Great Steak Sandwich Co.

 Name: Great Steak Sandwich Co.

Location: Provo Center St, just West of I-15

Atmosphere: Very homely, diner style restaurant. the main guy working the tables is super friendly. I have seen him every time I've been there and is quick to conversation and service.

The Food: After my favorite Philly place in Provo closed down (Angels of Philly) I was left to eat cheese steaks from DP and Italian Place. Not bad places, but certainly not my favorite. Thankfully, a friend recommended this place to me and I have become a changed man. The one big caveat I had at first was the fact that they used cream cheese instead of cheese whiz for their Steak & Philly. Now, to East Coasters, this may be a cardinal sin which warrants an immediate blacklist...but I'm from Seattle, so I decided to give it a shot. What I have noticed from other cheese steak shops that use whiz, sometimes it tends to lose the thick consistency when heated and almost feels like I'm eating cheese water. The cream cheese was able to hold all the ingredients together, and still provide a rich medium that complements the seasoned steak. They also have some really good old fashioned desserts, if you aren't stuffed after your meal. 

Price: about $6 for a sandwich, few bucks more to add fries and a drink.

In a Nutshell: Great local, friendly place with some bomb sandwiches.

MadBrad recommends: The Steak Sandwiches...it is called the "Great Steak Sandwich Co" for a reason.

Saigon Cafe

Name: Saigon Cafe

Location: 300 E 500 W, Provo

Atmosphere: Typical Chinese restaurant theme, with Chinese calendars on your table and an aquarium. Nothing out of the ordinary.

The Food: The two main goals of this blog was to enlighten people on good food you might not have had as well as deals. This place definitely achieves the latter with their special combos. For just under $6 you get a choice of about 15 different entrees, soup, some fried pastry with a dipping sauce, ham fried rice, and an egg roll. The food is decent, a step up from your Smith's chinese express food although the quality of the entrees vary. I got the General Tso's Chicken, while my friend got the Cashew Nut Chicken. My dish was decent, but his was very tasty.

Price: The special is $5.85 (few bucks more for shrimp). The standard entrees vary from $6-$10 depending on the meat.

In a Nutshell: If you are looking to fill up on  a few bucks, this place will keep your stomach and wallet full.

MadBrad recommends: Go during lunchtime. They tend to be less busy and you get your food faster.

Five Star BBQ Company

 Name: Five Star BBQ

Location: North of Center St off of Geneva Rd in Orem

Atmosphere: The restaurant is located the main floor of a house. With southern style decor on the walls, it felt very homely. I was wondering if the owner of the place actually lived upstairs

The Food: I was really impressed with the amount of food that you receive for the price that you pay. BBQ especially most places tend to skimp on the meat. Five Star was an exception to that rule. I got the beef brisket platter, and not only was it loaded up with meat, it came with two ginormous sides (I got coleslaw & mac n cheese) and either cornbread or garlic bread. My buddy got a sandwich and it was stuffed with their pulled pork. I was extremely impressed with the coleslaw. Had a great amount of sauce, yet the cabbage was still very crunchy. There was some extra spice in there too that gave it a nice kick. They have homemade BBQ sauces, the 'Kinda Hot' mixed with the 'House BBQ' was my favorite mixture.

Price: $8-10 for a meal, but comes with a ton of food.

In a Nutshell: A little off the beaten path, and only open for lunch M-Th. But swing by during Fri or Sat and you won't be disappointed. Oh, and the girl taking our order was pretty cute, and knew how to cut some meat. Way Hot.

MadBrad recommends: JT's Brunswick stew. Get it as a side with your meat. Wayyyy Good.

Emanuels

For my first post, I thought I would go to someplace that is right in my backyard, literally. I could hop over my back fence and land in the dumpster. Emanuel's is located on 900 E in Provo, in the same area as the Gold's Gym. This spot has seen numerous restaurants in the few years I have been at my residence, but this is by far my favorite one. Upon walking in, you have the feeling that the food would be the quality of a Betos or Rancheritos. You will be surprised to find out that the food is something that you would expect from a traditional Mexican restaurant. The food is prepared very fast, I barely have time to sit down after grabbing salsa from the salsa bar before my food arrives. I am fairly certain I have had at least half of the items on their menu, and each one of them has been fantastic. Most items are between $6-$8, but comes with a ton of food.

In a nutshell: If you can get over the fact that there is no mariachi music playing and you don't get chips and salsa while you wait, this place is money.

MadBrad Recommends: The chicken flautas (shown below) or their California burrito. Not a big fan of the Chile Verde, it tastes a lot like the green chili that the previous place made...not sure if their is a connection or not.

Introduction

So...I have been thinking about doing this for a while, and after some positive encouragement on my vast knowledge of great under the radar food spots in the area, I decided to go with it. This blog will chronicle my adventure through the culinary expanse that is in Utah County (or lack thereof). I will be sharing my favorite spots, my favorite deals throughout the week, and my opinion on other places I have yet to go to. I am no food critic, no expert analyst, and if you haven't figured out by now yet...no writer. But I love food, and love a good deal on good food. One of the reasons I am doing this is to hopefully get some notice and extra business to the spots that I love. I have seen way to many amazing food places go down because not enough people know about them. So, take a peek, try them out, and let me know what you think. And if you have a suggestion for a place you want me to write about, let me know.

Madbrad