Vito's

The place: Vito's

What we hoped for: Well, really, we knew what we were getting.  One of us eats here weekly since it's close to work.  Weekly, we hope for a good sandwich at a great price and, if we're lucky, nice enough weather to sit outside and enjoy it.

What we've had: Almost everything.  The Philly is the classic and there are several variations of it (cream cheese, mushroom, deluxe, garlic, Italian, etc.).  The meatball is great.  The reuben and the Italian sausage are nice change of pace sandwiches.  Lots of people like the pastas, but we're not people that eat pasta at a sandwich cart.

(Philly)

(Alfredo Philly)

(Italian Philly)

(Cream Cheese Philly)

The pros: Price to value is hard to beat.  For ~$5, you get an overflowing 6 inch sandwich, chips, and a soda.  And in a county that's lacking in good, quick lunches, it's the hit of Davis County.  It's cash only, which helps keep yuppies away.

The cons: Only open for lunch, which is too bad.  In the winter, he's only open Tues-Friday.  If you get there after noon, the line fills up with high schoolers, so it's not quick.  And if you're one of those people that don't trust the cleanliness of a food cart, this might not be your place.  But if you're one of those people, stop reading this blog.

What to get: Permission from your boss to eat here often.  The first time you go, you should probably eat the Philly.  But after that, you need to have tried the cream cheese Philly, the meatball, the Italian sausage, the reuben, and whatever Philly variation you want.

Urban Spoon users: Are just getting to know it.  And I kind of don't like the publicity it's getting there (and here), because the line is bad enough already.

Ratings (1-5 mo mos.  5 is the best):
Price: 4.5 mo mos.  Extra drinks are a buck, which is the only thing keeping this at 4.5 instead of 5.  Two can happily eat for $10 total.
Atmosphere: 4.  If you like eating outside, like we do, and like you should, this is a great good-weather spot.  The downside is the line at times and there aren't enough tables - but you can just pull up a curb or open your trunk.
Food: 4.5.  Sometimes the bun is a little too soft.  But really, it's hard to complain about anything here.  This is a legitimately good sandwich.

Will we be back:
Every Wednesday for lunch for one of us.  Slightly less often for the other.  One of the very few places we eat at somewhat regularly.  It's a SLC Shawsome Spots club member.

se rancho markets (tabasco's)

The place:

Tabasco's (website)

What we hoped for:

A unique experience

What we had:

Molcajete.  What's molcajete?  It's gooey happiness.  Steak, chicken, shrimp, cactus, leeks, queso fresca, and some cheese and tomatillo salsa melted together, served in a molcajete pot (hence the name), that is shaped like a pig if you're lucky. Served with rice, beans, and homemade corn or flour tortillas.

The pros:

It's awesome.  And gooey.  And it's an experience.  If you're like us, the Latino Mall was a new experience, but between the molcajete, the friendly folks, the fresh juice and ice cream and neighboring places, it's really a good time.

The cons:

They're closed on memorial day apparently.  That cut deep.

What to get:

Molcajete.  Don't mess around with anything else.  We've had other stuff there and it's good, but much like MC Hammer's number one hit, it can't touch this. This is what you want.  When they bring you a menu, throw it in their face and say "I don't need this!"  Also, the ice cream store next door has great pistachio, lime, and strawberry cream ice cream.

Rating (1-5 mo mos, 1 being the worst, 5 being the best)

Price: 5 mo mos.  $20 bucks will feed 4 people!  Easily!  This is hands down the best price/value food combination out.

Atmosphere: 3.5 mo mos when you eat at the market part of it. 4 mo mos now that it's moved into Tabasco's restaurant inside the mall.  The mall is really fun, but the restaurants themselves are pretty normal places.

Food: 4.5 mo mos.  Like Lone Star Taqueria, this is in the exclusive "slc shawsome spots" club.

Will we go back?

Yes.  Often.  Even though we haven't learned Spanish yet, we can still say "uno Molcajete por favor," and they can laugh at us and bring food.  It's a nice arrangement.