Category Archives: Restaurant reviews

Brumby’s Hometown Cafe – Santaquin Utah

January 19, 2015 dillysadv 1 Comment

Brumby’s Hometown Café – Santaquin Utah
340 E Main St, Santaquin Utah
(801) 754-5941
Hours: Tue – Thu: 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Fri – Sat:11:00 am – 10:00 pm

Visited Date:
Multiple Visits in 2014 – Usually in the evenings

Circumstances:
In all honesty, this is one that I had not heard of until reviewing another restaurant and in reply several individuals commented about the food here. I have tried this location both with and without kids.

Building:
The building itself is well done with lots of country and rustic décor. Clean and inviting although I will say after visiting with kids, the décor becomes a temptation with the kids. The other set back in my opinion was that this location adjoins a salon and has a door between the two. The first time coming in there was a strong chemical smell that you would expect from a salon, not the Food that you would typically expect.

Music:
I love it when it is appropriate. The times I visited there was some classic country playing such as Johnny Cash. It was not too loud but audible enough to be heard and enjoyed. I always enjoy music that sets the mood.
Service: Service was good although the first time we walked in, there really wasn’t an indication of “seat yourself” or “please wait to be seated” I assume that is because a lot of the customer base is local repeat customer. That said, after we sat down service was good and prompt.

Food:
In our first visit, the food was excellent (Pulled port sandwich and Chicken fried Chicken) My wife even really liked the coleslaw which is really odd for her and the battered fries were an absolute winner. On the return visit I tried the Cod Basket, the breaded shrimp basket and the chicken strips. I was a bit more disappointed, there was not much of a rich flavor but rather all of the food was really oily. There is also a fairly limited menu for a “Hometown Café”. Since they do not open until 11, there is no breakfast Menu which is what I always liked in a true hometown café.
Ordered:
-Pulled pork sandwich with fries and coleslaw
-Chicken fried Chicken
-Cod Basket
-Breaded shrimp basket
-Chicken strips/ tenders

Overall thoughts:
I would say that this is about average as far as places to eat go, based on the two experiences. Prices were reasonable and the environment was nice. Really I would say, stay away from the deep fried foods here and you will get a good meal. Keep the door closed adjoining the salon and circulate more of the food smells would help as well.

Extra’s

Restaurant reviews

The Honey Baked Ham – Orem Ut

January 5, 2015 dillysadv 1 Comment

“Cafe” Review

384 West University Parkway, Orem, UT 84058

(801) 224-6650

Visited Date: Dec 19, 2014

Circumstances: c good to get an unknown to review

Building: This building is a separate building in the parking lot of several other stores located at the top of the hill from UVU

Seating: All of the seating (and it is somewhat limited) are all tables. Wood, country style, Clean and nice.

Music: None playing

Service: The service was kind of slow and disoriented. Although you were standing where you would place your order it took a minuet or so for them to communicate with you (having you wait wondering if there was something you were supposed to do to get their attention). On top of everything else, they were fairly friendly.

Food: The Sandwiches were fresh with real cuts of their great meats. My sandwich was the BBQ smoked stacker and I will say I was somewhat disappointing, I was good but so, don’t get me wrong. the picture showed BBQ sauce drizzled on it but the real thing had none. it was more of a smokey flavored sauce. My wife ordered the Tavern club. Like I said the sandwiches are fresh and tasted great. The sides on the other hand were OK. We ordered the Ham and bean soup as well as the pasta salad. Although the ingredients were more fresh, there was nothing significant about them to make you want to go there just to get a side.

Ordered: BBQ Smoked stacker w/ Ham and bean soup for the side.

Tavern Club w/ Pasta salad for the side

Overall thoughts: This is a great place to get lunch but, “know before you go” The store is both a Cafe and a store. when you first walk in, it is confusing as to where you are suppose to go. there is a main counter with all of the registers in the middle (looks like the place to go) but there is really a counter off to the side ( not well lit and no indicators that it is where you are suppose to go) when you walk over there the workers are not prompt to greet you or make you feel like you are where you are suppose to be. Having a small “order here” sign would help as would a more attentive host. Similar to to main entrance where you are really not sure which door is the main door.

My only other complaint is that they really need to have a dedicated deli register. when checking out we had to go around the counter to the far register because someone was using the one on the deli side for a store order. This also left an awkward feeling of not feeling organized.

I will likely go here again, knowing where to go when I get there is nice, and the food is good. Just a few things needed to make this place shine.

Extra Pics

Sources: Take home pamphlet

Restaurant reviews

Los 2 Potrillos – Spanish fork Utah

November 26, 2014 dillysadv Leave a comment

Los 2 Potrillos – Spanish fork Utah
146 S Main St, Spanish Fork, UT 84660
(801) 798-6100

Hours:
Mon – Sat 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM

Menu is as of (11/23/2014)

Review

Visited 11/23/2014 @ 5:00 PM

A good friend of mine introduced this to me and I am glad he did. My wife and I love Mexican food and for the south end of the county, this is a great stop. There was a while that there was some entertainment, not the greatest thing to do because it did not add to the atmosphere. This is a small family ran business that makes good food for a good price

Building:
location is kinda out of the way and you really have to know where to look or you will miss it. It is a smaller restaurant so there is limited seating area but there is usually room when I have gone. With winter approaching though, try to sit away from the door because the Spanish canyon breeze comes right in..

Seating:
There are about 50/50 booths and tables.. the booths are comfortable as long as you fit.. I had to switch places with my wife because the table is mounted and favored one bench over the other (I could not fit, I am big but not that big). The regular tables are typical of most Mexican restaurants around.. not the best quality but good enough

Music:
Like I mentioned before, they had a Harmonica playing Ventriloquist in there for a while that did not work to add to the atmosphere. The last time I was in there was a TV going with sports but it was all in Spanish (Not to bad) but, I usually prefer some authentic music playing quite enough you can still carry on conversation but loud enough to hear.

Service:
As a family ran business, Service can be hit and miss. Overall though, it has been good. In the past several times I have been there, it is apparent that they are trying new things to “keep up” so that is a good thing. I always prefer bad service with signs of getting better over OK service that is quickly declining. High Chairs are limited and need work ( straps are missing on all of them). Be aware of that if you are taking little ones..

Food:
Food was great! I have eaten here several times and have yet to dislike anything.. Although it is a gamble, most of the time they have their own homemade chips and salsa that is really good, don’t go too late though because if they run out, they switch to store bought.. The below pictures of the food are what we had the last time.. no editing just as the pic was taken from my phone.

Ordered:
I have ordered several things but this time I got the “kitchen sink burrito” which, yes that is a full sized fork – it was huge. My wife got the “Camarones costa Bravada” and where it says “Spicy” there is no lie, the sauce is served on the side and is VERY hot.. Good though.

Overall thoughts:
Like I said, we have eaten there several times so obviously it is a keeper.. I would recommend the owner giving the atmosphere some attention and a little work to the tables but other than that, its great!

More Pictures (ill get more soon)

Restaurant reviews

Fuji House – Payson Utah

November 9, 2014 dillysadv Leave a comment

Fuji House – Payson Utah
17 S Main Street, Payson Utah
(801) 465-4018

Hours:

Sunday-Monday – CLOSED
Tuesday-Thursday…..12:00pm – 9:30pm
Friday-Saturday………12:00pm-10:30pm

Visited Date: Repetitive Throughout 2014

Circumstances: We have visited this Restaurant multiple times throughout the year. It is local and serves sushi that is good so, if your having a sushi craving, this is a quick fix. Different times of the day and how busy they are does not appear to affect their business

Building: Old Downtown, need I say more. The building is located on Main in the old downtown area. This establishment occupies 2 of the older store areas. It is a lower funded remodel but not bad. Good environment and comfortable

Seating: Seating is respectable. All seating is at tables (no booths) but is reasonably comfortable. Both tables and chairs are clean.

Music: None playing

Service: The service is friendly small town style. Overall seems to work at reasonable speed (not immediate but not super slow either) which is right where you want to see it to get fresh food. They are not afraid to get to know you or

Food: Overall I have liked everything I have eaten here. I would say that the Tempura Veggies are a bit oily but everywhere I have tried they seem that way so I cannot hold it against them.

Ordered: I usually enjoy the chicken Fuji House specialties. They are all good. As far as sushi goes we have had the: Cowboy, Godzilla, Funky, Playgirl, Playboy, and many others.. I do not recall any of them being less than good. Some of them are even good for those that don’t usually enjoy sushi or cannot eat raw fish.

Overall thoughts: This is a great small town restaurant. Good food, Friendly service, not extremely pricey, not too over done. I would say that we will go back but we already do. This is a favorite and in the last year I would say we have gone here at least once every other month.

Sources:

Menu – http://openmenu.com/restaurant/bcecf3f4-62f0-11e1-80ac-00163eeae34c

Restaurant reviews

Home Plate Sports Grill – Payson Utah (closed)

October 22, 2014 dillysadv Leave a comment

Recently I was informed that Home plate was closed permanently.

Home plate Sports Grill (1)

Home Plate Sports Grill – Payson Utah
742 South 100 West, Payson Utah
(801)-465-7667

Hours:
Mon – Thu 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Fri – Sat 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM

General Manager: Wayne Roberts

Menu is as of (10/18/2014)

Review

Visited 10/18/2014 @ 12:30 PM

Before you read the rest of the review, I have to note that this place was only open for several Hours and it was apparent that there was still a lot of training that was in progress..

I had heard that this place was open. Several restaurants had been in this location over the past several years and I must say that they start out with good food but, the quality slowly fades away. I am reluctantly optimistic. We went in around noon on a Friday expecting there to not be much of a crowd. there really wasn’t many people there but there was a few, here is what we experienced.

Building:
Good shape. the previous tenant had done a complete remodel so much of the interior construction was nice. walls painted black and white. On the down side the carpet had trails from wear. If I was to give a suggestion, tear up the carpet and finish the carpeted areas to match the treated concrete.

Seating:
Most of the seating was leftovers so there was some mix and match Booths, chairs and tables but overall they were still in good shape so I cannot blame them for being money smart. They did add in a new bar although it was posted on Facebook that they are currently not serving alcohol but hope to soon – this will be kept family friendly atmosphere like Olive Garden, Chilies, and other similar locations.

Music:
The music playing was a lot of Rock like AC/DC and such.. most of it was not bad but there was a few songs that were a bit hard for the “Family Environment”.

Service:
Service was really slow. Granted they were new and I could tell that the waitress was trying to learn everything all at once. At the time we were there it took about 30-40 min from ordering our food to be served. I would expect that this time will get faster as the cooks and waitresses get more adjusted to the processes

Food:
Food was great! Just the type that you would expect at a sports bar. filling, good size portions, not too pricey. We did notice that they do not use the standard fry sauce, it had more of a BBQ flavor to it. Onion rings were perfect and not overly oily. Fries were seasons and good to eat plain. Sand which was filling and good flavor, Nachos had plenty of toppings go keep you going ( fresh jalapenos kept the mouth on fire as well)

Ordered:
Chicken strips with fries – Loaded Nachos – Turkey bacon avocado sand which with onion rings and Chocolate cake and ice cream for desert.

Overall thoughts:
We will go back. there was more that I wanted to try but this time without the kids to keep the bill down. I do hope that this one will take hold and stay for a while.. Hoping that the food will stay good as well.

More Pictures