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Pizzeria 712

Pizzeria 712
320 S. State St. #185
Orem, Ut 84058
801.623.6712

Pizzeria 712 is one of those rare food finds that makes me truly hopeful of our local restaurant scene.
Despite the drive to Orem, 712 is not a restaurant to be overlooked. Located within the unfinished confines of a massive retail/commercial development, 712's warm and inviting contemporary interior is a welcome surprise. The soft lighting, great music and cozy atmosphere, add to the welcome and hip feel of this unique eatery.

712 offers a small menu which makes decision making quite simple. You have a choice of a few appetizers, salads, paninis during lunch, and pizza. However, what Pizzeria 712 lacks in options, is more than made up in quality.

I have had each salad offered and have found them to be some of the best salads I have ever enjoyed in a restaurant. The combinations of ingredients are inspired and wonderful. For example, the mixed green salad with roasted squash, pecans and blue cheese is surprisingly sophisticated and delicate. I recommend ordering each of the salads and sharing them with your party.

The pizzas are selected from an offering of six specialty pizzas. Nowhere to be seen are the standards of Canadian Bacon and pineapple or pepperoni. In fact, I doubt pepperoni is even available. Instead, try a caramelized onion, rosemary,fontina and potato pizza. Also not to be missed, the earthy and rustic goat cheese, leek and mushroom pizza. Regardless of your choice, you are in for a new experience.



Pizzeria 712 is fairly priced with appetizers running around 7 dollars, salads 6.50 and pizzas 11. The service has been good, however on weekends the staff seems to have little trouble dealing with the large crowds and waiting list. Arrive early or late (they are open till 11) to avoid this. 712 also uses, whenever possible, sustainably farmed produce, meats and cheeses.

While not your average fare, the gastronomical exploration offered at 712 makes for an exciting diversion for the tired palate. Even if it does happen to be in Orem.

Spoon Me

SPOON ME YOGURT
532 East 400 South
Salt Lake City, UT

In conjunction with Blog Action Day - Environment, SPOON ME, is today's featured
review. SPOON ME is a new frozen yogurt restaurant located on the west side of the Cafe Rio Building on 4Th south. Rather than the usual frozen yogurt restaurant, SPOON ME only offers up two flavors. Natural and Green Tea. Offered in a variety of sizes, the yogurt comes two ways; Simple (yogurt only) and with up to 3 toppings (sprinkles, Oreo, fruit etc..). While the Green Tea is good, the hands down favorite in our group was the Natural. It has a tart tangy zip and is not too sweet, as opposed to traditional frozen yogurt.
Perhaps the best part about SPOON ME is that it is trying to operate in a "green and sustainable" manner. As one of the employees told me they aren't 100% green carbon neutral, they are doing their best. Their best means, recyclable and sustainable, plastics, spoons, containers and all of their T-shirts are from sustainable hemp. As 100% sustainability is a near impossibility, kudos to SPOON ME for at least giving it an shot and for being an example for other local restaurants to follow!

Oktoberfest - Snowbird

Running each weekend through the 7th of October, Oktoberfest is held each year at Snowbird Ski Resort. Located up Little Cottonwood Canyon, Snowbird resort and Oktoberfest offers a great weekend activity for anyone wanting to get out of the city. Right now the canyon is beautiful. It is cool and refreshing and the leaves are changing.

When parking, park in the lower lots or the first open spot you can find as parking is very crowded. Then look for one of the many courtesy buses to shuttle you up to the village. Don't worry if the bus is empty and going in the opposite direction. Get on and ride it down, as the seats will fill up quickly on the return trip and many are left waiting at the bus stops.

Activities to do:
Shop in the Oktoberfest Village.
Ride the Tram to the top of hidden peak.
The zip line and alpine slide.
And of course EAT!

In the Tent you will find a large selection of great German food. Whole roast chicken, bratwurst, cabbage, sauerkraut, desserts and a lot more!
Plan on about $15 per person.

OKTOBERFEST HOURS & PRICES
The Oktoberfest gates are open from Noon – 6 p.m. Admission is FREE!


SEPTEMBER 2007 SCHEDULE
:
1st, 2nd & 3rd – Grand Oktoberfest
8th & 9th
15th & 16th 22nd & 23rd 29th & 30th

OCTOBER 2007 SCHEDULE
:
6th & 7th

Directions and Information:
http://www.snowbird.com/events/concertsnfestivals/oktoberfest.html

Bandit's Grill and Bar














Bandit's Grill and Bar

440 Main Street
Park City, UT
435.649.7337

www.banditsbbq.com/park_city.html

Recently We found ourselves in Park City wandering up and down Main Street looking for something to eat. Main street has so many different restaurants that making a choice was getting difficult. As it was after 2 PM we had just missed lunch and many of the restaurants switch out to the dinner menu. Most dinner items found in Park City restaurants range in the $18-$30 range. That's just a bit much for a quick bite to eat. Ultimately we decided on Bandit's Grill and Bar, simply because they had tables available and the price was right at around $7-$10 an item.

The food:

Old West Nachos $7.99 add Guacamole $.99
Fresh tri-tip, melted cheese, ranch style beans, topped with sour cream, green onions and guacamole.

Wow! Big surprise here. These nachos are killer. The nachos come on a large cast iron skillet loaded with chips, beans and tri-tip. The ranch style beans have a great BBQ smoky flavor and the tri-tip was tender and moist, cooked perfectly to a medium rare. Add on HUGE scoops of sour cream and guacamole and you have a winner.

Black & Bleu Kobe Burger $10.99
American Kobe beef patty with cracked black pepper,crumbled Bleu cheese with lettuce and tomato.

Another good choice. Not sure how American Kobe Beef stacks up with real Japanese Kobe Beef, but it was pretty good nonetheless. Full of flavor and very juicy, the beef was wonderful with the bleu cheese. Overall one of the better bleu cheese burgers I have had in a long time.


Southern Style Pork Sandwich $7.99
Smoked, slow-roasted overnight, hand pulled
pork, topped with smoked Gouda cheese
and coleslaw served on a steak roll.

OK, now for the one I had been waiting for! It had been far too long since I have had some great pulled pork! Too bad. I guess I will have to wait some more, as this sandwich was just terrible. Just short of cardboard, this sandwich was dry, tasteless and pretty much a waste of some poor pig. The bun was dry, dry, dry. Think day old bread left out of the bag, topped with pork that had ZERO flavor. I couldn't taste anything at all. Eventually the only way to choke it down was to slather the sandwich with BBQ sauce. Pass on this one.
On the bright side, the beans served along with the sandwich were great. Not a substitute for a great sandwich however.

Overall, Bandit's is pretty good if you are in the mood for a quick, cheap (for Park City) eat. Honestly, The nachos alone are enough for 2-3 people. Split it and get back to shopping!
The staff and service were great, and the cheesy/campy western interior makes for a fun (where can I take the in-laws from NY?) western experience.

Cost: $$


Summer Grilling


Pasta con pollo e pesto
pesto and chicken pasta

Zucca alla griglia
grilled squash

This week stay home and break out the grill with this great Italian inspired meal.
Start off first with the Chicken.
What you need:
boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 breast = 1-2 people)
balsamic vinegar
dijon mustard
cracked pepper
kosher salt
olive oil

Mix in bowl 3 TBS balsamic and 1 TBS mustard. Add a little salt and pepper as well as 1 TBS of olive oil. Add chicken and marinate overnight, turning chicken periodically.

Next, prepare the Pesto. Pesto is very easy to prepare. You can use store bought, but nothing tastes and smells better that freshly made pesto. All amounts are approximate. Adjust to suit your taste.
What you need:
Several hand fulls of fresh basil
kosher salt
pine nuts
chopped garlic
olive oil
freshly grated parmesan cheese

In a blender combine basil with a clove of chopped garlic and a pinch of salt. Blend briefly. Add a splash of olive oil. Add 2 TBS parmesan and blend briefly. Next in a skillet, slowly heat pine nuts on low. Stirring continually, be careful not to burn them. You do not want to roast them but simply release the oils within. Add the nuts and mix again. Add and mix in oil until mix makes a runny paste. Top off mix with a small layer of oil to keep from browning.

On to the Grill!
Now you are ready to start cooking! On the grill, start with the grilled squash and vegetables, as they take longer to cook than the chicken. I love to use summer squash, zucchini and roma tomatoes. Cut squash, tomatoes and zucchini into cubes and wrap with prosciutto. Bacon also works. Place them in a Kabob Basket. This keeps the bacon from sticking to the grill while being turned. I got mine at Target. On sale in the store for around $4 for a set of two. http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_1/601-8644416-0737712?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B000MX1KJU
Drizzle with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Cook slowly away from direct flame turning periodically until done.
Now get the pasta started. A good Penne Pasta works well for this dish. While the pasta is going, get started with grilling the chicken. Let it go, nice and slow. And don't poke it with the fork! Poking with a fork causes the juices to run out, drying out the chicken.
Now slice the grilled chicken and place atop the cooked pasta. Spoon pesto over the chicken and pasta. Now garnish with some chopped roma tomatoes and freshly grated parmesan. Serve the chicken and pasta along side the grilled vegetables.

When shopping for your ingredients, I recommend getting the basil, tomatoes and squash at the Farmers Market held in Pioneer Park each Saturday. Fresh and Local.
For more info:
http://downtownslc.com/events/farmersmarket/farmersmarketinfo.htm
For the prosciutto and parmesan I suggest a visit to Tony Caputos. Corner of 3rd S. 3rd W. Downtown SLC. If you haven't been there, give it a try. It is worth the trip. http://www.caputosdeli.com/

Enjoy!-J