Blue Plate Diner (Sugarhouse)

Blue Plate Diner

   The Blue Plate Diner; it is a hole-in-the-wall kind of place, but the good kind of hole-in-the-wall place. It's super easy to find because it's just on the corner of 2100 south and 2100 east in Sugarhouse. As the name suggests it is definitely patterned after a diner, but with a mix of modern and hipster as well. 
   The food covered the range that a normal diner would cover (i.e. breakfast, lunch and diner foods served most of the day). What was also a big plus was that it was all reasonably priced and affordable. Guy Fieri has hit this place up before and gave a great review on a veggie patty burger, let's see how the rest of the food was!

Curtis

Allan: Alright, with me today is Curtis, Curtis what did you get?
Curtis: I got the Chicken and Hummas Wrap.
Allan: Interesting, hummas. How was it?
Curtis: It was really good! And it wasn't too overly sauced with the hummas. It was really good because it had really good grilled chicken [in] there with the avocado and the hummas just really  brought it together.
Allan: Alright, so what is hummas, per se and it sounds like their hummas kind of stood out from hummas you've had before?
Curtis: The only word I can describe--that I could use to describe hummas would be: awesomeness. And it was actually better than hummas at some of the other places I've had hummas.
Allan: Anything else you wanna add?
Curtis: I give it 4 and a half tacos.

Kevin

Allan:  Alright, Kevin what did you get tonight?

Kevin: I got the Tuna Melt with Cheese Fries and a side of white toast. 

Allan: Okay, was there anything that stood out? Anything that was like "Oh my gosh, I would so come back here and get this again!" Although I guess technically this is the second time you've had this here, right?

Kevin: Yeah, actually you know I'm picky about my Tuna Melts and this place makes an excellent, fabulous Tuna Melt. Its just melts-in-your-mouth deliciousness.  

Allan: Alright, how many tacos would you give this meal?

Kevin: I would probably give it just four, because the cheese fries aren't the greatest cheese fries ever. 

Kira

Allan: Alright, with me is Kira, Kira what did you get?
Kira: I got the Tuna Melt.
Allan: How did you like it?
Kira: I liked it, there was a little bit too much onion in it, so I picked a lot of them out. But besides that it was really good.
Allan: So even with onions, out of a 5 taco rating system, how much would you rate this Tuna Melt?
Kira: The Onions flavor was good, I just don't like the crunch. So if I could stand the crunch I'd probably give it 4 tacos, but because I had to pick them out, I'm gonna say 3 and a half.

Allan

Allan: I got the Pork Chili Verde Burrito. It came with a delicious chili verde sauce, and it was just the right kind of level of spicy. Inside were black beans and since I am a fan of black beans it went over very well with me. The pork tasted very good and was a good complement to the rest of the burrito. And one of my favorite parts about it is that it was smothered with melt cheese on top (as you can see), with a quarter of an avocado on top as a decoration/part of the meal. Overall I would have to give this baby 4 and a half tacos.

Josh

Allan: K Josh, what did you get tonight?
Josh: Chicken Verde Burrito.
Allan: And I know that you are a connoisseur of Mexican foods and all that. [A] fan of La Luna and La Frontera, what did you think of this burrito?
Josh: It needed more chicken.
Allan: More chicken? Every thing else was good though?
Josh: It didn't have enough chicken in it, it only had a little bit. It was mostly beans.
Allan: Yeah that was kind of the same way with mine, but I'm a fan of the black beans. Out of a 5 taco rating system, how many tacos would you give your meal?
Josh: 4

Colby

Allan: With me is Colby, Colby what did you get?

Colby: Buffalo Burger.

Allan: And how was it? Was there anything that was just amazing about? What is their buffalo burger about?

Colby: The Buffalo Burger doesn't have buffalo sauce and it's not buffalo meat. So it's kind of a weird burger. I didn't really taste the buffalo so it was just a normal burger--it was alright. It wasn't the best, but their spicy cheese fries are pretty good.

Allan: So there wasn't like, any spices in the patty, or anything? In the cheese?

Colby: You had to pay an extra dollar for cheese, it didn't come with cheese, so it was annoying. 

Allan: So how many tacos would you give your meal tonight Colby.

Colby: I would give it a 3.

Ashlee

(-The audio file was a mess-up. It is really just Kevin going "yeeeeeeaah." Which Ashlee copied right afterwards-)

Ashlee: Yeaaaah, I got the fish tacos. Nothing really stood out and the rice was hard like it wasn't cooked right. So it was just kinda blah. I give it two and a half tacos.

Kayrene

Allan: Okay, with me is Kayrene, Kayrene what'd you get?

Kayrene: I got French Toast with some Hash Browns.

Allan: And how was that? How was the breakfast here at the Blue Plate Diner?

Kayrene: It was alright, but I would much rather go to an actual breakfast place, because [the] breakfast [would be] a lot better there. It was just decent. 

Allan: What made it decent? What could have made it better?

Kayrene: Having a little more flavor--it was kind of just, plain and dry.

Allan: Plain and dry, alright. What kind of taco rating would you give it?

Kayrene: About 2 and a half.

   For those of you that listen to the audio files, I've had some problems using the voice recorder app (human error), so there were a couple of audio reviews that aren't available for listening this time. So, this time eating out seemed to be not too bad. There were some disappointments, as well as some new respect for the food at this establishment. At the Blue Plate Diner there is a waitress to take care of you, but you pay for your food at the bar, which is not unheard of in a food establishment. Even with some of the unsatisfied reviewers, I feel like we would all probably be up for coming here again. And with everyone's combined review, the Blue Plate Diner gets a 3 and a half taco rating this time:

Blue Plate Diner Menu

Asian Star (Midvale)

   Ah, the Asian Star... quite a wonderful place for, well, Asian cuisine. This location is in a two-story building in Midvale, right off of Union Park Ave (1300 east). It has been mentioned in previous entries that most of our rating system focuses on the quality of the food and other factors only enter if they are extreme enough to effect the quality of the food. Well this was one of those times, but all of it is on the the positive side of the spectrum. It took 5 minutes for our food to come out after we ordered and about 8 minutes for Kevin's sushi to come out. Service was spot-on and the food was fantastic! But don't take my word for it, take a look at what everyone else thinks!


Kevin

Allan: Okay, Kevin, what food did get tonight at the Asian Star?
Kevin:  The Broccoli Stir Fry and a Mars Roll.
Allan: Right. Anything that you liked about it? Was it all good?
Kevin: The Stir Fry was excellent--it was the Broccoli Stir Fry with a really good sauce of some sort. Just all-around really good tasting. The Mars Roll had tuna and avocado and shrimp, fantastic--I love Mars Rolls. All-in-all, excellent, I give it 5 tacos.

Ashlee

Allan: Alright, Ashlee what did you get tonight?
Ashlee: I got the Tangerine Sweet and Sour Chicken and some Lettuce Wraps. Gluten-free.
Allan: Gluten-free lettuce wraps. Was there anything that stood out about it?
Ashlee: Um yeah, the whole thing was amazing, as always--as it is here.
Allan: Is there [anything else]...?
Ashlee: The sauce is really good, the lettuce wraps were a lot better than I was even expecting, so that's cool.
Allan: So, what kind of rating would you give it?
Ashlee: 5 out of 5 Asian Stars.
Allan: She means "tacos".....

Curtis

Allan: Cuuurtis, what did you get tonight?
Curtis: Allllan, I got Sweet and Sour Chicken.
Allan: What was good about it? What'd you like?
Curtis: Everything was good about it, I think it could have used more vegetables thought. But the onions were really good in there and the sauce was freaking amazing.
Allan: Alright, anything else you wanna add?
Curtis: If you come to Asian Star, try to get on the second floor because it looks like the second floor looks pretty boss.
Allan: True story. Out of 5 taco rating, how many tacos would give this?
Curtis: I'd give this about three and a half tacos.
Allan: Really?
Curtis: Joke! [I'd] give it 4 and a half tacos.

Allan

The angelic food washed out the light in this picture
(this is the explanation I choose to give for it).

Allan: I got General Tao's Chicken, I guess that's how you pronounce it. Super delicious, it sat on a bed of... Like these corn chips? Some kind of fried chips (-probably rice-based-) or something like that. We had brown rice to come with it--with our table--and I kind of mixed it (the chicken) up with everything. [It] tasted super delicious. I love the sauce that comes with everything, it mixes [well] with the rice. Textures [and] taste--very good, the flavors just pop out. Super good--I don't think I've ever been disappointed eating here at the Asian Star. I give it a 5 out of 5 taco rating.

 
This stuff is amazing. It sometimes feels like you can't get enough of it to eat (whatever dish you decide to get). This has been a place that we go to when we know we want some good food. As you can see from the previous reviews we've given, we get around the valley when it comes to food and the Asian Star is one of our favorite places for eating out. I've looked at bad reviews of this place saying that it tastes like Panda Express, but nothing could be further from the truth.
   I know that Curtis is the only one that didn't give a 5 taco rating, but we average out and round up, or down (depending on how close the number is) to the nearest whole, or half number. In this case it rounds up to 5. So our rating for the quality of food this week comes to 5 out of 5 tacos.

For a look at their menu check out this link:

The Asian star Menu

Francesco's (Taylorsville)

   Francesco's (frahn-CHES-koes) is a locally owned and operated restaurant in Taylorsville. I believe that when it first opened it was called "Francesco's," then (I think) there was a new owner who changed the name to "Chef Tom's Italian Cafe." It was later then purchased by the current owners and re-renamed back to "Francesco's." It's a cozy little place with a lighting scheme and general feel of an Americanized-Italian cafe.
    It took a little bit for our waitress to get our order, but that was probably due to our group arriving in bits and pieces, as well as the fact that she seemed to have her hands quite full for a portion of the night.
   This time around I decided to change the layout of the review portion. Because the same food of a restaurant can range from disappointing to fantastically-amazing, I am starting to add individual taco ratings for each person so you can get a feel for items that might be great and others to maybe steer away from. But enough of that, onward towards the reviews!!!


Colby

Allan: With me is Colby--Colby what did you get to eat tonight?
Colby: I got the lasagna with the Italian pepperoni--bacon... what's it called...?
Allan: Canadian bacon?
Colby: ...Canadian bacon with some garlic bread. It was pretty good. The pizza [is] a little dry, the crust is kinda hard, but other than that it's a good pizza. Overall [with] the lasagna it's decent, I mean nothing too special, but it was pretty good.
Allan: Colby, one more thing, out of a 5 taco rating, how many tacos would you give your food tonight?
Colby: The pizza and the lasagna together probably made it a 2 and a half... maybe three.

Kevin

Kevin:I had the Ravioli with meat sauce, it was really good the ravioli was meat filled and delicious!! I also had the mini pizza with the Italian Combination with sausage and ham it was really delicious!! I love the food at Francescos I'd give it a 4 out of 5 tacos... I'd give it a 5 out of 5 if I can include the cheese sticks in my vote! SOOOOOO good!!! 

Anthony

Anthony embodying The Fonz 

Allan: Anthony, what food did you get tonight?
Anthony: I got the mini pizza combo.
Allan: What came with it?
Anthony: A mini pizza that had pepperoni on it (I chose pepperoni), chicken and tomato slices and [I] also chose a caesar salad as the side.
Allan: What made it taste good? Did it taste good?
Anthony: What made it taste good.... not much--just kidding. It was actually pretty good, but I think it would have been much better if I was in the mood for it. [The] pizza was decent and the caesar salad was decent, it was an average meal. It would have been better if I was in the mood for it, but I wasn't in the mood for it
Allan: So it's just a kind of "mood" thing. So otherwise, if you were in the mood for it, how would you rate this in a five taco rating system.
Anthony: Even if I was in the mood for it, it still would have been "decent." I'd say it was like a 2 and a half tacos--2 taco rating."

Allan

Allan: I got the chicken cordon bleu tonight, I got spaghetti as a side--you can choose many different pastas for [the side]. It's got spaghetti with sauce. The cordon bleu wasn't what I was expecting, I was expecting... kind of like a hot-pocket-looking deep-fried item, with the cheese and ham & chicken on the inside. But really what came out was an awesome chicken breast [with] canadian bacon, mozzarella cheese and some kind of sauce that went with it. [It was] surprisingly good and quite delicious, I would have to say that I would give it 4 tacos out of 5.

Miranda

Allan: Miranda, what food did you get tonight lady?
Miranda: Chicken parmesan and baked potato.
Allan: How was it?
Miranda: It was delicious, it was the best.
Allan: Was there anything that stood out? Anything you wanted to mention? Anything you'd like people to know?
Miranda: The baked potato only comes with sour cream and butter--and it was still good. And the chicken was amazing with the red sauce.
Allan: Cool. Out of a 5 taco rating system, how many tacos would you give this meal?
Miranda: 5
Allan: 5 tacos... yes!

Ashlee Ann

Allan: Ashlee, I am with right now and we found that there is actually some food here at Francesco's that she can eat, because we previously assumed that she couldn't eat anything here. Ashlee, what did you get tonight?
Ashlee: Ashlee got the grilled chicken breast, it had parmesan cheese and like, ham, Italian ham underneath it? Can't even remember what it's cal--canadian bacon! And I got a baked potato on the side.
Allan: Alright, what did you think about it?
Ashlee: The chicken was really good, I liked it. I was really happy that I got to eat anything, so I'm happy. And the baked potato was not that great, but the chicken was really good.
Allan: Awesome. Anything else you want people to know?
Ashlee: Allan's cool, because he went and looked for food that I could eat.
Allan: "Hurray" me! Out of a 5 taco rating system, how would you rate your food quality tonight?
Ashlee: 3 and a half tacos.

One thing that was not really mentioned in any of our reviews (except for the serious one Kevin gave, which was lost) was the amazing, addictive cheesy-garlic bread that I believe came with the meal. In fact, I was only able to snag this picture of it before it was devoured (this was our fourth plate):

Overall, most of us are fans of Francesco's; they have really good italian food for decent prices. Despite how some of our meals were this time, I believe that this is a place that we would happily visit again. The taco rating this week (which is derived and rounded up, or down to the nearest taco) is going to be 3 and a half tacos out of 5.

Iggy's Sports Grill (Jordan Landing location)

Iggy's is an Americanized version of a sports grill (as opposed to Chili's which is more of a Tex-Mex-Style and Applebee's which is more of a....Well, it's own thing) and as such most of the food on the menu had very American-style food. Upon asking our waitress (who was Paula and who did a fantastic job) what some of her favorites were. She gave us a list and also mentioned that people loved the burgers there--which one of our group members agreed with. If you have not been to Iggy's and are not familiar with it, then you should know that they serve you complementary fresh bread when you get there before your meal comes out. The bread looks like baby baguettes, but tastes really good. Speaking of things tasting good, here is the first reviewer:

Kevin

(Slightly explicit)

Allan: What kind of food did you get?

Kevin: Good food. [The] Philly "with" and cheese fries, both excellent. 

Allan: Both excellent. What was compelling about it? What made it good?

Kevin: The cheese fries, they were very, very cheesy. Almost so cheesy I'm gonna die--like of a heart attack.... Sooner rather than later.

Allan: So you know they're good then?

Kevin: Yeah.

Allan: I know you're picky with sandwiches, especially sandwiches you can dip. How would this rate? You know, like the french dip sandwiches; how would this rate in your opinion?

Kevin: Better than those [poopsicle] ones at The Break, or Arby's

Colby (Who also got the Philly)

Allan: Colby, what did you get?
Colby: I got the philly cheese steak, it came with (also) a dip, which is pretty good--I haven't gotten [this] since I've been back home in the states. Also it came with some really good fries, I think they beat McDonald's fries (for any of those people who like McDonald's fries).
Allan: I think they're like battered french fries, which I've always liked.
Colby: Yeah, they're amazing fries, I love them. But it was, overall, an amazing, amazing sandwich. Probably my favorite philly that I've eaten.

Kayrene

Allan: Alright, I'm here with Kayrene. Kayrene, what did you get tonight?
Kayrene: It was--I think--a caesar chicken wrap (I think is what it was called). It was actually with a spinach tortilla and Colby thinks it's funny because I hate spinach. But it was really, really tasty and the sauce was kinda messy. But yeah, it was just very filling and still yummy.

Ashlee

 Allan: Ashlee Ann, what did you get today?
Ashlee: I got pulled pork and garlic potatoes.
Allan: What was your opinion about those?
Ashlee: It was okay, the potatoes were good...
Allan: Didn't you say there was something you wanted to [say]? Like "You can quote me on that"?
Ashlee: Oh yeah. Last time sucked, this time's a little bit better. So, Iggy's is only good if you get the burgers, which I can't have, so this is an unfortunate experience for me.

Danielle

Allan: Okay, with me is Danielle. What did you get Danielle?
Danielle: I got the prime rib sandwich and it came with fries and I also got the Strawberry lemonade. And the strawberry lemonade--if you like your lemonade even a little bit tart--do not get this lemonade, because it is all sugar and super sweet (which I love).They also give you a giant mug, like you don't get refills, or anything. Oh and I got the prime rib sandwich, which was supposed to come with Swiss cheese on it, but either they forgot it, or they put so little in that you can't taste it--so there was like nothing there. And then it's just with grilled onions and they give you pickles on the side to put in it--they tasted like they were "home" pickled and they were delicious. The prime rib sandwich, overall, wasn't very spiced, but it was still really tender meat--like the meat was good--it just wasn't seasoned properly. The End.

Matt

(Slightly explicit)

Allan: With me is Matt Baugh, who hasn't been here (-to taco tuesday-) in a while, it's okay though, he had a horrific event in his life, which I'm told not to speak of anymore... Anyway, Matt, what did you get tonight?

Matt: Tonight I got the chicken fried steak, it was very mediocre. I could have gone across the street to Black Bear Diner and had a better meal, actually. The biggest thing was it tasted like somebody got a breaded patty and dropped it in a deep-fryer and got tasteless country gravy with weird meat-chunks in it--it was just poured over the top. Best thing about it was probably the mashed potatoes and that's about it. I'm very disappointed; Iggy's usually doesn't let me down, but usually it's because I get fries, because their fries are frippin' awesome.
Allan: Those fries are fricken' awesome and as you explaining about the gravy and stuff before--especially with the meat-chunks, it sounds like they probably drained all the grease out of the [meat] which is what makes gravy usually taste good and it sounds like usually when they drain it out, it becomes tasteless, do you think what happened?
Matt: Um, yeah they're a bunch of sons of [brigands], 'cause they definitely drained the grease and what is gravy if it's not an excuse to put more grease on your food?
Allan: Amen. Anything else that you wanted to add? Anything else that stood out?
Matt: If you ever come to Iggy's stick with the fried foods. Actually their pizzas are really good, but chicken fried steak here, not that great.

Anthony

Allan: Anthony Hernandez, what did you get tonight?
Anthony: I got Jack Daniels meatloaf.
Allan: What makes it a "Jack Daniels" meatloaf?
Anthony: They use Jack Daniels bbq sauce.
Allan: Alright, so just from how it sounds, I feel like that would taste very good. What was your impression of it?
Anthony: You know, I too initially thought it would taste very good, it did at first. So I got the meat that had chicken and onion--all kind mashed together--with cheese and not very much bbq sauce to be honest. There was kind of... I was a little disappointed. I felt like the flavor was not as strong as it could be, or as it should have been. There were a couple of bites in there where I got a clump of cheese and bqq sauce that were really tasty. Then it came with a side of mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables.
Allan: They way you're describing it, it sounds like the meat--the meatloaf part was kind of tasteless and the really tasty parts they didn't put enough of it on.
Anthony: Yeah...The best part on there they didn't really put a whole lot on. The meatloaf--I mean it had a little taste--I guess I'm just not a meatloaf "guy," because I didn't really care for the actual taste of the meatloaf; I didn't finish it and I wish it would have been a little more smothered.

Curtis

Allan: Curtis, what kind of food did you get tonight?
Curtis: I got the chicken cordon bleu.
Allan: Like the actual chick cordon bleu? Like is that what it was? Or was it a variation of the cordon bleu?
Curtis: It was the sandwich version of the cordon bleu. It was pretty good though, I liked it a lot.
Allan: What made it taste good?
Curtis: You know, the ham that was on there was really nice. The cheese wasn't melted all the way, which kind of made it crappy, but I really liked--the chicken was really good on it.
Allan: So was this something like, if you came back you would probably get again?
Curtis: Of course! I would probably get this again.
Allan: Did you get fries with yours?
Curtis: I did get fries.
Allan: What did you think of their battered fries?
Curtis: They're pretty good.

Allan

Danielle: Hi Allan, what did you get?
Allan: I got the pig-out burger, which is basically a variation of a normal burger, but they have some onions straws on that and also some barbecued pulled-pork and it went with it well; so kind of a pork and beef variety, it made it very nice. [It was] very juicy--unique kind of flavor. I'm also a fan of pulled-pork sandwiches and this is a mix of both worlds, which worked out really well. The flavors matched perfectly--it was delicious. And of course I got the battered french fries, which were scrumtrulescent--[you] can never go wrong with the battered fries.


Iggy's Sports Grill: quite a nice selection of food, with some really good tasting options (especially anything that comes with their fries). It seems the sandwiches and burgers are one of the main reasons to hit this place up sometime. On another note, I have been posting the overall taco rating we give a particular food establishment at the bottom of each blog. Along with doing that, next time I will also start posting everyone's personal taco rating for their particular food to give you a better idea of what each person thinks of what they ordered/ate. But this time around our overall rating for Iggy's is gonna be 4 out of 5 tacos:

(Iggy's Sports Grill online menu)