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Restaurant Review | Korea House

February 23, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Korea BBQ PorkI’ll be honest: just thinking about my experience at Korea House, a local Korean cuisine eatery, is making me salivate. Faintly, I can feel the spicy barbecue that I had for lunch, and it’s making me hungry. Alas, at the late hour that I’m drafting this, and with the snow falling outside, it is unlikely that I’ll go hunting for it.

But I can wish. If you can’t tell, I enjoyed my meal.

To be honest, there’s not a lot to shout about when you walk in. When I did, Gangnam Style was playing over the speaker (cliché, a bit?) and some kid was dancing for his family. The tables were unremarkable, but we were seated quickly and with a smile.

But who goes to a restaurant for the decor? Not I. I go for the food. And the food was not lacking.

Being lunch, I ordered the house recommendation, de-ji-bul-go-gi combo, a marinated spicy pork. How spicy I asked? Not very, I was told. Then make it spicy, I ordered.

Spicy it was. Not the kind of spicy that you taste right off the bat, but the kind that’s kind of sweet, and then builds…until you feel the burning not only in your mouth, but on your lips, too. Yeah, by the end, I was pretty much wiping my runny nose after every bite. It was most excellent.  And I’m craving some right now.

 

Food: 7/10

Service: 8/10 (Given that I drained my glass four times, I can’t complain. They kept it full.)

Atmosphere: 6/10

Check out my other restaurant reviews here. If you have a restaurant suggestion for me, please contact me by sending an email to dan.burton@gmail.com.

 

Korea House on Urbanspoon

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Restaurant Review: Cafe Madrid

February 8, 2013 by 2 Comments

785709C4AE7EBC89A119E9AA3B57CDBB I know it’s been a while since I’ve put up one of these, and I really have no excuse. I’ve not stopped eating around at great restaurants…I’ve just been slack in telling you about them.

That ends today. And for one good reason: I had a meal so incredibly AWESOME that to not say something about it would be a travesty. Truly.

Cafe Madrid. It’s “that place” I have driven past for, literally, years, first in its old location up on 3900 South just a quarter mile from my home, and now its new place on Highland Drive where I pass it on my less than regular trips to the gym. Finally, with my Better-Half’s birthday on the schedule, I decided to give it a try. I called ahead for reservations, and we walked through Cafe Madrid’s doors mid-evening at the appointed time.

Greeted by a quiet, almost hushed atmosphere, we were quickly and graciously greeted and seated. Within moments of taking our seats (cozily right in front of a gas fireplace), we had menus, drinks, and were being greeted by what seemed to be either the owner or manager.

“Welcome to Cafe Madrid,” he said with a broad smile and a gentle accent. “I want you to feel welcome. This is your house.”

Café Madrid

We ordered and had just settled into conversation when the waiter returned bearing our plates of Pollo Marsala (aka Chicken Marsala) for me and Salmon Con Setas Y Tomillo A La Pimienta Verde (or Poached Salmon Served With Mushrooms And Thyme In A Mild Green Pepper Corn Sauce) for her. At least it seemed like it was that fast. For as much as the menu items were going to set us back, I had expected something of a wait for our food. Instead it came so quick we half expected the meat to taste like it had just come out of the microwave, tough and chewy.

Au contraire, mon frere. The chicken was tender and succulent, so delicious that our eyes went wide with the first bite. Even the mushrooms that spangled the plate under the marsala sauce were delicious…and I never like mushrooms. It was all I could do to keep my Better-Half from eating only a bite or two of my food. She wanted the whole thing.

Which isn’t to say her salmon wasn’t fantastic. It was, moist and fresh. Living in the middle of the continent, I’ve come to just expect I’ll never have good salmon except when I visit my family in the Northwest, but this was pretty close.

Was Cafe Madrid a huge win? You better believe it. I just can’t understand why I took so long to try it out.

Food: 11/10

Service: 10/10

Atmosphere: 10/10

SERIOUSLY. IT”S THAT GOOD.

Check out my other restaurant reviews here. If you have a restaurant suggestion for me, please contact me by sending an email to dan.burton@gmail.com.

 

Cafe Madrid on Urbanspoon

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WRR: The Red Iguana 2

September 15, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Reviewing the Red Iguana is a bit like shooting fish in a bucket…with a shotgun. It’s hard not to get a great meal, and it’s even harder not to write great stuff about it.

So stop reading now if you’re expecting a critical review. I’m a big fan of all things Iguanan (Red or Blue), and it’s oh, so hard to find faults in that which is loved.

This was my first time at the semi-new location for the Red Iguana on South Temple. The first thing I noticed when walking in was that while it was just as tightly packed as the old location, everything felt new and clean (not that the North Temple location isn’t clean…), but still kept the same feel of a Mexican pop culture restaurant. It felt comfortable, in spite of how close tables and chairs were to each other.

But enough about the interior design–let’s talk food! I usually go straight to the mole section of the menu and pick something at random, but today something persuaded me to go out on a limb and try a new area of the menu. I didn’t go too far out, though: I found a delicious sounding dish call Enmoladas in the “Marvels of Mexico” section…it had mole negro on it. I know, right?

It was fantastic. The portion was not so large that I felt stuffed, but, as Goldilocks might say about the third bowl of porridge, was just right–neither too large nor too small. Three enmoladas–folded corn tortillas filled with refried beans–were centered on a warm plate, drenched with a generous portion of mole negro, topped with a mix of queso fresco cotija, and topped with pickled red onion. The plate was garnished with a pickled jalapeno.

But you can get all that from a glance at the menu. What you can’t get is that the mole was thick, faintly sweet, and tasted just barely of cacao, while the tortillas were fresh, as were the beans. I’m afraid that eating might have been difficult, but for some self discipline. My mouth was enjoying the delight.

If you’ve not made it over to the South Temple location of the Red Iguana, take a lunch and head on over. The enmoladas will make the trip (short as it is) worth it.

 

Food: 9/10
Service: 8/10
Atmosphere: 7/10

Check out my other restaurant reviews here. If you have a restaurant suggestion for me, please contact me by sending an email to SLCWeekendReviews@gmail.com.

Find other reviews of the Red Iguana here:

 

Red Iguana 2 on Urbanspoon

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WRR: Dickey’s Barbecue Pit

September 8, 2012 by 1 Comment

Everyone needs a little barbecue in their life. With football season upon us, you might need a little more.

Stop by Dickey’s to get a quick fix that is a step above. I’ve reviewed barbecue in here before (Pat’s here and Firehouse here), but Dickey’s takes restaurant served barbecue to a new high, and I’ll tell you why.

  1. Great meat. It’s true. With an eye on my health, I’ve been moderating how much meat I eat recently. One bite, though, and I was about ready to order an extra serving. Served on a toasted bun and tender and moist, it was delicious.
  2. Sides. I’m not usually that jazzed by baked beans or the other sides that most barbecue restaurants serve up almost obligatorily. They taste like an after thought, maybe even something out of a can. Not so at Dickey’s. My bowl of baked beans was fresh and yummy, and my bowl was empty when we left.
  3. Service and Soft Serve. Where other local barbecues felt like amateur operations, Dickey’s staff were pleasant, fast, and delightful, reflecting a professional level of training. And, to boot, they had free soft serve ice cream to top off the meal. How do you beat that?

Where others are shooting from the hip, Dickey’s takes barbecue to the next level. Check it out soon, and order some barbcue for your next football tail-gate party.

They cater, too, so if you’re looking for BBQ for your party, be sure to call up the South Jordan location (where we ate).

Food: 8/10
Service: 8/10
Atmosphere: 8/10

Check out my other restaurant reviews here. If you have a restaurant suggestion for me, please contact me by sending an email to SLCWeekendReviews@gmail.com.

Find other reviews of Dickey’s Barbecue Pit here:
Dickey's Barbecue Pit on Urbanspoon

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WRR: Beerhive Pub

July 2, 2012 by Leave a Comment

I ate lunch at Beerhive Pub today, and I can’t say much about the beer there, so don’t ask.

I had a sandwich called “the Beerhive” and was piled high with so many cold cut meats, I had to wonder what wasn’t on the sandwich (I know, Mitch, even after we talked about this last night).

That said, the bread was fantastic, and only when I noticed that the three others at my table were done eating, their plates gone and their cups empty, did I notice how LARGE the sandwich was. And worth every bite.

For the rest, the atmosphere felt like a upscale bar, with a hoppin’ jazz melody playing over head that made me want to get up and shake what my momma gave me.  A great way to start a week with two Mondays in it. Prices were decent, and I spent about $13 for a sandwich and carbonated beverage.

Food: 6/10
Service: 7/10
Atmosphere: 7/10

Check out my other restaurant reviews here. If you have a restaurant suggestion for me, please contact me by sending an email to SLCWeekendReviews@gmail.com.

Find other reviews of Beerhive Pub here:
Beerhive Pub on Urbanspoon

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WRR: Blue Nile Ethiopian Cuisine

June 29, 2012 by 1 Comment

I don’t always eat Ethiopian, but when I do, I eat at Blue Nile Ethiopian Cuisine.

Ok, so let’s get down to business. Sitting just across the street from a fantastic taco stand next to the old Sears on State Street, the Blue Nile Ethiopian is a quiet little restaurant that I might otherwise have never found, but for the suggestion of a friend, criminal defense attorney and food blogger Marco Brown.

The Blue Nile is not your typical restaurant. I was greeted and seated, and the first thing I noticed was that there wasn’t any conventional table. Marco and I sat facing each other with a low, woven, basket-type table on the floor between us, with a smaller table slightly to our right that held our drinks and napkins. The waitress, after asking whether I had eaten Ethiopian before, explained that one does not eat with utensils or at a table in Ethiopia, and so they were trying to keep the experience as authentic as possible.

Because we were new to Ethiopian, we ordered a mixed order of the meat combo and the vegetable combo, and, to be honest, I have no recollection of any of the names of the samples that were in each. All of it was served on platter over a spongy flat bread was reminiscent of a sour dough. The meal was also accompanied by several rolls of the bread which we ripped and used for dipping and scooping the food. I enjoyed the samples, so in spite of not being able to name them, let me see if I can describe regardless. Using the picture (nearby left), I’ll go clockwise starting at the top with the salad.

Salad: really, this is probably the least Ethiopian thing on the platter, and I think served the purpose of a cleanser.

Item 1: Some kind of lentil, boiled and mashed with some curry.

Item 2: Boiled vegetables that I didn’t mind, but really didn’t eat of lot of.

Item 3: This slightly spicy beef was good, if a little dry. I especially liked the sauce it was cooked in.

Salad 2: Same as salad above.

Item 4: This dish was the favorite, and Marco and I gobble it down.

Item 5: More lentils, or split peas. I don’t recall Marco being a huge fan, but I liked them. Not sure the spice that they used, but I wouldn’t have minded more.

Item 6: Another lentil, or split pea, or something like that.

Middle: The middle dish is an egg, hard boiled, and a leg of chicken. The chicken fell off the bone and was moist and delicious. I can’t imagine how long it was cooked or how to make it taste that way.

All in all, a good experience. Not sure how to describe better–but it’s been a few days, and the names were unpronounceable. I did enjoy, though, and I would return again.

Food: 7/10
Service: 9/10
Atmosphere: 6/10

Check out my other restaurant reviews here. If you have a restaurant suggestion for me, please contact me by sending an email to SLCWeekendReviews@gmail.com.

Find other reviews of Blue Nile Ethiopian Cuisine here:
Blue Nile Ethiopian Cuisine on Urbanspoon

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WRR: Café Seoul | Korean with a personal touch.

May 11, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Apparently, everyone loves this place, and it’s easy to see why. The food was delicious and the hostess/owner/cook was fantastic.  Not only did I leave feeling well fed, but also satisfied, happy, and eager to return.

I heard about Café Seoul from a friend (shout out to John: Hey!). He met me there for lunch, and I felt like a guest of honor when Sooni (who also happens to be John’s mom) met us behind the counter and came out to greet us.  I thought I was getting special treatment, until I read reviews on Urban Spoon and realized that Sooni treats every customer like they are a special guest. Check out these comments from Urban Spoon:

We were greeted by Sooni, the owner and chef of the place. We told her that it was our fist time eating Korean food and she said, “don’t worry, I will tell you what most people order the first time.” She walked us through the menu[...]

 

The owner and chef is so kind and generous you can’t help but enjoy your visit.

 

Sooni is the best a wonderful host that cooks fantastic Korean food….

 

The food was great, but you’re gonna love Sooni even more!

Add me to the list of true believers. The food was great, so let’s talk about it.

To be sure, I’ve not had a lot of Korean in my day. I was surprisingly pleased, though, with what Café Seoul offered.  At John’s suggestion I ordered dahk galbi, Sooni’s specialty. Apparently, most people–strike that–most westerners order the bulkogi, a sliced and marinated beef dish. This was a variation on that, but with chicken. It was impressive. Sweet and tender, I realized that the heaping portion was gone before I stopped to notice how much I was eating. Sprinkled with sesame seeds and accompanied by a bowl of steamed rice, it made for an excellent and lean lunch meal.

Sooni provided side dishes of kimchi and turnip kimchi and explained that she made them a little lighter than typical, primarily because western tastes tend to prefer it. There were also small bowls of bean spouts, cucumbers, and cooked potatoes to garnish the dahk galbi. Rounding out the meal were several slices of orange to cleanse the palate.

Found in an office park close to IHC’s main campus in Murray, the restaurant had plenty of parking and is well situated for lunch if you’re at IHC’s medical center in Murray. Again, the service is stellar and the food is fantastic. I recommend it fully.

___________

Food: 9/10
Service: 10/10
Atmosphere: 7/10

Check out my other restaurant reviews here. If you have a restaurant suggestion for me, please contact me by sending an email to SLCWeekendReviews@gmail.com.

 

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Cafe Seoul on Urbanspoon

 

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