Macaroni Grill

I know what you are thinking. "How the hell did you end up at the Macaroni Grill when visiting a city like Salt Lake." Well, let me explain how this all came to be.

The conference on the first night ran until 8:30. If you have never been to Salt Lake City, you will find that many places there close pretty early during the week. By the second night we were joined by Clyde who was feeling Italian this night. We looked at our trusty map provided by what has to be the most nervous concierge in the city of Salt Lake and decided to head a few blocks away to Cafe Toscana. Dave decides that we should walk to the restaurant, as he says it is only a few blocks away.

Let me take a moment to tell you about the blocks in Salt Lake City. They are nothing like the blocks you are used to walking in New York City. These blocks are huge. As a matter of fact, a cabbie told us that seven blocks equal a mile. And did I mention that it was cold in Salt Lake City last week? We finally get to the location where Cafe Toscana was supposed to be located, only to find that it is a victim of our troubling economy. They have closed down. Needles to say, we were bummed and freezing.

We had passed a Macaroni Grill along the way and decided to hump it back there for what is now a late dinner. We got in at 9:45 when they were closing at 10:00. I have to give it to our server in that he did a great job even though he knew we were causing him to stay later on his shift.

I have to give the Macaroni Grill their props in that the food is very consistent. The vodka rustica I got was exactly like the dish I have gotten at any of their other locations. We all had some great food and the evening was saved. I do have to call Clyde out on a faux pas he committed when he told the waiter he wanted parmesan cheese on his shellfish. One should never get cheese when ordering a shellfish dish. Just thought I would share that little bit of knowledge with you.

If you are looking for a good Italian meal at a good price, the Macaroni Grill is a safe choice. I love the place to be honest. So much so, that I get hammered by one of my employees named Elizabethe whenever I suggest we go there for a departmental lunch. I am going to give our visit to the Macaroni Grill four Stiffey's. Good food, good service and a quality experience says it all.

Eat, drink and be merry!

Harry

Red Rock Brewing Company

I spent the last week in Salt Lake City attending the INTIX conference with Nick and went excited about the dining prospects that awaited me. We have a co-worker named Dave that is based in Salt Lake City, so we were anticipating him taking us to the best dining experiences the city had to offer. I admit this was quite a bit of pressure for Dave, but he came through with flying colors.

On the flight out I read through the Southwest Airlines magazine and saw the Red Rock Brewing Company was listed as one of the best brewing companies in the country and decided we should hit that the first night since it was not far from the hotel and Dave couuldn't join us for dinner that night. We met up with Matt who was also attending the conference, but flying in from Wisconsin.

Now, I am not a big fan of brewing companies for dinner as I feel that the only thing that separates them from each other is just the beer. The food at these places seems to be marginal at best. I have never gone to a brewing company and left thinking I have had a great meal.

We got in around 9:00pm and were seated immediately. They had a pretty good crowd going for a Monday night even though this was the Monday following the Super Bowl. I wasn't really hungry, but knew I had to give something a try. Nick ordered some onion rings (his favorite) and I ordered some wings to start. Both the onion rings and the wings came out very quickly. The rings were huge with a lot of batter and piping hot. The wings were marginal at best, but they worked in a pinch. For my entree, I ordered a burger that turned out to be nothing more than a patty melt inside of a pita pocket. What brewing company in their right mind serves a burger in a pita pocket? So now I am jammed-up!

I cannot really remember what Nick and Matt ordered, both thought their food was all right, but nothing special. Nick is on a holy grail search for the best tuna salad, so I have to guess that he may have had the tuna. Despite the fact that I was eating a burger in a pita pocket, the meat was flavorful and cooked medium-rare like I ordered it. The waitress had warned me that the patty would be thin and it might be hard for them to get it medium-rare, but they did it to perfection. The burger came with fries, which were hot and tasty as well.

The one thing we all agreed upon was that the in-house brews were wonderful. They do a great job with their beers and have a wide variety. I would encourage anybody that visits Red Rock Brewing Company to definitely have a beer even if beer is not your usual drink of choice. You should definitely be able to find one you will like.

The service is great here, the atmosphere jumping and the room was loaded with beautiful women. I would probably go back there again for the great beers, but would probably eat somewhere else first.

I found Salt Lake City to be a wonderful city with extremely nice people. I noticed a lack of brothas and sistas in the city, but have to assume that is due to the cold weather. This was the coldest weather I have experienced this year. It is beautiful out there, but very cold. That's just not how we roll.

I have to give Red Rock Brewing Company three Stiffey's. If you find yourself in Salt Lake City, go to the Red Rock Brewing Company for the beer and expect typical bar fare.

Eat, drink and be merry!

Harry