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Show Oocoatly Dining rovi Chefs Table (Saturday brunch) One of the most decadent, meals in Utah County is the Saturday brunch at the Chef's Table in Orem. Housed in a castle, the restaurant serves a spread of, fancy meats, cheeses, fruits and breakfast foods fit for royalty. Provo fresh Mex eatery offers hot food with a bit of a draft From the Apple Smoked Elyssa Andrus , DAILY the fare features the sweet and the savory. It's sure to leave you stuffed and satisfied. 2005 S. State St., Orem, HERALD would think that a named after the sun be a warm, cheery sort place. But Cafe del Sol in , is perpetually drafty, likely a product of poor insulation and an oversized dining room with too few people to fire it up. It's sometimes hard to figure out why , some fresh Mex restaurants heat up like a habanero pepper and some simply smolder in obscurity. Part of the problem may be the restaurant's location. The IlOVlGr7 building on north Canyon Cafe del Sol Road has seen more than one Where: 1175. N. Canyon eatery fizzle out Road, Provo and die. And, as Price range: $2.99 to we mentioned, $8.99 it's chilly in the restaurant to the Vegetarian options: point of making Several One 235-911- Info: 373-527- Factory is the operative word for (his chain restaurant, which cuisine produces mass-markto precise standards. Old Sna?herti Fartorv serves nasta. yes, but it's not exactly the traditional Italian fare you'd ex pect to find on the side streets of Venice. The restaurant's main draw seems to be its inexpensive y atmosprices and phere. If you want to dine in a room with a trolley cart, this is the place for you. If you are looking for authentic Italian cuisine like your grandma used to make, walk on by. University Mall, Orem, child-friendl- 7 - pered by a language barrier. Still, all those things don't diminish that the food is tasty, inexpensively priced and (relatively) quickly prepared. The apocalyptic, jagged-toot- h lamps hanging above diners' heads have a creepy feel, but the rest of Cafe del Sol's decor is warm and welcoming. Burnt yellow and orange walls compliment others that are lined with dark tile. Regardless of the hour, there seems to be ample seating, with dozens of wooden tables to choose from. The restaurant's menu is small and limited to burritos, salads, tacos and a few specialties. Most dishes come with a choice of black or pinto beans, Spanish or lime rice (although the restaurant was out of lime rice when we visited), and grilled chicken, or barbacoa pork. '. steak, mahi-maWe first sampled a Sun Salad, made by stuffing a large flour tortilla with romaine lettuce, rice, beans and meat. We ordered the salad with a moist shredded chicken and a side of pico de gallo. The salad is served with a mild, creamy tomatillo dressing that adds a richness to the other ingredients. The least impressive dish of the meal was the Taco Loco. The taco mixture included a marinade of grilled steak, chicken, bacon, onions and bell peppers that was overcooked to the point of being chewy and charred. The concoction was 1 Old Spaghetti Factory -- dining uncomfortable. Also, service is a bitslow and ham- Ba- con to the Rosemary Prime Rib, 224-619- j- 9 Great China restaurant - For a restaurant as ambitiously named as Great China, the dining room is awfully diminutive at the Orem eatery. This dive (think faded furniture from the 1 JOSHUA A chicken chimichanga BROWNOaily Herald with black beans and rice at Cafe del Sol in Provo. set of "Dynasty" blended with a Chinese trinket shop) offers $5 lunch buffets that are about what you pay for. The dozen or so dishes are mainly greasy, boilerplate renderings of Beef and Broccoli, Chow Mein and Kung Pao chicken. Dish for dollar it's a bargain, but Chinese food aficionados should try elsewhere. Great China, 380 E. 1300 r ooj oooo c... ouuirc, served on four limp corn tortillas that did little to dress up the dish. We were, however, totally satisfied with the chimichanga and Super Fajita Burrito. The former had a wonderfully flaky, crispy shell stuffed with sweet, d pork. And the Super Fajita Burrito had tender, tasty grilled steak tossed with onions and bell peppers. That, combined with rice and beans, offered a slow-roaste- mouthful in every bite. Even with slightly slow service at the walk-u- p counter, we had our meals within a few minutes and plenty of time on our lunch hour to enjoy our meal. On the way out, we noticed that the restaurant offered a thin, peppery salsa it clubbed "hotter than hell." As we shivered on our way back to the car, we wished the restaurant itself could make that claim. KJIKIH, ,,f,,00 All reviews are by Elyssa Andrus for the Daily Herald Have a favorite restaurant you'd like to see in UV? Contact Elyssa Andrus 3 or at 344-255- |
