I wouldn’t mind a food thread once a month for suggestions and reviews:

Good Indian food is awesome. How was the naan? Great naan might be the best vehicle for food on the planet.

I’m probably in the minority on here but if you’re an imbiber of spirits the 8 settlers house spirits sampler is a great way to start off. Their food and amenities are excellent as well.

I love that JCWS is keeping the Training Table tastes alive. One of my favorite burgers has always been the blue bacon burger. Crap, now I want one, and they’re closed today.

JCWs is the worst ran drive thru restaurant in Utah by far (the one near me anyway). Maybe the 5th or 6th best burger in the Provo area… and it takes 20 minutes to go through the drive thru even if you are the only car there.

If you are in the area save yourself the headache and go to Chom. Backdoor burger is also a great burger (everything else about that place is awful, but the burgers are really awesome).

I like this idea. 

I tried Crack Shack on SLC’s 9th and 9th last week. I thought it was pretty good. They have a separate bar area which was a bit surprising for a fried chicken place. The chicken sandwiches are diverse and pretty big so most entrees will feed 2 people. The staff was very friendly and I’d definitely go back again to try the variety on their menu.

Sorry don’t live in SLC anymore, but I do have one SLC experience I’d recommend.

Les Madelienes

216 East 500 South
Salt Lake City, Utah

Our pièce de résistance is the beloved Kouign Amann, a rich buttery pastry from Brittany, France that was named 2012 Pastry of the Year by Food & Wine. Try it once and you’ll find yourself craving it again and again. (We were the first bakery west of the Mississippi and third in the U.S. to make and sell these delicious kouign amanns back in 2005!)

The Kouign Amann’s are a bit expensive, and they are not open on Mondays.

Another SLC recommend, Duck Donuts. They started at OBX and I was surprised they have one on Utah but not Colorado. On a rainy day, there is not much better than one of their fresh hot donuts. They take a few minutes to make your order, but that’s because they don’t make the donuts until you order, then you can get your choice of glaze, topping, and drizzle. I recommend the Lemon glaze, cocomut and raspberry drizzle. They are hot so a bit messy when the glaze melts as soon as they put it on.

Denver recommendations

I like Tocabe, it is an American Indian Eatery. On the weekend they serve Bison Ribs in a Blueberry sauce, sadly they are ALWAYS sold out when I go there on Fridays. But I love their shredded bison, black beans, spicey hominy, chipotle sauce and greens, on the fry bread of course.

I also like NoNo’s Cafe, Cajun/Louisiana style. Love the Crawfish Monica or Blackened catfish with Monica sauce. And the Strawberry cake is better than the beignets IMO. The blackened pork chops are also good. Get the Lunch portion even if you go for dinner. 

In the mood for breakfast?

MotoMaki – a japanese/asian fusion restaurant. I love their Kalbi (Korean beef), Mochiko chicken, and  they also have poke. 

Snooze an a.m. eatery. I recommend the pork chile verde bennie (benedict) or the Signature Pancake Flight with Pineapple Upside Down, Blueberry Danish, and sweet potato pancake, I usually substitute the sweet potato for their pancake of the day or whatever else sounds good.

Three Little Griddles – they are bit farther from my house, but I like their biscuits and gravy (make sure you’re hungry), or their Shrimp and Grits. They also have ebelskivers. Sadly with a glass cooktop my wife won’t put her cast iron ebelskiver pan on the stove any more. (wah!)

Washington, D.C

El Pollo Rico – I have searched and searched and have not found a good replacement for their “crack chicken.” It is a Peruvian Chicken joint, First place I go when I get my rental car at Reagan National. About a 10 minute drive from the airport. My wife used to drive up once a month with our small kids to go to dinner here. We lived 50 miles away, so definitely worth it. 900 block of Kenmore Street in Arlington/Ballston/Clarendon. A block from the Virginia Square Metro stop. 

Farther south, I really like Pancho Villa, their chile rellenos and queso blanco are delicious. DO NOT get the mini chile rellenos, I made that mistake once, they are supposed to be jalapenos instead of anaheims, but they were way way hotter than most jalapenos I’ve had.

And if you have the chance in Virginia or North Carolina, probaly North Carolina is better… Get some Carolina BBQ, vinegar base, I didn’t like it at first but love it now. Allman’s in Fredericksburg, VA is decent in Virginia, but when I put on the UF.N tailgate in North Carolina we had Allen and Son Bar-B-que and it was delicious. And YES you have to have coleslaw on your BBQ sandwich.

Okay, looking for any good Denver restaurants – I’ve heard Denver Biscuit company is good, been to Steubens it’s pretty good.

Not bad for a kid who grew up on Idaho, not potato country but my grandpa was a potato farmer and raised some beef cattle. Who knew I’d learn to love Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, Peruvian, and other regional U.S. dishes.

I have a few random restaurant suggestions that might come in handy to one of you some day.

If you are in the Provo/Orem area: Mexican: Holy Taco, solid Al Pastor. Either that or 180 Taco (not strictly mexican, but all the regular mexican joints in the area are mediocre at best). Burger: Go with Chom or Backdoor Burger. They are literally right next to each other, and both are great in their own way. If you just want a good burger Backdoor is probably the better option. If you actually want to have a good experience, I’d strongly recommend Chom. JJ Burger is also a pretty good option if you are into more of a classic burger joint kind of feel.  Ramen: Asa Ramen is a great little Ramen shop. It’s fast, friendly, and nothing fancy. Been there 20 times and it’s always been great. I’m no Ramen expert, but I’ve been to 4 or 5 places around the state, and this is the best by far.

I obviously haven’t eaten everywhere in the area, but I wouldn’t pay money to eat anywhere else in Provo/Orem if one of those places was an option.

If you are in Vernal Utah there is only one place you should eat: Antica Forma. Best pizza in the state. Also, if you are in Moab, they opened up a restaurant there by the same name. If you like Neopolitan pizza, you won’t be disappointed. It’s my favorite restaurant in Utah by far. 

I would recommend Red Iguana in SLC but that place isn’t exactly a secret.

If any of you ever visit the California Central Coast, hit me up. We have great Mexican, seafood, and of course, world famous Santa Maria tri-tip. This thread is making me hungry.