Ab's Drive-In Review

It wasn't until I moved over here to the west side of the Salt Lake Valley that I heard about Ab's Drive In. In fact, it was the first new restaurant we tried when we moved over here! And I have to say, there are some good things as well as not-so -good things about Ab's Drive-In.

As for the shakes, they are pretty good, nothing to totally brag about but they are decent. The fries are pretty good actually. You can tell they are hand-cut fries, which is pretty hard to beat. I would have liked them to be a little crispier, other than that, they were better than most.

Now, the burgers. What would you expect from a burger that is named "The Fat Boy?" At least some size right? Well, this burger didn't even have that. The patties were small, two of them, and the taste wasn't much better. There was some special sauce that they put on the burger that was kinda sweet. It probably would normally be pretty good, but they just put way too much on and it was overwhelming.

All in all. I don't think Ab's is really worth your time. There are plenty of other good burger places to eat at!

Oh yeah, and you have to pay extra for fry sauce! $.35

The Quickie:

Service: Alright.
Prices: A bit steep for a burger joint.
Quality: Fries and shakes are alright. Burgers aren't so great.
Portions: Shakes are big. That's about it.
Atmosphere: Clean.

DP Cheesesteaks Review

Ok. So I've been on a lot of cheesesteaks lately. I just keep hearing about good places, so I gotta try 'em!

I tried two different cheesesteaks at DP's and I found one of them to be pretty good and the other one to be the YUMMIEST cheesesteak in the west! So the one that was alright was the Mushroom Pepper Steak. It has steak, onions, mushrooms, red peppers, and provolone. The only problem was...I think amount of each ingredient follows that order. There just wasn't enough cheese for me! I had a feeling I should have tried the Cheese Whiz one instead.
       The other sandwich that I tried was INCREDIBLE. Now that I think about it, I should have just gotten a 12 inch of this one....the Philly Bleu. A cheesesteak sandwich with blue cheese (and onions, mushrooms, and provolone)! How no one thought of this until just now! I just loved the sharp cheese taste that the blue cheese added to this delicious steak sandwich. It was just the perfect combination of flavors that gave a nice bite to this sandwich. If you are a cheesesteak fan, I would highly recommend trying the Philly Bleu at DP Cheesesteaks.

Sandwiches are sold in 6", 9", and 12".

They also have a delightful drink called Birch Beer. It's not really beer, it's just a carbonated beverage served with the other fountain drinks, but it is very good.

Philly Bleu

[photo]

The Quickie:

Service: Good.
Prices: Not bad considering the quality. $5-$10 depending on size of sandwich.
Quality: Soft bread, savory meat.
Portions: Depends on sandwich size. I was full on a 6"!
Atmosphere: Nice, clean.

DP Cheesesteaks in South Jordan
1665 Towne Center Drive, South Jordan -(801) 878-8450

Iggy's Sports Grill Review

My husband is a huge BYU fan so, naturally, it was a requirement for us to watch the BYU vs. Utah game. We decided to get a sitter and head off for Iggy's for some good food and the game.
As far as the atmosphere, well, BYU lost miserably and we were surrounded by Ute fans, so yes, we were very uncomfortable. :) But Iggy's itself is a very fun place to go for food and a fun place to catch a game.
I ordered the Baja Burger (topped with Canadian bacon, grilled green chilies, pepperjack cheese and Dijon mustard sauce). To. Die. For. I don't go back to many restaurants, mostly because I like to try new places, but I would totally go back to get this burger! The blend of flavors was perfect. I didn't know about the green chili's, but with the cheese and canadian bacon, it was all just incredible. The hamburger meat itself was delicious and very fresh tasting.
We also ordered a Popeye's Pizza (artichoke and spinach dip topped with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, chopped bacon and diced chicken breast). Very good. I wouldn't say it was any incredible pizza that stood out from other pizzas that I've had that were similar. But it was good.

Baja Burger. Wow.

 Popeye's Pizza

The Quickie:

Service: Very good. Our waitress was very non-intrusive.
Prices: Better than I expected. $8-13/meal
Quality: Very high. Everything was hot, fresh, and delicious.
Portions: BIG.
Atmosphere: Fun sport decor. Huge flat screens showing sports games.

7268 Plaza Center Drive
West Jordan, UT 84084

(801) 280-3161

Firehouse Subs Review

Firehouse Subs is a fairly new sandwich shop here in Utah. My hubby and I recently went to one in Sandy, UT and we were very impressed. :)
The whole theme of the establishment is, obviously, the firehouse. They say the restaurant was actually started up by firemen. Most of their sub sandwiches are served hot (probably also part of the theme). So the whole environment/theme is very fun.
As far as the food goes, we found it to be quite delicious! We got the Hook and Ladder (smoked turkey, Virginia honey ham, and melted Monterey Jack cheese, served warm). I got the meal which included a drink and chips with a pickle slice on the side--all this for about seven bucks (8" sandwich)! It was a steal and it was fantastic! Way better than any Subway sandwich. We also got the Smokehouse Beef and Cheddar Brisket, (beef brisket smoked for 10+ hours, melted cheddar, and special sauces). This sandwich was AMAZING. I am not the biggest meat eater, but this sandwich had me after one bite.
One fun thing about Firehouse is that they have a whole bar of special sauces to add to your sandwich. I was a little bit distrought that I saw this as I was leaving and didn't take advantage of it, but my sandwich was still killer without it.

Smokehouse Beef and Cheddar Brisket

Hook and Ladder

The Quickie:

Service: Great.
Prices: Good. $7-10/meal
Quality: Fantastic--very fresh and flavorful sandwiches.
Portions: Normal--you actually choose between 8 or 12 inch subs.
Atmosphere: Firehouse decor, very fun. Bathrooms smelled clean:)

Locations around SLC:
1008 E. Ft. Union Blvd., Midvale - (801) 561-3117

10325 South State Street, Sandy -(801) 432-2162

Culvers Restaurant Review

Culver's. Was. Awesome.
Seriously I've never been so impressed with a burger joint in all my life. I loved almost everything about this place. It was clean, the employees were nice, and most important the food was out of this world. All of the dairy products used at Culver's are straight from Wisconsin, including the cheese. The beef is also from Wisconsin, and has never been frozen. Each patty is made to order and that beef just melts in your mouth (thus the name Butterburger).

Culver's Famous Deluxe Butterburger and Fries

You can create your own meal choosing one entree, a side, and a drink or shake. My husband and I got the Crinkle fries, which weren't anything to brag about, and the Wisconsin Cheese Curds. Cheese battered and fried? I don't think you could possibly go wrong with that! Those cheese curds were my FAVORITE thing about Culver's. They'll kill ya' with the calories, but they're worth a try.

 Wisconsin Cheese Curds (Lightly battered and fried)

Crinkle Cut Fries

We tried one of Culver's famous custard shakes (they call it a Concrete Mixer). If you're one who likes your shake creamy, not stiff like ice cream, you'll have to try Culver's custard shakes.

Oreo Volcano Concrete Mixer (Chocolate Custard with M&Ms and Oreos)

 BONUS!

If you go online and subscribe to Culver's email list, they'll send you a Buy One Meal, Get One Free coupon! We did that before going and both of our meals were only ten bucks.

The Quickie:

Service: Fantastic, very friendly.
Prices: Good. $8-10/meal
Quality: Out of this world--incredible. Best burger place ever.
Portions: Not too huge, but perfect.
Atmosphere: Clean, new, very nice.

Blue Iguana Restaurant Review

        The other day I headed out to eat at The Red Iguana but it was so packed that there were people outside waiting to be seated. So me, being the impatient type, decided to head over to the Blue Iguana to see if we would have better luck there. No wait there so we stopped to eat. I have to say I was impressed with the food and the atmosphere. It was a fun place to eat.
        First off, I'd like to mention the chips and salsa. The salsa was perfect (and I'm a salsa nazi). Great blend of fresh ingredients with the perfect amount of heat. As for the chips, I wasn't so impressed, I think they were homemade, but they were cold. I think chips need to be served warm. Personal opinion.  
        I ordered the Enchiladas Suizas (Chicken and sour cream with mole poblano and cheese). The mole poblano made of red chiles and peanuts, with a dash of cinnamon and chocolate. I tend to be a bit picky with my mole and while I found the poblano to have a mildly pleasant taste, I prefer a richer, bolder taste in my mexican food. I think had my enchiladas had more spices on the meat, I would have left more satisfied. My husband got the Pollo O' Res Quesadilla which you can get in chicken or beef. He got the beef which I thought was a fabulous choice. The meat was tender, juicy, and well seasoned. I would recommend this dish anyday to anyone who loves Quesadilla. Oh, and the rice and beans that came with both entrees was very good.

The Quickie:
Service: Fair, our waiter wasn't extremely friendly.
Prices: Fair. $12/meal
Quality: Super! High quality mexican food.
Portions: Large
Atmosphere: Very fun, bright! Lots of exciting decor.




(801) 533-8900
156 S West Temple, Salt Lake City, UT

La Palapa

I am always interested in checking out a new Mexican Joint, today I happen to drive by La Palapa on the corner of 5600 West and 6200 South, expecting it to be like the many dozen other such "Mexican Fast Food" spots I've visited in this community.
I'm here to tell you, I was actually thinking about going back for Dinner tonight. However I'm still full from lunch, seriously I ate the whole Torta and it was enough for two easily.
I ask what the best thing on the menu was, and was told the Burrito Colorado, and the Cubana Torta were the most popular, so I chose the later. This thing was a monster consisting of Ham, Pork Leg, Franks, Sausage, peppers, avocado, tomato it was piled high, and tasted very good

The Quickie:
Service: Fair
Prices: Great. $4  to $8 Dollars
Quality: Super! Bread was fresh, meat was full of flavor.
Portions: One Torta will feed two people for $6.50
Atmosphere: Nothing great, a bit tacky but clean and new.