Tips to improve the dining experience

   

 It has been said that the enemy of great is good. This applies very well to the dining experience in any restaurant. In this post, I wanted to give you, the reader, some ideas on how to improve the eating out experience. 

1. Make a reservation

- Making a reservation ensures obviously that you get a table. But also I have found that it makes your dining experience feel exclusive. It also helps the servers to prepare for you, this ensures that you have better service. Often restaurants will ensure that only their more experienced servers take on the reservations.
2. Talk to your server

- Do your best to get to know your servers. By getting to know them you will not only make a new friend, but also help facilitate the service you will receive. Having been a server I have been guilty of favoring my nicer clients with favors and faster service.  On top of that your server will have access to tons of information to allow you to make the best decision for your meal.

3. Step outside of your comfort zone

- Nothing makes a meal more enjoyable in my opinion than a surprise. Whenever you go out to eat, make sure to choose something that you have not tried. Now I'm not suggesting that you eat things that you do not enjoy, simply try to get free of the same old when it comes to your order. 

4. Make time for your meal

- Take your time with your meal and really enjoy every bite. Take in the sight, and the sounds, but make sure that you do not over eat. Enjoy the company you have, meals are filled with many subtle pleasures that transcend the food. Imagine if every time you went out to eat you had just the best experience. Also eating more slowly and enjoying food helps your metabolism and digestion. 

5. Save room for dessert

Try your best to get a dessert that you can enjoy at the end of your meal. Most desserts in restaurants are hand made, and therefor unique to the establishment. Eating a dessert can really finish the meal, also your body will feel more satisfied and full due to the sugar found in the desserts. 

Eating out is an experience rarely treasured by a majority of restaurant goers. I hope these tips can not only help you enjoy your next night out, but also every meal in between.

Chefs Table - Le Piece De Resistance

I have been waiting ever since I began this blog to go to, in my opinion, the best restaurant in Utah Valley. The Chefs Table. Located on what us locals call the landing strip, the south end of state street where Orem becomes Provo. This elegant restaurant, if not for its sign out front, could be mistaken for a very wealthy home. When you arrive at the Chefs Table, it is very apparent, even from the cars in the parking lot, that you are at an upscale eatery.
Upon entering we were impressed by the ambiance. The decorum was elegant, and the layout of restaurant was nothing short of classy. Once we were seated our waiter promptly took care of any questions. The service at The Chefs Table is nothing short of amazing, the atitude and timing of each server was very well sharpened. All of the food was brought to us right on time.
I ordered the filet mignon steak cooked perfectly (medium) along with a potato lemon oil bisque soup (the soup of the day,) and to start a butternut squash risotto. I should have brought some luggage, because I was taken on a trip. A wonderful journey of flavor and self discovery. The food was exquisite, absolutely amazing. Each bite seemed to improve on the last. The risotto was so smooth and cooked to perfection. The portion only prepared me perfectly for the bisque. The bisque transported me to a magical place, it was utterly astounding how powerful the flavor, and yet at the same time the subtlety of the lemon oil blew me away. It was over much too soon, and then came most likely the greatest thing my taste buds have yet experienced. The filet mignon was elegant, and perfectly cooked through. It was so tender, I would equate it to finally falling in love with a life long friend. The feeling was just great, and the flavor could not be matched. The steak had been smothered in a sweet chutney sauce that took the whole meal to another level.


I was utterly blown away by the whole experience, after the meal was done they cleared the plates and gave us a moment to rest and just talk.



I would highly recommend The Chefs Table to anyone looking for just the best of Utah Valley. I would give it a 10/10 and even more if my scale allowed. It was hands down the best meal this blogger has experienced and I look forward to returning soon, hungry for more.

Baaah Baaah Black Sheep...Cafe

Situated almost on the corner of center street and University Ave, you will find the Black Sheep Cafe. You might have heard other raving reviews of this new little place. The fact of the matter is, when you first walk in you don't know whether to say "cool!" or to say "this is weird." The immediate confusion that one experiences upon entering the restaurant is due to its very alternative decorum, and native american art work. It almost feels as though the restaurant is trying to combined the native american culture with the more popular modern feel.

The Food, was in a word, unique. Every dish at the restaurant is made to order (it took a little while), and is grown locally. Never had I experienced the styling or the flavors presented at the Black Sheep Cafe. I ordered the Blue burger, with a side of true sweet potato french fries. The burger, was exquisite, it came topped with blue cheese, mixed greens, and bacon. All smothered in a beautiful almost smoky burboun sauce. The burger was wrapped in pitta bread, that held together everything surprisingly well. The sweet potato fries were very authentic, in the sense that they were white sweet potatoes and not yams. To top it all off, we enjoyed a pare and cactus lemonade, it was like drinking jelly bellies, it was amazing. Every aspect of the experience felt fresh and authentic, which to this critic is one of the most important aspects of any up and coming restaurant.




Everything from the decorum (that ended up growing on me) to the food, to the service. I would give the black sheep cafe a 9.4/10 and would highly recommend it.

Station 22

Imagine you were traveling along in the middle of no were, you had run out of water, desperate to find a place where your alternative music and fashion trends were accepted. A place where you could wear the tightest jeans, and drink water out of jars. Then you see it, the nirvana of all hipster hangouts, the neon sign above says "Station 22." 

When you walk in to Station 22, the only word to describe the decorum is, bohemian.  Everything is folkie, even down to the staff, with their very fashionable uniforms. I couldn't tell if they were uniforms or if you just have to be a hipster to work there. Our servers name was dandy... ok I'm not sure what her name was, but she said she was dandy. Anyway Dandy helped us out to find some great options, she also let us know that everything was locally grown, and in season. 

I ordered the sweet potato wedges with fry sauce, and then the Jack Barowak burger. The wedges were very well done, I liked the presentation, it was served in a small tin pale. I drank my water out of a jar, which at first was weird, but then I really liked it, it held a tone of water so that I didn't run out. 

The Jack Barowak burger was superb. It combined bacon, slow grilled beef, and a wonderful burbon sauce. The powerful flavors and huge portion really left me satisfied. 

All in all, I would give Station 22 a 9/10, the food was great, but the feel, well lets just say I wasn't feeling it. It felt so Portland, I felt that I couldn't fit in with the demographic. If you go, please go for the food, and the service. I really did enjoy my experience.

GURUs

Guru's is one very unique place. It is an exciting mixture, food, art, and people.  Lets say that if your a hipster, you will love Guru's, but wait, if your a t shirt and running shoe person, then you will love gurus, wait! if you are a house wife, with five kids, you will love guru's.
Basically, Guru's may seem to play to a very artsy crowed. But the truth is it caters wonderfully to every one.

They have a wide variety of different culinary delights to choose from. The food itself feels very "art" inspired, with its clever names and moderate portions. Its got Mediterranean/American fusion for its cuisine. I ordered the Marco Polo Pasta, which included steamed veggies, and Alfredo and basil sauce. We had a side of to die for sweet potato french fries. That with my soda, the ambiance, and my friends made for quiet an enjoyable evening.
Guru's is great for the fact that it feels formal/casual. You could take a date there, or just drop in with some friends for a quick bite. Its warm but open atmosphere invites you to sit back, enjoy, and talk for hours. It has a very chill feel, absolutely no pressure is felt to eat more, or to leave to make room for more people.


I would give Guru's a 8.5/10 the only downsides I could find were the wait time for food, it took a while to get everything, and the food, although its great. Its really nothing to write home about.

Just a Tip- Little ideas to really get into the culture of dining well.

I feel very passionate about restaurants. An intricate part of any restaurant is its waiting service. These dedicated individuals we call waiters, do much more then just serve us our food. They are in charge of creating an experience that we will either love or hate, the very future of their restaurant rides on how well they can accomplish their goal. I having been a server for about 2 years, can identify with these unsung heroes.

Little known fact about servers in utah, they are only paid $2.15/hr and everything else is made up for in tip. That is shocking to some to learn, you can see why it is important to always leave a tip with your server. Their very lives, and the lives of those who depend on them are hanging in the balance with each check.

My general rule is that; regardless of service rendered, I always leave as a base %15 percent. A lot of people in utah tend to think that %15 percent is a good tip, this is false. If the server gave great service and you think they deserve a good tip, try %30 percent. If that makes you a little uncomfortable, try thinking of it as a charitable donation. Utah is renowned for it low tipping  it could be because of the large LDS culture, they are generally very frugal and they deal a lot with %10 so.

What ever your personal belief may be, please leave your servers good tips, they are depending on you.
There are advantages to being a good tipper. The biggest one is that if you return, you could get the same server, and this time they are more likely to render even better service than before. They could even throw in some free stuff just to sweeten the deal. It pays, to pay well.

Pizzeria 712

From the outside 

Pizzeria 712 is one of the best, and most unique culinary experiences any one can have in Utah Valley. I talked about a trend that has been cropping up in restaurants lately in an earlier post. 712 is the definition of trendy. Upon entering the restaurant you can feel an atmosphere of classy. The new age music, coupled with the old world feel with its modern touches, the feeling is just awesome  The restaurant feels really big, but on the contrary it only has about 20 tables, if you count the romantically lit outside area.

Starters

One of the great things about Pizzeria 712 is that they use all locally grown ingredients, this means that the menu is constantly changing. Every time you go, you are bound to have a new experience, and apart from the generally great food, is what keeps me coming back.

Just for starters

After we got our drinks, our server brought us some pitta and garlic humus  It was the perfect thing to tide us  over. The timing was great, after the pita was gone, the server brought out our appetizer. We had the lamb brisket, covered in a horse radish cream sauce atop a bed of corn Flat bread. It was a flavor I was not expecting. After thoroughly enjoying the brisket, we got our pizza. We ordered the cauliflower  mozzarella  and white truffle oil pizza. It was in a word, unique. The garlic they used mixed so well with the truffle oil to create almost aromatic experience. When ever I came upon a slice of mozzarella, its as if I understood some secret of the universe that before was unknown. The flavor was unlike anything I had  
experienced before, and I loved it.

The pizzas are about 10" in diameter, so I would suggest splitting your pizza if your on a date. The pizzas usually cost around $13 average. With the appetizer  drink, and tip, it the total came to $40. It was well worth it for the experience, I would have paid a bit more.

The Main Event

I would highly recommend Pizzeria 712 to anyone looking for a unique and classy dining experience. My rating for the Pizzeria would be a 9.3/10, my only complaint was that our server seemed a bit aloof from us, I really enjoy more interactive service. Remember if you are going to eat here soon, make a reservation, the place is always packed with at least a 20 min wait.

Classy