Have you ever had real Mexican food? I don’t mean taqueria style, like Betos or Gualbertos, nor do I mean any of the popular Americanized chains like Chevy’s, and I definitely don’t mean Taco Bell, The Taco Maker, Del Taco, or any other similar abomination. I mean real home-style Mexican food.

There are several places in Utah where one can eat good Mexican food. One of the best, however, is El Gallo Giro. Their menu is expansive. On it, you’ll find the customary foods you would expect at any Mexican restaurant, such as tacos, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, and the like. But you will also find things like a delicious grilled chicken, Menudo and other soups, grilled nopales (the leaves of the prickly pear cactus), and a wonderful shrimp cocktail. Their shrimp cocktail, or coctel de camarones, is not the American style kind that you might be used to. Theirs is done in the Mexican style: it comes in a large mug or bowl with the peeled and chilled shrimp mixed into a sweet tomato sauce. To the shrimp and sauce are added avocados, onions, cilantro, lemon juice and wedges, celery, and some other wonderful things. It’s beautiful and delicious. Definitely something you should try. The undeniable king of their menu, however, is “El Molcajete”, or “The Rock”.

The Rock is is a veritable feast which can easily serve two regular humans, or one Joe. The rock is, as the name implies, a molcajete which has been baked in an oven and then filled with their grilled chicken, carne asada, chorizo, shrimp, grilled nopales, shrimp, grilled spring onions, and a delicious sauce. The Molcajete is served with tortillas to eat with the contents of the giant rock. It’s really something quite spectacular to behold.

El Gallo Giro also has a couple of family plates that looked quite wonderful. One of these days, we’ll order one and let you know how it went. They are served tableside on a grill, with rice and beans and lots of tortillas. That brings me to their beans… El Gallo Giro has, unquestionably, the best frijoles I have had in Utah. Bar none. They are fantastically smooth and savory. I’m sure they’re made with lard, so they’re probably not very healthy, but they’re wonderful!

In addition to the wondrous offerings we’ve already described, the restaurant has two appetizers that are worth mentioning. The first is a queso fundito, which is a fajita skillet full of melted cheese and a bit of carne asada. This comes to the table bubbling and steaming, and smelling wonderful. As it sits, the cheese on the bottom and sides burns and crisps up a bit. It’s fantastic to dip your chips into while it’s melted, and once you eat all of the melted cheese, you can peel off the crispy bits stuck to the skillet. It’s just perfect!

The second, and no less fantastic, mentionable appetizer is their fresh guacamole. This can be ordered with or with out a jalapeño, but either way, it’s made tableside. A few minutes after you order, a waitress will appear, bearing a tray with a molcajete, some avocados, a small bowl of pico de gallo, and a chile (assuming you ordered one). The waitress will grind up the ingredients in the molcajete and then present it to you. I suggest adding a little lime juice and salt, but this is some of the best guacamole you will ever taste. It’s wonderfully fresh, and beautiful to behold. Just wonderful.

Now, if you’re still not convinced, let me tell you about their beverage selection… They have the usual array of sodas (if you’re into that sort of thing), but they also have a daily array of aguas frescas, and a juice (licuado in Spanish) bar. Their aguas frescas are made daily, and the selection changes, you will almost always find horchata, but we’ve also seen mango (basically lemonade but made with mangoes instead of lemons), strawberry (made with strawberries, sugar, and milk), watermelon, mixed berry, and others. These are served from the traditional large jugs, from which you can help yourself. Definitely just the thing on a hot day, or with a hot meal.

Finally, not to be missed, are their salsas. They have the traditional salsa bar with several flavors of salsas, pickled jalapeños, limes, radishes, shredded cabage, etc. Their salsa, however are just fantastic. They range from fiery hot to somewhat mild, but their flavors are bright and clean, and they have a wonderful aroma and texture.

So, what are you waiting for? Stop reading and go to El Gallo Giro for some fantastic food! (Come back and finish reading when you’re done though!)

–Jason

A recent find (introduced to me by Joe), Phở Green Papaya has become my absolute favorite Vietnamese restaurant. The ingredients are fresh, the atmosphere is classy, and the service is impeccable. There is an incredible variety of selections on their six page menu. Although I have by no means tried them all, everything I have tried has been top notch. Their prices are reasonable too — my most recent meal, consisting of tea, an appetizer, and a large bowl of phở, came to less than $19, including a generous tip.

When you go, start with an appetizer. Though not typical Vietnamese fare, their chicken satays are fantastic — coconutty, lightly sweet, moist and tender. I like the fresh spring rolls (Gỏi cuốn), but their crispy, deep fried rolls (Chả giò) are also excellent.

If you like tea, they have a broad selection of green and black teas, as well as a couple of herbal tisanes, all served in a cast-iron tea kettle. I am a big fan of green tea, and I always order a pot when I’m there. I especially love Chinese jasmine pearl tea (Dragon Pearls), jasmine scented green tea leaves and sometimes a jasmine flower, hand rolled into small pearl-sized balls, and was delighted to find it on the menu. If you like teas, try it — you won’t be disappointed.

The first time I went, I had the Bún bò Huế — a mildly spicy soup noodle soup originating in the town of Huế, in central Vietnam. This soup, although a Vietnamese noodle soup, is very different from phở. For starters, the broth much more substantial, red, and flavored with lemongrass and shrimp paste, rather than star anise, cloves and ginger. The noodles are different too — thicker and closer to spaghetti or soba noodles. Finally, the meats served in this soup are much different than what you would typically find in a bowl of phở. Typical ingredients include marinated brisket and slices of various Vietnamese sausages and meatloaves. Phở Green Papaya does it right though. To the usual assortment, they add a pig’s knuckle (ham hock to the Southerners) some cakes of coagulated pig’s blood, and a couple of other meats. I’m not much for the blood cakes, but the rest of it is truly fantastic. This is real comfort food.

The second time I went, I had the phở. I ordered their house special version, which included rare steak (it’s put into the bowl raw, and it cooks by the time you eat it), both lean and fatty flank, brisket, beef meatballs (bò viên), tendon and tripe. This was far and away the best phở I’ve ever eaten in a restaurant. The broth was clear and clean, with a heady aroma of star anise and other spices. The meats were perfectly prepared, with the tripe being cut into thin, lacy shreds and the tendon cut into nice, thin, manageable strips. Words (at least my words) just can’t express how good this soup was.

Needless to say, I will return again and again. If you are looking for some good Vietnamese cuisine, Phở Green Papaya is the place! Even if you are a little timid, you should try this place. Order the phở tái bò viên — phở with steak and meat balls. This is an exceptional soup, with no ingredients that would be intimidating to an American palate (such as the tripe or tendon in my soup). This is my four-year-old daughter’s absolute favorite food.

–Jason

Where do I start with Four Seasons? This place is one of my very favorite restaurants in all of Utah. Run by one of the cutest couples I have ever met, this is a family business in every sense of the word. The restaurant, for the most part, serves two things: hotpots and dumplings (did you expect something else?). The hotpots are cooked in the traditional way, at the table by the customer, and the dumplings are made fresh to order by the owners. I love watching the couple that run the place make their dumplings. They so obviously enjoy each other, it is a joy to watch them work together.

They serve several different kinds of dumplings: boiled and steamed Jiaozi, tasty Xiao Long Bao, and my favorite, fist-sized Baozi; all served with their special dipping sauce. You can choose from a variety of ingredients for the dumpling fillings. You can choose vegetarian dumplings, or you can choose from pork, chicken or beef. Once you’ve chosen a base, you can choose several from any number of vegetables to add to the fillings. The dumplings will then be prepared for you by the proprietors as you wait. These are seriously delicious dumplings. The Jiaozi are not unlike what are commonly called “potstickers”, however they are steamed or boiled, rather than being steamed and fried. These are very light and tasty. The Xiao Long Bao are like small purses (about the size of a walnut). These are then steamed to perfection. These are also very light and fairly healthy. The Baozi are much larger, about the size of a fist, and are a different animal entirely. Made from a raised dough, and filled with a larger quantity of fillings, these are not as light as the other dumplings that you can find here. They are, however, very good, and I highly recommend ordering one per person to eat with your hotpot.

Now, for the hotpots! If you are having a hotpot for your meal, you first choose a broth. You can choose from a chicken broth, a Chinese miso broth (great with seafood), or my favorite, the hot and spicy broth. If you can’t make up your mind, they have a special pot with a divider down the middle that will allow you to have two broths in the same pot. Once you choose a broth, they make it in the kitchen and then bring it, boiling, to your table. The pot of broth is then put onto either an electric or gas burner at your table to keep it boiling. Once you have your broth, you can go to the ingredients buffet and choose from a wide assortment of ingredients to put into your hotpot. Included in the array are the standard pork, chicken, and beef (all raw), as well as some other, more exotic ingredients. You can choose Chinese meat or fish balls, tofu skins, shrimp, eggs, a wide assortment of vegetables, noodles, and much more. Dinnertime has an even wider assortment of seafood, including mussels, fish, whole jumbo prawns, and squid.

Once you have your plate full of raw ingredients, you bring it back to the table and begin to cook them in the broth. Everybody puts a few ingredients from their raw plate into the broth, and as they cook, you remove them. You will have a second plate on which to place the cooked food. There you can dip it into the house special dipping sauce, or as Joe calls it: Awesome Sauce, and then eat it. It’s a really fun meal, and as you cook as you go, it’s great for socializing with those at your table.

Once you have eaten what you like from the ingredients bar, your broth will have become fantastically seasoned. Now for the best part: take some noodles and put them into a bowl. If you like, add some vegetables or other ingredients (choose ones that cook fast), and ladle in some of your broth. Now, eat one of the best soups you’ve ever had!

After your meal, the host or hostess will invite you to help yourself to the ‘dessert freezer’. Inside the freezer is an assortment of ice cream sandwiches, popsicles, and other frozen treats. It makes for a pretty good bargain as meals go, especially since a drink is also included.

I just can’t say enough good things about The Four Seasons. The proprietors are so warm and inviting and the food is just excellent. Also, while not the most kid-friendly of meals, the restaurant itself is very kid friendly. Joe and I brought our families once, and our kids were treated to plastic cups and plates which had fun Asian cartoon characters on them. The kids loved them, and it was obvious by their kind words and doting attitudes that the couple that run the place were very happy to see them.

I’ve gone back here many times, and will continue to do so. I feel it is important to support small businesses like these, especially when they are so fantastic. Please give this restaurant a try, I’m sure it will become one of your favorites as well!

–Jason

Ok, I admit it. I’m a barbecue addict. What can I say? I grew up in the south. So barbecue, for me, is nearly a religion. I must admit though, that until fairly recently, it was very difficult to get good barbecue in Utah. Joe Morley’s, in Midvale (post coming soon) was about the only place for good ‘cue. But now, Lon’s has two locations in Utah County. One in Provo, and a new one in Orem.

For me, barbecue means slow smoked, pulled pork; served with coleslaw (to put on top!) and a spicy vinegar (not tomato) based sauce. Well, I can’t get the vinegar sauce at Lon’s, but they do have several flavors of tomato based sauces, as well as a honey-mustard one for chicken that’s delicious.

Now, for the meat! Their pulled pork is awesome. It’s smoked in a pit right in front of the store (at least at the Orem location), and shredded by hand. It’s always very moist and tender with lots of flavor. You can get it as a sandwich (remember to eat it like a southerner and put coleslaw on it!) or you can order it as part of a platter. They also serve up a mean smoked chicken. I especially love their dark chicken meat. It’s just fantastic. It melts in your mouth, infusing your palate with a subtle, smokey flavor that is just perfect. Their brisket and ribs have been hit-or-miss however. They are often quite good, but occasionally (about 1/3 of the time for us), they have been quite dry. I’m not quite sure why this should be.

–Jason

Nestled in the seedy underbelly of Provo, Saigon Cafe is a restaurant worth avoiding. The name, and its listing in the phone book under “Vietnamese Cuisine” lead us to believe that this was a Vietnamese restaurant. Not so. This is a very dirty and greasy Chinese restaurant that happens to serve a couple of Vietnamese dishes.

Between the four of us who went, we had a plate of gỏi cuốn (uncooked Vietnamese spring rolls), two bowls of phở, a bowl of bún thịt nướng (a Vietnamese vermicelli dish which is usually quite tasty), and a plate of Singapore-style noodles. It should be noted at this point that nobody was able to finish their meal. I am usually fairly adventurous when it comes to food, but this was bad, even for me.

The noodles in the gỏi cuốn, the bún thịt nướng and the phở were very mushy and overcooked. The gỏi cuốn had very little flavor, except for that of the greasy grilled shrimp. At this point, you should be getting the picture. I don’t want to turn this into a rant, and I also feel sorry for the very nice woman who waited on us, so I’ll stop describing our experience here.

Needless to say, we won’t be going back. We also urge others to skip this place.

–Jason