Life: T.S. Eliot and other cool literary people

I've been reading The Norton Anthology of English Literature. And I love it! I'm surprised by how much I'm enjoying the poetry and prose published between World War I and World War II.

So far I've read T.S. Eliot and "Black Elk Speaks" by John G. Neihardt. It's weird to see the contrast reading them right in a row like that.

And T.S. Eliot is amazing! I've come across so many great insights in his work. It really makes me think about what life must have been like for him in the 1920s and 30s. I also love that he spent seven years writing just one poem. According to the book, Eliot was instrumental in the movement of modern poetry, but I think most of you will remember him for saying,

This is the way the world ends

This is the way the world ends

This is the way the world ends

Not with a bang,but a whimper.

--The Hollow Men

And interesting tidbit? It's a play on the children's rhyme, "Here we go around the mulberry bush."

I'm in love.

Food: Meet the Parents Part Deux

Bambara Restaurant is housed in the Hotel Monaco in Downtown. Manfriend's dad was sweet enough to invite me to dinner at his favorite Salt Lake City restaurant when he was in town. On this visit, The Dad's wife came, too.

The Dad, The Step-Mom, and The Sister were running late which gave me time to explore the lounge of Bambara. It's the Vault. And it's awesome! The room is beautiful and Bambara used the vault to handle the Zion Curtain law (bar tenders could not serve drinks across the counter until 2008) in the most beautiful way I've seen. The bar tenders were very friendly and set me up with a great side car and conversation in just a few moments from when I took a seat at the bar.

Manfriend got a beer on tap and we had a nice, comfy half hour before the family showed up. We were promptly sat by the host. (He was amazing!) The outstanding service was the theme for the evening.

I started off with a tuna tartar The Step-Mom was brave enough to try. It was delicious. The tartar was served with fresh, homemade potato chips. The combination of soft flesh with crisp chip was amazing. The textures went together perfectly. The softer flavor of the tuna paired well with the lightly salted potato and the the Italian herb salsa cut right through. This is a dish I wish I could prepare on my own.

Next I tried the chicken because it was served with mashed potatoes. (It's physically impossible for me to say no to potatoes.) And I was so in love with this entree. The chicken was moist, the skin was crisp. It was so good! But after all that tuna I went straight for the veggies. The potatoes were so creamy and smooth, with mushrooms and garlic thrown in for delicious measure, I couldn't stop eating them. I ate until I was past full.

Then I ordered dessert.

A lovely dish of ice cream including strawberry, lemon and vanilla flavors. The waiter also brought us adorable cupcakes. The homemade ice cream was as good as it sounds.

Bambara brought me one of the most impressive and satisfying meals in my life with superb service. I would love another excuse to go back.

Not to mention, the company. The Family and I had a great time. And Manfriend also commented on how delicious the calimari, steak, and cupcakes were.

Bambara is worth the money.

Alcohol Review: Beer buzzes in Utah

So apparently there's this guy Dell Vance who really likes Utah and beer. I think we're soul mates. He opened the Beerhive Pub on 128 South Main Street in Downtown to share his favorite things with me.

Okay, maybe it's not all for me, but I'm going to pretend it is. I love this little place. The upstairs is comfortable and clean. There's also a nice mix of browns, reds and light in the decor. Seriously, a bar where you can see the people around you...amazing.

I visited the Beerhive with Patrick, Ava and Erin last weekend and it was a vast improvement over our first bar of choice the Green Pig. The vibe at the Beerhive is comfortable. It manages to feel like a bar where it's okay for the ladies to hang out by themselves without getting creepy comments and/or stares from the men who are also hanging out by themselves.

The beer menu is impressive with over 100 choices. I saw lots of beers I wanted to try, but in efforts to pay off my credit card I stuck with the cheap, local, on-tap brews and had some Uinta Cutthroat. (I'm down to the last credit card, people!)

We met some of Patrick's friends who were really cool and tried lots of tasty beers. All in all it made for a great night with a great server who was adorable, on top of things and fun.

Also I hear tell the food menu comes from Vienna Bistro and is made of Austrian goodness by their chef Frody Volgger so next time I head to the 'hive I'll have to try out some wiener schnitzel.

The photos come from City Weekly and SLCLunches.

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.

Film review: "And I thought could it be? A four man wolf pack?"

Hey, "The Hangover" is finally at the dollar theatre. You have no excuse to not watchi it now.

So basically, this movie is just awesome. I have never laughed so hard during a film in my life.

There are way too many funny lines for starters. From, "Dude, there's a tiger in the bathroom!" to "When's the next Haley's comet?" to keep anyone from cracking up. I especially love, "I think he looks like a Carols, too." But it just keeps going, every line is funny.

The actors did a superb job of making you believe the craziness of their Las Vegas visit. Not to mention, some of the best cameos I have ever seen in a film. Mike Tyson as himself is about the funniest thing in this comedy. And I cannot get over Bradley Cooper. I love this man! I'm going to meet his gorgeousness in real life and giggle madly.

The funny film manages to have a story line that is interesting although, like most comedies it is a thin attempt to hang a number of hysterical scenes together. Luckily, the way the director, cinematographer, writer and/or producer (there are way too many people making a single film to give only one of them credit) decided to show the story make the story line less necessary than most films and they begin right where they end so the audience is left with a sense of closure.

But finally where this film really blew me away was the camera work. When it comes to comedy, I'm a cynical disbeliever. I expect to see basic camera work, obvious jokes and obnoxious characters. Not with "The Hangover." The crew did an exquisite job of putting together interesting shots on a well-lit set with an amazing set design. The opening and closing shots visually tie the story line together while both are well-executed and artistically interesting. Pretty amazing for a summer blockbuster film.

The day this is on DVD it's in my movie collection. I still crack up every time someone mentions wolves because they are now a "four man wolf pack."

Alcohol Review: Mixin' drinks ain't easy

I've always thought if I were alive during the 20s I would be a flapper and maybe that's why Speakeasy was so easy for me to love. Ava and I went to Speakeasy in downtown to check out the location with the 20s name and live jazz entertainment. I also needed to speak with the fabulous Rita Boudreau about doing vocals for my upcoming film "On the Other Side."

Speakeasy has amazing decor. The owners are dedicated to their Prohibition-era theme. "Casablanca" was playing on the pretty, HD, big screen TVs before the live act was on. The lights are dimmed low and even the chairs feel like something my great-grandmother may have owned.

After being denied a lemon drop because the bartenders didn't know what one was, I started out the night with a dirty vodka martini. Mostly, because I've never had a straight-up martini before as I usually take mine with apple. And with Humphrey Bogart staring down at me I was feeling brave about the vodka and olive mixture. (Yes, I know a martini usually has gin, but I chickened out and went with Grey Goose.)

It was okay. Not my favorite cocktail, but I can see why it's considered classic. I love olives and should've asked for extras. And judging from the few men who were there drinking martinis as well I'm guessing Speakeasy makes a good one.

Next I tried the night's special "Sparkly Cosmopolitan," which was described as a regular Cosmo with champagne. When I ordered the bartender said okay, then proceeded to look up the recipe in his handy-dandy flip book. I'm okay with this and I waited patiently--after all, Speakeasy is a fairly new club and most likely he's a fairly new bartender. My complaint? All the ingredients for the drink are listed on their menu so I fought the urge to just hand over the menu to the bartender. The recipe search meant the wait was a little long.

Once I got my pink, girly drink, I was happy to down the sweet drink. I love cosmos and they rank in my top cocktail list right after Long Islands and Cape Cods. The addition of champagne made the drink a little too sweet for my tastes, but the drink was mixed well.

My next adventurous drink was the sidecar to finish off the night. Another classic cocktail, I hadn't tried before. This drink was my favorite discovery of the night. It was sour and sweet with a mixture of cointreau and lemon. Ava didn't like the harsh aftertaste, but I thought it was a great finish to such a sour drink. Maybe I just like knowing there is alcohol in my drink.

At the end of the night, Speakeasy was a great bar for a girls' night out. We'll definitely be back again for more classic cocktails, 20s ambiance and great music. Hopefully between now and next time, the bartenders learn how to mix a few drinks so even the wait for the drink is easy.

Review: "The Date" as seen post-Vegas

I've been away to Sin City for a few days and now I'm ridiculously far behind. I have a lot of food stories to share about my visit, but for now I'm leaving you with a link to my review of Kelsey Landry's "The Date." I hope I'll be able to catch you up before I head to Southern Utah. Have a wonderful Utah holiday! And for you non-Utahns, have an amazing weekend!

Beer and movies

At least, I imagine those are the words behind the name of local beer pub Brewvies the only movie theater in Utah where you can drink while you take in a film.

I was there for the premiere of Kelsey Landry's directorial debut "The Date." A short film about classic mishaps of miscommunication. The film was well executed and a great script. Kelsey did a fantastic job. The Salt Lake film community was incredibly supportive with the best filmmakers volunteering their time and talent to this film.

Brewviews could use a little filmmaker magic. I have a theory that every so often a table becomes the bad luck table for the night. Last night, that was me.

Erin and I sat down and waited for a few minutes. No waiter showed up. I looked at the drink menu on the table. "Oh there isn't food on this," I said.

"The menu's over there," Erin answered and pointed to a stack of menus on the bar. I walked over and grabbed a couple menus. We looked over the menus and talked about what to order. I looked around. No waiter showed up.

"Do you want to move to the bar so we can get some service?" I asked Erin. Yes, I said it loudly and on purpose. Really, I'm five inside.

*Poof* Inexperienced waiter appeared. Blond-haired Emo-kid asked what we wanted I ordered a pitcher of Uinta Cutthroat Pale Ale. It's a nice local beer that is always good. I also asked for an appetizer of sweet potato fries.

Erin decided she wanted more time to choose an entree. So I sat back and waited for our beer and fries. While I was waiting, Esther showed up and asked if we wanted to order anything. I said we had ordered and we were waiting for our server to come back before ordering more. She said it was okay that they share tables. So I went ahead and ordered the nachos and Erin ordered the Pub Club sandwich with chips and salsa.

A different person (I'm guessing bus boy) stopped by with our beer and sweet potato fries. The fries were different. This was my first and last experience with sweet potato fries and I like normal fries better. The smoother, creamier texture of sweet potato isn't conducive to my taste buds for deep-fried starches. Although the bottled aioli at Brewvies much improved the fry, I won't order them again.

Esther brought the nachos and pub club. The sandwich looked delicious. The nachos looked sad. I was nervous about the pile of jalapenos and chicken atop crusty looking cheese. I should've been. I went for a chip on the edge avoiding the jalapenos I had asked to have removed from the nachos. It was stuck. The cheese had been microwaved on top of the chips then left to get cold. Leaving a hardened mess of goo on top of the now soggy chips covered with dry flavorless chicken.

I asked Esther if I could send the nachos back and try again. Luckily, she saw the chicken and jalapenos and said there was a mix up. She took the nachos back. In a few minutes she brought out a second order of much better looking nachos. In the meantime, Harry's order for a cheeseburger with sweet potato fries came out with regular french fries. So Emo-kid waiter took the order back.

Finally, we ended up with a pub club done right, edible nachos and a cheeseburger with sweet potato fries. The cost of beer, sweet potato fries and nachos was about $25. Making beer the best part of the night's food.

When I'm at Brewvies for another premiere, I'll stick with the beer and movies.

Film Notes: Harry Potterness actually worth buying

Where were you at midnight? Sitting in a dark theater waiting for the previews to start before the magic of "Harry Potter" began. Me, too. And just to clutter up the online world of Harry Potter, I'm going to give you my two cents.

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" is a showcase of the best work in British filmmaking. David Yates is a God-send who has made the fifth and sixth films far better than any of the previous films by initimately understanding British culture, getting spectacular performance from his actors and envisioning a film with a specific look.

The attention to detail in this film was outstanding-the art department outdid themselves. The director of photography deserves huge accolade for his use of color and the frame. There are few big budget films with this much artistry in them. Finally, the music in the film was absolutely incredible it was never overwhelming nor underwhelming. Watching the fim, it is clear that everyone working on this film loved their job and put everything they could into it.

Now on to the actors. Oh. my. God. Tom Felton is amazing! All the kids have really started to come into their own, but I was blown away by Tom's depiction of a struggling kid who just wants to prove himself. Absolutely fantastic! All the actors playing Weasley's were again brillant and funny. Emma Watson brought a strength to Hermione the books didn't communicate to me.

So yeah, I'm pretty happy with awesomeness of Harry Potter and I'm looking forward to an early bedtime tonight.

Like I said last night, "This might be the only Harry Potter film worth buying on DVD."

Drunken Oreos II

Remember, Drunken Oreos? The cookie and ice cream dessert of amazing deliciousness. Well, here's what it looks like.


I like to make one big plate for Erin, Ava and I to enjoy family style. Props to Erin for the beautiful photos.


We also enjoyed a great bottle of chianti with dessert.


Drunken Oreos were long enough ago, I don't remember specifically what I liked about this chianti, but I remember liking it.

Of course, the best are the originals at Meditrina.

Is that the lunch bell?

For more reviews about the amazing food Salt Lake City has to offer, check out Heather King's Examiner.com page. It's full of helpful info about how to do lunch right.

Sundance Reviewed

Here we go kidlets! Another review for your viewing pleasure. All about my nine favorite Sundance Festival films.

Summer memories

I've been eating a lot of Otter Pops lately. And when I say a lot, what I mean to say is enough to have a blue covered tongue with drips of green down my shirt.

I still manage to eat the frozen treat like I'm six so it's inevitable my mouth and hands will be sticky and my shirt will be covered in goo. It's tough being coordinated some days. Besides, everyone knows blue and green are the best flavors of frozen water. Otter Pops are a sure-fire way to spark memories of the good ol' days: playing outside, eating mac and cheese and sucking on a Popsicle passing the slow, hot days of summer.

For a more grown up version of Otter Pops, try Erin's version of Strawberry Lemonade Slushies. It's super simple and very yummy.

In a blender add ice, frozen strawberries and lemonade. Blend until frozen and delicious. Pour into a glass. Enjoy.

For the happy sinners, add some vodka. We tried Ketel One in this mix and it was a great choice. Ketel is a fruitier vodka than most and mixes great with the strawberry lemon concoction.

She never had it so good

Maybe it's anti-Semitic, maybe she never had it so good. Either way, all I know is I love Jewish Thursday.

What's that? You've never heard of Jewish Thursday. Well, let me explain each Thursday a group of friends and I buy the cheapest wine we can find and drink it down. It's always a great night with fascinating conversation. We've managed to cover Ancient Egypt, the anti-Semitism of Jew Thursday, human rights and religion. Plus, there's always film talk.

Last Jew Thursday, Mikey and Stryder (that's his real name) brought us wine in a bottle. It was amazing! I can't serve wine in plastic that comes in a bottle so for once we broke out the real wine glasses.

Between the Barefoot Cabernet Savignon and the Barefoot Merlot, I liked the Merlot just a smidgen better. The Merlot was more mellow and seemed to have a smokier spiciness to me. They were both pretty good and apparently not too expensive at the liquor store.

Our next bottle was Yellowtail Cabernet sponsored by the motherhood-centric Jeff. I've had the Yellowtail before and it seems like a good stand-by choice for a red wine. At this point, I had switched to a plastic cup because all our guests were using the real wine glasses so I didn't get nearly the flavor. The whole wine is better from a wine glass rule is... well, a rule for a reason. However, I've never been horribly disappointed in a Yellowtail so there's no reason not to drink even if it is from a plastic cup.

And of course Jew Thursday means having a box of Franzia Classic White on hand. This time I could really taste the sugar and I'm a little sad to have disliked my favorite boxed wine so much. But like true Jews, next Thursday we'll be back to boxed wine.

What? She never had it so good.

Thinking thinkiness

It was a balmy, dark night when Erin, Harry, Chris and I enjoyed some sushi from Ichiban on 200 East 350 South-ish.

Our waiter was adorable and amazing. He poured our wine an overpriced bottle of Lindeman's Shiraz perfectly. Plus, he did the whole taste testing thing, which I always think is cool. Oh yeah, and he let Harry make fun of everything in sight and laughed along.

We sat on the patio looking out onto 200 East-a small street that had more traffic than I thought it would for a Sunday night. The only downside to the patio was the ridiculously loud air conditioner from the apartments next door.

We had the Jazz, Dragon, Utah, Caterpillar and another Utah-named roll. Everyone agreed the rolls were much spicier than we anticipated. I suppose this could be the fault of the order and not Ichiban, but really four out of five rolls had some kind of spice included. That sounds way more Korean than Japanese to me. I also felt like these rolls were a lot richer than other sushi I'm wondering about the amount of Japanese mayo used or other sauces in the rolls.

However, the rolls were still flavorful and yummy. I really liked the caterpillar roll (non-spicy) it had a lot of avocado. All the fish in all the rolls seemed really fresh. We also tried a tempura fried roll, the tempura fried sushi was new for me. I really liked the crunch of the tempura, but it seemed to drown out the flavor of the rest of the fish and veggies in the roll itself so it was a little disappointing.

The shiraz was fairly good. Next time, though I'll be picking up a much cheaper bottle from the wine store. I was surprised by how much I liked this wine since I usually don't love wine. But it had a nice spiciness to it that I don't usually get out of my wine.

For our appetizer we had the miso soup. It was very good. The tofu pieces were bigger than the traditional soup usually has, but I liked the added chunkiness. The flavor was so good, I'm not usually a big fan of miso because it seems bland, but this soup had nice flavor with fresh herbs like cilantro really standing out.

I'm not sure about our total bill, but the average roll seemed to cost about $14. Definitely, not cheap eats for me. Luckily, Harry was kind enough to pick up the tab so this time it was cheap for me.

The experience of Ichiban leaves me wanting to go back, the food not so much. Maybe, next time I'll ask the adorable waiter for some suggestions on the sushi.

Dairy Keen is King

Dairy Keen in Heber, Utah is crazy. This little town is full of crazy coolness. I've heard lots of good things about Dairy Keen. I was excited to have the opportunity to stop by this little hamburger shop. The place is full of trains; on the ceilings, on the walls, outside, inside, everywhere for kids and big kids. They even have a Harry Potter train on display.

My brother Troy had the banana split and the chicken club sandwich. He loves their chicken club and always gets it. Unfortunately, he regretted ordering the banana spilt instead of his usual German chocolate shake.

About those shakes, that is some good ice cream. I don't know what Dairy Keen does, but their ice cream is thick, creamy and delicious. Anyone out there know if it's made nearby so I can buy some?

I had the strawberry shake. The strawberries were fresh and yummy. And the ice cream? I know I mentioned this before, but SERIOUSLY. GOOD.

I also had the Train Burger. The Train Burger is one of their signature items and is pretty much a ham-topped burger. It was way more meat than I was expecting, but still yummy. The ham is deli-sliced and salted while the hamburgers are made by hand. There's something about uneven edges on my burger that just makes my tummy happy.

Dairy Keen is a great local spot that has received lots of national coverage. If your ever in Heber, go ahead and stop by. Of course, I would love to check out some of their other local restaurants.

Just because there aren't people doesn't mean it isn't good

We were seated in the small back room with traditional Japanese furnishings. The other birthday guests were nervous about being in the seemingly empty restaurant they had never heard of, but once we settled in and made our order John took care of the rest.

I tried the mermaid sushi roll, which was new. It had yellow tail, salmon and mussel with green tabiko. It was a little slimier in texture than I would've liked and for that I'll blame the mussel. The flavor was great and it had just the right amount of tabiko to give it some pop. Plus, the way it looks on the plate you can totally see why it's called the mermaid roll, the green tabiko is rolled on in a circular pattern than the rolls are laid out to look like a fish tail it's pretty nifty plating.

The terriyaki chicken and beef dishes looked and smelled delicious and were great for the non-seafood people in the party. They were served huge portions with tons of veggies so all the men and women were happy with the dish. The birthday girl said the steak her husband ordered was very good.

I also tried the dragon roll it was pretty good, but not my favorite--no particular reason it just lacked pizazz. I had a California roll and realized once again how I don't really like crab all that much. Then I had the sunshine roll and remembered it was one of my favorites at Sapporo. Janelle loved the sunshine roll including the plating with the lemon slices on top. She also said that with sushi it makes sense to eat the lemon rind or else you miss some of the flavor. I would have to agree, the sunshine roll is so delicious because of the lemon.

Some of the fish seemed a little off. It may have been because we were there on a Thursday, but the birthday girl's husband was overheard mentioning the fishiness of his shashimi. I believe it was salmon and yellow tail.

When we stopped to say hi to John, he totally remembered us and apologized for not realizing we were in the "special" room. We will definitely be seeing him again on a Friday when the fish is fresh. Oh and next time we'll be at the bar.

Summer time is coffee time

My professor told me her favorite drink was coffee was in the summer. I thought it was a total oxymoron hot coffee in the summer? Yeah, right.

Turns out, she like to freeze milk ice cubes (I guess that's what you would call them) and put them in her coffee in the morning. I haven't tried it yet, but I did finally try an iced coffee from Sugar House Coffee.

I've always been a little nervous about iced coffee. I don't know why, something about the cold of a drink usually served hot seemed really off-putting to me. Lately, it's been so nice and summery, I decided to just go for it and try cold coffee.

I had an iced karmel sutra latte from Sugar House. It was delicious! I already knew I loved the karmel sutra, but iced was just as good as hot. Looks like I have a new summer wake up drink.

Tomorrow: milk ice cubes and coffee.

Loren, we need more deliciousness!

After beer there's always room for barbecue. Following Sunday's Brewfest Harry, Erin, Laura, Ava and I made our way to Sugar House Barbecue for some yumminess. We were able to sit our on the back patio and our server was Loren, one of Salt Lake's best waiters. He is so amazing I remembered him from my last visit to the barbecue over a year ago.

The man is incredible! He endured three drunken girls and their alcoholic friend very well. He even remembered it was Erin's birthday and brought her a free dessert that was big enough to share. He also answered my questions about the menu and let us move inside once it cooled down outside.

I ordered the 1/3 rack of pork ribs with Greek potatoes and beans. As for the ribs, they were great. They had a nice, smoky crust on the outside and were soft on the inside. I thought they were a little dry, but with the house barbecue sauce it was so delicious it didn't matter. The house sauce is spicy, sweet and sour so all the flavors roll across your tongue. It's not the barbecue sauce I expected, but I still enjoyed it.

The potatoes were so good I felt inspired to make my own version at home the next day. Just dice some potatoes with the skin on toss with extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and Italian spices and cook until soft.

The grilled beans were way yummy and I can see why they are one of the most popular sides at Sugar House Barbecue. I'm not usually a huge fan of beans, even though I've been eating more of them lately. These beans were sweet, soft and flavorful.

Everyone else definitely loved their food, too because we all cleaned our plates. Harry said, "That was good. Where's dessert?" Harry and other men I've eaten there with seem to agree, Sugar House Barbecue doesn't serve enough barbecue. Sugar House Barbecue does serve a smaller portion than most restaurants. For me it just means I actually eat everything. I think the portion sizes are fine at Sugar House Barbecue because one meal is exactly enough to fill me up.

However, to each his own. If you go to Sugar House Barbecue, plan on spending around $15 per person on the entree. And if you bring a big appetite, you might want to order twice. Oh and do yourself a favor and ask for Loren.

Noodles, again.

During my last weekend at Sundance, I spent a little more time with fast food.

James and I went to Noodles & Company on University Parkway in Orem. As always the food was consistent. Yay! Fast food chains.

I tried the Parmesan Crusted Chicken for the first time and was surprised by the richness of the crust. It was really yummy for a drizzly day of moving stuff. I also had the Pasta Fresca with cavatappi noodles. I didn't like the fresca as much as their Penne Rosa, but it was worth trying something new.

I definitely could use more vegetables in my pasta. I felt a little cheated by the lack of tomatoes and spinach in my pasta. I don't know if they always serve such a small amount of greens with their pasta, but this girl wants more.

As always with Noodles I was impressed by their speedy service. The consistency of their food means nothing remarkable happens so I have nothing remarkable to say. So thanks for bringing a decent consistency to the fast food scene Noodles. I'll always be grateful for you when I don't know where else to eat.