Yummy Buffet. Really!: India House- Sandy

It is surprising how many good Indian restaurants there are in the salt lake valley. India House stands out for its consistency and really yummy lunch buffet. I like spicy food and Indian is no exception, but for the price of $8.99 I will forgo my “no seriously on the ten scale make it a spicy 10 really I can handle it” korma for a variety of medium to mild super fresh India House lunch buffet dishes. We went here for my dad’s birthday, and as usual I was impressed with the selection and obvious freshness. They had saag paneer, chicken korma, spiced chickpeas, tandori chicken, chicken tikka masala and curry chicken plus salad, several kinds of naan, rice, and for dessert soaked rice flour balls and cardamom rice pudding. Everyone loves Indian house buffet lunch and this runs in your favor- with all the people the dishes are rotated frequently so you don’t end up with the heat lamp incubated buffet food I’ve caught food poisoning from so many times. From past experience I know they have yummy mango lassi and lots of non buffet fair. When I have more than $8.99 to spend (rarely) I would splurge for dinner or takeout here. My personal favs are saag paneer, vegetable korma and chicken tikka masala or butter chicken. The only thing I like more than Indian is Sushi so thank god for their cheap lunch!

The Surprising Sandwich Stop: Wild Bean Roasting Company-Sandy

Maybe it’s because I’m so picky, or maybe it’s because I hate knowing I could make it better myself :P but I love build your own food, ESPECIALLY sandwiches. A bad sandwich isn’t even worth eating but there’s no risk of misordering at Wild Bean Roasting Company. Choose your bread, meat, cheese, veggies and condiments- it’s the perfect recipe.

My inspired sandwich was marble rye, cheddar, all the veggies, turkey, and mustard. The produce was fresh and ripe. The bread was soft and flavorful. They loaded it with just enough turkey to make a nice fat sandwich. There isn’t anything extra special about the choices they offer, the key is the freshness of all the ingredients.

Wild Bean is a coffee roasting company. I was really excited when they opened in Aug, but I haven’t been very satisfied with the espresso drinks they offer. On the upside even though the drinks are weak, you do get all the complex flavors and aromas only lingering in freshly roasted beans. I think with my next sandwich I’ll order a regular coffee.

If you remember back in the day this place was called Solid Grounds. They closed a few years ago but it looks like Wild Bean inherited all of their furnishings. The shop is nice and big with decent sized tables and a big stage for live music. The designs are funky and fun and with all the tables you can really spread out and bring a few friends. Come for live music, movies, open mike, comedy night or whatever they think up next! They have free wifi but I only found 2 outlets L. This location has really rotated the business through the years, it’s not in the most visible spot. If you like the sandwiches and the vibe support your local business. Lets keep it around as a rare alternative to subway and starbucks.

Smoked Sirloin Sandwich!!!: Tin Roof Grill- Sandy

It’s tough to find local independent restaurants out here in strip mall land. Around every corner is a wide array of cookie cutter favorites like TGIF, Chili's, Olive Garden not to mention more fast food than I’ve seen anywhere else… Luckily there is a delicious gem of a place called Tin Roof Grill smack dab in the middle of sandy suburbia.

I made my first visit with my dad a few weeks ago and it sure didn’t disappoint. The menu was mouthwatering: tapas, pizza, pasta, and sandwiches. I ordered the special for the day: Smoked sirloin sandwich. It came with a horseradish sauce for the sandwich and patatas bravas (fries) with garlic aioli. Yum. They cooked the sirloin to order – medium rare please!- and it was so flavorful and tender. The sandwich veggies were fresh and crisp and the horseradish added the perfect kick. My dad ordered pad thai that he really liked. He said it even had a spicy bite to it.

The cherry on top is that Tin Roof Grill carries EPIC BEERS!!! They were out of Copper Cone Pale Ale but who isn’t?? We shared a Spiral Jetty IPA from their classic series. It was just hoppy enough to balance with the aggressive flavors in my lunch. My palate was really killed so I can’t give the beer a proper review, lets just say like all Epic Beers it was delicious. At $8.50 for 22oz be sure to share this with a friend! Remember they can’t serve “heavy alcohol” until after 12 noon. That means no $2.99 mimosas with brunch unless you sleep in so sleep in!

Put this place on your must eats! Check out their facebook page for their daily specials. Finally the downtowners can be the ones to make the drive for some delicious grub. Take that SLC.

Where no one is a loser: Sunset Coffee- Sandy

I was introduced to this place in high school when a friend of mine vigorously supported (stalked) a kid who occasionally played live music here. It brings back fond memories and still fulfills a coffee house void in my hometown. My inner food snob is so embarrassed that I love this place. Honestly, their coffee is just not that good. Stick with a hot latte and you’ll get something drinkable.Sadly I once took the advice of the barista there and ordered a “stevie wonder’. This drink is supposed to be cream, espresso and chocolate (sounds delicious right?). The “chocolate” was Hershey syrup (blasphemy!) and it tasted like this supposedly extra special drink was what would happen if I accidentally dropped my espresso into my lil' brothers home mixed chocolate milk. I googled "stevie wonder drink" and only came up with some shooters made w/ chocolate liqueur so i'm not sure if that's the inspiration. In any case this take on it seems to be a Sunset Coffee original. If you like Hershey's syrup I know Robbie orders it religiously and suggested asking them to add caramel if that's your thing. I also go back and forth on their iced drinks. Typically they are too sweet for me but there is something about them that makes me reconsider and order an iced caramel latte once in awhile. The food leaves something to be desired, costco giant muffins and sometimes stale bagels wrapped in plastic. They are pretty chill about people bringing in their own food so lucky me I keep coming back.

The thing about Sunset coffee is that it’s sooo chill. I believe that it is owned by a church (?) or some other community group. It seems like everyone knows each other and the customers and staff are super super friendly. The crowd is very eclectic, high school to middle aged, kids, parents, nerds, alternative, SLC counter-culture and everything in-between. If you don't fit in here you probably can't go anywhere.One of my favorite social groups that have a permanent appearance are the fantasy card players. It is seriously awesome that 30+ dudes love playing magic enough to meet at the coffee shop on a Tuesday afternoon to duel their decks. They also get an A+ for having awesome board games. There’s plenty to entertain you: checkers, chess, I think i saw Sorry once, books and usually a newspaper or two you can scrounge. They have Free WiFi of course and plenty of outlets :P -plus they’re open late (at least until midnight.) The patio has a beautiful view of the valley that really shines at sunset. There are tables all the way out onto the grass so anyone who wants to can enjoy the view without fighting for a table. Keep in mind people come here to just hang out so expect to get friendly with your table neighbors- you’ll be sitting next to them for hours.

Even as I write this I’m shaking my head. Why do I like this place???? I guess it’s something about the sum of all it’s parts. This is the most reliably packed coffee shop I’ve been to out here in suburbia so I am not the only one to think so. I guess it just goes to show you don’t have to make gourmet coffee if you're delivering on something else. Too bad the other places in town that serve crappy brew don’t seem to get that. I <3>

Beyond Delicious Crown Burgers- SLC

SLC has quite a few good burgers around, but when I think quintessential SLC Burger it's Crown Burgers that always comes to mind. Prepare yourself for mouthwatering meat on meat madness. Take a regular Utah style cheeseburger -think burger, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and thousand island dressing in a bun and add a 2x-the-burger size hand-full of tender pastrami. Now you have a Crown Burger! Approaching a Crown Burger is delectable in itself- you can smell it before you can see it! That's not to say the burger isn't pretty. I included so many photos because you can definitely taste it with your eyes. Eating this mound of a burger is a gastronomical experience. The hamburger balances the strong pastrami taste, the thousand island adds a bit of tang. At least for me the bun usually gets pretty mangled cupped around so much meat but it's a small price to pay for so much savory goodness! Eaten with their steak cut fries this is a lunch that can't go wrong. DO ask for fry sauce. Theirs is the relish included style and strikes me as a little less sweet and a little more sour on the fry sauce spectrum. Have you ever accidentally tried to order fry sauce not in Utah? Be prepared for odd looks and loads of ketchup. It's too bad fry sauce isn't available EVERYWHERE. At least I think it should be..

Besides their Crown Burger (and Jr Crown Burger for those who can't get through a whole regular one) this joint has some awesome not typical burger spot fare. If you want something more Greek try a gyro or a souvlaki stick! They also have some pretty awesome sandwiches like patty melts and french dips. Order a classic shake or baklava if you have any room left in your stuffed tummy.

The only thing I always wish I could have with my burger is an ice cold beer. That's
why I tend to do takeout/drive-thru when I can't stop myself from a pastrami fix. Unfortunately this means I miss out on the awesome decor. They must be the only fast food restaurant with a chandelier and fireplace!

Crown Burgers is family owned, even with all the different area locations. This is what they say about that on their website:

"In all of the Crown Burger locations you will always find 1 to 5 family members working along side of our employees. Some of the restaurants may differ with 1-2 different items or different prices, but you will always find the Best, freshest food and friendliest service in all of our Crown Burger locations."

No wonder they have consistently awesome food.