"Cafe Zupas: Soup, Salad & Sandwich KITCHEN" (The District location)

   Cafe Zupas kind of creeped into the Salt Lake area. One day there was no sign of it, the next: BAM! Everywhere. At Cafe Zupas there are a few different combinations you can get for food here--the most common in our group was the "Pick 2 Combo," where you pick out a full sandwich and a half salad, or soup.
    I feel that Zupas (in SLC at any rate) is a place that is seen in random locations all over the Salt Lake Valley, but just like the mountains here, most people treat it as the scenery--good for looking, but don't really go there. Well for you people out there who have never been to a Zupas (you'll have to do the mountain thing on your own time), we have done some investigating for you and tried the food of the Zupas people and here is what we thought:

Curtis

Allan: Alright, I am with Curtis here today--Curtis, what'd you get?
Curtis: I got a "2 Combo," I got a whole sandwich and a half a soup.
Allan: What combination of foods did you get with that combo?
Curtis: I got a Honey Bacon Club, which was really good, and I got New England Clam Chowder--that is my favorite soup.
Allan: Alright, so how were they? What stood out?
Curtis: The soup is really good, I love clam chowder. And I like when people make it really well--it's one of my favorite things, so they did a really good job. The sandwich was... okay. The tomato on it was too soggy (I like my tomatoes crisp) and so that kind of ruined it. But the spread that they had on the Honey Bacon Club was really good. So, yeah.
Allan: Alright. So how many tacos would you rate this?
Curtis: I'd give it 4 tacos.

Allan

Danielle: Allan! What'd you get?
Allan: I got the Honey Bacon Club sandwich along with the salad which was [the] Shanghai Chicken, but I got it with poppy seed dressing, and then for dessert I got Chocolate Hazelnut Creme Brulee. And the sandwich was de-licious--it was [done] panini-style, there was tomato, turkey, bacon, and munster cheese, and then there was a honey-mustard layer in there--all of it just melted together and went together to make it super delicious. 
   The salad: also really good. I'm glad I went with the poppy seed dressing choice, it helped kind of make it [a] little bit sweet, but at the same time it went really well with the nuts that were in there and the [mandarin] oranges--it's just a shanghai-style salad. 
   The creme brulee--it was alright. I would say that it kind of just tasted like a slightly-fancy chocolate pudding. And I'm okay with pudding, [but] I'm not a super fan of it.   
Danielle: You're not a super fan of pudding? Okay, so what do you give your meal rating?
Allan: I give my meal rating a 5.  
Danielle: And what do you give [for] your dessert rating?
Allan: probably a 3.

The Panini/Salad Meal

Chocolate Hazelnut Creme Broule

"Ghoulia" (Julia)

Kevin: Julia, what'd you have?
Julia: Soup.
Kevin: What kind of soup?
Julia: I actually don't know what kind of soup--Tomato Soup!
Kevin: Didn't you recently say that "it was the best tomato basil soup [you've] ever had except for Nordstrom's?"
Julia: Oh, that too, apparently--with oriental pasta.
Kevin: And how was it?
Julia: It was good.
Kevin: And what rating would you give it out of 5 tacos?
Julia: Hmmmm, that's kind of hard to say, because this is kind of just like a lunch place for me, so for dinner it's okay--it's not filling. For dinner I'd give it 2 tacos. For lunch it's like a 4. 
Kevin: So maybe you should have gotten something else with it, since it's just soup?
Julia: Strawberry, I got a strawberry, so that works.
Kevin: So, in-between lunch and dinner, what rating would you give it? Since we kind of need a solid rating.
Julia: Whatever the average between 2 and 4 is.
Kevin: 3!!!

Danielle

Allan: Danielle is here with me right now. Danielle, what'd you get today?
Danielle: So I did the "Try 2 combo" and I got the Turkey Bacon Avocado panini, except I got pesto sauce instead of the honey mustard, because I don't do honey, or mustard, or honey mustard. And then [for] the salad I got Nuts About Berries, but instead of having it with the poppy seed dressing, I had it with blue cheese on the side, because I don't like poppy seed, and they always put too much dressing on it when they mix it in. And then we got the dessert called (something) 7--the Sinful 7. 
Allan: Okay, what was the Sinful 7?
Danielle: It was a cake, but not completely, because the top third was like chocolate cake. In the middle they had like this kind of--I don't know if it was a really thick cream, or if it was just a cream cheese-type thing. And then the bottom third was a chocolate cheesecake. And it had, like, frosting on the top and then going down the bottom it slowly formed into this oreo crust, but it wasn't really a crust--it was like this really nice, soft crust.
Allan: Alright, how was your food too?
Danielle: Okay, so on the Turkey Bacon Avocado I could not taste the avocado in the slightest, so it tasted like a turkey and bacon sandwich--so I didn't like that, but I still really liked the sandwich. The sandwich was still really good, I was just really, really disappointed that you couldn't even taste the avocado at all.
Allan: Okay, how was the salad? 
Danielle: The salad was really good--I loved it. It came with with cinnamon almonds--that's what it was. And those were delicious--I was all over that... left and right. 
Allan: Alright, then would you like to rate your food altogether? Or...
Danielle: Wait, but I have more comments. So it came with this bread on the side--I think [it's supposed to come] with a soup, but I was very disappointed because they didn't give us any butter, and they didn't have it just sitting out, and I didn't want to disturb them while it was super-busy, so I didn't like that, because it was just hard, plain white bread. And then chocolate-covered strawberries come with everything and I love that. Okay, now I will rate.
Allan: Okay, your food. Rate your food and then rate your dessert. 
Danielle: Despite my disappointment with the no avocado [taste] in the Turkey Bacon Avocado, I would still give it--with the salad a 5.
Allan: Alright, how would you rate the Sinful 7 cake?
Danielle: I think I would probably give it a 3--I feel like it would be pretty average for a cheese-cake combination. 

TBA Panini with a Nuts About Berries salad

Sinful 7 Cake

Marc

Kevin: Marc, what'd you have?
Marc: I had sandwich. I had salad.
Kevin: What kind salad did you have?
Marc: I made it up my own.
Kevin: Was it good?
Marc: Yup, it tasted like hot pears.
Kevin: Awesome, what kind of sandwich did you have?
Marc: I only ate half of it, because you ate the other half.
Kevin: No, you ate three-quarters of it and I had one quarter of it.
Marc: It was artichoke, spinach, turkey. 
Kevin: And was it pretty good?
Marc: Yeah, it was 2.
Kevin: It was good. What rating would you give it out of 5 tacos?
Marc: I just said it was 2.
Kevin: So 2 tacos?
Marc: 2 tacos.
Kevin: Alright, why?
Marc: Because I don't like Zupas.
Kevin: Alright.

Kevin

Allan: Kevin, what'd you get today?
Kevin: I got the Ultimate Grilled Cheese with Ham, and the Wisconsin Cauliflower soup.  
Allan: Awesome, what'd you think of your meal? 
Kevin: I thought it was very delicious, but I'm really hungry, so it wasn't very filling. So that's sad. I'm gonna give it 4 [tacos].

Ashlee

Danielle: Ashlee, tell us about your food and your rating and stuff.
Ashlee: Okay and stuff. I got the Chicken Caesar salad with no croutons and no peppers--because peppers are gross--so therefor I made it gluten-free. And I got a Creme Brulee. 
Danielle: What kind of creme brulee did you get? Because I know they had several different options.
Ashlee: They did, and I got the best kind which was Salted Caramel, because salted caramel-anything is amazing. And it comes with a little chocolate-vanilla chip on top, and a little bit of whipped cream, and lots of caramel--which is great. And it's awesome.
Danielle: Okay, so how would you rate your salad, and was there anything really unique about it? Or was it kind of just a normal salad? 
Ashlee: No, I love Zupas caesar salad. They do it better than anyone else. I don't know why, they just taste the best, and it was really good, and same with the creme brulee. So I give it 5 tacos.

   Overall a fairly good meal for everyone involved. Although it should be noted that if you inherently hate Cafe Zupas to begin with, there is a good chance that you'll hate anything you get like Marc did. Most of us enjoyed the food that we got even if the desserts weren't as good as were hoped (although Allan tried some of Danielle's Sinful 7 Cake and enjoyed it more than she did). 
   This place is more along the lines of fast-food joint, so if you're hoping for a nice sit-down with a server to attend you, than disappointment will probably follow. The only complaint that was given overall (mostly by the men) was the feeling that there wasn't enough food. Which would lead me to believe that it's a great place to eat if you want a semi-light meal that comes with a piece of french bread and a chocolate covered strawberry. And this time our overall rating for Cafe Zupas will be 4 tacos:

The website for Cafe Zupas is all in a flash animation style, so there is no direct link to their menu. But here is the link to their website at least Cafe Zupas.

Red Robin (Murray Location)

   Known most for their "Gourmet burgers" (if you don't believe me, just look at the sign). They focus mainly on burgers and the variations that come from them--i.e. chicken burgers, sandwiches, etc... Their fries are known to be pretty delicious, but usually in conjunction with their brand of fry sauce. This is the first time we have been here while doing this blog, which was one of the reasons we finally decided on this establishment. All of us got something different, so can see what looks good from the wide variety of food we got this time Let's take a look!

Ashlee

Allan: Ashlee, what'd you get tonight?
Ashlee: I got [the] Gourmet Gluten-Free Red Robin Burger.
Allan: Alright, so how was it?
Ashlee: It was gooooood. I am always a fan of Red Robin, the bread was a little over-cooked though. 
Allan: Okay, anything else that stood out about it? Besides it being gluten-free?
Ashlee: Well that's the one thing I really like about Red Robin, is that they have the option to have gluten-free buns. So, that's always a huge, standing-out point for me--because they give me a little bit more options than most places. And their fries are always amazing.
Allan: Cool what kind of rating would you give it?
Ashlee: Since today wasn't the best--but I still love this place--I'll give it 4.

Kevin

Allan: Kevin, what did you get tonight?

Kevin: I got the Red's big burger.... I think it's called?

Allan: Is that just like one of their common: "Hey, I wanted just a burger" "Here you go" kind-of burgers?

Kevin: Yeah, it's their "I'm not going to make this fancy so it's actually gonna be good" type of [burger].

Allan: Oh, well then did they pull that scenario off for you?

Kevin: It's Red Robin, so it could've been better--or no, it could've been worse.

Allan: Anything else that stood out? 

Kevin: The fries were cold, I was a little disappointed with that. But, there was nothing special about them.

Allan: What kind of rating would you give this meal?

Kevin: I'll give it 3 since it tasted decent for Red Robin--'cause I'm not a huge fan of Red Robin. And it was just plain--unlike the rest of their crap that they try to spice'n up--it's just awful. 

Allan: So 3. Okay.

"Goolia"

Allan: Julia (Goolia), what'd you get tonight?
Goolia: I modified my meal. I got the Red's Tavern Double with no tomatoes, and I added onion straws.
Allan: Alright, what was good about it? 
Goolia: I like the onion straws, so that's what's good about it. It's a good burger, I don't have to cook it so I'm happy. And I like their fry sauce--their fry sauce is awesome.  
Allan: Alright, what kind of rating would you give your meal?
Goolia: 3 and a half.

Curtis

Ashlee: K Curtis, what'd you get?

Curtis: I got the Whiskey BBQ Chicken Wrap.

Ashlee: Nice, how'd it taste?

Curtis: Really good. 

Ashlee: Good. Is there anything else you wanna add?

Curtis: The sauce on there was pretty good. I wish they would have given me more fries... I only got like 5 fries with it. But it's bottomless (-the fries-) and that's a plus. But other than that it was really good. 

Ashlee: And what taco rating would you give it?

Curtis: I'd say 3 and a half tacos.

Anthony

Allan: Anthony, what'd you get today?
Anthony: I got the soup and salad combo, with just a plain salad with 1000 Island and then the soup was their Tortilla Soup.
Kevin: Why'd you get that?
Anthony: I got it because I ate Red Robin for lunch and I had to come here again, and I thought "You know I'm not really that hungry, so I'll get something a little lighter," and it treated me well.
Allan: So this meal, what would you rate it?
Anthony: I would give it--I mean it was a basic meal--I'd give it 4 tacos for just being what it was. 

Kira

Curtis: Kira, hi, how are you? What'd you get?
Kira: I'm good, I got the Prime Rib Dip.
Curtis: How was it?
Kira: It was not very good.
Curtis: What do you mean it wasn't very good? What was wrong with it?
Kira: It had kind of an odd taste, kind of a chemical taste.
Curtis: Alright, so a weird taste. [Were] there any redemptive qualities? Did it have something that tasted good?
Kira: Not really, and I really didn't get any fries, so I was disappointed. And it took them a long time to get our food, and there was odd juice spilled on my fries when I got my plate. 
Curtis: So out of the taco rating, what would you give it?
Kira: I'm gonna give it a 1.
Curtis: 1 taco.

Josh

 Curtis: (Singing intro song) I'm here with Josh Terry--Josh, what'd you get?
Josh: Burnin' Love.
 Curtis: Burnin' Love, alright. And how was that Burnin' Love? 
Josh: It was really spicy.
 Curtis: Spiceeey. Did it hurt? 
Josh: It hurt a little bit, yes.
 Curtis: So you better watch out if you get this because you might get heart-burn, or an upset stomach--Josh, is that what you're saying?
Josh: Yes. 
 Curtis: Alirght, so Josh what would you rate it out of the rating system?
Josh: I would give it 5 tacos. It's that same thing I always get when I come here--it's really good.
 Curtis: Alright, that's Josh Terry everybody.

Danielle

The BLTA Croissant Sandwich:

Allan: Danielle, what'd you get tonight?
Danielle: I had something that I can't remember the name of. But it was their only croissant sandwich on the menu. 
Allan: The croissant sandwich, okay. How was your croissant sandwich?
Danielle: The croissant was super underwhelming. Like I could have made a better one at home. Like the bread wasn't that great, but I got freckled fruit for the side and their fries are delicious. But the freckled fruit was killer, like it was so good.
Allan: What makes it freckled? Was it red-headed too?
Danielle: I don't know. The main fruits were strawberries and apples and I think they just had it sitting in sugar, so it caused it's own syrup, but it's a very light, fruity, non-artificial syrup. It was just delicious, I was all over that. 
Allan: Alright, anything else about the croissant?
Danielle: I could have made a better one at home, so don't get it. But if you're in a group of people just steal their fries, and get freckled fruit. Because that's what I did, because their fries are really good too.
Allan: So how would you rate the croissant meal? 
Danielle: I would honestly give it like a 1 and a half. It really wasn't--like the croissant in-and-of-itself [wasn't good]. But the freckled fruit was like a 5, so I guess if you round that out it's like a 3, I don't know, I'm not good at math.

The Gooey Chocolate Brownie Cake:

Allan: Alright, and you also got a dessert--what'd you get?
Danielle: I did! I got the brownie cake. And it was really good. Like the brownie cake in-and-of-itself--if you were to get it plain--is pretty dry, but it had like this giant heap of vanilla ice cream, and like all this freckled fruit syrup around it, with strawberries and deliciousness, and so it made it really moist when you ate it altogether--which was good. Because if you have moist cake with all that stuff, it would probably just drown and die, but since it was pretty dry it held it's own in the meal.
Allan: Okay, what would you rate the dessert?
Danielle: I'd probably give it a 4.

Meal

Chocolate Brownie Cake

Allan

Allan: Yes, I got the Colossus Burger. It caught my eye because it had chopped smoked brisket on it, provolone cheese, BBQ sauce, and it came together on a classic burger setting. It was all-in-all pretty filling, fairly delicious--the sauteed onions gave it a nice taste to it (I'm not normally a fan of onions), but the onions really [accentuated] the flavor. I would have to say--with the fries and everything it tasted great too-but I would have to say that I'd probably give this a rating of 4 tacos.  

   And there we have it folks. It seems that if you are a fence-sitter when it comes to burgers, or if you outright aren't a fan of Red Robin, you probably won't enjoy your experience that much. Some of the highlights were the freckled fruit (which sounds amazing), the Burnin' Love Burger (probably not for the sensitive palate), the Tortilla Soup and the chocolate brownie cake (which capitalizes on the freckled fruit). Generally speaking, the fries were a favorite point for most of us, as well as their fry sauce. I believe this is also the first review that we have done where someone gave it a 1 taco rating on the Prime Rib Dip, so that would probably be a sandwich to avoid. But if your looking for crazy burger variations for a meal, then Red Robin is the place for you.

You can find Red Robin's menu right HERE

Tio's: Fine Mexican Restaurant (Daybreak location)

  Tio's is a places that Curtis had been to before and mentioned it at our pre-food-eating meeting at Kevin's and so after some deliberation (and a few other considerations) we decided that we were in the mood for this kind of mexican food! We ended up going to the new Daybreak location and It's pretty easy to find--it's on the main road that goes up through daybreak; you'll find it on your left when you reach the small shopping area and parking is located all around the building (with bulk parking located in the back). This location doesn't have a whole ton of seating, so I would imagine if it was a busy night then you might want to call ahead before going. When we went we were the only people in the restaurant for the first half hour. But before you decide if you wanna go, or not, find out how the food was for us!




Danielle

Allan: Danielle, what did you get tonight?
Danielle: I got the Chimichanga with beef and it came with a side of Spanish rice and beans and cheese.
Allan: Tell us about your dinning experience.
Danielle: I liked it a good amount. I don't actually know how chimichangas are supposed to be, but it was really good, I actually liked it a lot. And I got a side of chile verde, I mixed it in with the rice and the beans and the tomatoes and the lettuce that comes with it and that was really good. 
Allan: That's usually the best thing to do with mexican food--just mix it all together. What makes it even better is if you get have tortillas with it too.
Danielle: Yeah, it was really good, I liked it. I'd probably give it 3 tacos out of 5.

Dallin

Allan: Okay, with me is Dallin, what did you get Dallain?

Dallin: I got the Chicken Chimichanga with rice and beans.

Allan: Was there anything that stood out to you? Anything that made you go "This is amaziiiing!"?

Dallin: Well they smothered it with onions--I like that. But it was really small--probably the smallest chimichanga I've ever had--I wasn't pleased. The taste was really good--it was a really good tasting chimichanga, it was just like a "snack" chimichanga. 

Allan: Alright, you wish there was more, but it tasted really good from what you [did have].

Dallin: Yes, the flavor was really good, just disappointed with the size.

Allan: Alright, then out of 5 tacos, how many tacos would you give this?

Dallin: For flavor: 4 tacos. For size: 1 taco.

Allan: Wow, so you wanna say... 3 on average?

Dallin: Yeah, we'll average it out at 3.

Curtis

Allan: Curtis, what'd you get?

Curtis: I can't remember...?

Allan: That is interesting.

Curtis: It's a "Tio's Numero Cinco"--B. There is an "A" and a "B." One's like a cheese and beans, but I got the second one, it was two chicken enchiladas. 

Allan: Okay, how was it?

Curtis: Fantastic, I loved it. 

Allan: Is there anything that stood out? Was it just good Mexican food?

Curtis: The natural spices were really good. I put cholula on it, because I love cholula. But just the natural flavors were really good. I liked it a lot.

Allan: Alright, what kind of rating would you give it?

Curtis: I'd give it 4 and a half tacos.

Marc

Kevin: Marc, how are you doing this evening? 

Marc: Dallin's baby is really cute.

Kevin: What'd you have?

Marc: The same thing that Kira had.

Kevin: Which was?

Marc: Tio Tio's...

Kevin: Tio Tio's, how was it?

Marc: I ate almost all of it, but I didn't have any water, so I had to get more water and now I am gonna eat it all.

Kevin: Almost all of it, that looks like not even half.

Marc: I ate four already.

Kevin: Oh, okay. What rating would you give it?

Marc: 5

Ashlee

Allan: Ashlee, what'd you get?
Ashlee: I got and enchilada that had [a] chicken breast on top of it and I don't know the name of it.
Allan: Yeah, me either... I saw it right in front of me, and I was about to be like "Well, it's the..." Okay, so was that all that came with it?
Ashlee: It had rice and beans, lettuce, sour cream.
Allan: Is there anything special you wanted to add? As a partaker of gluten-free food items at restaurants, how was this?
Ashlee: It was really good, I liked it. Sometimes I have a hard time with Mexican food restaurants, and I thought this was pretty good. It was a little spicy, but that's to be expected, so I liked it.
Allan: What would you rate this food--that we'll find the name of later?
Ashlee: I'd rate it 4 tacos

Kayrene

Kevin: Okay Kayrene. Kayrene, what'd you have?

Kayrene: The Chicken Flour Quesadilla. 

Kevin: How was it?

Kayrene: Very delicious. Even though Kevin made fun of me eating it with a fork.

Kevin: Why was it delicious?

Kayrene: It just had lots of flavor.

Kevin: Okay, that's a dumb reason. What rating would you give it?

Kayrene: 4

Kira

Danielle: Kira,what'd you get? And tell us about it.
Kira: Okay, I got the Tio's Combo and it came with rice and beans, and a hard beef taco, and a burrito, and it was supposed to come with a cheese enchilada, but it was a beef enchilada that [came with it]--shredded beef, but it was really good. And it had a lot of cheese in it anyways, so I would give this... Probably [a] 5 taco rating. 

Colby

Kevin: Colby, what'd you have?
Colby: I had a cheese enchilada with a side of rice.
Kevin: Speak up please.
Colby: Cheese enchilada with a side of rice.
Kevin: Little louder.
Colby: Side of rice, cheese enchilada.
Kevin: How was it?
Colby: It was great! I had cheese on it and the cheese enchilada with a side of rice--it was pretty good.
Kevin: What rating would you give it?
Colby: 4
Kevin: Why 4 and not a 2?
Colby: Because a 4 is what I feel that they truly deserve here at Tito's--Tio's. 
Kevin: Very good, thank you Colby.

Kevin

Allan: Kevin, what food did you get?
Kevin: I'm pretty sure it was the bean and cheese burrito, but I kind of mixed it all up so it looked like throw-up. 
Allan: That's the best way to have Mexican food. Anything else you wanted to add to this?
Kevin: It's just a really good meal, you know? It really filled my belly. 
Allan: Alright, well what kind of rating would you give it?
Kevin: I'd give it 4 tacos.

Emily

Allan: With me is Emily, what'd you get tonight?
Emily: Cheese Enchilada. 
Allan: What came with it? What was it like?
Emily: A chicken taco came with it, and rice and beans.
Allan: What'd you like about it? Or not like?
Emily: I liked the rice and beans.
Allan: So the actual entree part wasn't that good? Or...?
Emily: I did smother it in salsa.
Allan: Alright, did that improve the taste?
Emily: Yeah. 
Allan: Okay, is there anything else you wanted to add?
Emily: [Nah]
Allan: Okay, what kind of rating would you give this out of 5 tacos?
Emily: 3

Josh

Curtis: So I'm here with Josh, Josh, what'd you get today?
Josh: I got [Tio's] Tostada. 
Curtis: Alright, the tostada--how was it?
Josh: It was really good.
Curtis: 'right. Anything special about it? 
Josh: It was definitely the biggest tostada I have ever eaten. And it had lots of crispy, good lettuce and the beans were really good on it. 
Curtis: Alright! So if you ever came back here would you get that again? Or would you branch out?
Josh: I'd get it again
Curtis: And what would you rate that?
Josh: 4 tacos.

Allan

Allan: Yes, I had that Carnitas. It basically had diced sauteed pork pieces, tomatoes, onions, guacamole, cilantro and sour cream on the side. And it also came with rice and beans--and 3 flour tortillas as well, in case you wanted to make your own little taco-confections--which I did. I think the meal overall tasted delicious. The pork a tiny bit dry, but I thought it still tasted  really good. The spanish rice with the beans mixed together tasted great. And just like with any mexican food dish--I probably mentioned this a few times in some of the [earlier] reviews, interviewing people--that, you just mix it all together, it tastes really delicious. Overall though, I would have to say that I would give the carnitas about 4 and a half tacos.

   Thar we have it, most of the selection is what you might expect from a Mexican food restaurant, but they did have their own twists on the genre to help them stand out from their  competitors. When we were sat down they provide some delicious (and I am assuming, since it tasted this way) fresh salsa and homemade chips. The menu is not super big, so a few pros and cons there (Con: Not as many choices. Pro: You don't have to spend 10 minutes reading the entire menu). They also serve fresh-made churros here and not just original ones either--they have a few different flavored ones to choose from, although the original are still very delicious. 

   We do discuss the suggestions that are given to us, so don't feel as if we have dismissed them, they just didn't win the popular vote this time. Our latest favorite food places have been little hole-in-the-wall restaurants. So if you know of any, send the info our way through the comment section on the blog, or through the Facebook link. 

For those that are interested in a little light reading, here are is the menu for

Page 1 and Page 2.