Moochie's Meatballs & More

During our visit to Salt Lake City, we had the benefit of having one of our co-workers actually based in this fine city. Dave was under a lot of pressure to take us to some of the great restaurants in his city and I know he knows what a food snob I can be at times. The pressure was definitely on!!!

We asked Dave where he was going to take us to lunch on the second day that third day that we were there and he said, "Moochie's." I had heard about Moochie's from the Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives show previously. On that show the thing that I remember them being famous for was their cheesesteaks, but the restaurant is really famous for their meatball sandwiches. Given that I am always on the quest to find the best cheesesteak I can outside of Philadelphia, I had to get after one of them and skip the meatball sandwich. Although, I didn't even know about their prowess in the area of meatball sandwiches until after I had left, so it wasn't an issue. More about the meatball sandwich issue later.

We get to Moochie's and I notice this place is small. Seems Moochie's started out as a pottery store and the proprietor decided later to add the sandwich shop. It clearly fits into the dive category of the show previously mentioned, but that is all right. I love dives. Seating is limited and it as much too cold to sit outside on the day we visited anyway. We were lucky to find a table, but one of our party had to sit at the table behind us with some very nice Salt Lake City folks that welcomed Matt to their table.

Everybody in our group went cheesesteak and the only decision was six or twelve inch. Most went twelve with Clyde going six. We got our sandwiches as part of a combo, which includes chips and a drink. The sandwiches showed up after a very quick wait of only a little over five minutes and they were busy on this day. My guess is they stay pretty busy all the time. The bread was authentic just like you would find in Philadelphia and the steak was nice and tender with a generous spead of cheese on each sandwich. When you order, all sandwiches come with grilled onions and you have to tell them if you also want peppers or mushrooms, which costs extra. We all went with just the onions. While I thought the sandwich was great, I did think my onions were just a little overcooked and bitter. Not enough for me to not like the sandwich, but just enough for me to note. It was a good lunch.

I have to share with you a little story regarding our visit, which I discussed with some friends of mine. I was at the Budweiser Shootout upon my return to Daytona Beach and telling my friends, Kelly and Kelly from NASCAR, about our meal. These girls can appreciate a good meal, so I knew they would be interested to hear what I had to say about Moochie's. I was telling them about the fact that Moochie's is famous for meatball sandwiches and cheesesteaks and about the fact that I had only eaten a cheesesteak on my visit. Kelly from NASCAR speaks up and says, "You should have gone six inch meatball and six inch cheesesteak." This is a girl truly after my own heart. This would have been a great approach, but Nick brought up an interesting question. "If you go six and six, which do you eat first for maximum sandwich enjoyment?" Since going in the thought was that this was a cheesesteak place, I think you have to go meatball first and then your six inch cheesesteak as your entree so to speak. It's not something I can comment on from experience, since I didn't do it that way, but I think that is how it has to be played.

We had a great lunch and Dave came out of it a hero. He still had a couple of dinners to take us to, but his reputation at this point was definitely intact. I have to give our visit to Mooche's four Stiffey's and encourage anybody visiting Salt Lake City to seek out this great sandwich place. It is definitely worth the trip and the prices are right.

Eat, drink and be merry!

Harry

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