A Red Attic Deli

Review

I nearly passed it by.  I knew it was around here because a friend had been there before, but I nearly passed it by because the door says something about a dance studio.  The sign for Red Deli is above the dance studio and there is a sign above the second story window saying "Red Deli", but if you're looking for a sign at eye-level you will never find it.  Entering the front door, turning to the right and going up the stairs you come right to the counter where the cashier awaits to take the order.  The place looks like an unfinished apartment and the dining area consists of four tables awaiting for people to come.  The location is fairly new; there were people in one of the former bedrooms measuring things, looking things over, and walking in and out multiple times.  The location still has yet to get a soda fountain -- currently they have an upright glass door cooler filled with IBC root beer of differing varieties such as regular, diet, cream soda, and blackberry.


Being a Philly fan, I ordered their Philly Steak Supreme combo with a medium fry and an IBC Root Beer.  The order came out fairly quickly which I appreciated.  I wouldn't call the sandwich, though, a Philly Cheese steak, it was more of a rib-eye sub.  For toppings it came with mayo, tomato, lettuce, olives, and banana peppers.  The meat contained two slices of rib-eye with provolone melted in the middle (which I thought was a great touch).  This allowed the cheese to be noticeable but not overcome the taste of the tender rib-eye.  The freshly made bread was rather soft and the outside had a harder crust to it that I thought really went well with the sub.  For a sub the overall presentation was great, but for someone wanting a Philly it was a disappointment.  Next time I will go with a different selection mostly because of my expectations of a Philly.  The fries were really good although there weren't as many as I'd expect in a medium, but they had a great taste to them.  The outside was cooked to a crisp but the inside was still tender mostly because of their size.


Overall, I probably won't go here again and not because of the taste (I thought the taste was great) but because of the distance from where I work to get there, the lack of a soda fountain, and the price.  I couldn't finish my entire sandwich not because I was full but because I didn't have anything else to wash it down with.  Free refills really do come in handy and have saved a possibly difficult sandwich many a time.  As a workaround for this issue, though, they do offer free delivery for some of Provo.  If I were in the free delivery range and wanted a sub but didn't feel like driving anywhere, I would probably give them a ring.  While we were there, only one other group showed up and yet they were busy the entire time simply because of their phone orders.  But price is also something to take into consideration.  With the sub itself being $8.75 for a 12 inch, I wouldn't pass up cheaper establishments for this one.


Cost and Big John Rating
Cost = $8.75 - 12" sub, $2.50 - medium fries and IBC Root Beer without tax.
Quality = 8
Taste = 6 (it's the expectation of a Philly that kills this)
Ambiance = 5
Service = 8
Price Rating = 7.3
Big John Rating = 6.7


Notable URLs
Red Deli's Menu

Everything on Great Steak

Review
What was the name of that place?  Was it The Great Steak or Steak & Everything Grill?  It's very confusing because the outside and receipt says "The Great Steak" but the menu says "Steak & Everything Grill".  Hmm.  Google Maps and Facebook call it "Steak & Everything Grill" so that's what I'll refer to it as.


Approaching from the outside this looks exactly like the kind of place I like to visit -- just a little Ma & Pa's type place.  Inside it has a very old feel to it with the old school Coca-Cola advertising and other items decorating the walls that could have come from an old log cabin or malt shop.  The dinning area is small -- perfect for a Ma and Pa's and has maybe 3 tables and 7 booths.


Pulling all three tables next to each other, the lunch crew took to looking over the "Steak & Everything Grill" menu.  With a wide variety of items to choose from, the question on what to eat was apparently very tough.  One guy in our lunch crew barely made his entrée choice but when it came to dessert he couldn't take the pressure and told the waitress, "Surprise me".  Which she did by coming up with her own milk shake recipe, and he enjoyed it.


When it came to my turn I did what seemed right at the time and went with the first item on the menu -- the Steak and Everything combo.  This Philly Cheese steak comes with rib-eye, grilled bell peppers and onions, tomatoes, and provolone all on a sourdough bun.  When they first brought it out my thought was "Where's the beef?!?"  I don't think I've seen a Philly that was more bun than topping (take a look at my Chubby's Cafe posting to see what I'm talking about).  It had a pretty good taste to it (there was a lot of flavoring to it and the grilled veggies pulled their own weight) and resembled something I would get at the Italian Place.  Overall it was a good sandwich, it just needs a bit more to it to go along with the bun.  The fries that came with the combo were crisp and the fry sauce was an excellent compliment to the fry.  Theirs is a fry sauce I would recommend and will want again.


Overall we had a very good experience and the lunch crew looks forward to coming back here again sometime.


Cost and Big John Rating
Cost = $6.99 without tax (came with the Steak and Everything, small fries, and a drink)
Quality = 6
Taste = 6
Ambiance = 9
Service = 9
Price Rating = 6.4
Big John Rating = 7.5


Notable URLs
The Steak & Everything Grill Facebook Page

Wings -N- Things

Wallaby's Great Barbecue

Review
Wallaby's is a great addition to the Utah barbecue scene.  Strategically located near a busy intersection in Lindon, Wallaby's is easily noticed from State Street and just as easily accessible. The inside offers many Australian items such as Australian yield signs and several other items.  The wood pile to the right is not just for decor but also informs the customer that this is a smokehouse and all their meat is smoked (which really makes for a good meal).


Ever since Wallaby's came out with their lunch menu, the lunch crew has frequented this location.  It is a favorite of ours.  Even though they recently changed their lunch menu from meat and side for $5.99 to meat and two sides for $6.99, this is still an excellent price for barbecue.  This time I went with my personal favorite -- the pulled pork with a side of smashers.  For the extra side I gave the fresh veggies a try.  Each meal also comes with two slices of their home made bread (which is really good bread).  The pulled pork is tender and not only has a great flavor, but also goes very well with their raspberry barbecue sauce.  The smashers consist of mashed potatoes with cheese worked into them.  Also very good.  Be ye warned, though, they come with a lot on the plate.  A senior Asian couple ordered the smashers and when they brought the plate out their eyes went as wide as saucers and led to them calling the waitress back thinking there was some mistake because they had only ordered one side of smashers and not two; but that's how they come.

The fresh veggies came with broccoli, onions, carrot strips, and zucchini.  There was only a slight buttering to the veggies, and they were well steamed and had a great taste to them.  I will consider ordering these next time as well.  Their baked beans are also good with bacon added to them; they are also something I've substituted for the smashers occasionally.


If it's good barbecue you're looking for and want to try something different and new, Wallaby's is a great place to go for a good price.


Big John Rating and Cost
Cost = $6.99 without tax (includes meat and two sides)
Quality = 9
Taste = 9
Ambiance = 9
Service = 8
Price Rating = 9.7
Big John Rating = 9.0


Notable URLs
Wallaby's Website

Delta Doesn't Need to Freeze for Good Food

Review
Delta Freeze in my opinion is the best eating establishment there is in Delta.  Located right near the entrance of Delta from Highway 6, this place is situated in such a way that no other place needs to be passed up to get here.  From the outside it looks small because the upper floor consists of the loft (which is a steak shop) and the bottom floor contains Delta Freeze but it is big enough to get the job done.  This classic malt shop offers a variety of items on the menu including two different seafood entrees (one herring and the other cod) plus a buffalo burger and sometimes even Ostrich.  In addition they also serve shakes.

Today I went with the 1/4 pound Delta Deluxe which included a 1/4 burger, ham, swiss cheese, mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, and sauce all on a toasted bun.  I am a firm believer that mushroom belongs on a pizza not on a burger; I do not like the texture of the mushroom on my burger.  However, I always get the artist's creation the first time just in case I'm pleasantly surprised (which does happen).  This time, I wasn't.  Picking out the mushrooms, though, this was a great burger!  The swiss cheese was folded into the ham and melted nicely inside of it.  Swiss does have its proper place on a burger especially if the surrounding taste an hold its own against the strong taste of swiss.  This burger does just that.  Every bit had different flavor combinations and was enjoyable to the last crumb.


Because I ordered the 1/4 pound burger, I also received an order of small fries.  I wish I had a larger size.  The fries were crinkle style -- a style that you normally don't get up where I'm from.  They also came with different seasonings on top of them and were chewy.  I normally don't get a fry this springy and chewy so this was a delightful find.  My advice is to keep these all to yourself; don't share them with anyone unless you get the large size and even then share responsibly.


Overall, I've enjoyed every single trip I've ever made to Delta Freeze and look forward to the next.  Don't pass this place by if you're heading along Highway 6 because the stop will definitely be something worth remembering.


Big John Rating and Cost
Cost = $5.55 without tax (includes 1/4 Delta Deluxe and a small order of fries)
Quality = 9
Taste = 8
Service = 8
Ambiance = 9
Price Rating = 9.1
Big John Rating = 8.5


Notable URLs

Maria Bonita Good Chimichanga

Review

A small hole-in-the wall in a strip mall near the North Orem Maceys, Maria Bonitas offers good Mexican food.  For me, their prices are a bit higher than I would normally pay, which is why we come at lunch when they have excellent lunch prices.  The really do a lot with the little space they have and decorate nearly every inch of their walls with Mexican items such as sombreros and small vihuelas.  Many of the tables have wooden chairs, but some others have leather chairs with the words "Maria Bonitas" written across them as well as a picture.  On previous visits this place was packed during the lunch hour; as it is, though, it was virtually empty until about 12:30 when it picked up a little but not nearly as much as it used to.

For today's course I ordered the lunch special which included the pulled pork Chimichanga, a soup appetizer (consisting of fried rice in water), and a soda.  For me, I've experienced similar things to the fried rice soup in foreign countries so it wasn't too strange for me; however, for my coworker it was described as "weird" and "not that good".  I thought the fried rice was very flavorful and tasted better than some other soups I've had elsewhere; but for those who aren't used to this sort of thing it can be a weird experience.


A while after the appetizer our waitress bought out the entree.  It was a lot of food for the price!  Although there was a major portion of the chimichanga burned, the remainder tasted great.  This chimichanga was filled with pork and had cheese cooked on top of it.  For me the cooked cheese really added a lot of flavor and texture that made the chimichanga very enjoyable.  To my coworker who also ordered the same thing, he ended up taking most of it back as leftovers.  His was perfectly cooked and enjoyed the chimichanga just as much as I did.


The refried beans were cooked a bit longer than I would have liked and appeared burned but didn't taste that way.  Overall the burned spot is highly reflected in the final rating of this restaurant, but that doesn't mean I won't come back.  I do recommend this place; it is one that I've really enjoyed for lunch and would recommend the chimichanga to anyone looking for a good meal.


Big John Rating
Quality = 6
Taste = 5
Service = 8
Ambiance = 9
Price Rating = 7.74
Big John Rating = 7.3


Notable URLs

China Isle Very Good Chinese

Review
This is one of my personal favorite Chinese places.  Not only do the plates come out with lots of food, but it comes at a very reasonable price.  First of all, the lunch menu takes up a full page.  For $5.55 at lunch your meal comes with an egg roll, soup (either egg drop or hot and sour), rice (default is ham fried but you can ask for steam or for a $1.00 extra it comes with Lo Mein Noodles), fried wonton, and, for a $1.50 extra, a fried shrimp.  Although the fried shrimp is a big shrimp, it's still one shrimp; not worth it in my opinion.

Usually I order the orange chicken which is some of my favorite.  The orange chicken has some spiciness to it and the breaded chicken is well cooked and tastes great.  The lemon chicken is good as well -- the lemon isn't too strong but still has the great lemon flavor and the sesame chicken is my friend's personal favorite.  He typically craves that weekly.

For the price combined with the taste, China Isle is a great place to come for lunch.  Not only does it come with a variety of food, but it is all very good as well.


Big John Rating
Quality = 7
Ambiance = 8
Service = 8
Lunch Price Rating = 8.9
Big John Rating = 8.2


Notable URLs
China Isle Menu

Good Philly's at Chubby's Cafe

Review
I seriously thought this was a lawn tractor store.  Or a repair shop.  I've driven past this place for years thinking it was a warehouse or some other such item until one day, out of the corner of my eye, I caught the word "Wings" frosted on a window.  In checking out Urbanspoon I noticed that Chubby's Cafe is much more than just a wing shop -- it's also a burger joint and offers southern food.  Finally the day arrived that the lunch crew decided to give this place a try.  Driving up to the location I realized that underneath the tractor repair shop facade existed a rustic eating establishment.

This informal barbecue / burger / wings / southern cooking restaurant offers good tasting food at a great price.  Today I went with the Philly Cheese steak and the beer battered fries.  This Philly comes with thinly sliced rib-eye, swiss cheese, pepper jack cheese, green and red bell peppers, and a horse radish mayonnaise.  The bun was soft, the meat was greasy and perfect, the cheese and horse radish offered a great variety to the taste of the Philly and introduces a uniqueness that sets this cheese steak apart from others.  The beer battered fries started out tasting very good, but as they went along the taste became a little too much and they ended up being difficult to finish, but they are something I will order again even if they cost $0.50 extra.


All in all, the Philly was pretty good.  However, the swiss and pepper jack although creative alternatives are not my favorite cheeses on a Philly; I'm more of a provolone or cheese whiz guy myself.  I've had better Phillys, but I was still very impressed with the eating establishment and will definitely have to come here again sometime.  Not only is the food good, but the service was great and the staff really offered some southern hospitality.  Definitely worth a repeat.


Big John Rating
Quality = 8
Taste = 7
Service = 8
Ambiance = 9
Price = 8.3
Big John Rating = 8.0


Notable URLs
Chubby's Cafe Facebook Page
Wings -N- Things Critique

In-N-Out: It's Just a Burger

When In-N-Out came to Utah, one would have thought from the Californians that Zeus had finally come down from Mount Olympus and graced the world with the best burgers ever given to humans a feat that can only be matched by the gods giving us fire.  While most of Utah County circled the blocks waiting for their little slice of heaven, I waited expecting this to be too similar to Chadders for their own good.  And I wasn't wrong.  The first time I went to In-N-Out was almost my last.  The burgers were just a burger and the fries tasted like cardboard.  I know they make their fries fresh -- you can watch them slice up their potatoes just before putting them in the fryer.  I've never seen anyone mess up on freshly made fries -- but they have mastered that art.

Like I said, I almost didn't go back until someone pointed out their hidden menu.  My personal favorite is the animal style burger and fries.  Animal style involves a mustard cooked hamburger with additional pickle, cheese, spread, and grilled onions diced up and mixed together on the grill before placed on the burger. With the fries, they take cheddar cheese, the grilled onions and the spread, cook it a little longer to melt the cheese, then serve it with a fork.  Animal style makes the fries palatable and sets the burgers apart from other burger joints.

Since I found out about the hidden menu I have been back several times.  I still don't completely understand the hype, but I do like the food and recommend it to others who are in the area looking for a burger.  I wouldn't pass up a Wendy's or a Burger King, though, to get here; the burgers are just as good and you don't have to pay for extra toppings on your fries to get something you'll like.

Good Sushi, Great Price

Located at the previous 50's diner known as Spanky's, Fong Asian Dining and Sushi is nothing like its predecessor.  Yes, the look can be deceiving considering that nothing about the building if anything has changed except the name, but the quality of food is far superior from the previous place.  Since this was my first time here, I asked the waitress what she recommended.  "The Bento Boxes are good," she said, "but I also like the Honey Walnut Shrimp and the Nine Flavor Beef.  I think the sweetness of the honey acts as a great compliment to the shrimp."  The Bento Boxes are a great deal (as noted on other reviews here), but I had heard that their sushi is also good and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to have some good shrimp.  So I ordered both the Honey Walnut Shrimp and a Philly roll.

Surprisingly, the Philly came out very quickly.  True, there were only three tables occupied, but I've been at sushi places where I was the only one and still had to wait 15-20 minutes for my roll.  This came out in 2-3.  Not the best roll I've ever had, but for $7 it wasn't all that bad, either.  The Philly consists of smoked salmon, cream cheese, avocado, and sesame seeds.  The rather large chunks of cream cheese overpowered the sushi but the other tastes were there as well.  If it wasn't for the fact that it is only $7 I probably wouldn't order it again.  As it is, I'd have to weigh it with others.

The honey walnut shrimp, on the other hand, is definitely something I will get again.  Fair warning, though, this is really sweet (and I mean really).  I'm one who has a big sweet tooth, but I had to take some home to finish it later because the sweetness was too much.  To make it they start out with a base of crispy rice noodles, add tempura shrimp coated in honey butter and top it off with walnuts.  They must cook the walnuts with something (perhaps honey roasted?) because they are also crispy.  And they add a side of rice as well which helps counteract the sweetness of the honey shrimp.  I always like to order shrimp but am constantly disappointed because I hardly get any at an expensive price.  The price on this was more than their average menu item, but for shrimp it was pretty cheap (only $10.95).  And it came out with quite a bit of shrimp.  This is definitely worth the price and something I would like to get again.


All in all, it was a very good experience.  I thought our waitress was really helpful and did a great job of keeping my glass filled; I also thought the food was excellent and comes at a great price.  The 50's diner setting is a little weird for Chinese food, but that's easily overlooked.  This is definitely a place I will recommend and look forward to going to again.

Chuck-A-Rama: Great Dutch Oven Cooking

Yes, Chuck-a-Rama has some great dutch oven cooking.  I always thought of Chuck-A-Rama as a great place to go to every once in a while, but not something special until they started cooking with dutch ovens.  My personal favorite is the Roast Kettle Turkey (shown in the second picture).  For that one, they cook good size chunks of potatoes and carrots with a turkey roast until the roast is very tender and well cooked.  This is the single reason why I keep looking forward to return visits.  Not only is the turkey roast well tenderized and very tasty, but the potatoes and carrots act as a great compliment for it.  But that's just one of the items they offer in a dutch oven; they also offer Au Gratin potatoes, spicy sausage, chicken, sloppy joe mix, and corn bread.  I'm a picky corn bread eater, but this is one I like.  Perhaps a large part of it is because of the honey butter (they have original and a cinnamon flavor), but I think the main reason is because it isn't too dry but it's still crumbly.  It also has some good flavor and taste.

In addition to great dutch oven cooking, it also offers other buffet favorites such as stuffing, pizza, salad bar, fruit bar, fried rice, and several other entrées and sides.  And, of course, who can forget the dessert bar.  As mentioned before, I always like a good carrot cake and the carrot cake here is fairly good.  But it also offers several other cakes, pies, and even sugar free cookies that actually taste very good.

Chuck-A-Rama is a place that offers a wide variety of food at a great lunch price.  Whenever I leave I always feel like I've had a wide variety and definitely had my money's worth.

Sourdough Pizza -- A New Look at an Old Classic

Pier 49 pizza is a small pizza joint with a great ambiance.  Stepping inside immediately transports you to the pier with pictures of the sea and ports lining the walls.  So prevalent is the port theme that even the bench covers in the booths depict sail boats out to sea and other items keeping to the theme of a pier.  But it isn't just any pier; it's a San Francisco pier and the sourdough is but one tribute this pizza place's namesake.  The names of the pizzas as well keep in line with the theme such as the 49er, the Alcatraz, Bay Bridge, and Golden Gate to name a few.  This place is a little touch of San Francisco deep inside Utah County.

They have some pretty good daily specials such as the one, two, or three item meal.  Items include either one slice of pizza, a dessert pizza (such as the honey butter 8" pizza), or a salad.  I usually go with either the 2 or 3 depending on what mood I'm in; this time I went with the three and tried the pineapple pizza, chicken pesto, and an 8" honey butter pizza.  I'm not a fan of chicken on a pizza -- I still am not completely bought on the idea that chicken belongs on a pizza, but this is one I found tolerable.  I think part of it had to do with the pesto sauce and way they grilled their chicken.  I thought the chicken was flavorful and tender and the pesto offered a lot to the pizza.  I hold to the belief that the marinade more than the toppings makes or breaks a pizza; and this marinade really made it for me.

On the other hand, I always love a Hawaiian style pizza.  Unlike most Hawaiian style pizzas, the ham slices are rather large and the pineapple tidbits are smaller than usual.  The pizza is cooked until the pineapple, ham, and crust has turned brown but hasn't cooked long enough to dry out the pineapple.  the juicy pineapple was a tasty surprise and the ham was well cooked.  The marinade on this pizza was incredible -- one of my favorites.  The only difficulty was figuring which I liked the best -- marinade, pineapple, ham, or the sourdough crust.  Who can forget the sourdough?  It's not a strong sourdough which allows it to blend beautifully with the pizza but it does offer a taste of its own which blended well with the other ingredients.


And for dessert the 8" honey butter pizza.  Unlike the other two pizzas which were pre-made and kept warm, this one came fresh out of the oven.  The honey butter had a great density -- it was thin enough to drizzle nicely over the pizza but it was thick enough that it stuck to the crust when picking up a slice.  The cinnamon looked prevalent but didn't assert itself to the taste buds except as a nice after taste.  The combination of the sour dough with the sweet honey in the honey butter is something I remembered on my palate as I drove home after a filling dinner.

Pier 49 is a place that I keep posted on my list of favorites.  If you're a fan of sourdough and want to give this crust a try, Pier 49 will not be a disappointment.