Eat Out Review: Spicy Corea

I’ve wanted to introduce Mr. Diner to Korean food for quite some time.  The opportunity finally came when we were trying to decide where to go for dinner for a date night.  We decided to hit Provo Center Street and when I suggested trying Spicy Corea, he didn’t say no.  We arrived and were immediately seated.  There were only two other tables with diners and only one more group arrived while we were there.  It was a little early for the busy dinner crowd (about 5:00 pm), but it seems like a good place to go when the Provo crowds are swarming. 

The dining room at Spicy Corea is a vibrant red, black, & white, but still feels a little like a hole-in-the-wall (one of the good ones).  The service was prompt and polite.  We ordered the Beef Bulgogi ($8.99), Kalbi ($12.99), & Shrimp Fried Rice ($7.99).  The majority of main dishes at Spicy Corea are served with a variety of little side dishes that you find at many Korean restaurants plus a side of rice; these can also be ordered separately for $5.99. 

The side dishes and rice arrived first.  The rice is a nice purple sticky blend that is easy to eat with the metal chopsticks they give you.  Forks are available for the chopstick-challenged, too.  The side dishes included kimchi, seasoned bean sprouts, sweet sticky soybeans, & lettuce with a light dressing.  I’m not a big kimchi fan, but all the dishes were good.  I found the soybeans to be especially addictive and continued to pop them in my mouth through the entire meal. 

The Beef Bulgogi and Kalbi arrived sizzling hot on cast iron platters, so they stayed hot.  Both are great “starter” dishes if you are new to Korean food.  The Bulgogi had nice tender, thin slices of beef marinated in a combination of soy sauce, onion, kiwi juice, garlic, sesame oil, and sugar (doesn’t that sound divine?) and sautéed with carrots and onions.  It was sweet and flavorful.  The Kalbi are beef ribs cut across the bone.  They are portioned into nice pieces and are easy to pick up and eat.  The Kalbi was also nicely marinated, but not quite as flavorful or sweet as the Bulgogi. 

Our dish of Shrimp Fried Rice was brought on a glass plate and featured the same rice mix, nice large shrimp, onions, carrots, & peppers.  It was quite different from Chinese fried rice…more moist and flavorful.  We really liked it and loved that the shrimp and vegetables were large and prominent. 

Spicy Corea is worth a stop when you’re in downtown Provo. We’ll definitely be back! Their Bibimbap (stone bowl with fresh vegetables & choice of protein served over rice with an egg on top) seems to be a popular choice that is worth a try, and their lunch specials served with an entrée, rice, and side dishes seem like a bargain at $5.99.   Give it a try!

Entrée Price:  $
Average Fork Rating:  4
Mr. Diner:  4
Mrs. Diner:  4

Top 10 Foodie Blogs: Please Vote!

I’m in the running for the voiceBoks Top 10 Foodie Blogs for 2012 award.  If you enjoy my blog, I would really appreciate your vote!  Just takes a second and requires no registration.  Just go here and cast your vote for Rate the Plate Utah (we’re #3 with our familiar badge with the orange plate with red strawberries).  You can vote for up to five blogs, but just one time.  Voting is open through April 13, 2012. 

What is voiceBoks?  Find out more.

Giveaway: A Tavola Together 5-Minute Focaccia Mix

A Tavola Together sent us a package of their Original Five-Minute Focaccia Mix to try.  I haven’t ever really made focaccia bread, so I was excited give this a try.  The five minutes in the name of the focaccia mix refers to the amount of hands-on time this bread takes, but the bread will not actually be ready to bake and serve for many hours, so make sure you give yourself plenty of time!

The process is simple and only takes two additional ingredients in addition to the mix:  carbonated water & olive oil.  Basically, you mix the carbonated water (I used selzter water) into the mix, then cover it and let it rise for at least three hours to overnight.  I let it rise for about six hours, and from my experience, six to ten hours seems about right.  Mine was not even close to ready after three hours. 

When the dough has risen, you coat a baking sheet with the olive oil, then spread the dough out and then flip it over to coat both sides.  Then the fun part comes:  sticking your fingers in the dough to make all the little dimples!  After that, it’s ready to bake for twenty minutes, and then, voila! It’s done! 

The bread was tasty and well-seasoned with the nice flavor of olive oil that has soaked into the bread.  There is a lot of potential with this original flavor – you can add all sorts of herbs, spices, and toppings to it to make it any flavor you want!  In addition to just eating this fantastic bread, we made it into a focaccia pizza by spreading our favorite sauce, cheese, and toppings on it, then putting it in the oven to melt a bit. Tasty!

A Tavola’s focaccia mix comes in six varieties including Original, Rosemary, Raisin, Chocolate Chip, Gluten-Free, & Gluten-Free Rosemary.  Each mix retails for $5.00 ($6.00 for GF) and can be purchased in their online store or at Amazon.

Average Fork Rating:  4
Mr. Diner:  4
Mrs. Diner:  4
Amazing Diner:  4
Sweet Diner:  4
Little Diner:  4

Now you get the chance to win one of the same Original Five-Minute Focaccia Mixes that  I got to try! 

To Enter: Leave a comment on this post saying which flavor of A Tavola’s Focaccia Mix sounds the best to you.  An additional entry is available for following Rate the Plate Utah via RSS, email, or Google Friend Connect.  Please use the Rafflecopter form to enter.

Giveaway Closes: 12:01 am EST on Monday, April 2, 2012. Winner will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to respond. You must be at least 18 years old and have a US address to enter. Good luck!

Eat In Recipe: Garlicky Baked Shrimp

You already know that I am a shrimp-lover (see our posts for Cilantro Lime Shrimp & Orange-Sesame Shrimp…they are so good).  One of Mr. Diner’s favorite is shrimp scampi, so when I ran across this recipe for Garlicky Baked Shrimp, I thought we’d all like it.  And boy, was I right!  It has a fantastic garlic-butter flavor with a splash of lemon to brighten it up a bit.  De-lish! 

Plus, it’s super easy and quick to throw together…definitely a 30-minute meal!  Just toss together a salad and serve it up with your favorite roll, crescent, or breadstick, and there you go:  a full easy meal.  For this recipe, I chose the medium-sized shrimp (40-50/pound), but large or extra-large would be great, too. Any size works, though, so go with whatever size you want.  I think it would have been a tad even better with a minute or two under the broiler right at the end for a little toasting of those Panko bread crumbs.  I’ll try that next time & let you know.  I think this recipe will go into our regular rotation…we loved it!

Garlicky Baked Shrimp from Gimme Some Oven!
(adapted from Real Simple)
1 lb. raw shrimp, deveined & peeled
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. white wine
juice from half a lemon (optional)
salt & pepper, to taste
1/4 c. (4 T.) butter, melted
1/2 c. Panko bread crumbs
2 T. fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a bowl, combine the shrimp, garlic, white wine, & lemon juice.  Stir to combine, then pour into a 9x13 baking dish.  Spread out evenly, then season with salt & pepper.
3. In another bowl, use a fork to mix melted butter, Panko, & parsley utnil well combined.  With your fingers, sprinkle the mixture evenly in the baking dish over the shrimp.
4. Transfer dish to oven & bake until the shrimp are pink & opaque, about 15-18 minutes.

Notes:  I substituted white grape juice for the white wine and curly-leafed parsley for the flat-leaf.  Both substitutions worked well.  I also forgot to add the lemon, so I squeezed the juice over the dish at the end, which added a nice bright, citrusy flavor. 

Average Fork Rating:  4.5
Mr. Diner:  4
Mrs. Diner:  5
Amazing Diner:  5
Sweet Diner:  4

Eat Out Review: Mongolian Grill

Mr. Diner & I love Mongolian barbecue restaurants.  If you haven’t been before, it’s kind of like a stir fry salad bar.  Customers pile their bowl with meats, vegetables, noodles, and sauce, then hand it to the person at the giant griddle.  That person fries it up for you while also cooking up any other customer’s dishes…the griddle is big enough to accommodate several at once.  When it’s done, they give it back to you in a fresh, clean bowl and you get to go back to your seat and enjoy it. 

As you can imagine, the keys to great Mongolian barbecue are 1) Lots of choices of great, fresh ingredients; 2) A griddle operator who keeps his eye on things & makes sure they are done right; and 3) Your own ability to put together something you will like.  Often there will be sauce “recipes” near the sauces to guide you in your attempt to season your dish correctly, and if you’re really lucky, you may have an awesome person who works at the restaurant who will help you out. 

Unfortunately, Utah doesn’t have a great selection of Mongolian barbecue places.  We stopped by Mongolian Grill in Springville for dinner.  We were seated immediately.  The place has a minimalist feel to it with just a few Chinese pictures & red lanterns around.  My kids were excited to read the paper placemats with the Chinese zodiac animals on them.

A nice woman arrived to take our orders.  Mongolian Grill has a regular Chinese menu, but the majority of customers stick with the all-you-can-eat Mongolian barbecue option, which is served with egg drop soup, egg rolls, & rice.  The soup was flavorful and quite thick…I little too thick, I thought.  The egg rolls are very crisp, but the filling is nothing special. 

 

We stepped up to the bar to select our ingredients.  Mongolian Grill has a decent variety.  The meats include beef, chicken, pork, lamb, barbecue chicken, barbecue pork, shrimp, scallops, & more.  Many of the meats are thinly sliced and frozen.  Others are kept on ice.  Unfortunately, some of those “on ice” were actually floating in water, which makes me a little concerned about those being kept the proper temperature.  Vegetables included celery, cilantro, carrots, cabbage, bean sprouts, broccoli, mushrooms, baby corn, and so many more.  Most of these looked pretty fresh.  The sauces are at the end with an assortment that includes everything from teriyaki to garlic sauce, chili sauce, pineapple sauce, cooking oil, etc., etc.  Lots of choices.  There is a sign with a few sauce recipes.  For my first dish, I chose to follow Example #1, but was a little disappointed with it, so I made up my own combination the next time:  2 scoops house, 1 garlic, 1 sesame, & 1 pineapple…yummy.

The guy at the griddle was missing in action when I was ready for him to cook up my food.  He showed up after a minute or so and sautéed my selections.  Unfortunately, mine was a little overdone and had little brown crispy parts that were not to my liking.  Mr. Diner thought the same of his.  The kids didn’t seem to mind, though, and loved choosing their ingredients and eating their own creations. 

At the end of the meal, the expected fortune cookies arrive with your bill.  You can choose to give your payment to your server or pay at the register in the back.  Mongolian Grill also offers take-out service.

Entrée Price:  $$
Average Fork Rating:  3.2
Mr. Diner:  3
Mrs. Diner:  3
Amazing Diner:  4
Sweet Diner:  3
Little Diner:  3

Eat In Recipe: Chewy Coconut-Lime Sugar Cookies

I absolutely love American’s Test Kitchen, Cook’s Illustrated, etc., etc., etc.  My first cookbook from Christopher Kimball’s collections was The Cook's Bible: The Best of American Home Cooking.  We received it as a wedding present and I have been fascinated ever since with the explanations of why certain methods & ingredients work or don’t work and the limitless experimenting that goes into the quest for the best recipes. 

We tried the recipe for Chewy Coconut-Lime Sugar Cookies featured in the Nov./Dec. 2010 issue of Cook’s Illustrated.  As expected, the cookies were fabulous.  They had excellent texture, shape, & chewiness.  They were crisp on the outside with a nice chewy middle.  The lime and coconut flavors were quite subtle, so don’t expect much there.  I might increase the amount of lime zest next time to give it a little extra punch of flavor. 

As stated in the recipe, keep the handling of this dough to a minimum so your cookies will be fluffy & light.  Set your mixer aside & mix this dough by hand.  You’ll thank me later. 

Chewy Coconut-Lime Sugar Cookies from Cook’s Illustrated
2 1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. sugar, plus 1/3 c. for rolling
2 ox. cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 c. sweetened shredded coconut, chopped finely
1 tsp. lime zest
6 T. unsalted butter, melted & still warm
1/3 c. vegetable (or canola) oil
1 large egg
1 T. milk
1 T. lime juice

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, coconut, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. Place 1-1/2 cups sugar, cream cheese, and lime zest in a large bowl. Place remaining 1/3 cup sugar in shallow baking dish or pie plate and set aside. Pour warm butter over sugar and cream cheese and whisk to combine (some small lumps of cream cheese will remain but will smooth out later). Whisk in oil until incorporated. Add egg, milk, and lime juice; continue to whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture and mix with rubber spatula until soft homogeneous dough forms.
3. The final dough will be slightly softer than most cookie dough. For the best results, handle the dough as briefly as possible when shaping the cookies. Overworking the dough will result in flatter cookies. Divide dough into 24 equal pieces, about 2 tablespoons each. Using hands, roll dough into balls. Working in batches, roll balls in reserved sugar to coat and evenly space on prepared baking sheet, 12 dough balls per sheet. Using the bottom of a drinking glass, flatten dough balls until 2 inches in diameter. Sprinkle tops evenly with 4 teaspoons sugar, remaining in shallow dish (2 teaspoons per cookie sheet), discard any remaining sugar.
4. Bake, 1 tray at a time, until edges are set and just beginning to brown, 11 to 13 minutes, rotating the tray after 7 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheets for 5 minutes. Using wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Makes 24-28 cookies.

Average Fork Rating:  3.8
Mr. Diner:  3
Mrs. Diner:  4
Amazing Diner:  5
Sweet Diner:  5 (or “10” in her own words)
Little Diner:  2

Food Holiday: Corned Beef & Cabbage Day (aka St. Patrick’s Day)

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you!  And what better food holiday could be proclaimed for St. Patrick’s Day than National Corned Beef & Cabbage Day?  I actually like corned beef & cabbage, but Mr. Diner has never tried it & probably never will so we are not celebrating by making this traditional Irish dish tonight.  Are you?

Corned Beef & Cabbage with Horseradish Cream

Source: skinnytaste.com via Emily on Pinterest

Tyler Florence’s Corned Beef & Cabbage

Source: foodnetwork.com via Lori on Pinterest

Corned Beef & Cabbage Slaw Sliders

Source: threemanycooks.com via Katie on Pinterest

Corned Beef & Cabbage Soup

Source: skinnytaste.com via Ann on Pinterest

Corned Beef & Cabbage Rolls

Source: wholefoodsmarket.com via Leah on Pinterest

Corned-Beef-and-Cabbage Pizza

Source: foodnetwork.com via Holly on Pinterest

Crock Pot Corned Beef & Cabbage

Source: skinnytaste.com via tuwabvb on Pinterest

Reuben Panini with Leftover Corned Beef & Cabbage

Source: goodlifeeats.com via Cindi on Pinterest

Apricot-Glazed Corned Beef with Colcannon & Sautéed Cabbage

Source: closetcooking.com via Trish on Pinterest

Corned Beef, Cabbage, & Kimchi Burrito

Source: closetcooking.com via Janis on Pinterest

Giveaway: Boundless Nutrition Bars & Cookies

Mr. Diner’s nutritional weakness is definitely cookies.  He loves cookies and treats himself to a serving with a glass of milk on the side most evenings.  Because of that, I was excited to try Boundless Nutrition’s Perfect FIT Protein Cookies and Oatmega 3 Wellness Bars.  If there’s a good-tasting cookie that’s actually good for you, that would be a perfect snack for Mr. Diner!

Their cookies and bars are meal replacement products.  The Oatmega 3 Wellness Bars are made from 100% whole grains and include 200-300 mg of Omega 3 fatty acids, 10-14 grams of whey protein, and are high in protein, fiber, calcium, & antioxidants with half the sugar of average meal replacement bars.  They come in four flavors:  Blueberry Pomegranate Crunch, Dark Chocolate Mint, Dark Chocolate Peanut, & Mocha. 

The Perfect FIT Protein Cookies have 150 calories each with 10 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber.  They are gluten-free, low sodium, high in antioxidants, and don’t contain soy, wheat, or egg.  They come in three flavors:  Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip, & White Chocolate Macadamia.

A sampling of bars and cookies arrived in our mail and we were excited to try them.  We broke out the cookies first and split them into equal parts so each of us could try them.  I had high hopes with their claim of tasting “like a homemade cookie treat.”  However, we did not find them tasting at all like our homemade cookies…or even store-bought cookies.  They had that same gumminess that I’ve found in many other meal replacement products.  There were underlying flavors that detracted from the cookie flavor varieties that I would have found appealing.  Also, chocolate flavor was not pronounced enough in the two chocolate varieties.  The peanut butter, on the other hand, had a decent peanut butter flavor. 

Next, we tried the bars.  The bars also had that chewy gumminess.  The chocolate flavors were the better two for us.  They had chocolate mixed all the way through, but it wasn’t enough for us to really like the bars.  We’re not mocha people, so we skipped that variety. 

Overall, if you are into meal replacement products, these might be for you.  The cookies were the better-tasting product.  If you’re not into meal replacement products, I wouldn’t buy these expecting an easy, great-tasting swap-out for your favorite cookie or candy bar.

A case of twelve cookies retails for $17.88; a case of twelve bars retails for $30.00.  You can purchase them in Boundless Nutrition’s online store and at GNC and Whole Foods stores.

Peanut Butter Cookie Average Fork Rating:  3.5 Mr. Diner:  2 Mrs. Diner:  2 Amazing Diner:  5 Sweet Diner:  5	Chocolate Chip Cookie Average Fork Rating:  3.8 Mr. Diner:  3 Mrs. Diner:  3 Amazing Diner:  4 Sweet Diner:  5	White Chocolate Macadamia Cookie Average Fork Rating:  3.8 Mr. Diner:  3 Mrs. Diner:  3 Amazing Diner:  5 Sweet Diner:  5 Little Diner:  3
Blueberry Pomegranate Crunch Bar Average Fork Rating:  1.5 Mrs. Diner:  2 Sweet Diner:  1	Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar Average Fork Rating:  2.5 Mrs. Diner:  2 Sweet Diner:  3	Dark Chocolate Mint Bar Average Fork Rating:  2 Mrs. Diner:  2 Sweet Diner:  2

If you’d like to try Boundless Nutrition’s products, enter our giveaway to win a box of twelve bars or cookies…your choice! 

To Enter: Like Boundless Nutrition on Facebook. Additional entries are available for following Boundless Nutrition on Twitter and liking Rate the Plate Utah on Facebook. Please use the Rafflecopter form to enter.

Giveaway Closes: 12:01 am EST on Monday, March 19, 2012. Winner will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to respond. You must be at least 18 years old and have a US address to enter. Good luck!

Eat In Recipe: Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

I’ve been in the mood for real strawberry frosting…you know with actual pieces of strawberries in there and the heavenly taste of red, ripe strawberries?  I bought a container of strawberries just for this purpose but before I could make them, Little Diner had sneaked into the fridge and ate them all! So, I bought another container of strawberries and immediately started on the cupcakes before anyone had the time to eat my berries! 

The cake had a nice, dense texture with a pleasant lemon flavor.  I added a bit more strawberry puree to the frosting recipe (4 tablespoons) because I wanted more strawberry flavor.  This, of course, resulted in a softer frosting, but it still worked.  I suggest to add the 3 tablespoons, taste it, and decide if you want to add more, with the expectation that the frosting will not be as stiff if you do.  The frosting was quite sweet and sugary, but paired with the lemon cake, it was perfect.  They balance each other out nicely.

These were such a hit around here that Amazing Diner chose this recipe for his birthday cake this week!  More Strawberry Lemonade cake coming up!

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes from Half Baked
Cake:
3 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. lemonade powder mix (I used Country Time)
1 T. lemon zest (zest of 1 lemon)
1 c. unsalted butter, room temperature (2 sticks)
2 c. sugar
4 eggs
3 T. lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. milk
lemonheads (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees & line muffin pans with cupcake liners.
2. In medium bowl, mix together dry ingredients:  flour, baking powder, salt, lemonade powder, & lemon zest.  Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter & sugar on medium speed until combined.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
5. Add the lemon juice & vanilla and mix well.
6. Gradually add the dry ingredients and milk, alternating starting & ending with the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
7. Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full.
8. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
9. Let cupcakes cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove to wire rack to finish cooling
10. Once cupcakes are completely cool, ice with Strawberry Lemon Frosting and garnish with a lemonhead on top.

Frosting:
1 c. unsalted butter, room temperature (2 sticks)
4 c. confectioner’s sugar
3 T. strawberry puree (from 3-4 strawberries)  I used 4 Tablespoons.
1 tsp. lemon zest

1. In bowl of stand mixer, cream butter for 1-2 minutes.
2. Gradually add confectioner’s sugar and continue mixing, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
3. Mix in strawberry puree and lemon zest.
4. Place the icing in a piping bag fitted with tip of 1M to decorate cupcakes.

Update:  We baked this as a cake and it took 40 minutes in two 9” cake pans.  I baked them at 350 degrees just like the cupcakes. 

Average Fork Rating:  4.6
Mr. Diner:  5
Mrs. Diner:  4
Amazing Diner:  5 
Sweet Diner:  5
Little Diner:  4

The Best of Rate the Plate Utah’s First Nine Months

Photo by InfoMofo

Wow…nine months is a long time.  Long enough for a whole new human being to grow and be born.  No new babies here, but our blog has sure grown.  Remember these posts?  Here are our most highly rated restaurants, recipes, & foods.  Which have been your favorites?

Top Restaurants

• La Jolla Groves - 5
• Flour Girls & Dough Boys – 5
• Costa Vida - 5
• Beyond Glaze – 4.8
• Kouzzina – 4.8

Kids’ Favorite Restaurants (kids’ scores only)

• Beyond Glaze – 4.7
• Kouzzina – 4.7
• Rib City – 4.3
• Boma (Disney World) – 4.3
• JCW’s – The Burger Boys - 4.3
• California Pizza Kitchen – 4.3
• Tusker House – 4.3

Top Recipes

• Billy’s Vanilla Cupcakes - 5
• Lion House Rolls – 4.8
• Brown Sugar & Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin – 4.8
• Guotie Pot Stickers – 4.7
• Bundt Cake Two Ways – 4.5
• Caribbean Zucchini Bread – 4.5

Top Food Reviews

• Go Honey – 4.7
• Cedar’s Roasted Red Pepper Hommus – 4.7
• Beanitos Chipotle BBQ Black Bean Chips – 4.7
• Nature’s Hand Cranberry Delight Granola – 4.7
• Just Strawberries – 4.6

Eat Out Review: Las Glorias (formerly La Puente)

Mr. Diner is originally from New Mexico and loves New Mexico-style Mexican food, so when we saw the ads for La Puente in Orem (which just changed their name to Las Glorias) with the New Mexico state flag symbol, Mr. Diner was excited to try it.  I’ve found New Mexican-style Mexican food to have simple, but spicier flavors with a lot of red and green chili sauce.

The restaurant has two entrances, but the main entrance with its host and waiting area is located on the west side of the building.  The dining room was over half full when we arrived and there was no wait.  The inside is decorated in a lot of warm tones with painted murals on the walls.

We were seated and served chips with two kinds of salsa.  The chips had a chili powder-like seasoning on them, which added a subtle punch of flavor.  One salsa was very spicy and had a smooth, thinner consistency.  The other was chunky with a fresh flavor.  The chunky one was our favorite.

Their drink menu includes some Mexican choices like horchata and tamarindo plus, Sweet Diner’s choice, sarsaparilla.  I stuck with water, which was unfortunately served at room temperature, but with ice to cool it.

Mr. Diner’s classic choice at Mexican restaurants is usually a beef burrito, and when he can get it, he wants it made of ground beef and smothered in red or green chile sauce.  He was excited to find the ground beef option on the menu and ordered it.  It was smothered in pork chile verde and cheese and served with refried beans and rice.  He said it “hit the spot”….that spot in him that craves New Mexican-style food.

I ordered the large combo so I could try a few things.  It included a smothered bean burrito, two ground beef tacos, a cheese enchilada, pork chili verde, rice, refried beans, & a flour tortilla.  The burrito was much bigger than expected…huge, in fact.  The burrito was smothered with the same pork chili verde, but I got tired of the great mass of refried beans wrapped in a tortilla; it was too big for my tastes.  The tacos were better.  They had a mix of ground beef and beans with all the toppings and were my favorite thing on my plate (or I should say plates, since they serve this massive combo on two plates).  The cheese enchilada was typical, as were the rice, beans, & tortilla.  I had ordered the combo to try several different things, but I found the flavors in the combo to be a bit repetitive:  everything was basically tortillas, rice, refried beans, pork chili verde, & cheese with a little bit of ground beef in the tacos.  Not much variety there, and most of the food was pretty bland.

I am generally not a fan of ethnic restaurants serving other kinds of food (i.e., American foods for the kids).  However, this time it was a relief to find the restaurant served hamburgers and other similar options on the kids menu in addition to Mexican foods because Amazing Diner was complaining about going out for Mexican food.  He and Little Diner both ordered hamburgers from the kids menu, which were nice, large hand-shaped patties with lettuce and tomatoes on the side and a generous serving of fries with a sprinkling of chili powder.  Little Diner loved his hamburger!

Sweet Diner stuck with the Mexican options and chose a ground beef tostada, which she said was good.  It was crispy and topped with melted cheese, lettuce, & tomatoes with a serving of refried beans on the side. 

At the end of your meal, your server will bring the check to you, but you pay at the register where a little treat of free lollipops awaits you.  My kids were really impressed with that little extra. 

Overall, I think the food was a little bland and everything tasted the same, but Mr. Diner loved it, so I’m sure we’ll be back to try something else on the menu.

Entrée Price:  $
Average Fork Rating:  3.8
Mr. Diner:  5
Mrs. Diner:  3
Amazing Diner:  3 
Sweet Diner:  4
Little Diner:  4

Food Holiday: Dr. Seuss’s Birthday

Okay, so Dr. Seuss’s birthday isn’t actually a food holiday, but I just thought it should be.  Today, March 2, is actually National Banana Cream Pie Day.  But I really wanted to share these awesome Dr. Seuss food ideas in honor of Dr. Seuss Day.  So, here you go.

Swedish Fish in Blue Jello

Amazing Dr. Seuss Cookies!

Source: sweetsugarbelle.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Pink Yink Ink Drink

Source: parentsconnect.com via Kim on Pinterest

Goose Juice & Moose Juice

Source: creativeconfessionsdeme.blogspot.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Cat in the Hat Pancakes

Source: jennipriceillustration.blogspot.com via BreAna: on Pinterest

Green Eggs & Ham Sliders

Source: annies-eats.net via Pam on Pinterest

Dr. Seuss Cake

Source: cakecentral.com via Mary on Pinterest

From Dr. Seuss Baby Shower

Source: pizzazzerie.com via Sandie on Pinterest

Sneetch Cake Pops

Source: pizzazzerie.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Thing 1 & Thing 2 Cupcakes

Source: goodlifeeats.com via Jenny on Pinterest