The Provo Restaurant: Tastefully Abrasive

Orem Restaurant Review: Milagros

2012-11-08T12:02:00.000-08:00

It's been quite some time since we have made a post on blog. I know, I know, you missed reading all of our delicious details about the food that we go out and get. But the silence has come to an end! So what restaurant am I going to talk about today? Milagros. It's a nice mom n pop joint up in Orem, more specifically it is located 970 West 800 North Orem UT.

What To Expect When You Walk In/Sit Down:
Spanish music, Spanish art on the walls, amazing Latino styled glasses, free chips/salsa.

What We Ordered:
Chicken chimichanga with re-fried beans and sweet rice.

What Our Mouths Experienced:
Chips/Salsa

The chips they served us before our meal were crunchy, salty deliciousness. Green and red salsa were served with the chips as well. Both were not very spicy, and the green had a little sweetness to it. So if you decide to eat green or red you won't be disappointed.
Chicken Chimichanga
My personal favorite thing about chimichangas is the crunchy-ness the you can get on the edge of tortilla due to deep fried awesome-ness. But sadly to say our chimichanga didn't have it. Yet that is the only "bad" thing, or shall I say "critique" that I could place upon that chicken chimichanga. As you can see from the picture the portions are large and in charge. The chicken was tender, guacamole and sour cream were great, rice was cooked all the way; all around it was just a good plate of food. Definitely large enough to split between two people (trust me, that's what we did).

Pricing:
The chimichanga was 14$, so if you are wanting a cheaper lunch then perhaps this place isn't the place for you. I personally didn't feel bad paying 14$ for a chimichanga because the portions were huge, it was pretty good, and I split half of it with another person.

Overall:
Good place, good food, definitely worth giving this place a try.

Provo Restaurant Review: Station 22

2012-07-05T10:53:00.001-07:00

I've heard many good things about Station 22, and with a friend with us this week from out of town, we decided to give this Provo restaurant a go.

Because I'm writing this review later in the week, I don't really remember the names of all of the dishes that we ordered, but here are some pics.

The sign above the cash register says "Fresh, Local, made from scratch" I think this is a general statement, and not referring to all of the items on the menu.

I wasn't completely blown away by the place, and I thought there was a lot of filler greens on one of the sandwiches. Overall, I liked the place and think that I'll be back. It has some great ambiance and I love the outdoor seating.

Provo restaurant Review: Thai Ruby

2012-06-26T16:38:00.000-07:00

We just became those people. We went to a great sit-down Provo restaurant and asked for take out. I was out running errands and asked Chuckie to pick up lunch.

Any who, Thai Ruby is located just beneath our restaurant, and we have never tried it. We figured it was high time we gave them a whirl.

I was honestly quite impressed. We got some noodle thing (I know, really descriptive; as soon as I can get ahold of Chuckie I'll ask him what it was) and it was pretty good. We also ordered a Mango, pineapple, shrimp, curry. . . I loved it. The shrimp was expertly cooked (even for take out), the flavor was amazing and the spiciness was spot on for me. I personally like my curry a little more thick, but I guess that is more Indian style rather than Thai.

I would really like to go back and try their mango sticky rice for dessert. I hear it is a little piece of heaven.

Provo Restaurant Review: Cubby's Chicago Beef

2012-06-21T16:18:00.002-07:00

Here is an up and coming restaurant! It's tucked away in a little strip mall next to Little Ceasars, but I actually really liked the place.

There is a neat vibe to the place, a great deal could be the fact that one whole wall is a chalkboard with the menu on it. Cub (the owner) was working while we were there, and i noticed a chef working that I have seen working at Communal in the past. So even if Cub can't cook, he sure dud hire some people that can.

Chuckie got the Polish dog, I ordered the cockadoodledo (sp?), and we shared an order of rosemary fries. The polish-dog tasted kinda like thanksgiving and the cockadoodledo was just plain good. Almost forgot about the fries; they are just great.

It's just a fun, little, convenient place. I'll be back for sure. (oh and it's one of those places that keep everything fresh and don't use can openers)

Orem Restaurant Review: Five Star BBQ Company

2012-06-11T16:43:00.003-07:00

We have driven down Geneva quite a few times and have seen the sign for the restaurant "Five Star BBQ." Today was the day we finally stopped in.

I really wasn't expecting much from the place due to the ratings on yelp.com and Urbanspoon.com but I was honestly surprised.

For $20, Chuckie and I split the sampler; which comes with three sides, corn or garlic bread, brisket, chicken, pulled pork, and ribs. I wasn't too happy when we found out that they had just run out of ribs, but the nice lady suggested that we get the sausage instead.

The worst part of the meal was the brisket, and it was really pretty decent. The mashed potatoes did taste instant, but there were fresh herbs and spices in it which made it really good. The chicken and pork were cooked perfectly, a little under seasoned for my taste, but there are plenty of BBQ sauces to choose from to make up for it (they might have even planned to have it that way).

The sausage was absolutely amazing. I have found that you can fake many things in the food industry, but a perfect smoking is one that is hard to imitate. The sausage was perfectly moist, full of flavor, and had a perfect consistency that fell apart in my mouth.

This is the part where I'm supposed to tell you my conclusion about the visit i.e. if you should go or not. However, I have found that I'm respecting the opinions of bloggers and self-proclaimed "food critics" less and less. So just read my restaurant review and know that this is my experience and opinion. The food might not really be that great and I just liked the owner, who knows! You sure don't! So in the words of Geordi La Forg "You don't have to take my word for it." . . . yeah, he'll always be Geordi to me!

Provo Restaurant Review: Mountain West Burrito

2012-05-28T17:41:00.000-07:00

I've hear a great deal about the Provo Restaurant Mountain West Burrito. Don't quote me, but this is the story I know about the place: A guy opens up a burrito shop using all sorts of fresh, local, and organic ingredients. Guy has to go back home so he decides to sell his burrito shop to Heirloom Restaurant group (i.e. P712, Communal, etc). We have some pretty close ties with Heirloom Restaurant Group, so we've been excited to check out Mountain West Burrito.

The restaurant is located at what was an old gas station. They have recently taken down all the pumps and the canopy that covered the pumps. Now you can actually see the Mountain West Burrito sign on the building. We ordered a chicken chimichanga and a "giant" steak burrito. I was a little apprehensive when I saw them put on pinto beans (I like black) but we really enjoyed our meal. I generally prefer chimichangas drenched in sauce, however, this one was pretty good on it's own.

Knowing that everything is fresh, organic, or local (or possible all) makes you feel better and you can even taste the difference. I'm no big food critic, so I figure if I can taste even the smallest difference, most everyone else should.

The only criticism that I have heard from people is that since the original owner sold the place, the new staff hasn't been as friendly. The guy behind the counter when we went was extremely friendly and genuine. He seems like a guy that would recognize the regulars and would have no problem having a conversation with you if that is what you desired.

Go, check it out! It's not expensive and it's a fun "off the beaten path" kind of place. Not something you would expect from an old gas station. (Side not: I got mine to go)

Live Show: Menage

2012-05-21T17:36:00.002-07:00

Had a crazy fun show with Menage and In The Bandwagon (I think they changed their name to the Red Yeti while on stage . . . ).

The Red Yeti did a great job and will be back with us June 1st; we are all really excited.

Menage is a band from Canada that is funding their own tour through Canada and the United States. Seriously, through! from LA to NY, Menage is hitting it all. If you ever get the chance to host a show or see a show with Menage, do it! They do a great job working the crowd and they are just awesome people. bElla says that they are so nice because they are Canadian, but all the same they are really great! They even made up a birthday song for my mom. . . on the spot! (They played on mom's birthday) A lovely lady from the Awful Waffle says "they must be legit, they have piercings and tattoos!" With or without piercings and tattoos, they brought down the house! We even had a scout from Sammy's try and get them to play at their venue the next time they are in town.

Look out MTV! Menage is taking North America by storm. Our staff all bough albums and T-shirts, I the rest of them aren't wearing their shirts today, because I know I sure am!

Orem Restaurant: Smokehouse

2012-05-21T17:22:00.001-07:00

We decided to hit up The Smokehouse in Orem this week. Chuckie and I had been there about a year ago, back when they were still serving some pretty amazing pizza. As it turns out it is under a new owner; who happens to be the same owner and chef from Center Steet Bistro that was in the Madison.

Chuckie ordered the pulled pork special (sandwich, chips, and a drink for $5) and I ordered a burger. I honestly can't remember what it was called, but there was the burger, pesto sauce, ham, and an egg. The pulled pork sandwich comes dry so that you can pick from four different kinds of BBQ Sauces. Chuckie and I fell in love with the type of buns they use for their dishes. We loved it so much that we are now considering either ordering the same one that The Smokehouse uses, or something very similar.

The Smokehouse isn't really the kind of place you should expect to be waited on. But the service you do receive isn't much to rave about. But if you do get to talk to the owner of The Smokehouse you'll come to find, like we did, he's quite personable. As for the place in general, it's small and intimate. Which is pretty cool.

I'm sure a professional chef or critic could point our some nit-picky things here and there, and say that there are other places that you could get better food. But I seriously doubt that you'd be able to get much better in the same price range. I liked the place and the food. For a pulled pork sandwich combo for $5, you can't really do much better. You pay more at Molly's and it's not half as moist. So go ahead and give this place a try.

Utah Restaurant Review: Jaxies of Spanish Fork

2012-05-14T17:12:00.000-07:00

I know I know, ya'll have been in suspense because last week we didn't have a review. Don't worry, Chuckie and I are just fine. We just got kinda lazy last week, but we'll explain when we get those reviews up, . . . that's right, those!

Any who, we checked out Jaxies this week all the way down in Spanish Fork. Why would we travel all the way from our lovely Provo restaurant to Spanish Fork? Honestly, Jaxies is ranked pretty high on Urbanspoon.com is why. It's located in a little strip mall right off of main street.

The first thing that I noticed were the tall ceilings; they give the place a great feel. There is also seating upstairs, but chuckie and I opted out of the better view because of the amount of children there. They actually have a little blocked off area upstairs for children to play. I'd imagine this would be appealing for parents trying to grab a bite while out with the kids.

The lady behind the counter wasn't nice, but wasn't rude either. It took a little while for us to get our food because they accidentally gave my order to someone else. The server was really nice and didn't try to sugarcoat it, which I really appreciated. I ended up getting my Turkey, bacon, avocado panini, and chuckle is turkey club wrap.

Final consensus, really not amazing, but not bad either. I found that if you take the sauce they give you on the side (I think it is sour cream and ranch seasoning) and pour it on the panini, it is quite delightful. If only I had figured that out earlier!

Provo Restaurant Review: Nicolitalia Pizzeria

2012-04-25T12:33:00.002-07:00

Sorry that this blog post is getting out so late. I've been a little under the weather, and honestly, it started on Monday. We were tempted to call off our regular Monday lunch, but I thought "what about my four blog followers?! We must press on!" So we decided to hit up Nicolitalia Pizzeria in good old Provo.

We called up and ordered an extra-large, mushroom, bacon, and sausage pizza with a 10 piece BBQ chicken wings for pick up; the total came out to be about $24.

I have found with pizza, it's all about preference. So you can take this review as you will. For me, Nicolitalia Pizzeria in little old Provo is the best pizza I can get west of Worcester, MA. I love the crust, I love the toppings, and the chicken wings aren't bad either (this was our first time getting those). Last time we were there we ordered some connolis, which were a little to sweet for me, but the lady in our party loved them, and was more than willing to devour all three of them.

Nick (the owner) is a way chill guy with an unmistakable high pitched voice and Boston accent. The visit is worth it if you go just to talk to Nick.

What are my recommendations? Go, it's great for a fun cheap date night, a quick bite, or a place to bring family. If you have ever sported a Red Sox hat, Patriot's Jersey, Celtics shirt, or have ever heard of the Worcester Ice Cats, and you are out in the Utah Valley, it's pretty much a requirement to stop by Nicolitalia Pizzeria.

Utah Valley Restaurant Review: The Purple Turtle

2012-04-16T17:17:00.002-07:00

The Purple Turtle has been on my to do list for over four years. Being from the East Coast, Chuckie and I really appreciate a good "fish and chips;" Purple Turtle is famous for their's.

Chuckie ordered the fish and chips and I ordered the "mile high burger." The total came up to about $26 and honestly, I wasn't that impressed. My burger came with a side of tater-tots that were cooked perfectly but had a little bit of a fishy taste, that worked with the tater-tots, but not so much for the fries. The burger was good, with options of bacon or ham, i opted for the bacon and it was well cooked thick pieces of bacon. The burger was decent, but overall, not terrible impressive. The fish really wasn't that great. The fryer wasn't hot enough to get the batter to be crispy, and generally boring.

I do love the outside look of The Purple Turtle (purple roof) and think that it is a fun place to say that you are going to, but really not that great of food, and the price isn't that great for what you get either. I will probably not be returning on my own accord, but also would not put up much of a fight if I was in a party that really wanted to go. I would suggest going to JCW for fish and chips, rather than The Purple Turtle.

Utah Valley Restaurant Review: Pho Plus Noodle House

2012-04-09T18:33:00.000-07:00

This week Chuckie and I decided to venture out of Provo and head all the way up to Orem. I was just feeling something with shrimp, so Chuckie suggested Pho.

I ordered the Saigon Shrimp and Chuckie got the Singapore noodles. Chuckie swears that they were having an off day because things weren't as great as I have heard everyone rave about. Both of our dishes came out really sweet and there was only one person manning the restaurant. The green beans on my plate were shriveled and tasted like they were reheated in a pan that had just cooked some seafood and perhaps the beans were about to turn. Chuckie's noodles were cooked perfectly and despite the excess of sweetness, tasted really good. I really think that the beans killed the rest of dish for me, because I had a hard time enjoying the rest of my meal. I must say that Pho did not skimp on the shrimp, which I really appreciated, and the shrimp was cooked really well; but I could not eat it all after having my appetite spoiled for me. The salad looked like it was made up of all the leftover scraps but the dressing was decent.

The presentation of the food and the overall ambiance was quite appealing. I really do think that Pho just had an off day, and I really will go and try it again. It is obvious that the cook knows what he is doing, but just totally messed up the sauce and those beans.

Provo Restaurant Review: Red Robin

2012-04-02T19:53:00.003-07:00

I know most people like to visit mom and pop Provo restaurants when making these blogs, but this Monday Chuckie and I hit up the good old Red Robin at the Provo Town Center mall. Full disclosure: Our server Paul (a.k.a. "The Filipino Heat") works at Red Robin; so we decided to give him a visit.

I got the Bleu Ribbon burger (Bleu cheese, onion straws, some steak sauce, chipotle mayo, all on an onion bun),Chuckie ordered the Banzi Burger. All in all the food was good. Granted, Red Robin is a chain, so the food isn't anything spectacular, and you can taste the lack of love in the preparation, but it is pretty good. I really like the endless fries, even though I usually on'y go through one basket. Paul informed us that the kitchen was running behind so the cook time would be about 15 mins . . . which really isn't bad at all.

I give Red Robin a thumbs up. It's nothing particularly special Provo restaurant, but not a bad place to go. You can tip bad too if you want because it's a chain and the servers are accustomed to being treated poorly! Not that we would, . . . I'm just saying if you're down with tipping poorly.

Oh yeah, get the strawberry lemonade! It's tastes good, comes in a cool cup, and you can get refills!

Provo Restaurant Review: La Dolce Vita

2012-03-26T17:01:00.003-07:00

gnocchi

This week Chuckie and I decided to hit up Provo restaurant: La Colce Vita Ristorante Italiano. From the outside I thought it had a bit of a Mexican market vibe to it. However, after entering it felt exactly what I believe a restaurant in Italy would feel like (I've never been to Italy, so my only knowledge comes from Wikipedia and Hollywood). We were greeted by a lovely lady with an Italian accent (once again I've never been to Italy, it could have been a Russian accent and I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference . . . ok maybe if it was Russian) and was shown to our seats. We walked under arch ways held up by antiqued pillars.

Our server was friendly and helpful. I ended up ordering a meat calzone and Chuckie had the lunch gnocchi combo. Chuckie's came with a house minestrone soup and mine came with a salad. The soup was good and full of noodle (I'm assuming they used day old noodles in it, ingenious!) and the creamy Caesar dressing on my salad was great. I was not expecting the calzone to be swimming in a red pasta sauce, but it was a pleasant surprise. The gnocchi was good but found that the white sauce was boring . . . along with the red sauce, not bad, just boring.

calzone

Another thing to note is that it is a little uncomfortable to be in the dinning area alone or with one other person as the floors are tile and your voice will carry across the dinning room. However, as more people sit down the drone of other voices makes you feel much more comfortable and adds a great ambiance.

Overall I like La Dolce Vita. It's a fun little restaurant right in the middle of Provo. We ended up spending about $14 on good meal. It's nothing mind blowing; the sauces are a bit boring but it's pretty good food. You could easily blow $20 on a fast food place with a much less impressive ambiance. If you are looking for a decent Provo restaurant for a great cheap date night, then La Dolce Vita is a great choice.

Provo Restaurant Review: Molly's

2012-03-20T09:11:00.002-07:00

Molly's french chicken, mashed potatoes, and baked beans

Within the past month, Chuckie and I decided that it would be a good idea to start trying out the restaurants in the area. We are fully aware that Dave & Cranky Chuckie's is not for everyone all the time; so we wanted to know the local food scene so that we could give out some recommendations. For the Past three weeks, every Monday we have gone out to eat at a different restaurant for lunch. I Figure, why not make out findings public on our good old company wall?

This week we ate a Molly's which is owned by Mavelous catering. I have heard many great things about the place and decided that a restaurant that is only open for lunch and creates such big hype must be tried.

All in all, Molly's is a fun little place and does not boast to be something that it isn't. Anyone that complains about Molly's is trying to get alot more than what they are paying for. Yeah, the chicken and brisket we ordered were a little dry, and the mashed potatoes were half fresh, half instant, but it's run by a CATERING COMPANY! Our total bill came out to be about $16 (even though my bank statement shows $19, of which I will have to call up today to sort out) for the two of us.

The honey (even though it is served in little individual packets) is delicious with they cheese biscuits. I also absolutely loved the baked beans. There are yams all mixed up in there!

Molly's is a great place to take out of town friends and family. It's cheap, it's quick, and it's not anywhere else!

Girls suck!

2012-02-20T13:49:00.000-08:00

Ahaha! Makes you smile!

Pepsi vs. Coke

2012-02-18T11:48:00.000-08:00

I am honestly not much of a soda drinker, and this entry has little to do with the preference of taste between Coke and Pepsi; but in dealing with them as businesses. At Cranky Chuckie's we have been debating on getting a soda fountain or sticking with the nostalgic bottled sodas. From the business end of things the mark up for fountain drinks is far greater than that of a bottle. (average fountain drink cost about 20 cents as a bottle costs about 75-89) However, we have decided to listen to our customers and provide a greater verity of flavors, including diet. For us this could only be achieved via soda machine.

Due to our staff's passion for Coke products, Coke was our first choice. However, we found that Coke required a minimum purchases, contracts, and required us to not to sell any other kind of drink product (other than Coke) Keep in mind, this is information that we received over the phone from a Coke rep as well as other Coke customers, nothing in writing. We were in the process of saving up for a machine of our own (to avoid all the red tape) when a Pepsi rep showed up.

To make a long story short, Pepsi just installed an 8 head soda fountain as well as a soda gun. All that was required of us was to purchase our concentrate from Pepsi. We still serve bottled Coke, IBC, and Crush.

Bugatti Veyron vs R35 GTR Drag Race

2012-01-04T09:52:00.000-08:00

what what?! Skyline wins?!

New Dark Knight Rises Trailer!

2011-12-20T15:19:00.000-08:00

All of us at Cranky Chuckie's are pretty excited for this! (If you are not, you are FIRED!)

New G.I. Joe!

2011-12-17T10:54:00.000-08:00

So the first G.I.Joe was a little bit of a let down for me. The Rock is in this one!?! Yes, with Bruce Willis!

GT-R Juke?

2011-12-11T09:48:00.000-08:00

I've had a thing for new Nissan Juke when I first saw it. I think our relationship progressed when me friend brought his mom's Juke over to the house. I then read this article and I am head over heels! 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged V6 with 480bhp? what?!

Juke-R

Miracle on 42nd street

2011-12-07T08:18:00.000-08:00

this is the best holiday video thus far!

BYU Celeb Stephen Jones punting stuff!

2011-11-11T12:21:00.000-08:00

I love this Stephen Jones Guy. You might know him as the "New Spice Guy."

MW3: Hope it is better than Black ops, at least the commercials are!

2011-11-10T07:30:00.001-08:00

Real Men!

2011-10-23T00:16:00.001-07:00