A quiet little place in Provo’s Riverwoods, Shoots restaurant is a fabulous place to eat. I’ve been several times now, once with a business group, once with Joe, and once again with my family. I have to say that this is one of the two best Chinese restaurants in all of Utah County (the other being Four Seasons Hotpot and Dumplings). The food is fantastic, the restaurant is always clean, and the staff are very welcoming. In fact the owner, Gary, is also usually waiting on customers and making sure everybody is happy. He works hard to make his customers feel at home in his restaurant, and I think it really shows. He is a wonderful and charming person and I appreciate his friendliness. The last time I was at Shoots, I brought my wife and our three kids (all under 5) with me. My two-year-old was not feeling very well at the time, and was a little fussy. Gary came out several times, making a big fuss over the children and won smiles from each of them. It sure made them happy, and helped their parents to not be too stressed out about their kids behavior in public.

Okay, so now that I’ve told you about the atmosphere, let’s move on to the cuisine, shall we? As I mentioned before, their food is fantastic. It always tastes much more fresh than almost all of the Chinese food that you can get in Utah. They have the usual assortment of traditional Chinese fair, but Gary has added a few things to the menu that you don’t usually see. He has some delicious salads, Honey-Roasted Walnut Shrimp, and a Salt and Pepper shrimp or chicken that are just fantastic.

To start your meal at Shoots, I’d recommend the Po Po Platter: a appetizer combination of egg rolls, two kinds of fried wontons, fried shrimp, barbecued pork and beef skewers that are served on a platter with a flaming brazier in the middle. You can roast the meat over the brazier before you eat it, so that it will be very hot, with a nice charred crust. If you like hot and sour soup, Shoots’ is some of the best I’ve had.

As for the entrees, take a look at the menu on their website. You really can’t go wrong. Because of the quality of ingredients that they start with, the beef at Shoots is so much more tender and delicious than you would expect to find at a Chinese restaurant, so definitely try the Mongolian Beef, Tangerine Beef or Beef with Broccoli. I have tried several of their shrimp dishes, and haven’t found one I didn’t love. The noodles there are fantastic too.

For beverages, you have the usual choices you’d find at any good restaurant, but they also serve green, oolong, and jasmine teas. Something you might want to try, however, is the boba. It is hard to find in Utah (in fact, I think that this is the only place in Utah county where you can get it), and most people here don’t even know what it is. Boba actually refers to an ingredient in the drink (largish tapioca pearls), rather than the drink itself. The drink originated in Taiwan, and was first made with tea. Nowadays, however, you can find boba served in smoothies, milkshakes, and other beverages. Shoots serves theirs in several flavors of smoothies. The drinks are served with a straw that’s about a half an inch in diameter so that the boba can be sucked up with the smoothie. The first time you try this chewy beverage, you will probably be a little surprised by its texture, but you will soon become addicted. It’s definitely something that you should try.

A final recommendation is Shoot’s shaved ice dessert. This is not your typical snow-cone — it is served in a bowl and will feed several people. Their dessert is a small hill of shaved ice in the center of a large bowl, over which is poured some strawberry syrup, heavy cream, and then your choice of up to three fresh fruits. It’s truly beautiful. The next time I go, I’ll try to take a picture of this (and our entrees) to get your mouths watering.

So, to sum up: Shoot’s is a fabulous restaurant with fresh ingredients and an exceptional staff. Try it once, and I guarantee you’ll be craving it fortnightly.

–Jason

Although located in “The Monstrosity”, in downtown Orem, Pizzeria Seven Twelve is a truly wonderful place to eat. Based upon the concept that “We don’t need to be hip foodies or cool cats to eat well. All we need is a little time and a good place to sit.”, Pizzeria Seven Twelve serves only what is fresh and in season. Because of this, their menu is prone to change from time to time, but there are some staples that are always there.

While a “Pizzeria” by name, they are not by any means just a pizza joint. Besides the pizzas, they also serve fantastic panini, salads, soups, and fresh desserts. The pizzas they do serve are not your traditional heavy, American-style pizza. They are thin crusted, light, and not greasy. They come topped with ingredients such as hand-pulled mozzarella, house-made sausage, La Quercia prociutto and speck, goat cheese, and a house-made ricotta that is just amazing.

Once your pizza is assembled, it is baked to perfection in a wood-fired brick oven right in full view of the restaurant. Panini are also finished in this oven, after a quick grilling on their panini grill. The flavor and texture that the wood oven imparts to the food is just wonderful.

If you are a tea drinker (Black, Green or Herbal), you’ll definitely enjoy their tea service. They serve teas from The Republic of Tea. The tea is brought to your table in a steaming Japanese-style iron tea pot, accompanied by a bowl containing a few chunks of unrefined sugar, for those who like their tea sweetened. If you are new to teas, or want something light to go with your meal, try the Morrocan Mint. It is a blend of green tea and mint leaves that has a very fresh and spicy aroma, and a smooth flavor. A perfect compliment to the relaxed and comfortable atmosphere at this fine restaurant.

We’ve eaten here seven or eight times by now, and have sampled almost everything on the menu. I firmly believe that it is impossible to go wrong there. Top your meal off with one of their desserts, and you just might think you’re in heaven. I know that I usually do.

–Jason