamata olives tossed in olive oil. It is topped with 3 "sheets" of Feta which can then be broken up on top of or throughout the salad. The Feta by itself was delicious. Combined with the rest of the salad it was even better. You know how when you eat a salad you can pick out all of the different flavors and they sort of combine in a nice, refreshing dish? This is not that kind of salad. This salad was, to use a very unsalad-like term, smooth. That's really the best word I can use to describe it. The flavors all combined into one uber tasty treat that just seemed to dance on your tongue and remind you that you were experiencing something special. I never thought I would write that about a salad, but this was no ordinary salad! My entree was more of a tradtional entree-type meal. Unfortunately I cannot tell you the name of it because as I look at the online menu for reference, it is not listed. I can tell you about it though :) It was chicken breast rolled around spinach and feta, then breaded and quickly fried. It was served over a bed of rice pilaf and drizzled with a mushroom-scallion sauce. The presentation was beautiful, and the food did not lag far behind. This wasn't one of those "special" dishes like the salad, but it was very good nonetheless. The stuffing was a wonderful complement to the chicken, the sauce was just enough of an addition, and the pilaf was nice. One thing that stood out to me here is that the flavors don't really jump out and grab you. Instead, they are subtle and understated, and kind of catch your attention when you are going along with your meal and realize that you can't stop eating it. After finishing, your tastebuds haven't been through a an in-your-face kind of journey, but rather an artistic voyage, where subtlety is key and the mastery builds ever so gently until you are done and realize that everything just seems to be right. Ahhhh. Sounds nice, doesn't it? And the prices are far less than I would expect to pay for the quality of the food.

Not wanting to leave, we decided to finish the evening with some Baklava. One of my favorite meal-enders, it was actually the only thing here that I might say could use improvement. Granted, Baklava should not be overly sweet, but this one was almost more savory, and my sweet tooth could have used a little more kick, to be honest. Still, not bad, and upon leaving, we called the experience a resounding success and vowed to be back to the best restaurant either of us have tried this year. And I vowed to listen to my twin sis more often! (p.s. her favorite dish here is the Mousaka. Since she suggested this place to me, I would probably trust her on this entree selection, too)

Beyond Glaze

In a perfect world, we could eat whatever we wanted and never get fat or unhealthy. And in that perfect world, I would eat donuts. I love donuts. They are quite possibly man's most perfect food, but that little guy with wings on my shoulder keeps me from indulging in them very often. Sometimes, though, the other guy, the one with the horns and pitchfork, needs some goodness. So when the Spicy Sicilian showed up with an unexpected treat from Beyond Glaze, he was giddy to say the least.

Beyond Glaze is a new gourmet donut place that has recently popped up just east of Riverton on 12300 S. They have several varieties, ranging from the sinfully decadent to the downright strange. SS had selected six: Strawberry Bliss, Cherry Chocolate, Bluberry Bliss, Grasshopper, S'mores, and Peanut Butter and Jelly (this is a real flavor!). All of these come with some very fancy decorative frosting on top of what turned out to be a very good, fluffy glazed donut.

I tried the PB&J first because, well, when you get a PB&J donut don't you HAVE to try it first? The owner said that this was his favorite donut but for me it was just...weird. The topping tasted like PB&J, and the donut tasted like a donut. That said, I am not convinced that they go together, but if you are curious at all it is worth a try! The S'mores and Grasshopper tasted like what you would expect, which is to say that they were delicious (the Grasshopper only so if you like mint). The Big 3, though, were (in ascending order) Cherry, Strawberry, Blueberry. They were magical, wonderful, magnificent, and any other word you would like to use. I think I have gained 5 pounds just thinking about them, but it was worth it. Especially the Bluberry. This thing is just sick. Best. Donut. Ever. Excuse me, but I have to go. I have a, uh, thing. In Draper. Just east of Riverton. You can come if you want, just don't expect me to share.

Smashburger

This is the newest trendy burger place to pop up around these parts. A national chain making its way to Utah, it claims to have the best burgers you have ever tasted. The reason that they feel they can make this claim is because of the way they cook their meat. They smash (hence the name) a patty down and sear it, thereby locking in all of the juices and flavor before they have a chance to escape. The premise is sound, as I have found that a quick sear works well for me when cooking my own food.
The Sage and I decided that we would try it after watching some rugby nearby. Sure enough, we were assured by the cashier that this would be the best burger we had ever had. I was in a bit of a spicy mood, so I ordered the Spicy Baja with pepper jack, guac, chipotle mayo, jalapenos, and other fixins on a chipotle bun. The Sage opted to go a different route, ordering chicken (you guessed it, smashed and seared) with no bun. I also ordered some fantastic sounding rosemary, olive oil, and garlic fries.
The food came out with the speed you would expect from a semi-fast-food place, and we dug in. The Sage found his chicken to have very good flavor and he threw it down pretty quick. On the other hand, I found my burger to be quite unremarkable. It wasn't bad, but it didn't wow me either. The spicy condiments were fresh and tasty, and they were the stars of the dish. Too bad the meat couldn't keep up. The fries, however, were the biggest disappoinment. I could not make out any flavor of rosemary, olive oil, garlic, or anything else for that matter. These were just plain old, bland fries.
Needless to say, this place didn't really do anything for me. I'm not saying that it sucks. I mean, if I were Jonesing for a burger and it were the only place nearby, I would feel fine about going there knowing I would have a solid meal. But solid is about as good as it gets there, and there are at least 7-8 places in SLC that I would rather go to "get my burger on".