Cafe Shambala

The Place: Cafe Shambala

What we expected: Like Vito's, we know what we're getting into.  Tibetan food, which we can best describe as a slightly lighter Chinese, heavier on veggies, and much much tastier.

What we got: Thanks to our language barriers and our adventurous spirits, we've ended up with most everything here at one point or another.  There's one or two things to get every time.  Otherwise, whatever you want.

The pros: It's truly fabulous.  If you get take out or take home leftovers, the smell lingers in your car for a couple days, reminding you of the joy you experienced previously.  It's right next door to Hatch's so you can get an ice cream after.  It's not all that busy, so getting a table isn't hard.  The food always tastes a little different, so you don't get sick of it.  Saying "Shambala" is fun.  The staff is very friendly.

The cons: It's hard to decide what to order.  If you're picky, you may be in trouble because they get your order wrong sometimes since they don't speak great English.  If you like an adventure, that's a pro.  It's cheap, but not super cheap.

What to get: Veggie fried mo-mos.  Make sure not to order the meat ones or the non-fried ones.  They're good, but what you want is the veggie fried mo-mos.  7 come on a plate, and you want at least 3 1/2, so order a plate for two of you.  And then another plate to take home.  We can't say enough about veggie fried mo-mos.  We rate all other food in comparison to mo-mos.

Chicken chow mein is probably the next best thing.  Beef and broccoli, sweet and sour chicken, chili chicken, fingsha, etc. etc.  They're legit.  There are many vegan and vegetarian options as well, which have been good. But we eat more meat.

(Half eaten chicken chow mein) 

(Veggie fried mo-mos and sauce from the outside)

(Veggie fried mo-mos from the inside)

(Sweet and sour chicken and rice)

Urban Spoon users: Are basically right.  But it's better than they say.

Ratings (1-5 mo-mos (see, mo-mos!), 5 is the best):

Price: 3 mo mos. It's a good deal, but like a lot of this kind of food, it's not as cheap as a sandwich or a burrito.  The bigger issue is that we end up ordering enough for a couple days of leftovers.

Atmosphere: 3.5 mo mos. It's pretty okay.  Clean and friendly, and nice to get to the aves from time to time.  Being next door to Hatch's doesn't hurt their rating.

Food: 5 mo mos. This is only the second 5 we have on here, and we don't have another one in mind.  If we weren't opposed to people giving ratings higher than the scale, we'd give this a 5.5.  But we are opposed to that.

Will we be back:

Seriously?  Of course.  This is one of the most elite members of the already elite SLC Shawsome Spots club.

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.

lone star taqueria

The place:

Lone Star Taqueria (website)

What we hoped for:

Something half as good as the hype we'd heard

What we had:

Well, we've had everything. But on this trip we had 2 shrimp burritos, 1/2 shrimp burrito, and a carne adovada burrito.  And 4 Jarritos sodas.

The pros:

Seriously, everything.  This place is truly amazing.  The fish burritos and tacos are already famous, and for a good reason.  The green sauce that comes with the fish and shrimp is a little creamy bit of heaven.  

The cons:

-Everyone hypes the tacos, but the burritos are better.

-Sometimes the fish of the day is cod.  Cod?  Seriously?

-At peak times, it's packed.

-The parking situation is poor.

What to order:

The fish, shrimp, and carne adovada burritos are outstanding.  Maria's plato, the nachos, and the chips and guac are also amazing.  The tacos and tamales are fine, but overhyped.

Urban Spoon users: 

Are basically right. Except they keep talking about tacos when they should be talking about burritos.

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

Price: 4 mo mos.  It's not the cheapest place we eat, but the price to value is seriously unreal.  We ate for 4, with sodas, for $37.  If you skip the drinks, it would have been more like $29 for 4.

Atmosphere: 5 mo mos.  It has the crazy car outside, the neon skulls, the godzilla tip taker (you'll see what we mean), and truly friendly service.  Indoor/outdoor seating is a plus.  If you go at busy times, it's a mess.  But it's worth it.  Park across the street if it's too busy.

Food: 5 mo mos.  This is in the exclusive "slc shawsome spots" club.  If you're wondering, sharks + awesome = shawsome.  This is as good as it gets.

Will we go back?

Yes. Repeatedly. Often. When you go there, based on this review, you'll probably see us there.