Tastes of Inauthenticity

I should have known when we walked in the front door.  There was paneling on the walls, and the constant din of a fan or swamp cooler.  The place was sparsely decorated.  I thought they were closed because of the general disarray, but I was hungry, and sometimes the best food comes from dives (right, Guy Fieri?).  These were the thoughts when Ben and I walked into Taste of India in West Jordan, and in retrospect, we should have just walked out.

I had the chicken coconut korma, and Ben had the chicken tikka masala.  We ordered the naan fusion basket, because we can't get enough of good naan.  We didn't get any good naan with our order.  The naan was doughy; doughy to the point that I could pull pieces off and roll it up into little balls.  Not to mention, they forgot the bread basket, and we only received it after I asked the waitress about it.

The curries were soupy and bland.  I literally asked the server if the sauce was from a jar, to which she said she needed to go ask the kitchen.  Bad sign.  Sorry, sweet server, the terrible food isn't your fault but I had to know.  They said the food was fresh, but let me tell you: they lied.  I make Indian food at home, and I eat it every chance I can, that slop was from a jar. 

$45 later, we walked out disappointed and feeling slightly sick. 

I am not hard to please.  I don't have an insanely refined palate, but I was truly disappointed.  I don't know if anyone else has been to one of their two locations, but the dinner we had was so disgusting that I want to warn everyone to avoid the hell out of that place.

If you want Indian food go to these places:
Himalayan Kitchen
Star of India
India House
Bombay House
India Fusion

Slacking

I have been slacking in the blog department, but such is life, right?

Here is the skinny on the past few weeks:

Ben and I took Jarom to the zoo for his sixth birthday celebration, and we had an absolute blast!  The Zoorasic Park exhibit that Utah's Hogle Zoo hosted was a sight to be seen.  The dinosaurs were very realistic, and the little man loved them.  The dinosaurs are gone now, but if you haven't been to the zoo this summer, I recommend going.  Sometimes the animals seem sad, but zoos are generally a wonderful place for knowledge, and the animals tend to be well taken care of (that's my take for those of you that are ambivalent about zoos).  On a lighter note, I braved the reptile house for longer than I felt was necessary, but I suppose that is a step toward personal growth?

Aesop Rock and the Hail Mary Mallon crew performed with Kimya Dawson at the Urban Lounge, and the show rocked my world!!!  Hail Mary Mallon played new music, and Aes and Kimya debuted some of their new material for an album they are working on.  Watch this video to get a taste (warning, you will want to cry): 

Natalie had a bachelorette party where we ate at The Garage in North Salt Lake, and afterward we all had a  "few" drinks at the Marriott downtown.  The burger at The Garage is delish, and their wings are pretty damn good too, for those that are interested.  Her party was every ounce as fabulous as she is.  Words can't express how fun it was to let loose with a group of funny, intelligent women. Alek and Nat tie the knot on Saturday, and I'm eagerly waiting to see how beautiful their celebration will be.  The update that follows their wedding will likely be a verbose one. (Speaking of, check out Nat's gorgeous bridal pictures.)

All-in-all: school is flowing along nicely, the gym is fantastic (I've been choking suckas on a regular basis), Ben and I are fantastic, my friends are behaving in their usual (aka marvelous) fashion, and I couldn't be happier.

I swear, I'll update with some pictures, it's just a matter of time.

Where's Waldo?

I have been missing in action for the past few weeks, and that is because I have been busy working out, watching movies, and just engaging in some general summer frolicking. 

As of late Ben and I have been eating more snow cones and tacos  than we should, but it has been worth every bite.  We have also been eating too much frozen yogurt, especially Frogurt.  Mmmmmm.  There have been quite a few parties lately, and not enough homework!  Eeeeek, but meh.  I have a touch of senioritis, and I don't want to do a damn thing that is related to the world of academia, and that has included blogging (writing is academic, okay?!).

Normally I would try to give some really nice reviews and recommendations to my friends, and I would attempt to color those recommendations with vivid images, but that's not going to happen today.  Here are my recommendations:

• Eat at Finn's Cafe for some great Scandinavian Food.  We tried their breakfast, and it was great.  The location is cute, but our server sucked (our friends assured us that it was an extremely rare occurrence).

• See Transformers 3.  It is a Transformers movie, if you didn't like the first two you won't like the third.  Shia Labeouf holding a gun, rocking  plaid, and looking sexy make it worth it, oh, and they spend some time in D.C. Nuff said.

• Check out our dear friends, Nat and Alek on A Yummy Life Photography's blog.  Their engagement photos will make you feel warm inside, guaranteed.  I can't wait for those two to get married.  After our breakfast at Finn's I watched Alek open her car door, and I can't tell you how touched I was by this, they are completely in love and it is a joy to see.  

Hapa Taqueria

Before going to watch The Hangover Part II, we went to Hapa Taqueria for some food with our friends.  This new restaurant is in the old Acme Burger building, and although I'm sad Acme is gone, this new place is great!  They serve street-style tacos and botanas, or small snacks.  I had a pork taco and two carne asada tacos, with some chips and guacamole.  Ben had a chicken street-taco and a chicken quesadilla; we enjoyed every menu item that we purchased, and will definitely be going back.  [For the next three weeks they are serving $1 tacos and super cheap tequila shots and draft beers ($1-3).]

As for The Hangover Part II, it was pretty much identical to the first (crude jokes, crazy antics, and Bradley Cooper's gorgeous hair).  If you liked the first movie, the second shouldn't disappoint, but if you didn't like the first one (obviously) don't waste your time and money. 

In other news, I am sick.  I have been battling cold symptoms, and now flu symptoms for just over one week.  Ugh, I can't wait to feel better and hit the gym (in a moment of truthful shame I have to admit that I have packed on twenty, yup, twenty pounds.)  It is time to start eating like a healthy person again and working out (I give it two solid months and the weight will be gone, right?)

The Chocolate and Brylea's Birthday

On Saturday we took Brylea out for her 8th birthday celebration!  Ben and I decided that having four siblings must mean that you are constantly fighting for attention, fighting to be heard (Ben knows this, he is one of five), and because we recognize this, we're taking each kid out for a solo birthday date.  Each date will be different, and each kid will get some time with two listening adults.

Our first birthday date was with Brylea!  We took Brylea to a bakery in West Jordan called "The Chocolate."  This is one of two locations, and I have wanted to go, so this was a perfect time.  The bakery is inside of a small cottage-style house that has been converted into a quaint oasis in the middle of West Jordan.  The decor is fabulous!  As usual, we didn't have a camera, so camera-phone pictures will have to do (I'm not a photographer, so the picture quality isn't likely to improve, ever).

This is the birthday girl, Brylea.  She talked and talked and talked...it was great.

Great, the inside of the place was fabulous, but how was the food?

Well, I wish I could say better things, but I would give the taste of our treats a B grade.  The Brooklyn Blackout Cake slice that I had was kind of dry and the cake was bland, and Ben's Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookie was just plain bad.  However, the lemon square was delicious, and so was the mint chocolate brownie and the huge cup of coffee that we ordered.  So 2 of 5 menu items were sub-par...which as far as I'm concerned means that I will definitely try the place again, but I can't quite recommend it to anyone that I know.

After the bakery we took Brylea to the dollar store and she bought some Mother's Day presents.  Brylea is a sweetheart, it was her birthday date and the first thing she asked was, "can we go buy my mom something for tomorrow, I have $5 from the Easter egg hunt."  On her day, that sweet little girls spent every dollar she had on her mom.  I was happy to go with her and pick out trinkets.

After shopping we went to a soccer game to watch her little brother and sister play.  Brylea seemed to have a good time, which was really all that mattered.  The next birthday date is with Logan, and I must say, I'm excited to visit the dinosaur museum!

Good Eats

Wednesday was my last final!!!  To celebrate we went to the gym, and I did a little muay Thai, while Ben did a little jiu-jitsu.  My leg is finally healed, so I can kick with both shins!  It is such a good feeling to not be broken!

After the gym we celebrated the end of the semester with some barbeque!  We went to Goodwood Barbeque in Draper.  I had never been, but everyone that I know loves this place, and I can't say that I disagree after going.  Goodwood BBQ, Co. has a handful of locations in Utah and Idaho; the food is reasonably priced and delicious; the service is amazing, and it is clean and well-decorated.

To start, we ordered the "small" spinach and artichoke dip.  The bread that it comes with is to die for!

I ordered the brisket sandwich with a side of fries, I drenched both items in their delicious "Sweet and Sassy" sauce.  Let me just tell you, I am a sucker for brisket.  Brisket is something that you can eat with your fingers (always a plus in my book, I eat like a caveperson), and you can smother it in sweet and spicy sauces, what could be better?  The bread they served the sandwich on was delicious, and the red onion they served it with complemented it so well.  Everything on the plate, down to the pickle, was delicious.  I stuffed myself after a hard workout and I still had half of the sandwich left...the sandwich tasted even better in the morning!

Ben's plate was massive!  He went for the platter with pulled pork, brisket, potato salad, and barbeque baked beans.  The pulled pork was divine, and so was the potato salad!  I'm not a huge fan of beans, but the beans were good too!  Again, the portions were gigantic!

Our server was amazing, if our drinks dropped even the slightest, she swooped in with a new one, and then when someone else would walk by, they'd remove the empty glass.  It is nice to see good customer service that is alive and well.  That being said, the service was good without being too in your face.  Now that I know how good the food is, we'll definitely be visiting there more.

Valentine's Day

This Valentine's Day we skipped cards, flowers, chocolates, and any typical trappings. Instead of the typical date, we ate panang gai (red curry chicken) and Gaeng Kieow Waan (green curry chicken). We washed it down with Thai Iced coffee, and some mango sticky rice. I highly recommend checking out Mekong Cafe, it is on 7777 South State Street. You will not be disappointed in a single dish that this mom and pop restaurant serves. Everything they serve is delicious, well, everything I have tried that is. This picture isn't from the actual place, but it is very similar:

I love date nights. We have so much fun. I love having our usual spots. It was a great Valentine's Day!

Uno

My favorite baby in the whole world turned ONE on February 4th!
Her fabulous parents threw a party (on the 5th) at So Cupcake in Holladay. I tried the "So Hanky Panky Red Velvet" cupcake, and Cam gave me a bite of his blueberry cake; both of the cupcakes that I tried were great. My camera from my phone doesn't do this beautiful baby justice, but here she is:
She parties like a rockstar, double-fistin' some cupcake goodness!

Here is one of my favorite pictures that her mommy had done professionally:

I love you, Miss Sofia!

Cupcakes and Wine

One of my best friends in the whole world turned thirty this week, and to celebrate he put together a party at Divas Cupcakes and Coffee in Salt Lake. There was a spread of cupcakes and wine, which was absolutely adorable; the cupcakes were delicious! I was able to taste the red velvet, and s'mores cupcakes, and they were both to die for! I overheard a few people raving about the tomato basil soup as well. They have a beautiful patio, and greenhouse, I will definitely be going there to study.
Tons of wonderful people came out to celebrate in honor of Steve. It was a great time, and I'm so thankful to have friends like Steve in my life. Travy was also there and he drove with me to the event, it was really nice to catch up.

Aloha

Ben left for Hawaii on Monday, and it was quite the emotional event.
I cried all the way to the airport, it couldn't be helped.
It hit us like a ton of bricks on Sunday night; we won't be able to touch each other for a month. A pause has been put on movies, dinners, snuggling, jiu-jitsu, and naps. Hawaii is a bitch.
I'm going to Maui October 9-17th for a visit (it will be fall break.) If I wasn't going to Maui, I'm pretty sure we'd both explode.

We went on our long awaited "fancy" date to Spencer's and ate some delicious food as a final hoorah before he took off. Ben was given a much appreciated gift certificate from our friend/instructor Pedro, and the $104 tab only took $25.00 out of our pockets. The food was great, and it was nice to get all dressed up (Ben looked so handsome in his slacks and button-down maroon shirt.)

I can't wait for him to come home, I miss him very much. People say, "time makes the heart grow fonder," but what if you are already fond to the millionth power?

Scones and Moans

This weekend was absolutely fantastic!

My recommendations after this weekend are as follows: 1.) Wait to see the movie Cop Out until it comes out on video. There were some very funny parts, and I was not overly disappointed, but I can't knowingly recommend the movie at eight dollars a ticket. 2.) If you have not dined at Johanna's Kitchen in Sandy, you MUST! The food is delicious, and reasonably priced. Ben and I went there twice this weekend, we tried the corned beef and hash, a breakfast burrito, french toast, and their delectable scones! Everything we tried and everything our friends tried was fantastic! 3.) Please check out my dearest Bentley's blog page and subscribe! We will be posting fun news and tournament information there. In order to get some things up and running for sponsorships we need to get his name and information out there! I have never met anyone that deserves something more, and any help that we can get in perpetuating his name is appreciated. He's also on Twitter, and Facebook!