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I want to recommend the website Urban Spoon. Just like Amazon, TripAdvisor, and Yelp, it features user reviews. Urban Spoon focuses exclusively on restaurants. I like that Urban Spoon is an aggregator–not only does it have user reviews that people type in when they visit the site, but it also gathers critics’ reviews from major newspapers and magazines. For bloggers, they offer ”spoonbacks.” If you put the Urban Spoon image in a review on your blog, they will publish your post on Urban Spoon with a link back to your blog. It gives tiny audience bloggers like me a chance to feel famous (and I can’t help it, I love that!).
Urban Spoon has a section for many of the major cities in the United States. I was pleased to see that they had one for Salt Lake. I was even more pleased to realize that American Fork, Orem, and Provo (as well as several other small Utah cities) are listed as neighborhoods of greater Salt Lake. I was surprised to find how much information they had about restaurants in Orem and Provo.
Urban Spoon also features a very simple thumbs up/thumbs down rating system for restaurants. I admire the simplicity of “like/don’t like,”, but I wish they also offered an “it’s okay” option. Also, of course there is no way to tell whether my vote of “like it” for Golden Corral is because it makes my children so happy or if it is because I am under the impression that it is incredible gourmet fare! But I figure that is what the review section is for. The simple rating system does have some utility. If you sort a city or neighborhood by popularity, the consistently people pleasing restaurants do rise to the top. This is especially valuable if you are looking for a restaurant to take a diverse group of people to.
Other features I appreciate are the wishlist (when you read a great review you can add the restaurant to your wishlist so that you remember to try it in the future), the maps (showing restaurants you’ve reviewed, or restaurants on your wishlist, or Chinese restaurants in a given neighorhood) and the ability to compare reviews and wishlists with friends. Give it a try and see what you think?
Have you already tried Urban Spoon? Do you use another dining review site like Yelp? Why do you like it? I was a fan of TripAdvisor’s reviews, but TripAdvisor has less information about each restaurant, lacks the critics reviews, doesn’t offer a spoonback type feature, and the majority of the reviews are written from the perspective of the tourist rather than the townie. Urban Spoon has won my allegiance.
I visited the Blue Lemon restaurant with high expectations. The good thing about going to a place that has received a lot of hype is that even if you are disappointed, you might still have a pretty good experience. That describes how I felt about the Blue Lemon.
To enjoy Blue Lemon, you need to go knowing what to expect. I hadn’t read the reviews carefully enough.
What Blue Lemon is: Blue Lemon is upscale. The place has a San Francisco vibe, the decor is trendy and pleasing. They serve gourmet-ish food, locally sourced and seasonal food. [Um, how seasonal & locally-sourced can you be around here? Pdad ordered the fruit salad, and I'll just say, I want to see the local farmer who manages cantaloupe in March!]. Healthy food (not fried–except for the sweet potato fries?, not microwaved). Blue Lemon offers beautiful presentation. There will be artful splashes of sauce surrounding something lovely. The food looks good. Rest assured, your Blue Lemon food will taste good.
What Blue Lemon is not: Blue Lemon is not fine dining. It is not the place for a romantic date. (It _is_ child friendly if you are willing to spend $$ for children’s food). Blue Lemon is large and also noisy. You will stand in line and walk down the counter to order–almost a cafeteria type ordering experience–although they do bring the food to your table. The good news about it not being a fine dining experience is that your food will arrive quickly. The bad news is that these are not cafeteria portions. You will get a moderate, Europeanish portion of food. You will not pay cafeteria prices. Fortunately, you would probably not expect to, given the quality and character of the food. If Blue Lemon were a full fine dining experience, the prices would be a bargain.
The service at Blue Lemon is not top notch. Perhaps they are victims of their own popularity. However, it doesn’t matter why; poor service is still not as good as good service. They were completely disorganized. We ordered a fancy drink and had trouble getting anyone to tell us where to find it or when it was coming. (Aside: Do not order a coffee-less fancy coffee drink. BAD IDEA. I don’t know if it is because the coffee makes the drink or if Blue Lemon just isn’t good at drinks in general, but the one we tried was a very poor cousin to the Wendy’s Frosty at 4 times the price.) We wanted to order one of the allegedly fabulous vanilla Nanaimo bars at the Blue Lemon Bistro next door and the counter help (who also help at Blue Lemon) had apparently gone on extended hiatus or forgotten about the Bistro. It was very frustrating. In the end, we had to leave without dessert.
All in all: I am glad that I experienced Blue Lemon. I would probably go again, especially if I happened to be in the area or if someone invited me. I am a fan of tasty and beautiful food. I don’t mind the small portions or the higher than Fresh Mex prices. However, the large and noisy ambience isn’t what I’m looking for. Child-friendly dining can be good, but most children would not be ready to appreciate this food. Good service is a must–I hope for it at fast food places–I expect it at places where the prices are higher. Blue Lemon has room for improvement.
If you go: Blue Lemon 11073 N. Alpine Highway, Highland, UT 84003 (801) 756-7993. Open from 11:00 a.m.-9 p.m. (they close early!) every day but Sunday.
Others’ Reviews:
How can a blog named Chocolate & Garlic skip reviewing an establishment known as The Chocolate? It won’t–here goes: The Chocolate is located in Orem at 212 S. State St. in a historic house from the beginning of the last century. The neat thing about The Chocolate is that it is a bakery, a place where food is made, wedding cakes are ordered, and catering orders are prepared, but it is also a place to eat and a place to spend time with others while eating–definitely not just a bakery.
Eating there made me want to open my own business. It made me sad that I hadn’t thought of The Chocolate first. (Pdad said he thinks I’m better suited to teaching philosophy than to running my own business. I’m not sure he is right, but there is some evidence on his side). I love their choice of building–bakeries are always these antiseptic places with tile, gleaming glass cases, and industrial kitchens. A typical bakery might have a few tables so that you can indulge yourself if you’re not able to wait long enough to transport your guilty pleasure somewhere else, but the emphasis is always on the purchase, not the consumption. The Chocolate is different. The setting is important. This is a place to hang out and have a conversation. This is a place to go on a date. This would be a great place to bring an older child for some special attention and a treat. The required glass cases and cash register are at the front, the bakery is hidden at the back, but much of the rest of the house is open. You’re free to stroll through a few different rooms until you claim the seating nook that speaks comfort to you.
I think it would be tempting at a place like The Chocolate to go too sweet–to be too Victorian or to decorate in pastel pinks and make it too feminine. Don’t fear. If anything, the Chocolate goes a little too far in the other direction–lime green paint in once place, zebra stripe pillows in another–this is not your grandmother’s sitting room. Also, they have music piped through the rooms that suggests youth and energy rather than — I don’t know — afternoon tea with the finger crook’d just so?
As for the guilty pleasures themselves, they don’t go too sweet there either. I am a big fan of their frosting. Not too sweet, but not like eating a stick of butter (yet still plenty buttery), just right. Pdad and I enjoyed three confections there: a slice of Kitty Katrina cake, a mint fudge brownie, and a turtle tart (I think they called it a tart–it was definitely a turtle). We paid $8.45. Their prices seem quite reasonable, food+ setting considered. I can’t imagine buying a full size cake there ($45!), but perhaps that is because I am willing and able to make my own (could you watch my kids for the afternoon, though?). What I easily can imagine though is sampling a slice and sharing it with someone else. The cake slice and brownie were large, and although the turtle was smaller, three desserts was definitely more than two people post-dinner needed (but there were so many things we wanted to try!). The caramel on the turtle was sublime, but I thought the crust was a bit too hard. I wouldn’t order the turtle again. The mint brownie was good–it was a muted mint–similar yet superior to BYU’s famous mint brownies. As I said, the frosting on the Kitty Katrina cake was wonderful. Surprisingly, when we visited (and admittedly the selection was running low at the end of the evening on a Saturday) the majority of the desserts were not chocolate.
All in all: I hope to make many return visits to the Chocolate. I love the concept–desserts only, historic house, find your own table, no one rushes you, stay and talk. The desserts are pretty good too!
If you go: The Chocolate opens at 11 a.m. every day but Sunday. Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, they stay open until 10:00 p.m. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday they stay open until 11 p.m. Who ever heard of a bakery open until11 p.m.? It’s The Chocolate! (801) 224-7334. 212 S. State, Orem, UT. See also The Chocolate Website and The Chocolate Blog
Others’ Reviews:
Daily Herald
Joe’s Cafe is located across State Street from the University Mall in Orem. Joe is open until 4 p.m. and he serves breakfast and lunch all day. The menu has waffles, pancakes, eggs, omelets, sandwiches, and hamburgers. There are a few kid’s meals as well. I thought the food was really good. Reviews I’d read before visiting had led me to believe that portions would be huge, but that wasn’t the case on our visit. The serving sizes were just average. We tried the Western Omelet, the ABC (Avocado-Bacon-Cheese) omelet, the pancake combo, the Belgian waffle, and a corndog. Everyone liked their order; my Western omelet was really good. I enjoyed the feeling of eating real homestyle food, freshly prepared. It was caloric yes, but the ingredients were honest ones, the ones I would put in at home, not something concocted to tempt my metabolism in a laboratory. Prices were not cheap, but reasonable.
Although Joe’s is relatively new, I noticed multiple regulars stop by during our visit.
The restaurant is narrow, but by going all the way to the back we did manage to find a table that seated the five of us and found room for our stroller. (There is parking in back of the restaurant). Unfortunately, this isn’t a comfy booth type of place: just little tables and chairs. I like the way Joe’s is decorated with vibrant yellow paint on top, and black (is it called wainscoting or beadboard?) on the bottom. The walls are covered with snapshots. Every photograph includes Joe, the chef and owner, along with a group of first time visitors. The photo-taking is an ongoing process; we had our picture taken today. Joe is extremely outgoing; he checked several times to make sure we were happy. He noticed that our 6 year old had finished his Belgian Waffle kid’s meal while the rest of us were still eating and offered to bring him another half on the house. He counseled us to buy the lad “a big boy meal” the next time we stop by.
All in all: I wouldn’t say that Joe’s was amazing, but I will definitely eat there again. I am eager to try the hamburgers on my next visit.
If you go: 1126 S. State St., Orem, UT 84097, (801) 607-5377, open every day but Sunday until 4 p.m. Breakfast and Lunch served all day.
Others’ Reviews:
It’s been a good, tough week here at Pfamily Headquarters. Very tough, very good. The good news is that Kate’s spinal tap results came back and everything was normal as was her bloodwork. So, after more than $10,000 in medical tests–not hyperbole–we know that 1) She hasn’t had a stroke, 2) she doesn’t have a brain tumor, 3) there isn’t a hole in her heart, 4) she doesn’t have multiple sclerosis, and 4) she probably doesn’t have a neurotransmitter deficiency. This is very, very, very good news because I didn’t want Kate to have any of those things. The only problem is that she still has the tremor and we still don’t know why. This may be no big deal– an ”idiopathic” or unexplained tremor may simply continue–odd, worrisome even, but no ultimate harm done. However, it is too early to tell if/how the tremor will affect her handwriting and other fine motor abilities.
Since November I’ve been intellectually and emotionally consumed with worrying about Kate and the upcoming test or appointment or whatever. Now the tests and appointments are at an end. My anxiety has not yet met it’s end, but I hope it soon will. It would help if Kate’s tremor would lessen or disappear the way a person’s sore throat pain starts to ease as soon as they hear that it’s not strep. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like that is going to happen–I guess Kate didn’t get the memo.
Aside from my continuing anxiety about Kate, another tough thing about this week was the consecutive 504 appointments I attended at Duncan and Amelia’s schools. (A 504 appointment is a meeting with your child’s school in which you make a plan for dealing with the child’s disability). Duncan’s appointment was for speech therapy. Although I’ve been through the 504 process before, I was disturbed anew when I received the letter to schedule the meeting. I don’t feel like a parent who needs to meet with a special education liaison! I don’t recognize my child as being in the disabled category: someone who “has a mental or physical impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.” Nonetheless, Duncan can’t make a few of the sounds six year olds should be able to make. More significantly, he has a whole word stutter. (Have you ever heard of a whole word stutter? Rather than repeating the initial sound, a child with this type of stutter repeats an entire word over and over. Before Duncan, I had never heard of it).
Of course, lots of kids are sent to speech therapy. It’s no big deal. I went to speech therapy as a child, and I say “lllll” very well now, thank you very much. I guess it’s just a little tricky in that I am used to academic tests in which one hopes to be in the 90th or 95th or even 99th percentile, so to hear that Duncan tests at the 12th percentile–it seems so low! But then I remember that this is just his ability to make the ”k” sound–not a measure of his abilities as a whole. However, then I remember the stutter and that seems like it might be a bit bigger of a deal. Will he ever be easy to listen to? The speech therapist says that they will teach him to take a breath and slow down before he speaks. Could that solve it? Waves of worry wash over me and then recede. The tide comes in, it goes out, it comes in again.
The fact that I find receiving these 504 letters, with their mentions of “special education,” disturbing doubtless suggests that I need to adjust my thinking regarding special education. However, recognizing this doesn’t make it so.
Amelia has had a 504 plan for years. Her 504 specifies that she be “accommodated” by being allowed to use a keyboard in class. She types everything because fine motor tasks are a challenge. Her 504 meeting this morning was a bucket of fun. Her good teacher was pressing the district to offer Amelia more “services” because although typing resolves many of her academic-related fine motor issues, the teacher worries that Amelia will have trouble accomplishing important basic life tasks (cutting meat, tieing a shoe, cutting her own fingernails). I understand this concern well, as it mirrors my own, but the notion that playing with putty (my cynical description of occupational therapy) twice a week for twenty minutes will help—-I’m painfully skeptical.
The whole meeting felt like a wound being reopened, poked at, examined. It reminded me that Amelia has real problems that do and will affect her life. They aren’t going to go away. I had wanted to forget that. Just as I’d like for Kate to wake up tomorrow without the tremor and for Duncan to be able to spit out his story on the first telling, I would like to see Amelia’s fine motor problems vanish. I know, I know, if wishes were horses . . . , but couldn’t my kids just be “normal” kids without the issues? Sometimes the unusualness of their respective problems bothers me– as though, if I could somehow meet another three year old with a tremor, or 6 year old with a whole word stutter, or 10 year old who struggled to tie her shoes, everything would be so much better.
What is normality and when does the moniker apply? Are most of us disabled? Do almost all of us face some sort of deficit that leaves us at a level less than the norm? Some issues are bigger than others. I recognize that parents whose children have cerebral palsy or Down syndrome, for example, face difficulties far more daunting than the minor frustrations and disappointments I have faced with my children thus far. Also, from the outside looking in, it appears that some families have it all: they appear smart, athletic, healthy, etc. But I know that none of us will truly escape challenges in this life. And although there are many other sorts of challenges, the challenges we face often arise internally: social deficits, medical problems, mental problems, learning disabilities, etc.
It is likely that to be normal, one must be abnormal in some way. Can we take comfort in the normality of our abnormalities?
Pdad stayed home from Church today with a pathetically sick Kate. When I returned home with the other kids, I saw this:
Table set, Dinner ready
The house smelled wonderful. I love being married to a man who can cook.
I also saw this:
Homemade bread, pesto spread, and charming note!
Pfamily January 2010
There is a new senator in Massachusetts. He is Republican. It hasn’t happened since 1972. Martha Coakley was supposed to be a sure thing. She wasn’t. I have been trying to figure out what I think about this. I posted something about it on Facebook and thought it was interesting to see my friends–some extremely conservative, some much, much more liberal–line up on opposite sides of the fence. Apparently, either Coakley’s defeat and Brown’s election is an answer to prayer or it is a sign that we didn’t pray hard enough.
I find that I am not of one mind. I can’t celebrate the election of someone who supports waterboarding as an interrogation technique and opposes a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. It is hard to feel happy to see the chances for more Americans to enjoy health coverage decrease. On the other hand, I didn’t like the looks of the “reform” bills coming out of the House and Senate. While these bills accomplished things that were important to me, (for example, no denials based on pre-existing conditions and healthcare extended to more people) they seemed to do it the wrong way. Where are the promised cost savings? How will these plans be sustainable in the long term given ever rising medical costs? How will we pay for it? I am frightened and appalled by our massive debt and deficits.
Unfortunately, the healthcare reform I favor–public option and rationing at a minimum and hopes for single payer in the future–isn’t politically possible. The question becomes: if we can’t do healthcare right, is it best to do it wrong and try to fix things later or is it better to stick with the status quo? Without healthcare coverage, many Americans are suffering greatly today. With massive debt and a messed up health care system, we will all suffer in the future. Being realistic about what is possible politically, which way is best? I don’t know. That’s why I don’t know what to think about Scott Brown.
I do know that I was surprised to see the citizens of Massachusetts ( supposedly a U.S. model for universal healthcare coverage) vote as they did. I need to learn more about why.
Regular subscribers: My apologies for what is doubtless a boring topic for you. I wrote this up mostly for myself and also for any possible hapless internet searchers. Just skip to the next post in your reader. Thanks!
Diane’s Wig Shop–Orem. Small shop, but they’ve fit a lot of wigs in there! They carry mostly Jon Renau, Raquel Welch and Revlon. There is never more than one person working there at a time. If you buy a wig somewhere else (the internet, for example), they are willing to thin and style it and help you with it for $35. This service is free if you buy the wig from them. It is best to call ahead for an appointment, but it is possible to get help if you walk in and they aren’t busy with another customer. Diane is knowledgeable and ready to offer advice on choosing a color. Prices appear to be 10-20% higher than at the other shops. 347 E. University Parkway, Orem, UT 84058 (801) 224-5070
Creative Wigs & Toupees– 2 locations–one in Sandy and one in Salt Lake. Visit both locations while you are in the area (as well as Headcovers by Joni) because they are less than 20 minutes apart. The Sandy shop is smaller and has a more limited selection than the Salt Lake shop. The person who helped me at the Sandy shop, Linda, was willing to steer me away from wigs she thought didn’t work. The Salt Lake location of Creative Wig was the largest shop I visited. It was impressive because they had several styling chairs and many, many wigs on display as well as more stock tucked away in the back. There were at least 3 employees there at the same time when I was there and they stayed busy! I didn’t get the name of the woman who helped me there. She seemed nice initially, but started helping someone else, and then never came back to see how I was doing. I think she had perhaps (correctly) identified me as a difficult customer: I’m interested in finding something as close as possible to my own hair color rather than going blond or redheaded just because that’s what they happen to have in stock. Go figure. But I was still surprised to be abandoned without any notice. 814E. 9400S. Sandy, UT 84094 (801) 553-0669 and 1124 E. 3300 S. Salt Lake City, UT 84106 (801) 486-4604
Headcovers by Joni–If you visit the Salt Lake location of Creative Wig you should also stop by Headcovers by Joni as they are both on 3300 South in Salt Lake. It is a fairly small shop, but they have a surprising amount of inventory for their size. I met three of the people who work there (but not all on the same day–on any given visit there will be only one or two people working). Joni is the owner. She is also the most experienced and has a lot of experience styling and thinning wigs. She does get cranky with people who stay and stay and stay and can’t make up their minds (it wasn’t me!) Camille, another employee, also styles and thins the wigs if you purchase one, but she has less experience with wigs (as opposed to regular hair) than Joni. She is extremely patient. If you really don’t know what you want and just want to try a whole lot of different pieces, she is a good person to work with. Unfortunately, her opinions lack credibility because she will tell you that you look great in everything you try on. Janet is the person to see if you need an opinion. She doesn’t mind telling you which wig she thinks suits you and which doesn’t work. However, if you are hoping to find the wig you are looking for and to have it styled and wear it home that very day, Janet doesn’t style wigs, so you need to go on a day when either Camille or Joni will be there. 2286 E. 3300 S. Salt Lake city, UT 84109 (801)467-5665 or 1-866-700-5664
My favorite so far: Brooke by Jon Renau
The local shops are all willing to order in a different color (although they like the idea of you buying out of their inventory on hand even better!) or possibly even a different style. However, if you order something in, many of the advantages of buying at a local shop v. the internet (seeing how the wig looks before you buy it, for example) vanish. It is cheaper to buy from the internet, but then of course you have to add back in the cost of having your wig styled.
My favorite internet wig sites are Wigs.com, e-wigs.com , and theheadshoponline.com. Wigs.com is great because they have made videos displaying many of their wigs and this gives you a much better idea of the wig than just a picture. E-wigs has fabulous personal service. If you call their 1-800 number, Marty will answer the phone and take time to answer endless questions and give you his e-mail address in case you have more questions later. Unfortunately, if you are a Utah resident, e-wigs costs more because of sales tax. Theheadshoponline.com (be careful typing that or or you will end up at a very different website!) has the best search filters.
Earlier post on similar topic: Wigging Out