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Today is the first day that gelato has been available at the Orem Costco Foodcourt. You can’t beat the price: $1.50 for a large waffle cone. There isn’t a lot of selection: one size and three flavors: berry (strawberry it tastes like to me), straciatella, and pistachio. You can get all three flavors in one cone if you like. The portion size is absolutely huge. I struggled to finish mine. It would be impossible for many children to finish. The waffle cone was really tasty and I loved the berry flavor. It was quite different than the strawberry gelato I make–the strawberry flavor was more muted than I expect in gelato and it was very creamy. So I would say that this is an Americanized gelato–although I would be interested in what those of you who have spent time in Italy think. Anyway, Americanized or not, the berry was very good. I’d put the straciatella (chocolate chip ice cream) in second place. The pistachio was my least favorite–not much flavor but still cold and creamy. One effort at authenticity: their pistachio is not green, but a light nutty brown. All in all, I’m sure I’ll be getting the gelato again, but I’ll just order the berry in the future and share it with someone. The price is about 1/3 of what you’d pay at Zaza gelato (right next door to Costco inside Terra Mia) and the portion size is what? 6 times larger? 8 times larger? What a deal! (And no wonder they aren’t offering a chocolate option–they wouldn’t be able to charge $1.50 for it).
P.S., If you don’t have access to the Orem Costco, you may be out of luck. Apparently, they have installed gelato counters in only a handful of stores so far; the Orem store is a test market.
I threw away three bars of cream cheese yesterday. I feel guilty. Indulge me in my explanation:
My cumulative efforts to be healthy are rather modest. But I do try to avoid buying desserts that I could make myself–no packaged cookies or cakes, and no cheesecake. Cheesecake–you know the one. The large round cheesecake that Costco stacks in the refrigerated case by the dozen. The one I must pass on my way to buy milk. The one that calls my name. The one with the tempting little cut marks that suggest that one could somehow limit oneself to just one narrow slice. Thinking about it makes me want to go shopping RIGHT NOW. But here’s the thing: I don’t buy it. Because every time I pass those big plastic domes and glance at the fatty goodness within, I offer stern self-remonstrations: there is cream cheese at home! It’s just getting old in the fridge! If you want cheesecake, make your own! Do it homemade. I tear myself away and head to the milk room, safe for the moment, but destined to return soon to face the cheesecake again. Having a goodly supply of cream cheese in my refrigerator (it lasts for months!) helps me through it.
What do you say?
The color of our dinner last night
1. Eating by color–check out this helpful grocery list
The list is a lot more action-oriented than the tired advice to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables.
2. Librarians who recommend books
I had a great experience at the Orem Library the other day, but this Provo Library service takes the idea to a whole new level! What a great service! I think responding to these forms would be a fun job.
2. Facebook, blogs & social media
On both my blog and facebook, I have received so many great furniture and furniture store recommendations. It is so helpful! Thanks, everybody! So far, I have checked out Four Chairs, Bassett, DandBwoods and Cherrico furniture thanks to people’s recommendations. I even got to see the chairs I was interested in in the wood I was interested in–invaluable. (Thanks Brad!)
Coconut M&M’s. Let me put it this way: I was out shopping and I bought these to try and I ate the whole bag, not saving any to share with my family. I felt a little guilty and I had to skip part of dinner. But I am sharing my discovery with you (although you’ll have to go buy your own). If you like Mounds bars, you will like these. They don’t have the texture of moist coconut like Mounds but they do have the flavor. Coconut M&M’s are chocolatey and coconutty at the same time–really, really good.
- I saved the bag (to blog about), but none of the candy
*I paid for these with my own money. No one bought them for me. However, if you would like to buy some for me, I won’t complain. Available in my area at Smith’s, Walgreens, & Shopko.
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:
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!
The principle: Mom is not going to fix different foods for each family member. We are all going to eat the same thing. Mom decides what that is. [For my defense: I am willing to listen to timely suggestions, but I didn't receive any suggestions before everything was prepared today. For my prosecution: By "fix" I mean reheat leftovers].
The scene: Mom is eating meat and potatoes for lunch. Duncan: May I have some [brown] rice for lunch? Mom: No. You can have what I’m having: meat or potatoes. Kate: [Enthusiastically points at an orange]. Mom: No. You can have what I’m having: meat or potatoes.
Result: Mom finds herself ridiculous. My children ask for brown rice and fruit and my response is: it’s red meat, starch, or nothing? What kind of mother am I anyway?
The secret is the Mustard-Thyme Vinaigrette. It is so flavorful. Let me put it this way: I will never be without homegrown thyme again. Further, when whole grain mustard went on sale I bought eight bottles.
From the America’s Test Kitchen The Best 30-Minute Recipe
3 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
1 shallot, peeled
1 small garlic clove, peeled [I always use 2 medium size cloves]
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
Salt and ground black pepper
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Process vinegar, mustard, shallot, garlic, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in blender [I use my food processor] until shallot and garlic are finely chopped, about 15 seconds. With blender running, add oil and continue to process until smooth and emulsified, about 15 seconds.
***
If there is a second secret to Bistro salad, it is the Boursin toast. Boursin is a soft spreadable cheese. The cheese parries the zing of the vinaigrette and adds its own garlic-herbiness to the mix. It is scrumptious. Do yourself a favor and do not read the nutrition facts. Also, note that Costco sells Boursin in three packs which makes it slightly less spendy.
Heat your oven to 400 degrees and cut a good baguette into thick slices (so that they’ll be soft on the inside and crunchy outside). Bake in a single layer on a cookie sheet for about ten minutes. Drizzle the tops with olive oil and then spread with Boursin.
Bacon & Eggs: You need 8 thick cut slices of bacon. Fry it crispy and cut into pieces. Toss with 8 ounces of mesclun (spring mix style lettuce) and 1/2 cup (ONLY HALF THE RECIPE) of the vinaigrette. The Best 30-Minute Recipe tops the salad with a fried egg. Although that presentation is more dramatic, I prefer just to go with hard boiled.
Assembly: Divide the mesclun/bacon mixture between 4 bowls. Arrange a sliced egg (fried or hard boiled) on top of each. Serve with the Boursin toast.
Yield: 4