Carrabba's

Address:

683 E. University Parkway

Orem, UT 84097

Price Range:

$10-$20

Website

This was Craig's and my choice of place to go for Valentine's Day since it sounded good and had been YEARS since I had been. Italian is fantastic so I was excited to go back and give it an honest go this time.

Menu:

Calamari (Small): Calamari is such a great appetizer and when it's done correctly I should not be able to tell that I'm eating squid. Thankfully, they did a great job ensuring that. It was lightly breaded and delightfully crispy despite calamari's tendency to be chewy or soggy. It was peppered and we had it with some marinara which was appropriate. I truly did enjoy this calamari.

Lentil and Sausage soup/ Salad: Craig chose the lentil and sausage soup as the precursor to his meal, it was spicy but comforting like all lentil soups are, but it really is on the spicier side, I suspect from the sausage but I'm sure there were additional flavors that were added to add spiciness. Again, a good soup especially if you want a little bite but the comfort of a lentil soup. I didn't get a picture of the salad because it was so delicious I forgot to take a picture. The salad was made up of average salad things (romain, celery, carrots, etc) but what was fantastic was their house salad dressing. It was a creamy Parmesan dressing that made the salad so fantastic I would go back to Carrabba's just for the dressing. Definitely get the salad when there with their house dressing.

(They give you more than that...again...we were eager)

Seafood Cannelloni: This was Craig's entree. It was Cannelloni shells stuffed with shrimp, scallops, and lobster, dripping with Rosa sauce and topped with lump crab meat and cheese. Can you really lose there? It was SO rich, Craig wasn't able to finish it, so if you really want to try it, I would suggest splitting it with your date. The sauce, although red, went surprisingly well with the seafood and was not too overpowering that the flavor of the seafood was gone but it was not fishy flavored either. I would definitely try this if you were looking to split a meal.

Pollo Rosa Maria with Mashed Potatoes: This was my meal and it was suggested to me by the waiter. I really wish this dish was what I'm sure it was supposed to be. It was described as a chicken breast stuffed  with prosciutto and fontina cheese and topped with mushrooms and a lemon butter sauce. Perhaps I got the bottom of the barrel because we were one of the last customers there but there was no prosciutto in my chicken breast and only a smidgen of fontina at the bottom of my chicken breast. I was sad, but i'm sure it would have tasted fantastic if it had been in there. The sauce was a little strong for the flavors that were going on but maybe it would have been better if the prosciutto and fontina were in the chicken breast. Either way I was sad the recommendation was a bust. The mashed potatoes were also REALLY peppery. So much so I couldn't finish them because they were ruining my palate and making it difficult for me to enjoy the rest of my meal. Again, perhaps I got the bottom of the barrel on those too. I would like to try this dish again perhaps earlier in the day to see how it would really taste. 

Despite it being 9:30pm when we got there our server was a good sport and was attentive. The hostess was friendly and accommodating and the place was clean and well lit. I really enjoyed this place because it looks ritzy but it boasts Macaroni Grill type dishes with Olive Garden prices. It had the complimentary choice of soup or salad and a basket of fresh bread on the table. If it came down to choosing between Olive Garden and Carrabba's I would choose Carrabba's.

Thai Basil

Address:


2778 West 12600 South #105
Riverton, UT 84065

Price Range:


$5-$15

Website

So my cousins and I decided to give this Thai restaurant a go since it was near where my cousin lived and seemed interesting...we were mistaken.

Menu:

Pot Stickers and Fish Ball: For appetizers we got pot stickers and this dish called fish ball. The pot stickers were like any other pot sticker at an Asian restaurant. The fish ball, however, was something new. I will start out by saying I will never order this appetizer again. It wasn't horrible, it just made me feel uncomfortable. And please, try your hardest not to giggle about the description I'm about to unload, we sure had a hard time being adults when discussing them. When first biting into a ball it resisted giving into my bite and when it did give in it was unusually chewy which was a little unnerving as I knew I was eating fish (usually very tender). It didn't taste like anything so I added a little bit of the chili oil they provided for us, that didn't help much either. So I decided on my next ball I would dissect it. Essentially a fish ball is sort of like fish ham. It seemed to be compressed fish into an odd spherical skin (hence the chewiness). We asked two waiters what fish they use to make them and they both had no idea and never found out. Not my favorite appetizer and honestly, to save you the money, go with another appetizer. I'm sure it'll be better than the fish balls. (Now you may get all the giggles out you want.)

(From Left) Pad Gra Prow, Pad Thai, Tangerine Chicken

Pad Thai (Beef): As I said in my Thai Village post, the mark of a good Thai place is their Pad Thai, so that was a necessity in our order. Unfortunately it was not impressive. The sauce was not the usual Pad Thai sauce that we all know and love. In all honesty it tasted like they made Beef Lo Mein with rice noodles and put some limes next to it to make it look like Pad Thai. The beef was very tender, but had little to no flavor which is always disappointing. In the end, not a good dish unless you've always wanted to try Lo Mein with rice noodles.


Pad Gra Prow (Pork) : This dish was probably the best dish out of the three entrees we ordered. It's main flavor was the Thai Basil they used in the recipe. It was nice and light and actually complimented the pork. It's made with a variety of peppers and was actually a deep flavor which is why it complimented the pork so well. We all know I'm not a fan of pork, but it actually tasted nice. I would say my only gripe would be the pork was surprisingly fatty. I got a big ol' hunk of fat in my couple of bites of pork and it wasn't even the gristle that restaurants sometimes miss. This was a nice dish, but not nice enough to tempt me to come back.


Tangerine Chicken: This I ordered because the waiter suggested it and said it was his favorite. If you have a sweet tooth and like your Chinese food dripping with gooey sweet sauce, this is the dish for you. It was nice and sweet and we all were picking at the plate at the end of the meal, however, I felt it was a very Americanized dish and didn't taste the least bit like tangerines. I would like to note that it was supposed to be spicy...it was not, however. They had some orange peel next to it to signify that it was a citrus dish, however, no tangerine flavor. Again, if you like your dishes dripping in sweet sauce, you should get this dish.


The ambiance and decorations were very tasteful and definitely captivated the feel the restaurant was trying to encompass. They had this delightful elephant shaped chalkboard that had their specials written on it. The waiter was kind and accommodating.

As nice as the ambiance and service was, I will not be returning to this restaurant. If you're looking for good Thai food, look elsewhere, this is a place I would not suggest.

Smashburger

Address:


542 E. University Parkway
Orem, UT 84097

Price Range:


$5-$10 per meal

Website

So we went as a family to Smashburger because I had heard so many good things about it. Craig had been there before but I'd never tried it so off to Smashburger I went in hopes of a good burger.

Menu:


Classic With Cheese: This was my burger it was obviously a handmade burger which is respectable. The toppings were fresh and the cheese was not burnt onto the patty which is easy to do when things are assembled so. They also had their signature Smash sauce which was ok. I don't remember it being a truly noteworthy burger. It was pretty standard and the Smash sauce is what I really think makes it its own burger. Onto the fries. I'd heard a lot of hype about these fries and how fantastic they were so I was excited to try them. Honestly, and I'm sure I'm going to get a lot of flak about this, I wasn't the biggest fan of them. They were definitely different which makes them special, however I wasn't the biggest fan of the rosemary and olive oil. I tried dipping them in the side of Smash sauce we got with them and they tasted a little better, but not noteworthy. If anyone is severely scarred or offended by this, I apologize but to each their own.

Beehive Burger: This is the burger Craig ordered which is the burger he gets every time he goes to Smashburger. This burger was more noteworthy. It had haystack cheddar cheese, onions, and applewood smoked bacon with honey bbq sauce as it's moistening agent. I definitely remember it tasting more warm and comfort-food-like. It was definitely a messy burger which can be a good thing. In this case it was. The sauce was indeed delicious to lick off your fingers and the onions provided a very appropriate crunch. Craig also got the Smash fries so we won't go back to that description (I don't want to lose anymore readers).

Children's Plain Cheeseburger: Lucas got a plain cheeseburger. He loves plain cheeseburgers. This one was a little big so I would suggest maybe getting this burger for a child over the age of five. He ate almost half of it and got full. Craig and I helped him finish it off and for a child's burger, it was pretty good. It didn't have anything special on it, just a burger with cheese on an egg bun, but I really enjoyed how the burger tasted on its own. This is a rare occasion since most places try and cover the hamburger flavor with a bunch of sauces and toppings. An oldie but a goodie.

The interior was nice and clean. The service, despite being more fast food-esqe, was very prompt and extremely friendly. They were helpful when I had questions and the lady that brought us our food was super nice to Lucas. I think for the type of burger you're getting that it's a little expensive. Another burger restaurant I can think to compare it to is Red Robin. Same basic quality of burger and similar price range, however, with Red Robin you get a wider selection of burgers, bottomless fries, and more than one fry sauce to choose from. So I guess if someone asked if I wanted to go to Smashburger or Red Robin, I would say Red Robin.