Food Review: The Paris Restaurant

I went to the "zinc bar and grill" with CBC, The Sister and The Dad.

For meeting family for the first time-ness, it was a great place to be. The restaurant is pricey for me, but it still felt comfortable. The vibe is definitely that of a family-owned French cafe.

The food was delicious. The bread was amazing. It's served with a special butter that is somehow creamier and sweeter than most butters.

Next we moved on to the appetizers, I had pomme frites and the winter soup special. The pomme frites were served sans fry sauce, but otherwise delicious. I imagine if you asked for mayonnaise the friendly wait staff would be happy to bring it to you.

The winter soup was awesome! It had delicious pine nuts, butter squash and other yummy bits in it. It was warm and comforting. Everything you expect from a soup on a cold winter night.

For my entree I had the linguine with mussels. For some reason, The Paris Restaurant has a menu that is heavily Italian. However the main course was just as impressive as everything else I sampled. The seafood tasted fresh and the pasta was cooked to the perfect al dente. I enjoyed the sauce as well although it was a little thin for what I think of as traditional Italian food. I wonder if that makes it more French?

Through all of this we had a wonderful white wine, The Dad chose. It was nice, bright and crisp. I'm not a big fan of the whites, but it was definitely one of the best five whites I've ever had. It made a great complement to the seafood as well.

For desseret I had a wonderful fruit tart. It was much bigger than I expected, but it was so good I stuffed the whole thing down. I was worried my button might pop open I ate so much. But the tart was worth it.

The Paris has wonderful coffee and it's served in a full French press so prepare yourself for several cups of coffee at once.

My one complaint about the evening is the service. The wait staff was extremely helpful and friendly. But the unshaven waiters and busboys banging into tables in the cramped space left an unprofessional and untrained vibe behind them.

I would definitely go back to The Paris for the food, but I would be prepared for some spilling and inappropriate remarks from the wait staff.

In the end, we had a great dinner and everyone went home stuffed with delicious food.

Food Review: Get your vegan on

Joan, CBC and I went to Vertical Diner after an In n' Out Burger misadventure. Turns out vegetarian burgers are pretty delicious if you know what you're doing.

Vertical Diner is a misplaced vegetarian restaurant next to a meat packing plant just off 2100 South in Sugar House. They have a teensy parking lot with no lights so drive extra safe if you're there at night, but once you get inside you forget about the scary parking.

The diner was a little cold the night we were there. I'm talking cold for a restaurant people, not just me whining about winter again.

Our server Caleb was helpful and fun. He was definitely light-hearted and helped us feel better about the long drive to the long line at In n' Out.

I tried the vegetarian burger with french fries. Turns out everything on the menu is vegan friendly--and I didn't even notice. It was surprisingly good. I was so impressed by the tofu burger I ate most of it. My only complaint is that the bun was a little dry.

The fries were served with vegan fry sauce that has left me wondering how it is even possible to make vegan mayonnaise. They were pretty tasty and if I hadn't known the fry sauce was vegan I wouldn't have noticed.

Joan loves the avocado sandwich from Vertical Diner. And CBC tested out a pulled pork sandwich. In the end, I was pleasantly surprised by the vegan food of Vertical Diner. Joan says Vertical Diner is the best place for non-vegans to go with their vegan friends.

The cost was about the same for any other diner in town, which is to say a burger or sandwich will run you about $8.

Food Review: Finn's Cafe

Lovely Ava and I headed to the Salty City mainstay, Finn's Cafe for lunch one freezing winter afternoon.

Even though the world outside was gray and frigid, Finn's does a great job of being welcoming, bright and vibrant. The Cafe has been in operation since the 1940s and they have the memorabilia tastefully displayed to prove it.

Ava and I both had the cream of cauliflower soup. It was so good. I was not expecting the dish to be as delicious or pretty as it was. Finn's also serves onion rolls that were nice and crusty on the outside and all fluffy goodness on the inside.

I had the catch of the day for lunch. It turned out to be crab cakes and they were delicious. The sauce Finn's served with them was great! The whole dish was presented beautifully. Everything was so tasty I ate far more than I should've, which made this lunch a great intervention in an otherwise yucky day.

Ava had the weinerschintzel and she said it was good. It looked delicious! I'll have to try some of that soon. We both agreed the roasted potatoes and asparagus were good. The potatoes were cooked just right and seasoned well. Not surprisingly, the potatoes were my favorite part of the dish. Everything seemed to be cooked just right.

Our server was very helpful and did a great job of keeping an eye on us without hovering. The owner even stopped by to check everything tasted good. And it did! I have feeling you would be hard pressed to have a bad experience at Finn's. These people have been in business for over 60 years and it shows.

The only catch for me was the price. Lunch was a little more expensive for the two of us than I normally would like to spend, but the warm haven was well worth the price.

Food Review: Adventurous Chinese cuisine at a Southern cafe

When CBC and I went to Bay Leaf Cafe, I tried this incredible dish called "congee." It is a delicious rice porridge served with ginger and an egg hard boiled in tea. The server said congee is a traditional breakfast dish from China and at his recommendation I tried it out.

The rice was warm, soft and about the consistency of a risotto. Mmmm...just the memory makes me want to go back for more. The rice seemed to have some sort of vinegar in it as a seasoning at first it was a little off-putting, but then when I got some of the fresh ginger with the vinegary rice there was an awesome blend of savory, bitter and sweet going on.

The century egg was somehow boiled in a tea until it turned dark purple. The egg looked a little intimidating, but ended up being much better than any other hard boiled egg I've ever tried. So good! This is a dish that changed my life, people.

We also had fried pickles because CBC just had to taste how delicious this amazingly Southern dish is. Once again, Bay Leaf delivered and I have to tell everyone to try out fried pickles. They are amazing!

CBC had the catfish po'boy. It was pretty good, but it didn't win mad adventure points like the congee or fried pickles. The ingredients were all fresh. And the sandwich wasn't dry and it wasn't mushy--it was just right.

Our server was amazing! He's definitely my favorite at Bay Leaf. I just can't remember his name. Maybe, Michael? Or Caleb? Something Bible related. Anyway, man with red hair was fantastic.

Bay Leaf Cafe, I love you. Please prove the statistic wrong and stay in business. Salt Lake City needs you. I need you.

Now, excuse me I'm off for some congee experimentation.

Food Review: Turning the tide on my favorite sushi

Ava and I made a visit to Tsunami in Sugar House this past week. She was craving sushi and I just like to eat.

Since our favorite sushi spot, Sapporo shut down we decided to return to another old favorite and made our way to the little place by the dollar theater. I should mention Tsuanmi is open until 10 p.m. on weeknights. Yes, Salters there is a place you can get a great dinner after 9 p.m. on a week night in the Salty City.

Ava chose to sit at a table, not the sushi bar. This made me happy because I find the sushi chefs rude and condescending-for some reason they don't seem to like it when I ask questions about fish. It turns out the table was a good choice as the sushi chefs spent much of the night arguing back and forth and writing the schedule with the manager.

I ordered the Tokyo Cowboy roll and Ava had the Malibu, then I ordered a veggie roll called Catalina.

The Tokyo wasn't as good as I remembered, it seemed a little bit spicier without the lovely balance of sweet and spicy my taste buds remember.

Ava liked the Malibu, but said she'll probably order something else next time. The Malibu had eel and was pretty tasty, but I wasn't a fan of the overall texture of the roll--it was just a little too smooth and slimy for me.

The Catalina had lots of delicious vegetables wrapped in soy paper. The weird part was that it tasted like peanuts only without peanuts. It wasn't bad, just unexpected. Even Ava who hates nuts ate some of the roll.

Our waitress was adorable and very helpful. So I'm taking back the sitting at the bar rule for sushi and amending it to say, "At Tsunami sit at a table and let the waitress deal with the sushi chef."

Food Review: Fry sauce ruins Millie's fries?

So after taking the week off, I guess we have some catching up to do.

First on the list of places I've been and you get to know about is Millie's Burgers on 2100 South in Sugar House.

I love this little 50s style hamburger shack that's just a short walk from my house. CBC and I went there for some burgers, fries and an introduction to that Utah wonder-fry sauce.

The Millie Burger was just as good as I remember--a quarter-pound of beef with cheese, pickles and fry sauce. Even though the burger was too big for me to finish, I was sad to see it go.

The fries were fresh, crispy and salty decliousness just waiting to be eaten. I think next time, I'll order to go and mix up some of my own fry sauce at home. They just don't seem to realize what a disservice it is to their fries to serve them with overly ketchuped fry sauce.

I warned CBC Millie's fry sauce is serviceable, but not the best ketchup-mayonnaise mixture in Utah. But he was brave and tried out the sauce, I don't think he liked it because the rest of the fry sauce was left for me.

As always the teenagers at Millie's were more than helpful. We had a very nice time in the cinder block restaurant with orange plastic tables. And the whole four other customers who were there at 9 p.m. on a Thursday night seemed to enjoy themselves, too.

Food Review: Dear diner, Don't touch my coffee!

Apparently all it takes to get service is man parts.

On Sunday I went to Blue Plate Diner with CBC and I had the best service from the wait staff there ever. Really, when I walked in by myself I waited about five minutes for the owner (who I blame Blue Plate's awful service on) to notice me and put my name on the list. Even though the line looked obscenely long, he said it would be about a 15 minute wait.

The second CBC shows up, we were seated on the patio. This never happens to me and the girls. We always wait forever to get our name on the list, then wait to be seated at an indoor table then wait another ten minutes for a server to ask us if we want coffee. Blue Plate is sexist or at least the wait staff seems more inclined to treat the men better than the ladies. That's it-I'm dressing in drag next time I go there. Maybe if I look like I belong on the wait staff, I won't have to wait.

I have very strong feelings about my coffee. What is with a server's need to put coffee in my cup every time they walk by? Coffee is a delicate balance of cream, sugar and coffee. Why are servers so intent on messing it up? I have it down to a science--one part sugar, two parts cream and three parts coffee. If a server adds coffee, they ruin the ratio. And my coffee is not the delicious sugary mess it was before.

I told my server three times, I didn't want her to add coffee to my cup. And every time she looked at me like I was crazy. What? I don't want you to ruin the deliciousness going on here, lady. Why would I knowingly let you corrupt my coffee? Geez. Maybe, I should explain the coffee ratios to her--that will totally help me sound less crazy.

Both CBC and I had the Blue Plate Breakfast, which is eggs, toast and hash browns. The eggs were fried just right and the toast was slathered with butter, which makes my tummy happy. But the hash browns? I just don't get it, Blue Plate.

I'm not sure why the fried potato chunks mixed with onions and bell peppers are even called hash browns. Breakfast fries would be more appropriate. Also they should come with a warning that they are unevenly cooked and the potatoes spend part of their life in a freezer without the onions and bell peppers. You will be able to taste the difference no matter how not-picky-about-potatoes-weird you are.

In the end, it was my best Blue Plate experience, which means they topped out at just above mediocre. There are still other breakfast places in town I like more. But I have a little more faith in this 50s-esque diner on 2100 South 2100 East as long as I bring my man parts.

The South in the City of Salt

Squeezed in between two decimated buildings, across the street from Murphy's Downtown is a tiny new restaurant well worth the wait. The Bayleaf Cafe was originally slated to open in fall 2008, they finally opened their door in early September 2009. I don't know what happened in that extra year, but I'm sure happy they got it together an opened up.

This place is brought to Salt Lake City via Georgia. Everything from the decor to the menu screams the South to me. The cafe has a simple, clean elegance to it that makes their all night cafe tag line seem wrong. But it's not, Downtown officially has an all night restaurant that isn't Denny's--count your blessings. The one TV on the back wall seems out of place with the ambiance and decor, but give their Downtown Salt Lake City location I can't blame them for adding ESPN.

Although the wait staff is fairly new and inexperienced, they are helpful, friendly and happy to see you. The first visit I made was with Man-boy and we showed up buzzed. The waiter was chill and let us take our time ordering. At the waiter's suggestion I ordered the fried pickles to stave off my greasy, midnight, drunken food craving.

The pickles were the perfect fix. The chef uses a thick, crisp pickled battered in a spicy flour mixture. The pickles are deep fried just long enough for the batter to crisp then served with a side of fry sauce.

Pure deliciousness! I like pickles, but I normally wouldn't eat them without a hamburger. This appetizer I would happily eat as a meal, again.

And I did. The second visit I made to Bayleaf was with T. This time our waiter acted a little ADD. I'm not sure what was going on, but he seemed to have difficulty focusing on the waiting part of his job. He was exceptionally friendly and really sweet, just not waiter-ish.

Again, I ordered the fried pickles. Why explore the menu when you already know the best dish they serve, right? T had the hot wings to go with the football game on TV.

Once again, I loved the fried pickles and was completely happy with the dish. I have to try and make my own.

I couldn't resist the hot wings though. They were spicier than I expected. This place is so Southern, they serve drinks out of Mason Jars and sweet tea unless unsweetened is specified. I expected the usual definition of hot from the South as in mild. Nope, these wings were hot. The sauce had great flavor and was served with a fantastic blue cheese dressing (I'm guessing Lighthouse) and messy. Just the way great wings should be.

So for providing two lovely experiences I have to give Bayleaf mad props. I will be back again, not that I'll be venturing far from the fried pickles.

Food reviews: The armpit of the Elbow

I ventured down to Fiddler's Elbow for a meeting with the staff from, The Forum. I haven't been to Fiddler's in a while. I always find the food mediocre, the menu lacks focus and the service is well--let's just say you know that Fiddler's is an equal opportunity employer.

As soon as I sat down a wine menu was shoved in my face because as a girl I must not drink beer. Of course, I promptly ordered Wasatch Apricot Hefeweizen ($4.50 on tap). The server informed me their keg was broken so they may not have it available. She left to go check. About five minutes later, she appeared empty handed and let me know the hefeweizen was available. "Would you like the hefeweizen?"

Uh...yes, please.

I ordered the garlic burger for just under $7 without cheese. It came with fries and no choice of how the burger was cooked, it showed up well-done. The burger was easily the best thing I have ever had from Fiddler's Elbow. It was garlicky without being overwhelming, juicy and an even burger to bun ratio. A nice positive change for a brew pub. I was so impressed by the flavor that I ignored how absolutely messy the burger was (my ketchup stained shirt is in the washer as I write this).

Strangely, they didn't serve fry sauce and at this point I was avoiding any further interactions with my server so I just went ahead and had fries like a non-Utahn with ketchup. The fries needed some serious salting, but they were cooked just right and I believe hand cut. Moving their fries from a previous rating of "crap" to "yum."

As always, I love the micro-brewed apricot hefe from Wasatch. It's a great light beer. Refreshing, sweet and delicious without being too light for even the darkest beer drinker.


So I must conclude that service is the armpit of this otherwise great pub. But, I'm still looking forward to the next staff meeting at Fiddler's as long as we can just once have a server who doesn't make me question their ability to fill out the application. Oh and for beer, burger and fries it was just under $15. Not too bad for a sports bar in Sugar House.