Dining in Utah

Oh my goodness, I am so full! Tonight, my family kidnapped me and took me to Chuck-A-Rama’s as a way of rewarding me for being disciplined in my diet for the past several months.

I was surprised and delighted to see that they had something I had never seen there before: Fish & Chips! Yes, I was in heaven. I asked someone at a table next to mine if Fish & Chips were a new addition. They didn’t think so, but thought that the restaurant served them each Friday. I could see this becoming a nice weekly tradition.

Anyway, if you’re looking for a wonderful restaurant, I highly recommend Chuck-A-Rama’s! The frozen yogurt (nonfat, I believe/hope!) was one of my weaknesses; a four-time weakness. Did I eat to much? Yes, I did; but it was worth it.

Jode Chuck a Rama isnt what most people would consider really good food. It is filling for sure but of only ok quality.

There is a little Mexican resturant on the north enterchange of Cedar City that is pretty good for lunch, There is also Irmitas mexican place on South Bulff in St. George. You might also want to try JJ Hunans for chinese or Pizza Factory for pizza. However if you want really tasty Fish and Chips try Squatters Brew Pub up north in Salt Lake City. Downright good. The beer is also tasty but if you dont want beer they have soft drinks.

Talk about not judging a book by its cover - that sure would apply to Irmita's on Bluff in St. George. Very good and worth return visits. The new Outback on River Rd. in St. George also rates a thumbs up from me. As far as fish is concerned, I'm still partial to Red Lobster on River Rd. in St. George. I also like their desserts. Both the Outback and Red Lobster serve alcoholic beverages. (Red Lobster has an outstanding bartender). Bon appetite.

[This message has been edited by robbi (edited 09-05-99).]

Jode,
The best place to eat in Cedar is Milts up Cedar Canyon. Great Food!!

Sounds like Jode likes the buffets so she can graze

Ace,

I LOVE Milt's! I go there quite often, in fact. Could we have met before? Wouldn't that be funny if we had?

[This message has been edited by Jode Christensen (edited 09-05-99).]

Who knows, Ace, maybe the next time I'm at Milt's I'll wander the beautifully rustic restaurant, all the while calling your name? Yes, that would give everyone a start!

Also, what do you think of their fireplace? Now that's a fireplace, isn't it?

Hiflier,

Thanks for your suggestions. I think, however, that I’ll pass on the Mexican restaurants. I’m not a fan of Mexican food.

Though I have graced a wonderful Fish & Chips restaurant down in your neck of the woods. Have you ever been to The Prime Minister for their special, Saturday-only Fish & Chips? It was a real treat. Several of their patrons come down special from Ceder and even Provo just for their Fish & Chips. I don’t know what it is about their particular recipe, whether it is the ambiance of the store or what, but it is truly wonderful. I could go on and on but I don’t want to bore any of this forum’s members.

I still say the Market Grill in cedar city is much better than Milts (and cheaper by a far shot)

Jode: I took your suggestion and lunched at the Prime Minister one saturday. YUCK!!!!!
Nice people but Van DeCamps has better fish.
How can you eat heavily breaded, deep fried fish without tarter sauce?

hey I saw on TV tonight that McDonalds will start offering bratwurst in parts of WI and MN. Now if we can only get them to do it here.

KAN,

I can eat fish without tarter sauce very easily because I hate tarter sauce.

if i were trying to lose weight.... i would stay away from fried food...PERIOD!
try fish right from the stream with a little lemon~

casper,

Usually, the fish & chips I eat are baked, not fried. And yes, lemon is very good with fish & chips.

get rid of the coating and the chips....
thats fish

it might smell like fish but it tastes like chicken

What if it's Catfish?

hi
i think that the best quality food is at NEWMANS DELI & GYROS in cedar city located out on the north end of town by PARKWAY FORD

I had one of there 1/2# hawiian cheese burgers, it was the best tasting buger i have ever had in my life, homemade wheat bun and the taste is out of this world!

my wife had the GYROS,it was the best we have ever found! hands down the best in southern utah

we split an order of their hand cut homemade fries and i have to say its nice to find a place that does things the old fashion way!

now this isn't the fanciest palce you will ever eat at but it is far the biggest and best food that you will find in cedar city, and probably southern utah!!

i recomend it to all the people in cedar city and its well worth the drive from st. george.
face

Face,
I'll agree Newman's is delicious. I think they rate just above the free pizza I used to score at the Little Caesars Pizza in Logan around 1989.

NOTHING BUT THUMBS UP FOR IRMITA'S. VERY TASTY FOOD, AND ALWAYS FRIENDLY SERVICE. THERE'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING TO BE SAID FOR SIMPLICITY.

I LOVE FISH AND CHIPS, BUT I KNOW IT'S NOT FOREVERYONE. IF YOU HAVE TO HAVE TARTAR SAUCE, IT'S PROBABLY NOT YOUR THING. MALT VINEGAR IS THE WAY TO GO!

FOOD CHOICES ARE GETTING BETTER HERE--BUT I'D LOVE TO SEE SOME DECENT JAPANESE FOOD. "EAST MEETS WEST" DID IT ALRIGHT--FOR THE MONTH OR TWO THAT THEY EXISTED. THE ONLY OPTION NOW IS SUSHI AT HARMON'S. EVEN CEDAR CITY AND KANAB HAVE "TERIYAKI STIX", BUT NOTHING OF THE SORT DOWN HERE. I DOUBT THIS PLACE IS ADVENTUROUS ENOUGH FOR CAJUN FOOD--BUT THAT'S SOME PRETTY GOOD STUFF TOO.

Thumbs up for Harmon's sushi!! I really think cajun food would do well here. We seem to keep Mexican restaraunts in business and they are spicey, too.

Having visited St. George, I am convinced that that city has the highest per-capita of Mexican restaurants of nearly any other city. Ah! Where are the fish & chips restaurants? Where are the Chinese restaurants?

It seems that the only thing St. George really specializes is in Mexican food, which I happen to hate. http://forums.southernutahonline.com/ubb-new/frown.gif

Hmmm, Southwestern food in the southwest....

How crazy!!!

What cha',

This is not Mexico, anymore than the South of this country is Brazil.

Oh, but I suppose we're all British right Jode?

Dalmer,

Certainly, that is closer culturally to the vast majority of this state's residents. I also happen to think their cuisine is far more refined than cheap, take-away Mexican food!

Of course, there are some who seem to really like Taco Time; I, however, am not one of those people.

"cheap take away food"? What the hell do you call fish and chips- fine dining?

Jode:

So I've found the best diet plan for you yet... Move to St. George. No chinese and no fish & chips. You'll be at [x]01 before you know it.

I find it slightly ironic that Fred Jr. is now Fred the third, a junior member.

Ironic indeed. You're the gutter mouth and I'm the one who gets kicked out. I take solace in the belief that it was an accident, not my e-punishment.

Truthfully, the safest place to eat is at home. But if I had to pick Best food in St. George I couldn't. Too many restaurants and not enough time I quess. Has anyone been to that new Ruby Tuesdays?

Fred, you got kicked out? For what? Loved your profile, by the way.

The Outback serves a good steak, has FREE samples of beer and a good bar!

Too many Mexican restaurants for the number of white people in Utah? Yeah there's a lot of white people in Utah, but St George isn't all of Utah. I don't know where you live, but in St George there are a lot of Mexican people here.

And the only thing we get from the British is the language.

[This message has been edited by josec (edited 10-22-99).]

c'mon guys,
Let's give Chode a break. Obviously someone who thinks Taco Time is mexican food probably also thinks that Up-Chuck-A-Rama is fine dining(which so apparently does).
Chode,
Brit's closer culturally to the vast majority of the states residents? Have you ever been to Great Britian and compared the two? Just because your great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandpapi bumped uglies with your great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandmama in Europe somewhere that doesn't mean that European culture was written into your DNA code(although I have fantasized about seeing you in the Swiss Alps dancing and singing "the hills are alive with the .......)
If you want to try great food that will put fish and chips to shame you need to take a little drive down to the baja (only 8-10 hours from here) and try some shrimp a la plancha with butter and garlic, beans, rice, sliced avacado(better than you we see in any store here) and tortillas cooked right in the middle of the restaurant and thrown on your plate as soon as it's empty(you might want to try a few fish tacos too) Now that's fine dining!

actually our culture is puritan.... so what kind of food do they promote?

Gruel.

Ace,

Taco Time does indeed serve Mexican food; how else would you describe tacos?

Thanks for your suggestion of driving ten hours for dinner. Unfortunately, I don’t like beans, tortillas, garlic or sliced avocado. I do, however, like rice. Other than that, it was a great idea. http://forums.southernutahonline.com/ubb-new/wink.gif

No, when I want junk food, I’ll go to Dairy Queen; now, that isn’t too bad!

Jode,
If you jumped off your house with a parachute would you tell everyone that skydiving sucked? Have you ever stuck your head under water in the tub, stubbed your toe and proclaimed to the world that snorkeling is the worst experience you've ever had? How about telling your neighbors that Niagra Falls isn't as cool as everyone thinks(after all, you take a shower once in awhile)? Should your husband broadcast on television that sex is a terrible thing because he does it wi.....well.....er....nevermind. The point is, if you judge mexican food by taco time you might as go to dennys, order a steak and decide that steak sucks too!( l )

Jode you are doing nothing but proving to us that your grazing has included wacky tobacco. Anyone who claims that Taco Time is Mexican food is either sipping the cooking sherry too much or smoking cow pies. The closest real Mexican food to Utah is a few hundred miles away. I’ll agree that Cedar might be a nice small town but that is where the agreement stops. It’s nowhere close to being noted for any epicurean greatness.

Jr. III, glad I can be a source of heckling.
Moderator, any chance of getting a spell checker in the forums?

Ace,

Please do cease the distasteful asides. http://forums.southernutahonline.com/ubb-new/frown.gif

To clarify, my experience with Mexican food in St. George was not at Taco Time, but actually at one of the supposedly “better” Mexican restaurants.

In short, my experience of a few years ago was a nightmare. Let me explain. I ordered a fairly common entree. It included the obligatory rice and beans. (It sounded very good on the menu.)

When my meal arrived, the large plate resembled nothing so much as a murky, dingy swamp. At first I assumed that my order had not been filled properly. Upon further inspection, I realized that, unfortunately, my order had been filled properly.

Apparently, the “chef” had seen fit to submerge my entire meal under a huge amount of some kind of sauce/gravy. You literally could not identify the entire itself because it was submerged underneath the gravy/sauce!! There is something unsettling about not being able to see the food you are eating, especially if the food in question is MEXICAN food!

Ordinarily, I would have probably returned my meal to the kitchen, asked for a refund and marched straight out of the restaurant. Being that I was a guest at a friend’s birthday party, I decided that discretion was the wiser course; I began to eat the monstrosity.

It was very spicy, and I would score the meal an “F” as far as presentation. I ate most of my meal, and then promptly felt very sick to my stomach afterwards.

It was a terrible experience, and I’ve never been back to a Mexican restaurant since, and don’t ever expect to frequent one again. Even the smell of Mexican food reminds me of how my stomach felt after that meal, and almost makes me feel sick again.

Jode I really hate to be another negative thorn in your side, but I think you are very narrow minded about this whole mexican food thing. I've drank milk before and then puked it up. Does that make me not ever want milk again? NO! I love milk! I up-chucked quite a few things after eating them, but I do not close my mind to them forever after. I have had a few less than desireable meals at Mexican restaurants in St. George, as well as a few other cities around this country, but I still frequent them and perhaps MAKE ANOTHER MENU SELECTION. (HINT FOR YOU JODE) St. George is not a peculiar place when it comes to Mexican food. The bottom line here is that EVERYONE has different tastes, and there is quite a variety of different taste out there. But as for you and your pitiful decision Jode to close your mind off to Mexican food because of one lousy meal is... well... about as stupid as not using the bathroom again because you once clogged the toilet!! http://forums.southernutahonline.com/ubb-new/biggrin.gif

[This message has been edited by manzo (edited 10-27-99).]

So that's your excuse for your closed mind?

Chocolate is like that, either you love it or you hate it.

Who ya talkin' to, Whatcha?

No body has mentioned Irmita's. It's pretty good most of the time. Very small menu selection though. Food is cooked while you watch, and the fresh salsa bar complete with lime wedges and cabage accompany it.

Fajita's at the new Ruby Tuesdays are about the best I've tasted in St. George. Ribs are average there, but Tony Roma's still has the best ribs around. Happy Eating http://forums.southernutahonline.com/ubb-new/smile.gif

manzo,

Have you been to Milt's? It is a favorite restaurant of Ace and mine.

Hello there Jode, I have not eaten at Milt's Stage Stop. However, I have really wanted to try it. It is not just around the corner from St. George, and takes some planning to arrange to get there. I'm sure I will find it delicious when I do go. I have had many friends tell me about it. I tried to arrange to go there a month ago prior to my wife and I seeing a play at the Shakspearean Festival but Milt's didn't open early enough for us the eat and then make our play time. Trust me though, I will get there soon. What would you recomend for a hearty appetite? What about Rusty's? Aren't they some what related?

Jode,
I just stumbled onto this forum and was delighted to see a discussion re: one of my favorite topics - Mexican restaurants. I'm sorry that you had a bad experience in one of our supposedly "better" Mexican restaurants. From your description of your meal I would almost bet my next pay check that you were at Paula's. I am not a restaurant critic, but having grown up in California and eating Mexican food throughout the southwest and Mexico, I think I do know decent Mexican food when I eat it. Paula's IS NOT decent Mexican food. As others have mentioned, Irmita's is very good and my favorite, Tarasco's is excellant. If your opinion of Mexican food is based on what So. Utah thought was Mexican food (i.e., Paula's, Pancho & Lefty's, etc.)in the not to distant past it's very understandable why you feel the way you do. Do yourself a favor, try Tarasco's.

manzo,
I do agree with Jode on the Milts thing. It is a good steak house. Take your wife for a drive up the canyon to Cedar Breaks while you're at it. Milt's is just good simple food. Nothing fancy and good portions. My favorite steakhouse is Ruths Chris but since the closest is is Vegas I'm more than happy to go to Milt's. I've never tried Rusty's but would be interested in anyones opinion. Enjoy!!

The owner of Rusty's is the managing partner of Milt's

pDub, I would agree that your observations of mexican resaurants is fairly close but Tarascos is not the Mexican hot spot of southern Utah, sorry to say. I have eaten there on occation and I have noticed a distinct old and spoiled flavor of some of their meats. Pork (Carnitas)in paticular. So I have shyed away from eating there too often. When I have returned I have had to stick with the more commonly sold items to ensure myself of fresher meats. Like chicken. I do however think that Tarasco's and Irmitas are more "authentic" if you will.
My wife and I really like Ernesto's in the Phoenix Plaza. They have great Chicken enchilada's. It is a bit Americanized Mexican food, but good none the less. The chips and salsa can't be beat any where else in town. I would take Irmita's over Tarasco's any day of the week.

If you don't mind the drive try Nedra's in Kanab. Best Mexican food I've found in Utah except for Irmita's.

Hey folks, Guess what? My wife and I just tried the new Mandarin Buffet. It is about 350 East St. George Blvd. It was very delicious. Finally we now have a new alternative in oriental cuisine. The food was fresh and there was a decent variety. And a made to order grill with beef, teriaki chicken kabobs, and grilled Mandarin style stir fry stuff. My wife told me several times that she thought it was very good, and she has never been hot on chineese foods. I hope after the newness wears off that they keep the freshness going. A very neat and clean atmosphere as well. The owners have done a great job with it. Try it out one and all. Also we noticed that there is going to be another chineese buffet in the old Kentucky Fried Chicken location . Further East on the Blvd.

Manzo - A little spoiled meat would be very authentic, right ;-)? Seriously, we've eaten there many times and never noticed anything wrong with the meat. Ernesto's was the first "decent" Mexican restaurant we found in St. George. We haven't been there in a little while - must be time to go again. Another decent one is Don Jose's over by the mall (at least it used to be, haven't been there in awhile either).

We also tried the Mandarin buffet last night. Not bad, but I think that they'll have to lower their dinner price about a buck to keep people coming in after the newness wears off. And, they need to add Tsing Tao (sp?) beer to their refreshment list to move it up a notch on my scale

PDub,

Thanks for your thoughts about my experience. I have chosen not to mention the name of the restaurant since I don’t wish to defame it.

All I can say is that . . . it does sound like you’ve been to the restaurant that you mentioned as a candidate for my experience. http://forums.southernutahonline.com/ubb-new/wink.gif

I have been to a number of Mexican restaurants before this “last straw.” I would probably be lying if I were to say I ever really enjoyed the food from any of these. It is so, so spicy (at least for me); and I don’t like spicy food. I guess it’s just not my cup of tea.

[This message has been edited by Jode Christensen (edited 10-29-99).]

We salamanders prefer some nice greens and the occasional bug.

Just had dinner with friends at Tarascos. It was simply mediocre. I had the fajitas and the meat was tough, no flavor and they didn't bother to even peel the onions. The setting is cold and uninviting. Don't like it.

There is a new restaurant opening up in town (St. George) next week. It is Fazoli's, located on the corner of 100 South and River road. I have eaten there a couple of time in Phoenix, Az. It is Italian food, fast. For the price it is really quite good. Inside diners are treated to fresh hot breadsticks that an employee brings around while you eat. There also is a drive through. It will be a good addition to the restaurant scene in St. George. Every one go give it a try. I'll bet you will like it. http://forums.southernutahonline.com/ubb-new/smile.gif

FAZOLI'S is the hottest restaurant in town right now. You're missing out if you haven't tried it yet. I've eaten there twice, and will make it many more times. For the price, you can't beat it with a ten foot pole.

Also the new Wendy's is now open on Sunset Drive. It is a good edition to that side of town.

Ernestos mexican resteraunt in the pheonix plaza is a very excellent place for mexican food.They also have lunch specials at very reasonable prices.

If any one is interested, Paula's 2 go closed it's doors last week, because of lack of business. I thought they were doing a little better than to have to do that. Anyway, I hope another something will take it's place soon. That part of town lacks eating establishments as it is.

Has any one else tried Fazoli's yet?