Nothin' Could be Finer . . .

Charlie Boy's Pit BBQ in Springville advertizes itself as "authentic Carolina BBQ." There are certainly signs that it is authentic. You can see the smoker and smell the rich BBQ smoke everywhere. Also, you can buy meat in bulk. That's always a good sign.

What makes it Carolina? There are several distinct regional barbecue traditions. The Carolinas are rich enough to have several of their own. Charlie Boy's provides an eastern-style Carolina BBQ, which means pulled pork, slaw, and a vinegar/hot pepper sauce. (They also offer a beef sandwich, but it is pulled brisket rather than the sliced brisket more common to Texas style.) I didn't find as many sides as I expected, but they did offer up a pretty good potato salad (a little on the sweet side) and good beans. Carolina usually means "whole hog" barbecue, which apparently CB's sponsors on occasion. I thought the sauce was great, on either the pork or beef. (The pork is more authentic Carolina, but I actually like the beef better.) Next time, I'll check into getting a bottle. I'm a big fan of slaw, and I like theirs a lot. And do you suppose you could just get a dozen of their soft rolls?

Charlie Boy's is on 1400 North Main Street in Springville, on the site of the old Brand X Burger (which I never had a chance to sample). There is no indoor seating, but some nice shaded outdoor seating for when things warm up again. (There is a second Charlie Boy's in Lehi.) I'll definitely be back in the summer.

Substantial Grub in Cedar City

This last week, I went with my oldest son to the Shakespeare festival in Cedar City, an annual tradition (since this is our second year--if we do it twice, it's a tradition). Traveling with a 17-year-old means you need to find some substantial grub, and this means meat.

Last year, we hit a restaurent close to the hotel, the Cedar Creek Restaurant. Nothing too fancy here: it is as promised "homestyle comfort food." They offer a nice selection of hamburgers, sandwiches, grilled chicken, steaks, soups, salads, and desserts. The grilled items are the speciality, but they also offer some interesting pasta dishes. As I recall, they had pretty good homemade rolls, too.

Then we went up the canyon to Rusty's Ranch House. It's dinner only at Rusty's, and they're closed on Sunday (that's the Mormon influence). They offer substantial portions of steaks, chicken, and ribs with salad, rolls, and sweet potatoes on the side. They offer a pretty good cobbler among the desserts. We went there as a family several years ago when we were staying in a cabin at Duck Creek Village with AnneMarie's family. Her dad's nickname is "Rusty," so we had to stop there. This was the summer before AnneMarie's mother died, and the last time (really) that her entire family was all together before her mother's death. So it has some particular memories as well as good substantial food.

This year, we stopped off at the Branding Iron Texas Bar-B-Que. It's excellent stuff at good prices. Since this is Texas style, the emphasis is on the beef. They offer brisket, tri-tip, and beef ribs, but they also have pretty good sausage, chicken, and pork. We had a really good peach cobbler for dessert. I really liked the spicy beans on the side--and they were spicy. This is just off the freeway (Exit #59) on the south end of town at the Providence Crossing Center (just look for the lighthouse). Some of the best barbecue I've had in Utah.

We had intended to try an interesting place called the Market Grill. This establishment is on highway 56 out by the airport (and the dump). The Market Grill is attached to the Cedar Livestock Market (where you can watch live auctions every Thursday). Originally, it was intended to feed the ranchers who came in for the auctions. Now it is a favorite among locals. And talk about getting food close to the source.

But there was a change of plans. We met up, by chance, with my brother and his family, and ended up at Sizzler, which is a much better place for kids because they have a salad/dessert bar. I usually find Sizzler disappointing. The food seems not as good as it should be for what you pay. So I just got the salad bar. My son ordered a ribeye steak, which is usually a good choice--one of my favorites. This was an OK steak (cooked medium rare), but it could only loosely be called a ribeye. It probably came from the same neighborhood on the cow, but it wasn't the real deal. This makes mean sound like a food snob, but I'm just pointing out how when at Sizzler, you usually have to lower your expectations.

Next year, Market Grill and Milt's Stage Stop.

Smokehouse Pizza and Barbecue

Here's the dilemma you face at Smokehouse Pizza & BBQ, do you order a pizza or get BBQ? I typically get the barbecue, which includes brisket, chicken, pulled pork, ribs, and sausage. I would generally describe the place as a combination of Texas style and Southern style. They offer three sauces: sweet BBQ, hot BBQ, and sweet mustard. But the BBQ itself comes "naked," which means that you add the sauce yourself. The meat comes from right here in Utah, and they smoke it on site. (I wouldn't describe this as a great BBQ place, particulary because BBQ is such a regional dish, but it is certainly good Q, and among the best Utah has to offer.) They offer some typical sides. (beans, corn, cole slaw, homemade chips), and some unique choices, like garlic knots (little knots of bread dough with olive oil and garlic).

But the pizza is good too. It's New York style crust (they know their NY pizza history) with some California style toppings. They call it "Neo-Neopolitan Old School." I can go with that. So you can get a classic Pizza Margharita or Pizza Bianca, but also a trendy Sweet & Spicy Thai or Buffalo Chicken.

They have also added salads to the menu, but you might want to start with a half salad because they are huge. They also have some great desserts: cobbler, peanut butter pie, carrot cake.

You really can't go wrong here because most dishes are in the $5-7 range. It's a pretty busy place around lunch time, but the service is pretty fast. You can also get take out and catering.

Smokehouse offers two locations. The original Orem location, which is in what I call "Mormon corner" just off University Parkway. This is where you find the Distribution Center, Missionary Mall, Emergency Essentials, Kneeshorts, and Deseret Book. There is also a Provo location on University near Center street (where the Underground used to be).

Wingers

My oldest son had to work tonight (at Wendy's) so we took the younger two to Wingers. The kids like it because they get free popcorn, and they have pretty good meals for kids. But I always find myself a little disappointed. AnneMarie and I split a mango chicken salad with a poppyseed dressing. It sounds like a good recipe, but the mangos were still a little cold.

You're probably safe if you stick with their wings and ribs. I like their Amazing Sauce, but AnneMarie finds it too sweet. As I recall, they used to have a sweet sauce (the Winger's sauce), and a spicer BBQ sauce, but they've gone to a new menu, so some things have changed (such as no celery with the wings. How can they be Buffalo wings without celery?)

But spending just more than $20 we got free dessert, so that worked out all right. Wingers isn't unique to Utah, but it started here, and most of the restaurants are here too. There are Wingers in Orem, Provo, American Fork, Lehi, and several other places in Utah. They are also found in WA, OR, ID, WY, NV (but not California). There are also restaurants in Germany on the military bases. What's the story there?