Pat's BBQ

So, I'm finally getting around to writing this one. My wife and I visited Pat's a number of weeks ago and I'd been procrastinating.

I first heard about Pat's BBQ on 155 W. Commonwealth Ave in Salt Lake while watching a local episode of the Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. You can click here to view the segment. It wasn't until the restaurant was featured on a podcast I listen to, however, that I decided we had to visit.

The Atmosphere 4/5

Pat's is located inside of an old manufacturing warehouse and they've made some interesting decisions on how to use the space. When we walked in the the early evening, it was difficult to tell if anyone was in. We cautiously wandered through the hallway, peering into storerooms and kitchen space trying to determine if we had entered from the correct door. We made it all the way into the back of the building, where the dining hall is located, before seeing a single employee. We were greeted there and shown to our seat. The place is set up with picnic tables and feels very much like a backyard barbecue, complete with live music.

The Service 3/5

We had arrived too early for the music. The band was just setting up as we left. There seemed to be plenty of servers and only a few early diners, so I don't know why the servers all seemed a little rushed. Nonetheless, the server was able to give us a rudimentary introduction to the menu.

Featured predominantly in the center of the menu is the Smoked Meatloaf. It was the item that was highlighted on the TV show, so I decided that I would go for that. My wife ordered the brisket. I was surprised at the time by how lightening fast or food was served, but in hindsight realize that all of the food at a real BBQ is smoked for hours before we arrived and therefore would be instantly available.

The Food 4/5

Smoked Meatloaf was an experience and a half. It was absolutely amazing, but it seemed to have the same minor problem as the brisket. The meat at Pat's is prepared really sweet. Everything had a natural honey flavor. It wasn't really a problem, rather it was simply unexpected. Everything on the plate is made from scratch and the mashed potatoes were some of the best I have had in a very long time. The corn had been creamed in such a homestyle method, I'm not sure I'll prefer them any other way again. 

The Conclusion

Pat's is a local gem and I would suggest it to any and all BBQ lovers out there. Go on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night and enjoy the live band.

Joy Luck

My big sister was in town for the weekend, so of course the family wanted to all get together for dinner. As has become tradition, we decided to get Chinese food and we opted for what is quickly becoming the family favorite: Joy Luck, located at 10745 S. State St., Sandy, UT 84070.

(I say family favorite because the family as a whole loves it... I personally do not, but we'll get to that later).

The Atmosphere (5/5)

The first thing you see when you walk into the restaurant is a half-wall fish tank full of several colorful fish. I tend to spend several minutes in front of the tank, just watching them live their little fishy lives. I'm always so enthralled by the aquatic distraction that I barely notice the rest of the restaurant, but based on the pictures Matt took, there's nice, calming dimmed lighting complimented by soft yellow walls and dark wood accents. Overall, it's a very comfortable atmosphere.

The Service (5/5)

The number one thing I use to judge the quality of service at any restaurant is the number of times I see the bottom of my water glass. Our server at Joy Luck did an excellent job keeping everyone's water full. I don't know if that's because he's just that good or if it was because we were right by the serving station and the water pitcher was right there for him to easily grab every time he passed by. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt though and say he's just that good.

The Food (3/5)

The picture above is of Matt's dinner: Beef Lo Mein with a side of hoisin sauce. The food overall was good; it was the "asian flavor [Matt] was going for." However, it did come out disappointingly cold. There are very few things more off-putting than cold Chinese food. Luckily, this was Matt's dinner, not mine, so I wasn't the one who had to eat it.

The picture below is of my dinner: Sesame chicken with fried rice, an egg roll and a fried prawn. Before Matt even had a chance to take the picture, the prawn was off my plate and donated to someone (anyone) else. I don't do seafood. Ever. Once the offending item was taken care of, I was able to dig in to my atypical dinner. Normally, I go for Lo Mein but was feeling saucy and opted for a different dish. It is really difficult to mess up fried rice, so I wasn't too surprised when I enjoyed that portion of the meal. It did need a little bit of soy sauce to help the flavor along, but that's to be expected of basically all fried rice dishes. Even the most delicious ones are made even more scrumptious with a little soy sauce. The egg roll, on the other hand, was a huge surprise: I LOVED it! Typically, that would've left my plate for someone else's immediately after the prawn was gone, but I decided to try it and am so glad that I did. The cabbage inside wasn't soggy. There was a good amount of pork throughout the whole thing (which is always appreciated) and the shaved carrots added a nice touch of crunchy sweetness.  Literally the best egg roll I've ever eaten! Now for the star of the dish. Although the flavor of the sesame chicken was pleasant and the chicken was cooked well, the breading was a little soggy and off-putting. Either there was too much breading on the chicken to cook thoroughly or the grease was not hot enough, causing the breading to soak up the grease without actually being cooked all the way through. On top of that, and I've found this every time I've eaten at Joy Luck, the food was uncharacteristically sans salt for Chinese food. I NEVER put extra salt on my food because I don't really like salt. This chicken had me reaching for the shaker several times throughout the meal and by the time I'd eaten maybe a fourth of the chicken, I gave up on it entirely.

Conclusion

Chinese food, when done correctly, is one of my favorite styles of food. In my family's opinion, Joy Luck is the place to go when the Asian food craving hits. Aside from the subpar offerings however, I do really enjoy the fish tank wall and the comfortably private atmosphere one experiences at Joy Luck. I will continue frequenting the establishment with my family and have a good time because being in my family's presence is my happy place and no amount of disappointing food can ruin that for me.

Teriyaki Boy

My car was in the shop getting worked on and I was left a hungry pedestrian in the Draper Peaks area. In a sea of chain restaurants and clothing stores, I found Teriyaki Boy, a recently opened Asian grill express located at 185 E 12300 S in Draper.

The Atmosphere 3/5

It could be because they're new or perhaps they're more focused on the food than anything, but they have all of one decoration in the entire restaurant: a single poster advertising their party platter. 

The Service 5/5

I was the only customer throughout my visit (which made taking these pictures rather awkward) and they rolled out the red carpet for me. I was walked through the menu and offered suggestions. Despite being an express grill, they have extremely fresh sushi, a large variety of Bento boxes, and here's the best part. Every single meal is made to order from scratch right in front of you. I had a great time. They weren't quite as fast as a quick service place like Panda, but I had no problem waiting.

The Food 5/5

I jumped into the Asian spirit of it all and ordered a melon-flavored Ramune. If you've never had one, they're fascinating. The plate I landed on was the Chicken and Beef which came heaped upon masterfully grilled vegetables and a giant serving of white rice. $9 and I was happily full and satisfied for the rest of the day. 

Conclusion

I can confidently recommend this little restaurant to anyone shopping in the area. The food was great and the service was wonderful. 

The Village Baker

My brother and I decided to have lunch at The Village Baker at 1658 W 9000 S, West Jordan, UT. I used to work in the area and have been to the restaurant a few times before, but not in a very long while.

They serve gourmet specialty pizzas and enormous sandwiches; but first and foremost, the Village Baker is a bakery.

The Atmosphere 3/5

The space inside the bakery is very small and quaint. They have breads and spreads and other things for sale around the room. The only downside to this is there is no place to eat. There are two benches in the room for those waiting for their orders, but not a single table in or even outside the restaurant. This forced us to retreat to a nearby park to enjoy the meal. The day was so windy and hot that it made the entire experience less pleasant and uncomfortable.

The Service 3/5

I found the staff to be very pleasant, but even though it was well between the meal rush times of lunch and dinner, they all seemed busy. I was helped by a young woman with no name tag who suggested that I order the turkey cranberry sandwich. (A phenomenal selection, I might add. More on that later.) She quickly rang me up and set me on my way without further discussion. My sandwich was readied quickly, my name was announced, and we left.

The Food 5/5

I LOVE THIS SANDWICH!!! Wow, it was amazing. Nothing can be held against this bakery on the quality of their food. The turkey was moist and flavorful, the bread was warm and tasty. They even managed to get the perfect amount of cranberry sauce. I also found the portion to be exactly what I was looking for. 

Conclusion

The Village Baker is very good at what they do, but their business model doesn't allow them to provide the level of service a guest should expect from a restaurant. If you think of this as a takeout bakery that creates dishes of culinary genius, you'll have a wonderful time.