Crown Burger

Address: 3190 Highland Dr., SLC, UT 84106. 801.467.6633.

Review: Okay, okay, I have to admit something: I have lived in Utah for years and never tried a crown burger. The idea of putting pastrami on a cheeseburger just doesn't sound particularly tasty. Yeah, I was completely wrong.

There's something utterly satisfying about peppery, paprika-y pastrami nestled atop a cheeseburger. (I wish the burger patty had been a bit thicker and more medium rare-ish, but this is a fast food joint, so you can't ask for the moon.) What really puts the crown burger over the top though is the interaction of the meat with the creamy, ever so quotidian american cheese. The juice of the pastrami and the fat of the patty melt into the cheese and make a wonderful, tasty liquid that tickles the taste buds. And there is just enough of tomato and greenery to cut through the meat and cheese; although this vegetable matter is honestly not much more than a backdrop. In all, a quite enjoyable burger experience.

Then there were the fries.

There are any number of awards in the restaurant touting Crown Burger's fries as the best in SLC. This is a bit of an oversell. The fries are good and crispy, but they are a little heavy and not as crispy as many other fries I've had in SLC. Now, don't get me wrong, the fries are solid, just not quite as good as Crown Burger advertises.

Ultimately, me likely. Certainly one of the better fast-food burgers I've had thusfar in Utah.

Rating: 6.5/10 (5/10 is average).

Sammy's Cafe

Address: 27 N 100 W, Provo, UT 84601. 801.805.9208.

Review: Provo being Provo, there aren't many funky little joints. Sammy's tries to break that mold. The outside looks like a hippie rolled one too many doobies and then decided to paint. The inside is about the same, except the wall is covered head to foot in photos of past patrons. And not past patrons such as President Clinton or Deron Williams. Nope, these past partons are the regular Toms, Dicks, and Harrys that frequent Sammy's. Anyway, 'nuff 'bout the exterior and interior design; let's get to the food.

The food is decidedly low-brow burger and fries. I had the Sammy's Masterpiece and the seasoned fries. First, the fries. They were a cross between steak fries and shoestring fries. Crispy. Good seasoning. Lots of them. Second, the burger. The beef was pretty good. The toppings (bacon, cheese, mushrooms, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.) were taste and pretty standard. While there was nothing here that'll knock your socks off, the burger, like the fries, was solid.

In the end, if you want a good burger in a funky atmosphere in downtown Provo, Sammy's is your place.

Rating: 6/10 (5/10 is average)

Cucina Toscana

Address: 307 Pierpont Ave, Salt Lake City, UT. 801.328.3463.

Review: First things first: get ready to drop some coin at Cucina Toscana. It's an expensive place, and you have to embrace that before entering. Of course, as the price goes up, so do the expectations. Likewise, expectations are high when an establishment touts itself as an authentic Tuscan trattoria. Having eaten at many a Tuscan trattoria in Tuscany over the years, I was interested to see if Cucina Toscana measured up. Let's see.

I must mention up front that we had a reservation at 6.30 p.m. We were seated promptly at 6.30. (I mention this only because many people have complained about not being seated on time, notwithstanding their reservations. This probably happens, but it wasn't our experience.)

We began our meal with two antipasti, both carpacci oddly enough. I had the carpaccio di tonno (tuna carpaccio), and my wife had the carpaccio di bue (beef carpaccio).

The carpaccio di tonno was served with shaved fennel and cherry tomatoes, and was quite good. The tuna was high quality and melted on the tongue. The fennel was nicely sweet, as were the tomatoes. The carpaccio di bue was thin like Nicole Richie, served with a salad of crunchy greens (including sectioned asparagus stalks) and parmigiano reggiano. Both carpacci were served under seasoned, so the first taste was a bit listless. (I think they did this on purpose so each diner could customize the dish to his or her own preference.) In any case, once we applied the correct amount of salt, the meat came alive, as it were. In all, very enjoyable.

Next, we each had the gnocchi all'arrabbiata (spicy gnocchi in simple tomato sauce).

The gnocchi were spot on -- light, fluffy, well seasoned, beautifully cooked. This is a real feat since most gnocchi are dense and without character. The sauce, on the other hand, let the dish down a bit. It was a simple tomato sauce with pretty good flavor, but there was too much of it and it wasn't tight enough. The sauce's tightness makes a difference because it was so watery it (1) tasted watery, and (2) didn't adhere well to the gnocchi. So, while the gnocchi made this dish enjoyable, it was only good and not great.

Next week had the scaloppini di vitello tabaro (scallops of veal and sausage in a mushroom and wine sauce). It was served with a side of oven-roasted potatoes and green beans.

The veal was fork-tender and not overcooked. The sausage was high quality, made in house, with an earthy feel to it. The combination of the two work relatively well, even though they are entirely different types of meat. The sauce was rich with mushroom flavor and complimented both the veal and the sausage. The green beans were simply prepared with just the right amount of crunchiness. The potatoes were alright, but somewhat dry inside. This was a very earthy dish, chock full of glutamate. I could have used slightly more acid to brighten things up a little, but it was very good.

We finished the dish with two desserts. First we had hot chocolate and lemony biscotti. The hot chocolate was thick, rich, chocolate that would satisfy the most prominent of chocoholics. The biscotti (a treat I usually don't enjoy) was crunchy but not dry, with a hint of fruitiness and lemon. It was a nice contrast to the hot chocolate.

Second, we tried a selection of gelati -- pistachio, basil, chocolate, and lemon. All were relatively good, and some were very good. For example, the pistachio contained the entire pistachio experience. You picked up different parts of the pistachio as you ate the gelato. The chocolate was rich and chocolately. The basil certainly had the taste of basil, but it was muted. Likewise, the lemon was more about the milk and sugar than the lemon. I'll certainly have the pistachio and chocolate again, but not so much the basil or lemon.

So, in the end, where do things stand? The service was fantastic, and the food, overall, was quite good for Italian food in America. There are things that should be improved, but this is almost certainly the best Italian dining experience you will have in Utah.

Rating: 8/10 was the original score, but after eating in Italy over the summer and finding food twice as good as 1/3 the price (in the middle of nowhere), I have to revise down the score to 6.5/10.

Sister's Deli

Address: 1098 W South Jordan Pkwy, Ste 110, South Jordan, UT 84095. 801.253.9973.

Review: Sister's Deli is a relatively new place about a block from my office. It's situated next to a Indian food store I sometimes frequent, so it seemed a natural for lunch.

First thing you notice upon entering is the record covers. They populate the walls, the ceiling, the joint. All the greats from the Beatles to 70s and 80s rock bands are represented. What's nice is they aren't just for show. Oh no, no, the proprietors play the records on request.

The next thing you notice is the proprietor is a friendly man from Buffalo, New York. While he's lost most of his NY accent, he still loves the place. In fact, he loves Buffalo so much he decided to transport one of its iconic sandwich (the beef on weck) to Utah.

Turns out the beef on weck is a roast beef sandwich served on a kummelweck roll (weck is, of course, short for kummelweck). It's the roll that makes this sandwich different from other roast beef sandwiches. The roll is topped with caraway seeds and pretzel salt. It's served with loads of sinus-scalding horseradish.

Hailing from Alaska, and having driven through Buffalo only twice, this was my first experience with the beef on weck. It was simple and good. There is nothing here that will blow you away, but roast beef and horseradish is a great combination. My beef was a tad dry, which decreased the pleasure factor a bit. All in all, not bad.

The sandwich came with a pepper salad. Spicy. Good flavor. Very colorful. It was came with a tomato-based spicy soup loaded with ground beef. Again, good flavor, although, again, nothing that will blow your mind.

In the end, Sister's Deli makes good, solid deli food. Definitely worth a lunch-time jaunt.

Rating: 6/10 (5/10 is average)

Visconti House

Address: 2340 E Phylden Dr., #3 (4640 S), Holladay, UT 84117. 801.277.6006.

Review: Visconti House is the type of place you love to find tucked away in the middle of nowhere. It's small, although they say they're expanding their dining room. It's Italian-owned by a guy from Naples or thereabouts. Like Americans from the South, Southern Italians know how to make food.

A friend of mine and I tried Visconti for lunch. The menu was small, which is understandable given the coziness of the restaurant. I had chicken tortellini in a gorgonzola cream sauce -- a dish that left me puzzled. I expected hand-made tortellini with a fresh chicken filling, and that is apparently what I received. (The tortellini are home-made and sold to other restaurants in the valley.) Only problem was I couldn't tell they were hand-made because they lacked the suppleness usually present in hand-made pasta. And, if the menu hadn't announced they were stuffed with chicken, I would never have known. Likewise, the sauce lacked that beautiful gorgonzola taste one gets when a quality gorgonzola is present.

My friend ordered the spaghetti with sausage. I tried a bit. It was a superior dish.

Ultimately, I wonder if I picked the dish on the wrong day. I'll let you know if that is in fact the case after I try the dinner menu.

Rating: 5/10 (5/10 is average).

Communal

Address: 100 University Ave, Provo, UT 84601. 801.373.8000.

Review: Communal is a restaurant based on a concept: eating good food at one long table (i.e., communally). Of course, you can choose to be antisocial and eat at a normal table, but why not go with the flow and eat with those you don't know.

Recently, some business friends and I found ourselves at Communal during the lunch hour. I was initially taken aback by the limited number of selections (they have only six entrees). Well, I was taken aback until I bit into the blue bacon burger, that is. I then understood the selection was limited because Communal wishes to focus on making a few dishes well, rather than a lot of dishes okay. My burger was nicely executed. The bun was sturdy enough to hold the meat without becoming soggy. The burger was simply dressed with a blue cheese sauce and some quality greens. And then there was the meat. I'm not sure where Communal sources it's beef, but they did a jolly good job. It was well cooked (a juicy medium rare) and very, very tasty. It had a distinctive non-mass-produced quality that set the burger apart from 95% of those you get at restaurants. My only knock on the burger was the blue cheese sauce didn't have a pronounced blue cheese flavor, which I rather quite enjoy. All in all, very good.

Since they were out of beets, I ordered the fries. Good. Well seasoned. Nothing magical though. I can only imagine the beets, if sourced as carefully as the beef, would have been wonderful.

And the water. They make a big deal about employing a machine that balances the water's pH. Apparently, it's all the rage in Japan. Meh, it was okay. A selection of quality mineral waters would have elevated the dining experience far more. (Of course, I say this as one who has lived in Europe where mineral water is king. Honestly, this is probably just a idiosyncratic preference more than anything else, so take it with a grain of salt.)

Overall, a very enjoyable meal. I can't wait to try dinner.

Rating: 7.5/10 (5/10 is average). This score may very easily increase when I frequent Communal during the dinner hours.

Q4U

Addrress: 3951 W 5400 S, Kearns, UT 84118. 801.955.8858.

Review: There is one dish in the pantheon of southern cooking that rules above all others: chicken and waffles. It's origin is mysterious (some attribute it to Thomas Jefferson, some to recently released slaves who migrated north. Whatever the true origin, the dish is a revelation.

On Friday, I went to Q4U with some friends for a good old fill-your-tummy-with-BBQed-meat dinner. After setting my sight on the brisket dinner (my wife is from Texas, so brisket is the BBQed meat of choice in our family), the waitress declared the night's special was chicken and waffles. She had me at "chicken and."

Q4U did not disappoint. Unlike other chicken and waffles I've had that used breast meat, this one came with chicken wings. Dark meat makes the meal tastier and more interesting. The wings were fried well, juicy, and had a honey glaze. (Where there is fried chicken there must be honey.) They could have used a little more seasoning, but let's not sweat the small stuff. Good as the chicken was, the waffle was superior. As the cook informed me, the waffle was created in-house. It was tall, with a crispy exterior and fluffy interior. Perhaps the most intriguing characteristic, however, was the waffle's almost malted quality. It was one of the best I've eaten, hands down. And, thankfully, the whole meal came with a mess of butter and honey. What a delight.

As for Q4U's interior, well, it looks like the inside of a Dukes of Hazard diner. But who cares? They serve a mean chicken and waffles, and that's all that matters.

Oh, and I have no idea how the BBQ is. I was too full to taste any of it. Looked alright though.

(Note: The chicken and waffles is only offered Friday and Saturday night.)

Rating: I can't really give Q4U an educated rating since I didn't try the BBQ, but I can give the chicken and waffles a "hot dang, that's good"!