This post may just be inspired by one of my favorite Food Network TV shows: Triple D (Diners, Drive-Inns and Dives), and this weird sort of attraction I have for old, retro stuff. Nostalgia, even though I wasn't alive or around for the stuff to even be nostalgic for it.
About a year ago, I heard about a real, honest to goodness diner that some guy bought in Rhode Island, dragged out to Utah, and planned to restore it and open it in Oakley, UT. I followed its progress because, well, I'd always wanted to go to a real diner and as far as I know, we don't have any in Utah. Nor had I ever eaten at one on any of my (limited) travels. And about 2 or 3 weeks ago, the Road Island Diner finally opened its doors! Check out their website for menu, pictures, history, fun stuff like that.
And it didn't disappoint. Of course, you have to realize that going into a diner, that's what you're getting. I had an apricot glazed pork chop, mostly because I have always wondered what a pork chop with apricot or apple might taste like. It was pretty tasty, and the vegetables and rice that came with it were good, too. Derk had meat loaf (I know, meat loaf, beat loaf...), but he said it was good, but that the potatoes were a little greasy spoon-ish for his taste. We want to go back for breakfast and hamburgers and fries!! It was great, the ambience was fun, the wait staff was dressed up like old timey diner waitresses and bus-boys, and they even have fun diner names like Rosie, complete with old timey hair-dos. Oh, I almost forgot. We also need to go back for the Pig Trough. There's a picture of some people eating it on their picture gallery, it's basically a pig trough with all sorts of scoops of ice cream. Isn't that awesome?! Let me know if anyone's interested in a road trip and we'll plan it!
And the bumper of our car now reads, "I Brake for Diners." :)
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Jon's Amazing Dinner
OK, this only counts as a "Utah Foodie" entry because it took place in Utah and was cooked by someone originally from Utah. Many of you know that my brother, Jonathan David just left Hawaii after spending almost 8 years there in the Navy. He's been transferred to Seattle but got some time in the middle for vacation, some of which he's spending here at "home" in Utah. So, Sunday he cooked everyone the most amazing Hawaiian dinner I think I've ever had - and we've been to Hawaii twice. And eaten great food there, both times. The menu consisted of kaulua pork (probably spelled that wrong), coleslaw - Hawaiian style with pineapple, ginger & nutmeg in it (I know, it sounds a little icky...but I absolutely promise you it is the opposite!) fresh cucumbers with dill, and a little vinegar and sugar and crab & cream cheese wontons. Wow - everything was just amazing. The pork was extremely tender (after being slow-cooked for a few hours) and the flavor was amazing. There is nothing that reminds me of Hawaii more than pork cooked like that! The coleslaw was really unique and I was surprised to discover how great the flavors of ginger & nutmeg could be in something like coleslaw. I loved the extra flavor of dill with the cucumbers and the wontons.....holy cow, they were good. They were filled with crab, scallions, water chestnuts and cream cheese. I definitely need his recipe and when I get it, I'll post it here and on the "Favorites" blog. Thank you, Jon for an amazing meal. I still think you have a bright future ahead of you in some kind of restaurant business, but I'll just have to dream about that for a while, eh? I can't wait to see what kind of recipes you are inspired to fix once you've been in Seattle for a while! We will definitely visit for seafood!
Monday, July 14, 2008
Taggarts
I am so excited that I actually went somewhere worth blogging about!
The first thing you need to know about Taggarts is how to get there - it's kind of out of the way. Head east on I-84 up past Morgan - there is a Ranch exit right past Morgan and then the exit for Taggart. That's the best part - about the only thing off the exit is the restaurant and a couple of houses. It's so good - it has it's own exit! :)
I went for dinner - but it would be a great place for lunch as well. First impression was one of casual comfort. And the fantastic display in the front of all the baked goods for sale. Always a plus! There were multiple kinds of cookies, brownies and cheesecakes. I knew I was in a good place.
The menu consisted of a lot of sandwiches, salads, and dinner specials. The prices were reasonable. Most of the sandwiches and salads staying in the under $10 range, with the dishes like steak and shrimp scampi running closer to $20/$25. Not an overwhelming amount to chose from, which I like, but not too limited - I felt like almost anyone could find something they liked on the menu. They also had a couple of strictly vegetarian dishes, which is always nice.
I ended up ordering the Turkey sandwich after debating about ordering their Ham and spiced apple sandwich (next time!). The friend I was with ordered the Taggart burger, which she has had before and absolutely raves about. The best part of both the sandwiches and the burger is that they bake all their own bread products - buns for the burgers and pita bread for the sandwiches. The turkey came nice and warm with melted Swiss, red onion, avocado, and tomato folded in a freshly baked, warm, grilled pita round. It was SOOO yummy. You could choose salad or beer-battered fries with the meal and I, of course, couldn't turn down the fries! They were excellent - large, steak cut and lots of crispy outside covering. Since we were on a "Girl's Night" we couldn't not order dessert - Raspberry and Chocolate Cheesecake. Oh my. They serve their cheesecakes in small rounds - I was pretty full from half my sandwich and most of the fries, I only managed to eat about 1/8 of the total cake. Take home boxes are the best!
The best part was that I left feeling like I'd really like to take Jeff there, or anyone else for that matter, and I ended up telling a lot of people that I talked to the next few days after about it - always a good indication that it was a good place to eat. So, if you are ever in the mood for a road trip into Morgan County, give Taggarts a try!
The first thing you need to know about Taggarts is how to get there - it's kind of out of the way. Head east on I-84 up past Morgan - there is a Ranch exit right past Morgan and then the exit for Taggart. That's the best part - about the only thing off the exit is the restaurant and a couple of houses. It's so good - it has it's own exit! :)
I went for dinner - but it would be a great place for lunch as well. First impression was one of casual comfort. And the fantastic display in the front of all the baked goods for sale. Always a plus! There were multiple kinds of cookies, brownies and cheesecakes. I knew I was in a good place.
The menu consisted of a lot of sandwiches, salads, and dinner specials. The prices were reasonable. Most of the sandwiches and salads staying in the under $10 range, with the dishes like steak and shrimp scampi running closer to $20/$25. Not an overwhelming amount to chose from, which I like, but not too limited - I felt like almost anyone could find something they liked on the menu. They also had a couple of strictly vegetarian dishes, which is always nice.
I ended up ordering the Turkey sandwich after debating about ordering their Ham and spiced apple sandwich (next time!). The friend I was with ordered the Taggart burger, which she has had before and absolutely raves about. The best part of both the sandwiches and the burger is that they bake all their own bread products - buns for the burgers and pita bread for the sandwiches. The turkey came nice and warm with melted Swiss, red onion, avocado, and tomato folded in a freshly baked, warm, grilled pita round. It was SOOO yummy. You could choose salad or beer-battered fries with the meal and I, of course, couldn't turn down the fries! They were excellent - large, steak cut and lots of crispy outside covering. Since we were on a "Girl's Night" we couldn't not order dessert - Raspberry and Chocolate Cheesecake. Oh my. They serve their cheesecakes in small rounds - I was pretty full from half my sandwich and most of the fries, I only managed to eat about 1/8 of the total cake. Take home boxes are the best!
The best part was that I left feeling like I'd really like to take Jeff there, or anyone else for that matter, and I ended up telling a lot of people that I talked to the next few days after about it - always a good indication that it was a good place to eat. So, if you are ever in the mood for a road trip into Morgan County, give Taggarts a try!
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