dave "TheChinWag" a.'s Profile

One Man Band has been a place my family has frequented since before I can remember.  The food is good, the decor is fun, and it usually isn't as crowded as some of the larger chain restaurants.  The idea is simple, one or two cooks, a bus boy/girl, seat yourself, flip through the menu and call your order in from the phone at your table, that's it.  The idea feels a little gimmicky but I have to admit that at times it is kind of nice to not be bothered with a waiter/waitress, just time with family, friends and food.  I do understand that some people feel the need to be greeted or doted upon the second they walk into a place, I wonder if these are the same people that have brought about the invention of Team Mascots and T-Shirt launching guns at sporting events, hmmm... I may have to research this further...

One Man Band serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but truth be told, I have only ever eaten the breakfast at this diner, but with a breakfast this good I figure, if it ain't broke don't fix it.  I rotate between pancakes, french toast, and just the bacon and eggs.  The bacon in crisp, the eggs always seem to be cooked to perfection, and the pancakes are fluffy, what more do you need?  If you are looking for a quick and tasty breakfast while out, drop into the One Man Band.

Slightly hidden in the parking lot of a Del Taco (I wish all my reviews could use that line ;)) sits Koi, a Japanese Cuisine and Sushi Bar. From the outside it appears to be a nice location and since American Fork lacks good Japanese food this place has some serious potential.

*I will admit up front that I have not yet tried their sushi as I seem to have burned out on that food many months ago and for some odd reason have not yet started craving it again, so this review will focus on the cooked portion of their menu.

Upon being seating I noticed it was somewhat crowded, the odd thing to me was the placement of the tables. The tables sit at awkward angles and are packed in a little close for my liking, I was bumped into a handful of times while I ate and it was usually by employees trying to navigate their way through the labyrinth they call a seating arrangement. The other thing that bothered me about the atmosphere was the fact that every table was covered in a disposable paper tablecloth, seeming very out of place in a Japanese restaurant but where it would have been more at home in a restaurant for wings or BBQ. Maybe I am being overly critical but I expected something a little more upscale, why sell a "Kobe" steak on something parents put down for kids while they eat. Hey, if I am being unfair let me know in the comments. Moving on, let me reiterate that this blog cares about the food first, so let's get onto the portion of the review that speaks to the heart of The ChinWag.

I ordered the Gyoza to start, as I always do when I go out for Japanese food, and I must say it was pretty good, not over cooked, so it was tender and the pork had a nice flavor. Of course I spilled some sauce on the paper table cloth leaving a nice big splatter mark for the entire rest of my meal. (hey! I thought I was talking about the food now, let's get back on topic)

For the entree I ordered the Filet Mignon served with asparagus and tempura vegetables, the important part there was the sides because the menu didn't portray an option of having those with any steak but specifically for the Filet Mignon so that was the selling point for me there. I wish I would have had more options available as to which sides went with which steak but I also didn't bother to ask them to change it up so maybe that is a possibility. The steak was good, cooked just to my liking and it was as tender as you would expect. The house special honey teriyaki sauce gave a nice flavor to the meat and I thought complimented the entire meal nicely. This was one of the better steaks I have had at a Japanese restaurant and I look forward to trying it again

The Vegetables were great, crispy but just the right amount, with a wonderful taste. The asparagus was nice, cooked well and not drenched in butter or other flavor "enhancers". The tempura was wonderful, but I have yet to meet a tempura I didn't like. As I have said in many reviews before, this is a great spot for take-out but I am not sure if I will be dining in here again any time soon.

My wife and are decided to go out to dinner a few weekends ago and were trying to think of a new place to go.  Tucked away in Highland sits Blue Lemon, a restaurant that prides itself on its "pure clean food".  Does that translate into a great dining experience?

Upon entering Blue Lemon I was a little surprised to find that it is not a menu and waiter type of establishment.  You stand in line to place an order at the register and then you take a seat and your food is brought to you, they dress it up a little so it doesn't feel like you are in a fast food restaurant but still this fact alone rules it out as a place for a nice dinner out.  The reason this bothers me so much is because I feel that the type of food they serve leads me to expect and elegant dining experience, although because it is in Highland I guess this setting makes it more family friendly and therefor better suited for the area.  Enough of my ranting on expected dining experience, lets discuss the food.

The food was great overall and I must admit it was nice to eat this type of food, tastes great and it is easy on the stomach.  I finished my meal and felt satisfied instead of stuffed, it was a welcome change of pace.  For an appetizer I ordered the Hummus Plate, a tasty dish but it is hard to miss with hummus.  For my entree I ordered the Fiery Fish Taco's.  The fish tacos consisted of three types of seafood, shrimp, salmon, and mahi mahi which I thought went together nicely.  The smell alone of the fish tacos promised a wonderful meal.  It was a little odd eating fish tacos that didn't taste a bit greasy and while the fish wasn't as flavorful as I would have liked it was served with vegetables, a honey-chipotle citrus aioli, and a salsa which is what gave that extra flavor needed.

My overall feeling, I liked the meal and I think it will make a very nice summertime restaurant, really light and goes well with the warm weather.  One thing to note, I will likely be ordering take-out ;)

My first time to Five Guy Burgers and Fries I remember not being as impressed as I expected to be.  Maybe it had been over-hyped or maybe I was expecting a different type of burger, but when I walked out I felt that I had a nice fresh burger without much to write about.  One of the odd things about my experiences with restaurants is that some of my favorite places to eat did not knock me out at first taste.  Osaka, Chanon Thai, and East Coast Subs, left me underwhelmed as I stepped out of each restaurant only to find myself craving the food the next day and all three mentioned have become favorites of mine.  Is Five Guys pulling the same trick?

The menu at Five Guys is relatively simple, 4 different types of burgers each available in two sizes, "Little" or Regular.  A "Little" burger is basically the same as the regular but is served with one beef patty instead of the two on the Regular.  They also serve a few types of Hot Dogs and a Grilled Cheese Sandwich for those of you that don't enjoy the all mighty burger.  I think two things really set this burger joint apart, the French Fries and the Fresh Ingredients.

The French Fries taste great and they give you a ton, they have two sizes, Regular and Large.  The Regular appears to be an 18 oz. cup filled to the top with fries and then they basically dump another basket-full of fries into your bag.  I am not kidding, the Regular size fries is ginormous and I was unable to finish my whole meal because of it.  Only two people in our party of 9 finished all their fries and they did so only as a challenge and not because they were still hungry.  I can't even fathom what the Large fries would look like, I can only assume that it requires a shovel and a grocery sack, maybe they would just fill up the trunk of your car for you for easy transport.  They also have two options for your fries Five Guys Style or Cajun Style.  The Five Guys Style is just plain but the Cajun style coats the fries in a nice spice and pepper, it really doesn't matter which one you go with but the Cajun style has a nice flavor that even goes well with the Fry Sauce.

Now let me mention the Fresh Ingredients, this is the best thing about Five Guys for me, even after my first visit I left thinking that I had just eaten one of the freshest burgers that hadn't been grilled by yours truly, and I think that is amazing.  For a chain restaurant to really deliver fresh ingredients is a nice change of pace from what I am used to.

So did Five Guys jump to the top of my list of burger chains... I think it might have.

I have been holding off on this review for a while due to confusion with the name of the restaurant.  Whether you call it Chester Fried or Kevin's Fried Chicken To Go one thing is for sure, they make some great fried chicken and the price is almost unbeatable.

The confusion with the name of this restaurant is apparent the moment you walk in, first off it is in a gas station and second you will see signs and billboards that make you wonder if there aren't two difference chicken places in this one location.  After a lot of debate I have settled on calling in Chester Fried and there is nothing you can do to change my stance now.  Grabbing lunch at Kevin's Fried Chicken To Go is usually pretty quick but the crowd usually appears to be construction workers so some days are more busy than others.  The most popular item at Chester Fried is probably the Chicken Sandwich, put it in a combo and it will run you only about $5.50.  The sandwich at Kevin's is made up of a very light and tasty bread, with mayo and Ranch dressing, tomatoes, lettuce, onions, jalapenos, and chicken tenders.  I do order the sandwich on occasion but I most enjoy the Chicken Tenders straight up with some Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce, brought from home because I have yet to find a restaurant that has this particular brand of BBQ sauce available to its patrons, its a shame since Sweet Baby Ray's makes everything taste magical.  Chester Fried might not be the most high class establishment but if you frequent The ChinWag you know it is about the food first and the surroundings second.  Kevin's serves other types of chicken, burritoes, and even biscuits and gravy that I hear good things about but I have not yet pried myself away from the tenders and sandwich to explore the other half of their menu.  Chester Fried is open for lunch but I believe closed for dinner, the best time to get their is just a few minutes before noon.

So the question is, do I recommend Kevin's Chester Fried Chicken To Go, you bet I do!  Two thumbs up for the little chicken joint facing off against the big boys.  The food is greasy, the food is comforting, and the food is abundant.

In preperation of summer why not have a post on a nice summer treat?  I have never been the biggest fan of Ice Cream but I do love Frozen Yogurt.  One of my favorite places to get Frozen Yogurt is Spoon Me, with 7 locations and 4 more on the way they are starting to pop up all over Utah and even in a couple of out of state locations, I try to visit the St. George location whenever I am down there.

Keeping with the current trend of environment friendly products, Spoon Me uses "green" supplies for their spoons and cups and serves healthier options to satisfy your sweet tooth.  Each serving is fat free and contains under 85 calories, normally that scares me away but I actually like the taste despite the healthy aspect   The natural flavors of the fruit toppings adds the sweetness and the Acai berry yogurt flavor really gives this dessert some zip.  There are some other places doing a similar thing right now but none I have been to do it with the same level of fun and fresh ingredients.  The locations are always nice and very modern, the company employs friendly workers, and they always have things going on through Twitter and other social networking sites.  The price is reasonable and the yogurt delicious, I recommend dropping by and giving it a shot.  They have locations in plenty of Utah cities, use their website to find the closest Spoon Me.

On a tip from one of my friends I decided I had to take a trip into the European Pizza Deli M&A.  She had told me good things so I gathered a group of friends from work and we went looking for it.  The European Pizza Deli is in a small strip mall on Redwood Rd. and it was just a short jaunt from where I work.  The location can be a little easy to miss so keep your eyes peeled.

The European Pizza Deli has been open for just over two years and serves meals influenced from the country of Bosnia.  The owner runs the front register and is a friendly guy, the other workers I have spoke with there are also pleasant.  You can find a lot of new dishes to try on the menu and can be had for a reasonable price.  The meals are large and after a few trips we found that one of the best parts of each meal is the bread the entree is served on.

On my first trip I had the Gyro and the evapi.  evapi is a wonderful, sausage like, miced beef dish served on a couple of pieces of flat bread to give it the appearence of a large sandwich, not much to look at but it packs a seriously great taste.  The Gyro was good, I am not the biggest fan of Gyros but this was the best I have had and I think a large part of that is due to the bread, as I said, amazing.  On another trip I decided to try the M&A Pizza, the smallest size they have is a 12" so hopefully you are splitting it with somebody, I tried to conquer it solo and failed miserably.  The M&A Pizza is topped with Gyro meat, Banana Peppers, Mushrooms, and the best cheese I have ever sampled on a Pizza made in America

If you are in to trying new foods and are in the Salt Lake Area I highly recommend the European Pizza Deli M&A, great food for a reasonable price and a nice quiet atmosphere.  Also good for those of you not so adventurous people, while the food is different the tastes are not overpowering, order pizza or a Gyro, you can't go wrong.

Maybe its because I have spring fever but for the last little while I have been on a Hawaiian food kick.  I have driven by Moki's dozens of times over the past few years but had never stopped in, not sure why exactly but it is what it is.  A few weeks back I decided to give it a shot and I was pleased with my decision.  Upon walking in I was greeted with an Aloha, the woman at the register was very friendly and helped me decide what to order.  She talked with me for a bit and asked me if I had been in before, she was a very friendly and genial person, it made my visit that much better.  The atmosphere is fun but not overly cluttered and they have a decent amount of seating available to you.  I placed my order then went to look around, I found a board with notes written by customers, they seem to have a very loyal following and I always like that about restaurants.  My food was ready much faster than I expected.

 I have been to Moki's twice and on my first visit I ordered a combo plate with the Teriyaki Chicken and the Kalua Pork, two of my favorites, served with rice and a salad of my choice.  I went with the Hawaiian salad, a mix of chicken, cabbage, noodles, almonds, and Moki's dressing.  It was a very sweet salad and the overall taste and quality of it impressed me.  The Teriyaki Chicken was great, very tender and with a lot of flavor, this is my favorite so it was important to me that it was so tasty.  The Kalua pork was the best I had tasted outside of a luau, fresh tasting with just the right amount of salt.  I find the salt to be one of the most important aspects of kalua pork, if you don't get it just right it is very noticeable.

 My second trip to Moki's I decided to get another combo plate and check out the other meat and salad options, this time I went for the Katsu Chicken, Teriyaki Beef, and the Macaroni salad.  I have nothing bad to say about the salad as it was what I expected, good but didn't stand out from other macaroni salads I have had.  The Katsu Chicken is a breaded chicken option, very tasty and I think this would be a big hit for all of the chicken tender fans, it comes with a tangy sauce that packs a punch.  The Teriyaki Beef was good but it is hard for me to get excited about teriyaki beef in general, I liked it but nothing about it jumped out and slapped me in the face, that is what I would need to make a big deal about it.

 All in all I think Moki's might be my favorite Hawaiian Grill I have tried so far, great food and great service, what more could you ask for?  The food is reasonably priced, it is on par with most other Hawaiian Grills, and dining in or take-out is quick and easy.  If you like Hawaiian food I suggest you try Moki's, I know I will be going back.

When I think of Chinese food, usually the last place I think of is Utah County.  It is so bad there that Panda Express was voted best Chinese takeout, I don't even know what to do with that, I wouldn't be surprised if they voted McDonald's the best BBQ in the County, I mean who doesn't love the McRib?  Outside of PF Chang's you will be hard-pressed to find quality Chinese food, notice I didn't say impossible.  China Isle on 5th East in American Fork serves up some of my favorite Chinese food and for a very reasonable price.  The ambience isn't as interesting or fun as a lot of other Chinese restaurants, in fact it is a little plain, but the food is tasty.  I have heard some rumblings about the service, while I mostly order takeout I have always been pleased with my dine-in experiences.
My favorite meal at most Chinese restaurants is the Sesame Chicken with fried rice and China Isle dishes up a winner, if I had to rank their Sesame Chicken I would put it second best, trailing only Sampan.  The Sesame Chicken has a nice crispy breading with a sweet sauce that doesn't overwhelm the taste-buds.  The chicken tastes extremely fresh and always tastes as if it just came out of the fryer but without a hint of grease.  One of the other must haves, from the Starters portion of the menu, is the paper wrapped chicken.  The paper wrapped chicken is oh so tender with flavor flowing freely, I highly suggest ordering it as I am willing to bet you will enjoy it as much as me.  While I enjoy the Sesame Chicken there are many other dishes to choose from, sporting a lengthy menu along with the good prices you should have no trouble finding the meal that is right for you.  So if you are looking for a good Chinese restaurant in Utah County, let me suggest China Isle, if you do I would love to hear what you think in the comments.

Call me a chicken wing novice if you must, but up until just a few months ago I had never ventured outside of the Buffalo and BBQ wing arena.  Enter The Wing Coop, I now understand how much I was missing out on.  With thirteen different house sauces, not counting the four spice levels of Buffalo sauce, they have a lot of flavors to choose from, starting with the mild Teriyaki and building its way up to the "Eleven".  I have visited the "Eleven" only once before, a single bite, plus that fateful eye rub before washing my hands, and it was more than I could imagine anybody being able to handle.  In my most recent trips to The Wing Coop I have ordered the Cañonero and the Confucius sauces with my wings.  The Cañonero has a nice Chipotle flavor spice without being overpowering with heat and the Confucius is a mild spice with a sweet flavor.  Neither should get your heart racing but have a great taste, a nice entry into the wing world for those of us not ready to jump to the "Eleven".

 With a sauce as spicy as the "Eleven", you had better believe they take attempts seriously.  The "Eleven" Challenge is a contest sure to test even the most steel stomached of you thinking you can step up.  To complete the challenge you must eat "Eleven" wings with the "Eleven sauce in "Eleven" minutes, you must wait the entire eleven minutes before you can have a drink and get your picture on the wall.  I have seen the challenge completed once, on video, and been witness to the red faced, sweat inducing, marathon that has literally left sauce burns on cheeks and tongues begging for mercy.  It was a lot of fun to see but couldn't have been much fun to have been apart of.

 The restaurant is a little crowded with Utah trinkets and Ski gear posted all over the wall, actually makes for a nice feel to sit down a grub some wings.  The wait has a tendency to be a bit longer than one might expect but it is not crazy and the location can get a little busy especially for larger groups, so get there a bit early, stock pile some paper towels and dig in.