Pad Thai Siam and the Massaman Curry Lunch Special

Synopsis

The Massaman Curry at Pad Thai Siam was very good because of the larger chunks of vegetables and chicken.  The service could use improvement (a common theme in Thai Restaurants), but overall I was very pleased with the experience.

Review

Being a fan of Thai Chili Gardens, I really enjoy this place as well.  The inside is well furnished with Thai decor and a complimentary fish tank greets the guests in their waiting area.  Even though it's Pad Thai Siam and owned by a new owner, the decor is the same as the old Thai Chili Gardens but the menu is very different.

One thing we pleasantly noticed was the addition of a lunch menu.  For some members of the crew the previous lunch prices were a little steep, but this new menu will allow us to eat here more frequently.  Not seeing my usual on the menu, I went with my second usual -- the Massaman curry.


With the lunch special ordered, the slow business day allowed for quick service and we soon had our appetizer (which comes with the lunch special) consisting of wonton soup and an egg roll.  I think this wonton soup is the best I've had!  The meat was full of flavor and I like the fish sauce included in it, the wrap wasn't doughy or overdone but done just right, and the broth was good as well.


Before our soup was finished, out came the curry.  Although it was a lunch special, I was impressed with the portion size.  When I left, I didn't feel like stopping by a dollar menu somewhere.  Their Massaman includes avocado as well as the typical potatoes, cashews, onions, and chicken.  It was good to see the avocado in there, but it wasn't something I really noticed.  The potato chunks were larger than I expected and were perhaps a little undercooked but not too bad.  Everything else about it was excellent; the chicken tasted great as well as the onion slices and cashews.  I really enjoyed it.


Overall I thought the food was excellent.  The service, for the most part was pretty good; however, my biggest complaint is that we never had a refill on our drinks.  For me, refills are critical when it comes to good service and not having refills is costly.  However, overall I was pleased with the experience and grateful there was a satisfying lunch menu.  Next time I'll get the rest of the lunch crew to come.

Cost and Big John Rating

$6.95 = Massaman Curry Lunch Special
Ambiance = 8
Service = 6
Quality = 9
Taste = 9
Price Rating = 9.1
Big John Rating = 8.0

Notable URLs
Pad Thai Siam
Facebook Wall

Spicy Thai and the Lunch Special

Synopsis

The food and price were good, but the service leaves something to be desired.

Review

One of the lunch crew decided to give this place a try.  He was coming back from a tough morning on the slopes and due to its relative proximity to Provo Canyon (and the fact that we haven't eaten here yet) asked us to come on by.  Although it is a bit further than we typically go (and we needed to pass several Thai restaurants to get here), we agreed.


Upon entering, I was amazed at how small it was.  Most Thai places in Utah County are small; this seems a bit smaller than most but not bad.  Just a little while later the server came, showed us our seats, and we were ready to order.


The special today was the red curry, but it can be substituted for Mussaman.  The fresh roll was quite good and the peanut sauce added to the flavor.  Although the soup shown here is the coconut, I ordered the sweet and sour which was switched on someone's plate.  The sweet and sour wasn't what I typically would expect.  The soup itself was mostly a clear color instead of the brown I've normally had.  There were also large helpings / slices of vegetables and chicken which went very well with the broth.  I thought it was unique and quite tasty; something I'll remember the next time I come.


The Mussaman was a typical Mussaman and tasted similar to most that I've had (which was what I was looking for in the curry).  Overall I thought the food was excellent.  Because it was a lunch special, the portion sizes were smaller than I would normally prefer with Thai food, but this is typical for a Thai lunch special (and it's fairly priced as well).  My biggest (and really only complaint) was the service.  The meal came out fairly quickly, but we didn't get our napkins or silverware until the meal was halfway through and our glasses were empty for most of it.  It could be that the person who helped us was new; however, everything else was pretty good.  Next time I'm in the area looking for Thai, I'll stop on by.

Cost and Big John Rating

$7.99 = Lunch Special (Mussaman Curry, spring roll, and soup)
Service = 6
Ambiance = 8
Quality = 8
Taste = 8
Price Rating = 8.0
Big John Rating = 7.5

Notable URLs

Disappointed at Asian Panda

Synopsis

At Asian Panda, the chicken was dry, the meat had little flavor, and although the service was great out of the 8 of us, 7 will not go back.

Review

The lunch crew saw that a new Asian restaurant had opened up on 8th North.  Because we enjoy Asian food, we decided to give this one a try.  Unfortunately, we were very disappointed.

The interior looked great and the server was very prompt at taking our order and getting us accommodated with drinks.  Because we came during their grand opening, they had several specials for lunch and we decided to take the buy one get one half off deal and I went with the Kung Pao Beef, brown rice, and wonton soup.


The soup came out fairly quickly.  I thought that the wonton was very good -- perhaps a little doughy but not that bad.  Just a little bit after finishing, out came my order.  Excited by the soup, I dug right in.  I was quite disappointed.  I spent most of my meal chewing on the gristle from my meat.  I thought that the vegetables that went with the meal were very good and I probably would have enjoyed the meal if that was all I had, but I didn't care for the beef at all.  Not only did I spend most of the meal time chewing on gristle, but the meal itself had little flavor.


Whilst chewing on the gristle, a friend of mine took a piece of my meat and offered me some of his orange chicken.  Thinking that I couldn't go wrong with my favorite (I rarely if ever order the Kung Pao Beef, but decided to order it because it's one of their most requested dishes), I took up my friend's offer and grabbed a piece of his orange chicken.  I think that was probably the driest chicken I've had in a long time.  Plus I didn't get the taste of citrus that I normally love with the orange chicken -- there wasn't anything orange about this chicken, including the taste and color.  This is the first time I've ever gone wrong with my favorite meal.


All in all, the service and cost were the only two good parts of the meal.  If it was just me, that would be one thing.  However, 8 of us were there and only one person liked his meal.  The rest of us aren't going back.  The price is excellent for Asian food, but the food just isn't worth the price.  Next time I crave Chinese food, I'll probably end up at Panda express before I think of coming here.

Cost and Big John Rating

$6.75 = Kung Pao Beef
Taste = 4
Quality = 5
Ambiance = 8
Service = 8
Price Rating = 5.4
Big John Rating = 6.2

Notable URLs
Asian Panda Website
Asian Panda Menu

A Butch Cassidy Burger from Broiler Express

Synopsis
If you want good food and great service but don't want to wait in a long line, Broiler Express is the place for you.


Review
I was amazed to see that this place has finally opened.  Who would have known?  It's been an empty building for so long that I wouldn't believe it was open except for the fact that someone I trusted ate there.


Although open, it's still very vacant inside.  There were four other customers in there which, from what I've been told, was actually quite busy for this location.  Since no one else was in line, I stood up to the register and placed my order.  The Butch Cassidy burger is one of their most popular ones and once I heard it included swiss cheese I decided to go for it.


I'm not one for a western burger.  I like the idea of an onion ring on a burger; I'm not such a fan of barbecue sauce on a burger.  In spite of that bias, though, I did enjoy this one.  The processed swiss cheese is something I rather enjoy and the onion ring fit nicely.  On some western burgers the onion ring can get in the way, sometimes it's so large that it pretty much is the burger and not an accessory to it.  But on the Butch Cassidy burger, it belongs.


The onion rings in general were excellent.  These onion rings are more onion than they are batter.  Deep fried to a golden brown, they have surprisingly little grease.  The container had little if any grease left on it after they were eaten.  Of course, my hands had some; you can't expect to eat onion rings without any grease, but they are close to the least greasy ones I've had.  The fry sauce was pretty good as well.  I look forward to ordering them the next time I come.


Perhaps its because there isn't a lot of customers, but the service was very good as well.  On the way out the door the person who took my order asked me how I liked my burger, and the person bringing it out offered to get me fry sauce and / or ketchup from the condiment bar that I overlooked on the way over.  This is some of the best service I've had at a fast food place.  Because of the service and the good food, I'm looking forward to my next visit.


Cost and Big John Rating
$5.76 = Large Butch Cassidy Burger Combo includes Butch Cassidy Burger, Onion Rings, and a Large Drink.
Service = 9
Ambiance = 8
Quality = 8
Taste = 8
Price Rating = 8.3
Big John Rating = 8.6


Notable URLs

The Steak Sandwich at La Jolla Groves

Synopsis
The service was, for the most part, very good and the Sourdough Steak Sandwich was tasty as well.  However, the cost was a little too steep for my taste.  It seems that most everything had its pros and cons, but the sandwich was good.


Review
The Riverwoods is a place that the lunch crew does not like to frequent.  For starters, we prefer places with parking.  I have mixed emotions about the changes made to their main street (now main walkway); I really like the change but parking was already a difficult experience beforehand and now it's crossed the line to atrocious.  However, road rage does seem to build up an appetite and the Riverwoods definitely has that cure, but if you're new to the area I would recommend coming early just to get a spot at all -- much less a good one.  You'll thank me later.

The main entry way into La Jolla Groves

Now that my rant about the parking and the general location is out of the way, on to the review of La Jolla Groves.  It was a bit difficult to find because there wasn't a big sign outside the entry way or above the front door indicating where it was like there are on the other establishments in the area (or just in general).  There was a metal stand with the words "La Jolla Groves" written on a piece of paper pointing the way for us to go, but I almost ended up in their bakery section simply because the name was written on the door.  Luckily, though, we did find the location and a parking spot before we starved.   But finding it wasn't as easy as one would expect.


Upon entering the restaurant, the first thing we noticed was the fragrance of the flowers near the entryway.  The rustic theme of the area faded quickly into a lemon grove after walking past the stone archway.  I heard they had a cheese steak here and I was looking forward to try it, but I was slightly disappointed to see that it's a Sourdough Steak Sandwich and not an actual cheese steak.  However, I'm one who likes sourdough and decided that was the way to go.  And it was a good decision.


The Sourdough Steak Sandwich comes with sourdough bread, grilled marinated steak, cheese, grilled onions, some kind of dressing, lettuce, and tomato.  It also included a side salad with a balsamic vinaigrette.  The sourdough bread was a very mild sourdough. It took me a while when eating the sandwich to remember what kind of bread came with it (which is very ironic considering that's the reason why I ordered it).  I do like sourdough bread but not at the expense of the sandwich. I thought that the different tastes blended well and complimented each other.  The steak was well cooked and tender, the cheese wasn't very noticeable but it was there, and the hint of spread accented the sandwich.  Surprisingly, though, I really liked the lettuce and tomato.  Most of the time they get overlooked, but this time they stood out perhaps because they were the only vegetables on the sandwich.


For dessert I had a lemon cake.  I was expecting a cake wedge, instead I got a round cake with crystalized sugar topping.  This was a tough dish to eat mainly because I had a tough time bringing myself to break the netting.  However, it was pretty good.  At first I thought the taste of lemon was just right.  I really enjoy lemon cake and I like the lemon to stand out and make itself known.  There should be no question when tasting a crumb that it is a lemon cake.  At first I found the lemon taste to be quite adequate but it seemed to deteriorate as I ate my way through the cake.  It was good, and I would probably buy it again just for the plating, but it wasn't as strong as I would like.


Although I did like the taste of the food, I didn't like the portion sizes.  I almost stopped at Del Taco on the way back for one or two $0.99 burritos to finish the job, but settled on a drink run instead.  I have mixed emotions with the service as well.  I think they have one person there who does nothing but top off glasses and he did a great job of keeping it filled.  I never reached for an empty glass.  However, I did order a Diet Coke along with the water which never showed up.  I wasn't charged for it, but I really would have liked it.  Overall I thought it was mostly good.  The service was good but not great, the sandwich was great but not filling, the price is steep, the decor grand, and the odds of a return trip probable.  I will return to impress a date (and combine it with a movie to get popcorn that will hopefully fill me up) but not for an informal trip with the lunch crew.  The crew likes good food at a low price and this just misses the price mark.

Cost and Big John Rating
$9.49 = Sourdough Steak Sandwich
$6 = Lemon Cake
7 = Service
9 = Ambiance
9 = Taste
9 = Quality
7.3 = Price Rating
8.0 = Big John Rating


Notable URLs
La Jolla Groves
Shops at the Redwoods

The Usual at El Gallo Giro

Synopsis
El Gallo Giro offers good Mexican food at a great price.  Combined with friendly service, this is one place the lunch crew frequents.


Review
This is another one of those places that the lunch crew frequently drove past and one day stopped by to see what they had to offer.  What we found was a place that we've kept coming back to.


The outside looks a bit old and rundown, but the inside is very hospitable.  It is a relatively older building, but they have done a pretty good job keeping up the building.  Once we entered we were amazed all the different menu choices.  We could literally get just about anything we want.  My favorite lunch combo is the #4 which includes to enchiladas, a burrito, rice, beans, and a drink for only $5.99!  Most places would consider that their entire lunch special; this place, however, has a number of other items ranging anywhere from $4-8.  And they seem to keep adding things to their menu every few month.  The fact that it fits our budgets so nicely one reason why we keep returning.


As with most Mexican restaurants, once you sit down they bring out the chips and salsa.  Theirs are some of my favorite.  Their tortilla chips are relatively thick, crunchy, and the salsa is nice and thick.  It is, as one would expect, spicy but only mildly so.  Soon my usual order comes out -- the #4 with enchiladas and a burrito.  For the meat I typically order chicken enchiladas and a pork burrito although I sometimes mix it up with the steak.  The pork is well marinated and tastes very good.  They also cover the enchiladas with sour cream and cheese as well and that topped with the green sauce is what I crave the most about the meal.  The chicken as well has a hint of lime that mixes well with the sauce, sour cream, and cheese which is why I order it with the enchiladas instead of the burrito.


The beans are cooked well and the cheese melts nicely on top of it; the rice is good, too.  The service is always friendly and eager to serve.  It's worth a visit at the very least and at this price it isn't something to regret.

Cost and Big John Rating
$5.99 = #4 Lunch Special
9 = Service
8 = Ambiance
9 = Taste
9 = Quality
10.5 = Price Rating
9.2 = Big John Rating


Notable URLs
El Gallo Giro Website