Well, the website is updated and ready to go. I recently posted our first review, a fine establishment called Bishop’s Grill here in St. George. From now on, you’ll be seeing reviews of southern Utah restaurants, which really just means St. George. But we didn’t want to delete all of our old reviews just because we moved, so they are still up for your enjoyment.

I’ve also changed how we report the prices from the restaurant. Now we’re just going to say dinner for two is under $20, around $30 or $50+. That way you can count on whether or not it is inexpensive, modest, or expensive. We’ll still give you the address and phone number so you can find it and call ahead to see if there is a wait.

So stay tuned and stand by, we’ll be posting on some of the places we’ve been. Hope you enjoy!

Here is what rocks about Bishop’s. They serve breakfast, sandwiches, burgers and dinners all day long, just like IHOP or Village Inn. However, they charge much less than everyone else and the food is amazing! I got a veggie omelet and it was great, fresh and delicious. Obviously homemade. If I could make a comparison I would say it is very much like Cracker Barrel. Good homestyle cooking, low prices, nice atmosphere.

We will definitely be eating there again, and often. I recommend you do the same, and ask for Shaylee.

My Rating: ★★★★★ 

MICHELE: Michele’s review coming soon!

My Rating: ★★★★★ 

DAN: Macaroni Grill is awesome. The bread with oil and vinegar they give you before your meal is great. Everything I’ve ever had on the menu is great, and they customized my dish to exactly what I wanted. I’ve always been pleased every time I have gone. The good thing is that it never seems to be as busy as Olive Garden. Both are good Italian, but Macaroni Grill seems less crowded, at least when trying to get a table for two. I definitely recommend this place as I’ve loved it every time I go. Then again I am a sucker for Italian food anyway, so I probably say that about every Italian place. Still, I like it, and you will too.

My Rating: ★★★★★ 

MICHELE: I love Mac Grill! I honestly think we went there because I was craving the bread! Their bread is awesome. I ordered the Penne Rustica and it was delicious. Penne with both chicken and shrimp. The service is always excellent, the ambiance is great, and there is usually never a long wait. It is one of my favorite Italian places in the area. I can’t decide which one I like more, Macaroni Grill or Carrabbas, they are definitely my top two in Provo/Orem. The only reason I can’t give it 5 stars is because I feel like the prices are a little bit too high. Other than that, they are excellent!

My Rating: ★★★★½ 

DAN: So we forgot to save a receipt, I couldn’t tell you what the actual cost was, but it was about $5. Best banana split anywhere on the Wasatch Front though. These guys know how to do ice cream. We only got 1 banana split and split it (no pun intended). It was definitely enough for us. The fudge, caramel and marshmallow was packed so full it spilled out of the cup and onto the plate below. It wasn’t the first time we went either, we had been there before. We love it there. If you are ever at Thanksgiving point, you have to stop by this place for some ice cream, you won’t regret it!

My Rating: ★★★★½ 

MICHELE: I love this little ice cream shop, the ice cream is really yummy and the atmosphere is great. It kind of has an old time feel, which is fun. But everything at Thanksgiving Point is really fun. It’s a great place to spend the day. As for the ice cream, like Dan said, we shared a banana split. The split comes with bananas, obviously, three scoops of ice cream of your choice, and three toppings of your choice. Then on top of those toppings they put whipped cream, nuts and a cherry. They really go all out! They also have other sundaes and ice cream cones for a little cheaper. I also noticed they had quite a list of ice cream flavors and toppings to choose from. The prices may be a little high, but not too bad. I think for what you get, it’s pretty reasonable. Although it’s not too close to our house, it’s always fun to make a stop when we drive past on the freeway. Definitely one of my favorite ice cream places in the area!

My Rating: ★★★★½ 

DAN: The price isn’t totally accurate since we had a coupon for a free entree if you buy two drinks and a meal. Something like that. Either way, cheap. The one thing I hate about Costa Vida is parking. The little area in Provo where it is located is very crowded. It’s kind of annoying. But the food is good and the prices are good. If you don’t know what Costa Vida is, think Cafe Rio or Bajio. Same thing, but I prefer the other two to Costa Vida. Something about the sauces I just don’t like as much. Still, if you are short on time and want good Mexican style food in a hurry for cheap, Costa Vida is a good choice. But if I have time, I would probably never choose Costa Vida over Cafe Rio or Bajio.

My Rating: ★★★½☆ 

MICHELE: Like Dan, I feel the need to compare Costa Vida to Cafe Rio. Essentially they are almost the same thing. I tend to like Cafe Rio more though. I love the food at Cafe Rio, I just like the food at Costa Vida. Costa Vida does have a few perks though, the line is never as long as Cafe Rio’s, Costa Vida seems to have more seating and the restaurant is not quite as noisy. I also find more coupons for Costa Vida, which is always nice. It’s also a good spot for BYU students because it’s closer to campus and I know they have daily specials for cheaper. With a BYU ID you can get any of the specials any day of the week. Unfortunately I am no longer a BYU student, but it’s a great plus for those who are. This trip I decided to change it up and get nachos. I usually get a salad. I liked the nachos, but in my opinion the salads are a better choice. I also like the fact that Costa Vida lets you pick a small or a large salad, it’s nice to have options. All in all, I like it. But if I had my choice I’d go to Cafe Rio.

My Rating: ★★★★☆ 

DAN: Carrabba’s is a little on the pricey side, but well worth it if you are looking for a nice night out. They have some great dishes as we have been there more than once. The good part is you can really customize anything as well. I asked for mine with a different noodle and sauce and it was no problem. Great seafood here if you are into shrimp and scallops. Definitely one of the best as far as Italian goes, and as you’ll see in upcoming reviews, we do a lot of Italian. It was crazy that with a group of 4 (shout out to Kevin and Rachel) we got seated immediately without a wait on a Saturday night. So apparently with a smaller group you can get right in. I can’t give them the full 5 stars though just on price. There are other Italian restaurants around, lots of them, and some for significantly less money. But still, for quality of food and service, Carrabba’s is really, really good.

My Rating: ★★★★½ 

MICHELE: I love everything about Carrabba’s! Every time we go I love it. The atmosphere is great, the wait is never long, the service is excellent and the food is amazing! It is definitely one of my favorite Italian restaurants in Utah Valley. Once you sit down they bring you some delicious, homemade bread. I love the bread. Each entree also comes with a soup or a salad. I got a salad, which was also delicious. For my entree I ordered Mr. & Mrs. C’s Favorites. Which was 2 chicken breasts and 2 scoops of mashed potatoes. The reason I got 2 chicken breasts is because they both sounded so good and I really wanted leftovers for my lunch the next day. The chicken breasts were two different things, one was stuffed with spinach and cheese and the other had some type of mushroom sauce on it. I don’t quite remember, I just know I loved it. Their food tastes so good and so fresh. Dan thinks it is a little expensive, but I don’t agree. The fabulous thing about Carrabba’s is they give you the option of getting a regular size or a large size meal. For example, the regular size comes with one chicken breast and one scoop of potatoes (or whatever side you choose). If you get the large, you get two chicken breasts and more of whichever side. So I personally think Carrabba’s is an excellent place to go if you want a meal to share. My meal was about $16. So… for $16 Dan and I could have easily shared the salad, 2 chicken breasts, side and possibly had room for dessert. If you do go and don’t want to spend a ton, I would highly suggest getting the large meal and sharing. Dan and I, however, did not share because he always wants seafood and I always don’t want seafood . Either way, I still love Carrabba’s and I am now craving it just from writing about it!

My Rating: ★★★★★ 

DAN: The one thing I remember about Maria Bonita is that everything there is huge. The drinks were huge. The meals were huge. It was a ton of food, and not expensive, which was great. I don’t remember anything special about it, just a regular mexican food place. But at least it wasn’t bad like Mama Chu’s or Cocolito’s. I could actually go back to this place. Definitely a great place if you have a smaller group though. Space is limited for sure. The first time we tried to come here we couldn’t even get in. There’s literally no waiting area and we were just standing in front of the door (Awkward). So rather than continue to stand and wait without even being greeted, we left and came back on a not Friday night. It was much better the second try. So don’t go with a large group or on a Friday night and you should be fine.

My Rating: ★★★★☆ 

MICHELE: I liked this place, definitely one of the better Mexican places we have tried. Dan is right, the drinks came out in these huge mugs. I ordered a taco salad and it was the biggest taco salad I have ever seen! I barely put a dent in it. The prices also seemed to be fairly reasonable. Before we got our meals they also brought out chips & salsa (which is kind of expected), but they also brought out soup. I didn’t love the soup, just rice & broth, but still… we got soup, which was cool. Our server was also really nice, hard to understand at times, but very kind. Anyway, I agree with Dan, don’t go on a Friday night and you’ll have an enjoyable meal.

My Rating: ★★★½☆ 

DAN: I like Iggy’s because no matter where you look there is a screen of some size showing some sporting event. Of course, I never go during the summer because it is only baseball. But during the Fall you can catch football, hockey, and basketball all at the same place, which is pretty cool. The food isn’t fantastic- the menu is kind of like cheescake factory. They seem to have a bunch of stuff from all over the place. Still, the atmosphere is great and I went there to watch the BCS championship game last year. It was a lot of fun. If you’re fine with just regular food at a regular price and a fun sports atmosphere, this is a great place. If you hate sports (Michele) then you probably won’t like it that much.

My Rating: ★★★½☆ 

MICHELE: Hate is a strong word, Dan, I just don’t love sports . I guess I should expect huge tv screens playing sports at a sports grill, right? Anyway, the first time we went to Iggy’s I thought the food was good. This last time I was less than satisfied. It was an interesting experience. We walked in on a Friday night and were sat down immediately (which surprised us… no wait!). However, once we sat down we waited for a really long time for our server to come over and take our order. I asked her what she suggested since the menu is huge and she pointed out a burger. I took her advice and ordered it. I also asked for onion rings instead of fries. Well… a while later Dan’s meal came out, but mine didn’t. After waiting about 10 min. watching Dan chomp down on his meal, the waitress finally brought my meal. A burger and fries… fries??? Um… remember I ordered onion rings. So I sent my meal back. After even more waiting she finally brought a burger and onion rings out. I ate it and it really wasn’t that great. Just a basic burger, nothing spectacular. The whole time I ate I kept thinking to myself “why did she recommend this???” We did however, have coupons for free sundaes. Which we got off of their website and was the real reason we went in the first place (i believe the deal is still going on, not sure how much longer though). The sundaes were brought out quickly and were super yummy! But how could you mess up ice cream, hot fudge, and whipped cream, all topped with a cherry? It’s close to impossible… I think. Anyway, by the end of the meal I was slightly disappointed with the food and the service (except for the free ice cream portion). But then right as we were leaving over came the manager. He chatted with us and was super nice. He even gave us a coupon for free banana cream pie on our next visit.

My Rating: ★★½☆☆ 

DAN: This could be summed up in one word: blah. I got a jumbo torta with tough meat. Michele got who knows what kind of quesadilla. But the not so great food is only the beginning. We went during the world cup. I didn’t know this was a Mexican place. So of course, there was the world cup game on a huge projector screen taking up an entire wall. And of course it was blasting loud the serene sounds of the vuvuzuelas. Annoying horns. It honestly was like we walked in on someone’s family reunion. The people were very nice though. Just didn’t like the atmosphere (black curtains on every window) nor was the food good at all. If you’re curious, skip it, you’ll thank me later.

My Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ 

MICHELE: For one, this place has changed its name to Brincos. Now consider this your warning: Never go here! I honestly think it is the worst place I have ever eaten in Provo. When we walked in it was dark and it literally felt like we were walking into a stranger’s home and were definitely not welcome. It was really weird. It didn’t feel like a public place at all. The owner and his friends were just hanging out watching the World Cup. Awkwardly we ordered our food and were the only people in there eating. I ordered a quesadilla… because how can you mess up a quesadilla? Well, it’s possible! Yucky. I only ate about half and almost got sick. I will never go here again, not even if you paid me to.

My Rating: ½☆☆☆☆ 

My Rating: ★★★★½ 

MICHELE: Jaxie’s was way yummy! The reason we went is because we had a coupon (i Love coupons!). So the price for 2 entrees would normally be a little more expensive than that, but I thought the prices were still reasonable. I ordered a panini and it was sooo good! They used good bread and it was filled with lots of deliciousness (turkey, avocado, cheese, etc). I really enjoyed it. I also liked the side it came with… vegetable chips and dip. I too was not sure about it, but it was really good. The dip was a ranch dip and it was great. I thought it was a little weird you don’t get to choose your side though, you just get whatever the side of the day happens to be. Sometimes it’s fruit, sometimes salad and sometimes veggie chips. But all in all I really enjoyed the food. However, it was kind of noisy! I asked the worker what was going on upstairs and he said they have a play place and a tv up there. So this is a good choice for people with kids too. Hey, it beats McDonalds. The food is great and there is still something there to entertain your kids. It was a little noisy for us childless folk though. However, I did like the atmosphere of the downstairs. It kind of reminded me of a little coffee shop or something. It’s cute. Along with sandwiches they also serve wraps, salads, shakes and smoothies (apparently they have a breakfast menu too). I can’t wait to go back!

My Rating: ★★★★½