Mediocrity...

Barbacoa, brought on by someone else...

Man it has been forever since I have posted.  Like 8 years in forever.  But my writing needs practice, and I just rediscovered this space.  So with that out of the way?  How is Barbacoa?  It has been around for what seems like forever now, with multiple locations for the last several years.  Is it any good?  Well, I had a spicy barbacoa pork burrito today, and it was pretty good.  Not great, not bad, but about par for the course.  The value is decent, at 7.95.  However, they will charge you an extra buck if you want Guacamole, and of course I want guac.  I don't know why, but the extra buck for guacamole has always bugged me. 
The burrito was good, but alas, the people working there seem like they don't really care, and just sort of throw it together.  I guess this is not altogether unexpected, as more and more of the quick casual food places (hesistate to call them restaurants) act and feel more and more like fast food places with the burgers and fries.  So I guess it doesn't really surprise me, and if it bothers me a little bit, that really is my problem as this is a trend around the country, not just in our little NE corner of Salt Lake.
I don't typically go to Barbacoa on my own accord, I feel that there are a lot of better places to get Mexican food, and admittedly, this isn't really Mexican.  But if I want a better American Burrito, I can go to Lone Star, and if I want real tacos, well, there are lots of places to get good tacos.

So, yeah, burrito was decent, I got enough to eat, and it wasn't a terrible value, in fact, I know I will eat there again, probably before the year is out (they have a location on my way home from skiing as well) but it still is not going to be high on my list of places to go, and my next visit will likely be similar to this one...  spurred on by someone else. 

B&D Burger

Allright, what does B and D stand for?  I don't know, but I usually say Big and Delicious.  It is a run of the mill burger joint up on 1300 East and around 240 South, right across from the 7 Eleven there.  This place rules.  It is and has been my favorite burger joint now for over 13 years.  Nothing has changed there in a decade and that is just fine.  The same greek guy runs the place, and the same mexican guy is flippin burgers.  For $7 I get a double cheeseburger and fries and a coke.  The fries are nice and crispy medium thickness cut, the coke tastes better than coke at other places, and the burger is outta this world.  The melted cheese slides down the sides of both beef patties, and you will find yourself dissapointed that it is gone when you are done eating it.  They also have other tasties like zuchinnini fries.  Yum.

I don't have a lot of experience with their milkshakes as I lack a sweet tooth, but my girlfriend, my mom, and everybody else who I watch eat them, love'em!!!

My only gripe with the place is the 99 cent burger Tuesdays as the lines can get outta hand.  But I suppose if I was a broke student I wouldn't mind waiting in line for a 99 cent burger.  

Highly recommended.  Go there, now.  

Edit:  Just hit up B and D again Sunday evening after fishing all day, and it did not fail to impress.  Again.  Best burger joint in town.

Cafe Velo

Some of you who work at the City Center building may remember the old Cafe Sha Sha on the corner of 4oo S and 200 E.  It was a small joint that served everything good, with great specials and killer breakfasts.  Well they closed down.  Then some chump opened up Molly's there, and the place sucked.  I lost weight because I ate less.  It was that bad.  

Well, enter Mike.  Mike has come in and opened the place back up as Cafe Velo.  It is still a work in progress, however, work is moving in the right direction.  Yesterday I had a hamburger and have to say it was a tasty burger and I see many more heading for my belly in the future.  CV has fantastic french fries that are battered in I don't know what, and I don't care, they are GOOD!  Blueberry muffins are fresh and warm every morning (right about the time I roll in anyway) and they are huge and reasonably priced.

Back to the burger and the overall value of the place, the burger while quite good, using a special bread, and good lean meat, is tad pricey, and it is representative of the price of most things there.  It is easy for a burger aficionado to head up the hill to B&D and save a couple of bucks.  But this burger is unique, and I suspect I will have another within a week or so.  

Overall, Cafe Velo deserves a visit, and people are starting to visit in greater numbers.  When chump owned the place after Sha Sha, the place was a ghost town, now the lunchtime line is coming back in greater numbers.  Mike may not have brought it back to its former glory, but he is on the right path.  If you are walking distance, it is definitely worth the stroll for a burger and fries and nice business casual atmosphere.  Keep up the good work Mike.

Welcome to Hungry Salt Lake City!

I like to eat, and by nature of living close to and working in downtown SLC, I thought I would post my thoughts on places I have eaten so that others can take advantage of my experiences and have a better dining experience themselves.

I have had the privelidge through life to have travelled many places around the USA and the world, and quite possibly my favorite thing to do while travelling, is to eat.  I generally feel that Utah stacks up poorly to the rest of the world in terms of quality of food, but there are some gems out there in Utahland that are worth noting and celebrating.  

You can expect each restaurant review to note the good, the bad, and the inbetween.  Dining out is expensive, and we all should be after the best experience we can have for the money.  Value is very important as well, and particular attention will be paid to whether a restaurant is a good deal or not.  

To start with, I will update restaurants I have eaten at recently and add more over time.  I will try as best I can to update promptly after a visit.  So keep coming back to see what new restaurant has been skewered by the hungry man of Salt Lake.