Pier 49 Pizza

First look:

Pier 49 is a local pizza franchise, I assume it was loosely based on the Pizza Styles served on Pier 49 in San Francisco. Looking around, everyone who is coming in either knows one of the employees by name, or they just seem like regulars. I feel like this is a cute niche restaurant that really should be discovered by the masses, if only to help a decent Utah company grow. The tables and chairs are a bit outdated, but they serve a purpose, and that is to allow for people to sit, eat, enjoy the food, and the company.

The place is very clean… one of the cleanest pizza places I’ve been to, at least from the customer’s perspective. They passed the under-the-table gum test - not even a stain to be seen.

The pizza’s a little more expensive, but I’ll let you know why below.

The menu is a little busy, with loads of options. I had no idea where to start, so I resorted to asking the cashier for suggestions.

The Food:

I opted for the Cable Car, with cheese bread, and a soda.

The Cheese Bread was decent… and it had quality cheese, which is significant because cheese has gotten expensive in recent years. Most pizza places have resorted to lowering the quality of the cheese in order to maintain the normal prices, or altering recipes to have less cheese. Pier 49 does not skimp. Both the pizza and the cheese bread had plenty of cheese - not too much, but just right.

The cheese bread came with a cold marinara sauce with little flecks of what I suspect to be an Italian herb blend. I feel like onion stood out in the marinara sauce… which didn’t make it altogether undesirable, but that may have been because they served it cold. The pizza’s sauce was heavenly though! Whatever was different about those two sauces was enough to make a night-and-day difference in flavor, even if the only difference was the temperature.

They use a sourdough bread, which actually compliments the pizza flavors really well. It’s lighter than your normal pizza crust, and bakes to a pleasant crisp on the bottom.

The Cable Car is a 5-meat pizza… Pepperoni, Canadian Bacon, Sausage, Hamburger, and Bacon. Each of the meats eaten separately were delicious, except for the Canadian bacon. Their Canadian bacon is really just a smaller deli ham cut up into quarters, which isn’t my favorite on a pizza, but there wasn’t enough of it for it to really affect the taste in a big way. I’m also not a big fan of canadian bacon as a whole, so I may not be the best judge for that. All of the other meats were perfectly juicy, with the right ratio of fat to meat. I was actually quite surprised at the meat quality. Apparently they don’t hike up their prices to meet a perceived quality, but rather they charge what they need to in order to deliver a quality pizza.

It’s important for me to note that the meat and cheese didn’t melt into a fatty-greasy mess when it was cooked. That’s how you can tell that the cheese is quality, and they have a higher quality of meat. With a higher quality of ingredients, your extra dollar spent on this pizza is not lost.

You will agree upon trying it.

Back to the marinara on the pizza. The black pepper really sticks out, and I like it! Also, it’s fresh enough that you’ll find loosely crushed tomato chunks in it. It’s ‘unprocessed’ preparation (meaning not blended up to within an inch of it’s life) lends to a fuller, more authentic marinara taste.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I leave you now with what I found to be the best part of the pizza:

They do not use cornmeal to keep their pizzas from sticking. I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: A pizza with cornmeal on the bottom is a pizza that you’ll be hard-pressed to get me to eat...

but that’s not this pizza.

I would gladly eat at Pier 49 Pizza again.

Wingers Diner

Wingers is considered by some around here to be one of the “classic” Utah Valley Restaurants. Due to its success, it has grown into nearby markets in Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, and Wyoming.

First Look:

In visual style, Wingers seems to present a sentiment similar to the stereotypical family-type establishments of the 50’s and 60’s, however they also constantly have sports playing on several screens, and a bar you pass in order to get to your seat. The restaurant looked like it had recently undergone a facelift, with the tables and seats looking almost new.

The Experience:

When I walked in I was greeted promptly… and the communication was very efficient. Due to the look of the restaurant, I almost felt like they would be asking me how my grandmother was, and how the crops were coming along this year. On the contrary, I had barely walked in before I was seated at a comfortable booth, and the waitress was getting me water, and popcorn for my table.

I couldn’t help but notice that the restaurant was extremely clean. Even the floors were spotless. Just out of curiosity, I took my phone, and took a video of underneath the table to check for gum and spit wads. There were stains from where there had previously been some gum, but it was clean, and that made me appreciate the thoroughness of the cleaning.

The waitress seems like she's used to people moving fast. Things seem to be run very tight - with little room for error. It looks like they were perfectly prepared for and anticipating a rush tonight. I arrived at 6:00, and I was one of two people who were sat down on my side of the restaurant. I barely had time to look around before my salad was in front of my face.

The Food:

They supplied me with two dressings. One house ranch dressing, and one called “Creamy Amazing Sauce.” The creamy amazing sauce is very sweet, with a tang… it's literally a dressing with their delicious wing sauce in it. It's like a spicy thousand island, except none of the flavors are masked… You know what’s in it when you eat it. It's very simple, very good. The waitress said that people ask for creamy amazing sauce for their popcorn. I told her to prove it, because that just sounded disgusting to me. Looking me straight in the eyes, she ate some of my popcorn with the sauce on it. I tried it as well, and it's not unpleasant, but I like a little more tartness with my popcorn dips. To each their own though. I’d suggest you try it if you feel up to it.

The ranch is a sour cream ranch... very mellow, and a little bland for a salad, but perfect for dipping wings. I preferred the Creamy Amazing Sauce on my salad. It came prepared with two rings of onion, two cherry tomatoes, romaine and iceberg lettuce, and rye and white bread croutons. I liked the balance between the two lettuce types, as too much iceberg will give a very sweet taste to the salad.

Those who are coming into the restaurant seem to be very familiar with how everything works. Listening to those at the table next to me, it became obvious that they were regulars, as they were talking about several different plates that they had eaten, and held strong opinions about each. Apparently the consensus is that the salad with sticky fingers is delicious… but by the time I had heard that, I had already ordered my meal.

I had the sticky fingers meal, with beer-battered onion rings, and steak fries. The wings are covered with a secret sticky sauce, with some spice. They use hot sauce, corn syrup, and brown sugar on their breaded sticky fingers, and it all comes together to make such a scrumptious entree. The chicken is quality… though it does have a bit of a processed feel. (How could it be otherwise when 60-70% of the customers choose the sticky fingers…)  The wings are filling, and the onion rings are thick and cooked just right. The steak fries were just a bit watery in the middle, making me think that they were just frozen before they were fried, but with a little bit of the creamy amazing sauce, or ketchup, they’re just another thick fry that adds another layer to your meal.

The dessert is their infamous Asphalt Pie. Their Asphalt Pie is a mint chocolate chip ice cream on a chocolate cookie crust, topped with whipped cream, a caramel drizzle, and oreo crumbles on the top. Delish. I loved the tastes and the textures, but I had very little room for it after a very filling meal. They provided a box for me to take the rest home.

All in all a good visit. I recommend that you get their Creamy Amazing Sauce- that, along with the flavor of the wings, was the best part of the visit.

The Pizza Factory

Arrival:

When I got to the restaurant, I was met with immediate service. The girl at the front desk was nice. Very prompt. Too many times do I see an inattentive host or hostess at the restaurants I visit. They sat me down almost immediately. The server was very welcoming, and though I was alone, I was treated with just as much respect as a table with a family. That’s not to say that they spent just as much time with me, but this server wasn’t working just for tips- they cared about the service they were giving.

First Reaction:

I visited the Lindon location, and on the outside, it looks classic. The inside though, is very dated. The tables are older, kind of peeling their veneer, and the walls have obviously been painted over several times. There were burns around one of the outlets in a main wall. All together, these things made me feel like this restaurant is long overdue for a complete overhaul. As it stands, it might just crumble to bits if the wind blows too hard. Despite all of this, it appears to be clean, and it passes the under-the-table gum inspection.

I was set in a room that doubled as the all-you-can-eat salad bar room, away from the majority of the diners. I visited around dusk, so the whole room was lit by the west-facing windows. I was very comfortable, and was eager to try the food. I spent a bit of time people-watching. The majority of the people in the restaurant were middle-aged parents with a few children with them. I could tell that the visit was one they had made several times earlier, and the visit was likely a regular family visit. There’s something to be said for restaurants that can keep regular customers over the years.

The Food:

Some meals come with a breadstick before the meal arrives, and it seems like the majority of those who visit end up getting them. They cook their breadsticks by twisting dough around wooden dowels, and setting them in the oven. (Be careful! Don’t eat the whole thing before your food arrives, otherwise you’ll not have enough room for anything else!) I opted for a meaty marinara sauce to dip it in. These breadsticks were perfect! Perfectly cooked, perfectly flavored and at the perfect temperature to eat right off the bat. When you go, consider getting a bouquet of breadsticks for the family. (And make sure to bring your family.)

I ordered a medium pizza, half BBQ, and half Supreme, as those were the server’s favorites.

Here are some of the notes I jotted down as I was eating:

• I can taste the tomato in the barbecue sauce.
• Real mozzarella.
• Pizza cut all the way through. (Awesome! … and surprisingly rare.)
• Very thin bacon, makes for a crispy pizza topping.
• Perfectly formed crust,
• They use corn meal.
• Quality sausage, seared by the oven
• It looks like the chicken is grilled in-house
• Crusts alone.... Leave something to be desired, as the corn meal dries your mouth.

It’s worth noting that I dipped the crust in the leftover marinara sauce, and it was fine.

Oftentimes, the sauce is either too pasty and leaves a bad taste in your mouth, too salty, not spicy enough, or any number of other things could be wrong with it. The pizza sauce at The Pizza Factory is great. Not too salty, not too pasty, but just right. It doesn’t draw attention to itself, but it contributes to the bigger picture of the pizza.

Now, I’m going to talk about my least favorite part of the whole visit. I know that I might be grasping at straws here, but hear me out. The crust didn’t contribute to the pizza as a whole, besides being the bland means for which the quality toppings are delivered to the mouth. Allow me to let you in on a secret about me. I… hate… cornmeal. I can’t stress that enough. I HATE… cornmeal. It’s a lazy man’s way to prevent a pizza from sticking to the pan where it’s cooked. It is crunchy, but doesn’t contribute to the overall taste of the pizza like bacon. (Of course what can compare to bacon?) It detracts from the taste by being the first thing that hits your tongue, you can’t help but get it all over your fingers as you’re eating, and it gets everywhere. I swear I once found cornmeal in my pockets after visiting another pizza place that used it.

Altogether, I would deem my visit a pleasant experience.

If you don’t mind cornmeal, there’s no reason you won’t absolutely fall in love with the Pizza Factory.


If you have a suggestion for a future review, let me know in the comments below.
If you'd like for me to review your place of business, please email me at utahvalleyfoodreview@gmail.com.

Rockwell Ice Cream

Today in Utah Valley, it reached 20 degrees Fahrenheit before 5:05 pm.
This wasn't going to be the day that I was going to get Ice Cream. I had warm eggs for breakfast, relaxed in a warm apartment, and then made warm soy and sriracha spam musubi with some friends. When things were dying down, another friend came by and offered to treat a couple of us to some ice cream at his friends' brand new parlor. I do enjoy trying new food joints, and I especially enjoy trying new places that are given high praises for food quality, but it wasn't until this friend offered to pay that my cheap butt decided to go with them. After all, today is their official grand opening... what had I to lose?

Appearance:
Parking was great! We parked on the street, literally right next to the front window of the place. Upon walking in, I found that nearly every one of the beautiful wooden barrel tables was occupied by someone enjoying an ice cream. This surprised me, because I thought that everyone else must share my skepticism for an ice cream parlor at the coldest day of the season so far. It turns out that I had severely underestimated the hype that has already been stirred by this place. The place is very nice and very classic. Upon entering the restaurant, there is a pink and red brick wall and a refrigerated pie display to your left, a dark blue wall and several tables and chairs to the right, and a large refrigerated glass display counter containing the titular treats right in front of you.

The Stuff:
Among the Ice Cream options were your normal Vanilla and Chocolate, then there were the necessary Vanilla Bean and Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Creams, but then there were Biscoff, Snickerdoodle, Honeycomb, Muddy Buddy, and tons of other products as well!
I'm always skeptical in terms of food quality, and especially the new products that I've never heard of. Honecomb Ice Cream? As it turns out, the Honeycomb Ice Cream is the most popular, right alongside the Muddy Buddy Ice Cream, and they had sold so much that by the time I arrived at 10:00, there was none left for me to try. I asked two of the employees which were their favorites, and I ordered them... The Muddy Buddy Ice Cream, and the Biscoff Ice Cream.
I was very impressed at the quality. The Biscoff Ice Cream is a unique flavor that you have to try! The Muddy Buddy Ice Cream has real bits of Chex Mix in it, and the cream was frozen fast enough that the Chex never got soggy. Just the right amount of crunch, with a rich chocolate flavor.
This Ice Cream is RICH, but it's not the kind of rich that I am used to having. When people talk about rich flavor, they usually mean excessively rich, or so flavorful that more than a couple of teaspoons would not be enjoyable. Even I occasionally use that term in that manner, but when I tell you that this Ice Cream is rich, I'm telling you also that I could have had a half a gallon, and kept going. Just the right amount of flavor, creamy, crunchy, and surprisingly original flavors...
I hold no reservations referring you to Rockwell Ice Cream on 43 North University Avenue in Provo.

J-Dawgs

I'm sure that if you've seen movies or TV shows where the subject is in Manhattan, you've seen someone stop by a hot dog stand in passing, or maybe make some offhanded mention of a hot dog stand at the corner of 5th. They sell cheap hot dogs to the passersby, and the recipient usually eats the dog without a second thought as to the food's origin. Admittedly, the hot dogs in New York are great! They just taste like sodium, carbs, gluten, saturated fat, and everything delicious that people tell you that you're not supposed to eat. But what is really in the hot dog?

You have a classic little 4 or 5 inch long bun made with flour, sugar, and salt... probably some yeast, and you know... bread stuff.

You have mustard which is made of ground mustard seeds, vinegar, paprika, and maybe some sodium benzoate to preserve it.

You have ketchup, mayo, and relish - which are all pretty straightforward

And then you have the dog. We don't talk about the dog. We're scared of talking about the dog because we've heard about what goes into those, and maybe we've seen a YouTube video, and we think we know...

Guess what. The YouTube video you saw is probably real. There are hot dog joints that sell those hot dogs, and they might just be the ones that you just bought at the grocery store.

Don't talk about the dogs, because you know you would rather not dwell on what goes in them...

That rule does NOT apply here.

100% beef. That's what's in the J Dawg.

100% beef, prepared with their unique secret recipe of spices.

That's exactly what you can expect when you bite into one of these dogs.

J Dawgs has their dogs prepared exclusively for them.

Nobody else has this recipe.

Nobody else can make their dogs bloom on the grill like these dogs do.

J Dawgs was started by a broke BYU student who sold his guitar to make enough money to build and furnish a stand in Provo. The recipe rocked, the sauce is the bomb, and so things kept rolling.

In speaking with the management, the sauce has its own tale to tell, and it all starts with Sweet Grandma Marcella. Sometime in the 1950's, Marcella was looking through the newspaper, and she found a recipe for a barbecue sauce that she decided to try. She clipped the article, and began to make what would eventually turn into the J Dawgs sauce.

Today, there is enough of that spectacular sauce made every month to fill a small swimming pool.

When I walked into J Dawgs for the first time, I remember that there were lots of noises happening all at once. Besides the music playing overhead, (UB40 - Red Red Wine) there were families sitting, talking at the tables, friends laughing in the line, and cooks by a hot grill, making those signature criss-crossed cuts that anyone who has visited a J Dawgs would know about. (see picture) It smelled wonderful, and their presentation was great. Look around the restaurant when you go. All of the art (including the murals) is painted by hand.

I ordered a Polish, and opted for just the sauce, some onion, and a long slice of pickle laid inside the bun. Their sauce has a tiny bit of spice to it, but not enough to make it unpleasant to anyone, even little kids. It's a sweeter sauce that compliments the meat in a unique way. The sauce, the dog, and the grilled bun came together to give me a great culinary experience. I had never eaten a dog that I could tell was real meat before that visit. - I'm going to be careful to not understate my surprise by telling you again... These dogs are made of real meat, and it's obvious once it's in your mouth.

I was pleasantly surprised by the simplicity of the food and the consistent quality of the ingredients.

When you visit J Dawgs, make sure to pay attention to the food itself. You won't be disappointed.

Big Island Sam's

UPDATE: Big Island Sam's has closed its' doors, leaving a void in this man's heart.

Once upon a time there was a guy who spent two weeks in Hawaii. While he was there, he went to quite a few restaurants and shacks that not only gave him sustenance, but enlightened his mind as to the foods that Hawaii had to offer.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I am that guy and I'm pleased to announce that Hawaii's food has made its way to Utah Valley.
Today I ate Authentic Hawaiian Food, and I highly recommend this food and this restaurant to you.

When I walked into the restaurant, there were two people in the entryway. The first person that spoke to me was the hostess. When I looked around while waiting to be seated, I saw a friendly old man in a flower shirt with a big smile on his face. I'm a friendly guy, so I asked how his day was going. He said it was going well, and wished me a good meal. We sat down and I had a good two minutes to decide what I wanted. I eventually came to the conclusion that  Sam's Loco Moco was going to be my dish. Around a cup and a half of sticky rice, two fresh-pressed hamburger patties prepared with teriyaki sauce, eggs prepared either fried or scrambled, all topped with a hardy beef-flavored gravy...

I've had Loco Moco on a few occasions, but never had the meat been as fresh and had as balanced a flavor as this meat had today.
I opted for scrambled eggs, as I don't often trust that the cooks understand the concept of an over hard fried egg.

I was eating the meal with a friend who lived in Hawaii for a couple of years, and he had requested to meet with the owner if he was there. The waitress said that he was there, and that he would be made aware of the request. When we had eaten just over half of the more than generous meals we had been given, the friendly old man from the entryway toodled over to our table and introduced himself as Sam. After reminiscing for awhile, and finding friends in common with my friend, Sam offered us some kulolo cake. 

Before I took a bite, I knew that there would be fresh fruit, coconut, and truffles, but I had no clue what kind of treat I was in for. Their kuolo cake is now one of my all-time favorite desserts I have had... ever. When it gets to you, you'll see and smell the reason I'm now raving over it. Its base is a moist yellow cake, almost as moist as a tres leches cake which is usually soaked in sweetened milk for hours before adding further layers. Baked into the top of the cake is a thick coconut mix, with fruit flavors, truffles, and enough coconut to chew on, all in a thick syrup, not quite as solid as caramel. They top it with whipped cream, and serve it at the perfect temperature- hot enough to melt the bottom part of the whipped cream, but cool enough to eat it comfortably.

Unlike the shacks I visited in Hawaii, this restaurant passed the under-the-table-gum-test with flying colors.

I hold no reservations referring this restaurant to you. Go, and enjoy.

Please comment with your restaurant review requests.

Fong Fine Asian Dining

UPDATE: Fong Fine Asian Dining has moved, but their address online is current!

When I went to web to find somewhere to eat this week, I found Fong Fine Asian Dining in Pleasant Grove, on State Street. By the account of a few customers, I was to expect great food... but there were some things that they told me that would paint their personal opinions on the restaurant. I was told that the Thai food was to be avoided at all costs, with no specifics on the reason. I was told to set aside 2 hours at the least to eat there, because of the slow service. I take all amateur restaurant reviews with a grain of salt, because they usually base the whole review on whatever experience took them by surprise during their visit - If the noodles looked disgusting, but tasted surprisingly good, they'll base their review on that, and probably rate the place a 4 or 5 out of 5... completely neglecting to acknowledge any other part of the visit. If the meat was too spicy for their taste, they'll base their rating on that, and give them a 2 or 3, forgetting every other part of their visit.

There are two things I'd like to emphasize in this review.

The first: Keep food in perspective. At your favorite Chinese restaurant if you didn't think about the rice, then the rice was good! It served its purpose... which is usually a filler, or in the case of fried rice, it was a side dish, and usually not the cook's favorite part.

The second: Communicate with your service. They have more first-hand experience with the food you're eating than 100% of the reviewers online. Their opinion is valuable, and it could save you from heartache or heartburn.

The Atmosphere:
When I got to the restaurant, there were around 6 people total, at 2 of the 10-or-so tables in the restaurant. There's no doubt in my mind that Fong Fine Asian Dining is a single location, family-owned restaurant. If they have another location that I don't know about, I'd be pleasantly surprised to hear about it. The atmosphere is very personable, and it's definitely not used to mass-service. The food was made to order for the most part, and each food had its own unique taste, unlike many other Asian food places you'll visit. The restaurant itself is in the same building as an ice cream shop, but definitely has its own following and customer base. On the inside of the restaurant, it gives the impression that it's an older building that was rebuilt or refurbished in the past 10 years. It's a black and white color scheme, and the moldings around the windows look nice, and give the place a little character. There are two televisions, one on either side of the room, and the day I visited, they were playing sports. (I couldn't tell you which sport, as they all lump into one in my brain for some reason.) By the time I left, there were about 15 people in the restaurant, and being young adults for the most part, the 2-person dining staff had their hands full, and were visibly flustered.

The Service:
Though they seemed like they were kept on their toes the whole time, I was never without the drinks I  needed, or a friendly face updating me on the preparation of my food. When I complain about service, I complain about the person who communicates with me and waits on me... the person who doesn't actually cook my food. There were two people in the dining area, and it seemed that they were both equally in charge of how things were going at my table. One of the employees, a young man, gave us 120%. He wanted to make sure that we all had what we needed, and he communicated the process to us very effectively and efficiently. That was his job... That's what he does to make his money. Now what amazed me was his politeness. This was a teenager, who was definitely working a rather demanding after-school job, and he bypassed the norms, and what was to be expected, by looking me in the eye, smiling sincerely, and establishing a real, personal, and professional connection. You don't see that often, and that was refreshing. The other worker was also high school age, and did their job, but didn't really try to do anything further - which is fine, except when they neglected to pick up the checks for quite a while. Granted, they took a phone order, and waited on other tables in the mean time, but they also checked their cell phone, realized they had a text, and took care of that before looking towards the table to retrieve the payment.

The Thai food:
By suggestion of the waiter, I ordered the coconut curry.
Taste-wise, this was one of the best curries I had ever eaten. It was rich, and they didn't skimp and use sub-par ingredients with too much oil. It was a well rounded, slightly spicy with a good amount of chicken in it. They did put just as much chopped onion in as chicken, however it was cooked thoroughly, and didn't ruin the other tastes, but rather added another layer of flavor with the sauce and spice. I ordered it in a Bento Combo, with fried rice, a spring roll, and chow mien. The fried rice went very well with the curry, and the spring roll was very freshly prepared, with fresh veggies, and hot as a spring roll could ever be. The chow mien was a shade of red... different from the chow mien that I'm used to. (the picture makes it look a lighter red than it actually was.) It seemed to me that the sauce that they cooked it with was slightly spicy, as it had just a hint of pepper to the taste. It had a pleasing, unique taste, with just the right amount of substance provided by the veggies.

Altogether, the very best part of the meal was the curry, and the best part of my visit was the food.

I'd suggest you go to Fong Fine Asian Dining and try some out for yourself. It's worth the visit.