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Show ttly Dining Xlcnriovcd World's Best Burrito Mexican Grill It takes a certain amount of swagger to name your restaurant World's Best Burrito Mexican Grill. In fact, it sets a kind of standard that is almost impossible to achieve, even if you do a pretty decent job of folding rice and beans into a tortilla. Sorry to disappoint, but we're pretty sure that this small Provo restaurant does NOT serve the world's very most best burritos. Not even close. But the food is fast and cheap, and menu offerings like a chocolate mole sauce make it a nice alternative to McDonald's. 434 N. 900 East, 0 Provo, 377-446- Yamato Japanese Restaurant Caterpillars and dragon eyes of things we like to eat, unless they are sushi rolls. In that case, bring the insects and body parts on. If you're stuck on rice, rolls and raw fish, Yamato Japanese Restaurant offers an extensive selection of all three at inexpensive prices. If you can't stomach uncooked seafood, the restaurant also has udon, tempura and teriyaki dishes. But really, when you have the chance to eat the eye of the dragon (in this case, fried tuna wrapped in rice), you might want to rank low on the list . The Shrimp Phad Thai, a noodle dish, at Thai Express MATT SMITHDaily in Springville, is topped with an array of fresh vegetables and peanuts. Herald At left, the Royal Mango Chicken Salad, with chicken mango and carmelized onions over garden greens and topped with cUantro dressing. Express yourself take it. Springville Thai eatery may be small, but the menu is anything but tiny 1074 S. State St., Orem, 227-710- as "Asian food with an attiDAILY HERALD tude," and indeed, some dishes seem to have been given an exhai Express is a tiny tra infusion of flavor. restaurant located Such was the case with the next to a Conoco " Musaman Chicken Curry. It's a bit different than many station on musaman curries, which tradiSpringville's Main Street. Blink once and you'll tionally feature pillowy potamiss it. Inside, the eatery has toes, nuts and chicken and little else. The curry here was room for only six small tables. served with a medley of purple What's surprising for z restaurant of this size is the cabbage, onions, grated carrots and chopped peanuts. In breadth of the menu, which this case, more is more. The has a considerable selection of extra ingredients only serve to appetizers, soups, curries and noodle dishes. It's always im- perk up the dish, which was pressive when a small, strip-maIf you favor finger foods, the eatery can produce a restaurant has a variety of apmenu as varied and diverse as the one at Thai Express. petizers to sample. Our favorite was the Chicken Satay SkewBecause the kitchen shares the same small space as the ers, a dainty dish that consists of chunks of chicken served on dining room, the strong smell wooden sticks. The chicken of spices serves to whet the apwas cooked thoroughly and petite. On a recent lunch visit, hue. we could smell the curry long evenly to a golden-browAnd only good manners kept before it arrived on our plate, us from sharping the accompawhich only served to make us ' ' nying sweet dipping sauce hungrier. Thai Express hills its cuisine - straight from the bowL i i . T , ll near-perfec- t. n Other appetizers, however, fell a little flat. Like the Tom Kha Gai, or chicken coconut soup, which was so loaded with lemongrass, chicken, bean sprouts, and other vegetables that it was hard to choke dowa And the overcooked potstickers had a crispy shell that was as hard as stale bread. Our server, wearing a candy choker around her neck, was patient and friendly. But she brought out our entrees in stages and, even still, some of the food was cold. The clear, silky Phad Thai noodles were cold but terrific. With a zest of nut and citrus flavor, the noodle dish woke up and delighted our senses. The Ginger Chicken Stir-fr- y was saucy and filling, a thick mixture of chopped vegetables doused with a generous serving of ginger. The chicken was tender and the vegetables were nicely cooked, but we wished this dish had the same spunk Curry. say, as 0 Malt Shoppe Thai Express Where: 1180 N. Main St., Suite 3, Springville Price range: $5.95 to $8.95 Vegetarian options: Has a separate vegetarian menu Wheelchair access: Wheelchair accessible parking, bathrooms at the adjacent Conoco Family call: A bit formal for kids restaurant also caters Etc.: The Info: 491-848- 5 Like Buddy Holly, jukeboxes and onion rings? Have we got a Malt Shoppe for you. This restaurant has for more than three decades channeled the sunny feel of the '50s with tasty burgers, hots dogs, chili, fries andfixins. If you are in the mood to throw caloric caution to the , wind, you can't go wrong with a milkshake. The shakes are marvelously thick, with ice cream spilling over the sides and out of the container. And Anglophiles will like the British d take on junk food, with scones, and fish and honey-buttere- In a valley brimming with authentic Thai eateries, the standard is set very high for this type of cuisine. Thai Express prepares its dishes with admirable efficiency and speed, but still has a few minor menu glitches to overcome. Still, given its spunk and attitude, the restaurant is brimming with potential. chips. 1290 N. University Ave., 5 Provo, 373-529- All reviews are by EtyssaAn-dru- s for the Daily Herald. Have a favorite restaurant you'd like to see in UV? Contact Elyssa 3 or eon- Andrus at 344-255- drusheraldextra.com. ....... |