Restaurant Review - La Jolla Groves

Tonight some friends and I checked out La Jolla Groves over in Riverwoods, and it was an excellent experience! We started with a cheese plate, then opted to skip the soup/salad course so that we'd have room for dessert. For the entrees, between the three of us we ordered chicken crepes, mushroom ravioli, and beef medallions. All were very tasty. The beef (my order) was very tender and tasty. I sampled the crepes, which were lovely, and tasted the ravioli. I loved the sauce on the ravioli.

My personal measuring stick for eating establishments is how they treat their cooked vegetables. La Jolla did a beautiful job with mine! There were slim baby carrots, asparagus, and teeny tiny potatoes. They were cooked, but not overcooked or mushy. Yea!

We tried two different desserts -- Orange Crème brûlée and an individual-sized Lemon bundt cake. Both were lovely. The lemon cake had a nifty melted sugar dome covering it. I might have to try making those some time. It looks like it was melted sugar draped and swirled in thin ribbons over an upside-down bowl. We also brought some lemon rolls home, but haven't tried them yet.

They do take reservations, and our table was ready when we arrived. I called at 5:15 tonight for a 6:45 reservation. Parking was the only issue because they've turned the Riverwoods shopping/eating area into a pedestrian mall with parking around the outside. La Jolla is directly west of Tucanos, but I ended up parking out by Macaroni Grill. So, make a reservation and plan to arrive 10-15 minutes early to the parking lot so that you have time to circle around a bit until you find a spot.

Two Thumbs Up!

Today some co-workers and I checked out the new Magleby's location in Provo (by the Marriott Courtyard where TGI Friday's used to be).

Survey says? Very much like the old Maglebys. Hurray! There was a terrific lunch buffet - soups, salad, roast beef, teriyaki chicken, trout, potatoes, cooked veggies (squash with carrots), breadsticks, and dessert. I'm sure there were other offerings, these were just the ones I noticed. There is also a lunch menu if one wishes to order a dish rather than wander the buffet.

I've missed the former Maglebys that used to be just off the diagonal. The Riverwoods location didn't have the same feeling to it, even though the food was delicious. This new one just felt right.

If you want to go and need an additional member of your party, I'm your girl! It is my birthday on Sunday...so feel free to call it my birthday present -- I'm happy to take rain checks for 2011 since you are probably as busy as I am right now...

(Good things come to those who wait?)

Stumpy Burger (Review)

On Friday some friends and I tried "Stumpy Burger" a new hamburger joint on Center Street in Provo (South side of the street between 200 and 300 West). The list of items on the menu is not long, but the food was quite tasty. I tried the "Bandit Burger" with grilled onions, and quite liked it. We tried their fries and onions rings, and I liked both. I'm not a big fan of most fries, be these were the heartier steak fries, and I do like those. No goofy seasonings on them either. Definitely try their fry sauce, which has a nice horseradish kick to it!

They also have coconut cream pie and a pie de jour. Because I am a sucker for coconut cream pie, I got a piece "to go". I didn't even ask what the other kind of pie was! Upon reflection, I should have shared it around the table, because it was a very generous piece...But instead, I had half on Saturday and half on Sunday.

If you are looking for a good hamburger in Provo, give them a try...or skip the protein and go straight to pie!