Montez Brothers Menu and Review - Logan, Utah

I mentioned before that there were changes afoot at Hamilton's, a fine dining steak and seafood restaurant that has been a fixture in Cache Valley since 2004. Hamilton's has now become Montez Brothers. This Herald Journal article clarifies the ownership changes. I will report on the changes to the decor, menu, and service. I also photographed the menu, which isn't currently available online.

I'm torn here. I always encourage everyone I know to support our unique locally-owned eateries over national chains, and to visit the great restaurants we already have instead of wishing for one chain or another that we don't have. I don't like to be negative on this blog because I want to be a fan and a champion of local.

That being said, I am going to report the truth: my experience at Montez Brothers was uneven, both in terms of food and service. I hope this can be chalked up to early-days kinks that will be ironed out as the new restaurant finds its legs.


There's always a danger in reviewing a restaurant based on a single visit. I hope to return to Montez Brothers soon with Logan Foodies to sample a wider variety of dishes. In the meantime I'm going to abbreviate this review. If any of the owners/managers read this and would like to discuss in more detail the positives and negatives I saw in the restaurant, I welcome them to contact me. I want local places to succeed! 

Montez Brothers
2427 N. Main Street, Logan, Utah
435-787-8450
www.montezbrothers.com (under construction as of 7/27/12)

Hours: Open for dinner only, Monday-Thursday 5-9pm, Friday-Saturday 5-10pm, closed Sunday
Prices: Appetizers/Salads: $6-12, Entrees: $13-24
Liquor: Yes, full liquor license, wine menu, and bar
Year Opened: 2012

Quick Review of Montez Brothers - Logan, Utah

Montez Brothers -- described by the owners as a "Latin-influenced" restaurant -- makes a worthy attempt to rise from the ashes of Hamilton's, but this phoenix seems to have a clipped wing. Sometimes it soars, as with the inventive ahi tuna tostada appetizer ($8) and improved interior touches. Sometimes it bombs -- bland sea bass entree ($24), service issues. Montez Brothers lacks focus as it tries to walk the line between being Latin-influenced and being just another Latin restaurant in a town overflowing with them. Not a hint of Latin influence in the chicken and pasta dishes, more so on the beef and appetizer list. Our meal started on a high note with the tuna tostadas, but went downhill when our entree order wasn't "put in", leading to an extremely long wait time and the offer of a comped dessert. It didn't help that the sea bass entree in question ended up being not at all worth the wait (or the price). The helpful manager and huge portion of tasty creme brulee helped the meal end on a sweeter note. I'd like to see Montez Brothers work through these food and service issues, but will it ever fly higher than Hamilton's once did? I'll reserve my final opinion and give the restaurant another chance in a few months.

Detailed Review of Montez Brothers - Logan, Utah


As we approached Montez Brothers, we noted a sign on the door that said "original" Hamilton's gift cards would be honored until July 31st, with the proper gift card posted. We later heard a server explaining that there were many other types of Hamilton's gift certificates and cards that were not being honored. I understand that the financials of the two restaurants are entirely separate, and that the new owners have every right not to honor old certificates and cards. On the other hand, their decision is causing a lot of bad feelings about the restaurant right out of the gate, and seems like a bad p.r. move. Companies can gain a lot of favor with the public when they "pick up the pieces" of a failed enterprise. Montez Brothers is leaving themselves open for a competitor to step up and honor the Hamilton's cards, even at 50% value. I've seen this done before, to great effect.

Moving on...

Upon entering Montez Brothers we were promptly greeted by a friendly hostess who told us the wait would be about five minutes. Another party was waiting as well. She offered both parties seats at the bar, which we both declined. We knew that Montez Brothers was a "Latin themed" restaurant, but wondered what that meant in the context of semi-fine-dining, so we quickly grabbed a couple of menus to see what was in store. The menu, which featured a few Latin ingredients and preparations among other influences (chicken cordon blue?), seemed to lack direction but looked promising.

Soon we were seated in the cavernous main dining room, which was about 1/3 full. That caused me to wonder why we hadn't been seated upon arrival, but I suppose there were only so many waitpersons available. The room has been freshly painted deep red and gold, and has had a few minor changes to the decor. Casual drapes line the booths along the walls, new artwork is featured above the double-sided stone fireplace, and green pendant lights hang above the booths. Notably, the dark wood floor that was looking extremely rough and scratched on my most recent visit to Hamilton's has now been refinished in a lighter and more rustic stain that will better hide wear. Nothing about the ambiance screams "Latin" (other than the music), which I appreciated but at the same time found confusing -- how much has the restaurant really changed?

My answer would be...not enough (YET) to not meet the fate of Hamilton's. Rather than continue with a long and detailed review I will quickly note some of the positives and negatives we experienced.

Positives:

• Friendly and prompt hostess
• Clean, refurbished restaurant that feels "nice". This is still a gracious place to eat a meal. The big round tables are great for larger parties, too.
• Interesting menu with several appetizing descriptions
• Tuna tostada appetizer ($9), which featured slices of seared soy-glazed ahi tuna accompanied by fresh guacamole and pickled cucumber salsa on 3.5" diameter tostada crisps - a fun Latin-Asian fusion appetizer, four per order.
• Attentive and friendly front-of-house manager who visited our table several times after a service snafu
• Creme brulee, which was comped and arrived in a trough-sized ramekin (troughekin?)

Negatives:

• Our server, who was monotone, unenergetic, and unsmiling, and who poured water in my husband's soda glass from the halfway point of the meal on, instead of asking if he would like a refill, and who may or may not have forgotten to put in our entree order.
• Timing issues. After we waited a significant amount of time for our entrees to arrive we were informed there was a "mix-up" and our order hadn't been "put in" at the right time. We were offered a comped dessert.
• Sea bass entree ($24). Bland, overcooked (shrimp especially), and overpriced. Waiting so long for it made it doubly disappointing.
• Typographical errors all over the menu. That kind of stuff in a printed piece drives me crazy and really downgrades a "fine dining" restaurant in my eyes. (Don't judge me for typos here, haha!)

Could go either way:

• White queso appetizer ($7), which featured roasted poblano peppers and was much better than the version at Chili's, though not as good as one I used to get at a hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant in Bountiful ages ago. I was hoping for natural unprocessed cheese, so for me it tasted too much like elevated gas station nachos, but I think this appetizer is probably a crowd pleaser.
• Grilled peach salad ($11). Great in theory, it featured arugula, fresh mozzarella, lemon dressing, and balsamic reduction. If only the peaches had in fact been grilled, but there was no evidence that they had been, and they were far under-ripe to boot. It still tasted good and fresh.
• Lack of focus. The restaurant is supposed to be "Latin influenced", but features a lot of French-, Italian-, and New American-style dishes instead, with a few Latin ingredients and dishes thrown in here and there. Maybe this was an attempt to keep some of the popular dishes from Hamilton's? I note that a coujple of the chicken dishes, one of the pastas, one salad, and one seafood dish remain from the Hamilton's menu.
• Prices. The only significant price reductions are in the Steaks and Appetizers areas of the menu. Prices are unchanged on the Hamilton's dishes that remain. The prices overall are very comparable to The Elements restaurant and not all that much higher than, say, Olive Garden

As you can see, that's a bigger list of positives than negatives, and the negatives are easily fixed with training and refinement of the menu. I hope to see improvements the next time I visit.

What about you, anyone else been to Montez Brothers? How was it?

So Messy, Yet So Good: Philly Cheese Steak by Street Eats Food Truck

As I mentioned yesterday, I stopped by Street Eats for lunch on Monday when the Culinary Concepts food truck was parked at CenturyLink in North Logan. I ordered the Spicy Vietnamese Pork Wrap ($5), which is quickly becoming one of my food vices, two sides of Pepper Jack Mac and Cheese ($2 each - for my kids), and the Philly Cheese Steak special ($7 - ostensibly for my husband, but he works night shift and would be asleep for several more hours - so who was it really for?).

The picture I took of the cheese steak looks pretty disgusting - which means Street Eats is TOTALLY doing it right (and I say this as someone who spent the past couple of years living in Philadelphia and experiencing the real deal). Gently charred strips of tenderloin mixed with grilled onions and peppers overflowing from a soft Italian roll, all topped with ooey, gooey cheese. Oops, I mean Cheez. Personally, when I make a cheese steak at home I like to use melted provolone or mozzarella cheese, but if you want a traditional, true Philly style cheese steak you gotta use the whiz. The Cheez Whiz, that is. Hey, don't mess with tradition!

I stole several bites of my husband's sandwich before lamenting about how it would suffer under refrigeration and wrapping it up for him to eat later. My one suggestion for a better sandwich would be a few more peppers, but overall it was an excellent rendition.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I photographed this on the asphalt parking lot. What, you think I was going to wait till I got home to dig into it? I had to photograph it fast before it was gone!

The macaroni and cheese wasn't really a hit with my kids, perhaps because the pepper jack cheese gave it a slight spicy kick they didn't enjoy. I've never met a pasta that I didn't like, so it was fine by me (yes, I ate their dishes of macaroni and cheese for dinner that night). It's worth noting that the pepper jack used is of the processed-cheese variety (most pepper jack is of that variety), so if you don't like the taste of processed cheese it might not be for you. If, on the other hand, you're like me -- denied Kraft singles and any other processed cheese as a kid, and therefore developing a taste for it as a "special treat" -- you'll like it just fine. It's definitely comfort food.

Lucky for my waistline and my pocket book, Street Eats usually parks at the south end of town in the ThermoFisher parking lot on Hyclone Drive. You can follow their Facebook page for updates on their specials and locations.

I saw several people order the BBQ sandwich. Anyone tried it? What did you think?

Vietnamese Salad @ Da Nang Bistro - Logan, Utah

I grabbed some good eats on Saturday at the Cache Valley Gardeners' Market when I finally got to try the Vietnamese cuisine from Da Nang Bistro. My salad featured a savory and fresh mix of chicken, cabbage, cilantro, nuts, chili peppers, carrots, green apples, and a very light dressing(?), and was accompanied by delicately-flavored rice cakes. I also sampled the Da Chanh, Da Nang Bistro's riff on the ice cream sandwich. So good! I will definitely be back for a full-size next week. Da Nang Bistro will only be at the market for two more weeks (July 21 & 28), so get over to the market and grab some Vietnamese food before your chance is gone! Visit the Da Nang Bistro Facebook page for info and updates.

I've kind of been on a Vietnamese kick, because yesterday at lunch I took advantage of Street Eats' close proximity to my house (the food truck was in the CenturyLink parking lot), and ordered the Spicy Vietnamese Pork Wrap once again. I also tested the authenticity of the Philly Cheese Steak, the specialty of the city I just moved here from. Tune in tomorrow to see how this Utah cheese steak compared to the real deal in Philadelphia. See you then!

Elote (Mexican Corn on the Cob) at the Cache Valley Garedeners' Market

I was first introduced to elote, or Mexican corn on the cob, at the Cache County Fair in Logan in about 2007. I've looked forward to it as a summer fair stand tradition ever since (along with my beloved mini donuts), and I have even taken to making it at home. I was happy to see that the Mexican food stand at the Cache Valley Gardener's Market (click the link for location and times) had elotes last Saturday.

Mmmmm. Now I'm not going to tell you this is healthy, but I am going to tell you it's delicious. Corn on the cob with mayo, lime, cheese, and seasonings. This version used parmesan cheese, which isn't traditional, but was still tasty.

I had pupusas (again), and also a Brazilian fresh limeade. My brother-in-law makes this for some of our family gatherings, and I really enjoyed an icy cupful at the market.

Head over to my other blog, A Farewell To Can't, if you would like my recipes for elotes and Brazilian limeade. I didn't manage to get any produce at the market on Saturday, but I'm excited to see what's new this weekend.

----

Downtown Logan Sidewalk Sale

For anyone who hasn't heard, downtown Logan has a big sidewalk sale going on this weekend. Head down to Main & Center Streets to check out the great shops and prices in our historic downtown.

LLL

Chocolate for Cheap! Alvey's Chocolates Factory Sale, July 9-14, 2012 - Richmond, Utah

Local Cache Valley candy company Alvey's Chocolates (or Alvey's Candies, I've seen it both ways) has a factory sale going on through Saturday, July 14 at their factory store in Richmond, Utah. I hadn't realized Alvey's has a factory store, so I left Alvey's off my list of factory tours and stores in Cache Valley. I'll have to add it! Since the Pepperidge Farm factory and store is also in Richmond, you could go to both in one trip and stock up on lots of yummy goodies at great prices. Here are the details of the Alvey's sale.

Alvey's Chocolates Factory Sale

63 E. 300 S. Richmond, Utah

9am-4pm - July 9-14, 2012

Factory Seconds, regularly $7.50/lb., NOW $6.00/lb.

Milk Mint Wafers (seconds), 5 lb. bag for $25.00

Dark Mint Wafers (seconds), 5 lb. bag for $20.00

Overstock Firsts, regularly $16.50/lb., NOW $8.25/lb.

While supplies last!

Alvey's has been creating handmade chocolates and candies in Cache Valley since 1980. Alvey's has a retail store in Logan at the Cache Valley Mall, and its products are also available at a few grocery stores in the area. (I'm sure they're at Lee's Marketplace, because I sometimes succumb to buying an Alvey's treat in the check-out line).

The Alvey's website appears to be under construction, but it does have some information about the company. Watch the two-minute video below to learn more about Alvey's and to see the retail store and some of the yummy products. Warning! You might have a craving chocolate after you watch this!

Reader Suggestions From Around The Valley

Whew! Keeping up with daily posting on this blog and A Farewell To Can't (www.afarewelltocant.com), plus the rest of my life, has me feeling like I'm falling behind. You should see the state of my house! Today's post will be brief. That way I can spend some time cleaning my house, and some time taking my kids to do fun things like this:

Playing on the playground at Willow Park, Logan, Utah

Not only will today's post will be brief, but and I'm letting someone else write it for me: YOU!

Here are some recent reader suggestions of fun things to do, see, and eat in Logan and Cache Valley.

Green Canyon

"Green Canyon might be a fun one to do a post about with all the things there are to do up there. My husband especially loves the single track for mountain biking and we are planning on back packing higher up the trail (we've heard it's good to backpack further up past the very top where you can't drive anymore?? I don't know much about it yet) and doing more camping. We like it for a great (and FREE!) camping spot."

Belly Dancing

"I really love the belly dancing shows on the last Saturdays of the month at Indian Oven. The dancers are from the Shimmering Sands school at the Whittier Center (formerly the USU Middle Eastern Dance Club). Speaking of them, you can take belly dance lessons from Shimmering Sands, I have and it is good exercise and a lot of fun. You should contact the Whittier for a list of their tenants and the classes they offer to the public, they are a great resource."

Logan's Heroes and Other Great Local Sandwiches

"The owner of [Logan's Heroes] is from Iran, he has a fantastic memory and loves chatting with everyone who comes in (I love the roger's special). For local, non-chain restaurants I'd say to also check out Logan Burger & Sandwiches (chicken parmesan sub), the Italian Place (a Beaver or a 4 Seasons), Sweetly Divine (Turkey with jalepeno jelly), Crumb Brothers, The Factory, Firehouse, Jack's Wood Fired Pizza, Papa Kelsey's & Henry, and Juniper Take Out (Turkey steak sandwich). They all have different styles, try them all and find the one that you love!"

Other Food Trucks Besides Street Eats

"This isn't actually the first. There are a couple taco trucks in town, 2 BBQ trucks, the Pauni's food truck, and the Gossner's Grilled Cheese truck that actually goes all over the state. They don't all always have a set spot but I know Rollin' West BBQ likes to park in front of Aaron's on main or Sears up on 100 E. Tacos El Ray is all over town. Most of these places have facebook pages where you can track where they are going to be...


...The taco trucks and bbq truck tend to have 3 or 4 locations they stick with but do move around a bit. One of the BBQ trucks did apparently go out of business. As far as I know the school bus taco truck North of Hamilton's isn't really a mobile operation and is there all the time. We used to have a hot dog stand on Main street that moved around a bit, but they seem to have disappeared. I kind of wish we had more and I'd love to seem them be allowed to set up on campus where I'm sure they'd do great. My friends in D.C. and L.A. wax poetical about their food trucks."

----

Thank you for your contributions, I'd love to hear more. See you tomorrow!

La Tormenta - North Logan, Utah - Restaurant Review

Note: La Tormenta does not have a menu available online or in hard copy form at the restaurant. I took photos of the wall menu. Scroll to the bottom of the post to see the full menu, including prices.

----

Dollar tacos. Need I say more? Oh, I do? Well, okay. Authentic Mexican dollar tacos with savory meat fillings ensconced in a double layer of soft corn tortillas, sprinkled with fresh cilantro and minced onion, with fresh limes on the side for a squeeze of puckery juice. I have half a mind to end this review right here and go get some!

La Tormenta is one of those places my family returns to again and again. It is definitely one of our favorite Cache Valley restaurants. It's cheap, walkable from our house, has delicious sodas and ice cream treats, and then there are those tacos.

We're clearly not the only people who like La Tormenta. It used to be located in a smaller location in the Pinecrest Village shopping center (on 1400 North, east of Cafe Rio), but a few years ago it expanded into a larger building north of Walmart in North Logan. I don't know if I've ever seen it not busy during open hours.

----

La Tormenta

105 East 1600 North, North Logan, Utah 84341
435-787-4640
http://www.facebook.com/pages/La-Tormenta-Restaurant/111573685547384

Hours: Monday-Sunday 9am-10pm
Price range: $1 - $11

Take-out Available: Yes
Delivery Available: No
FYI: Candy and snacks also available for purchase



Quick Review of La Tormenta - North Logan, Utah


La Tormenta is a Mexican restaurant that might be referred to as a dive or a hole-in-the-wall, but what it lacks in ambiance it more than makes up for in tasty food at a low price point. Don't worry, the name La Tormenta doesn't mean "the torment", but actually means "storm". With fluorescent lights, a crowded dining room, a brightly-colored double-height mural on one wall, and a cacophony of Spanish and English conversations, La Tormenta *is* a bit of a storm for the senses. But it's the sense of taste that matters, and La Tormenta delivers.
Pick up a Mexican Coke or a Sangria Senorial from the plentifully-stocked beverage case, then proceed to the counter to order. Your food will be brought to your table along with a caddy of condiments, and you'll pay at the counter when you're done. Authentic tacos are $1 each and are available with many choices of filling, all topped with a pile of cilantro and onions. My favorite are the carnitas (sweet shredded pork) and the chorizo (spicy pork sausage), while my husband goes for the asada (steak) and the lengua (beef tongue). Tortas, the carne asada plate, smothered burritos, and tamales are other good choices. A paleta (ice cream bar) from the freezer case - coconut and creamy strawberry are my favorites - completes the meal.


The meat choices for tacos and other dishes are as follows: asada (steak), adovada (spicy pork), al pastor (sweet & spicy pork), carnitas (sweet pork), buche (pork stomach), lengua (beef tongue), cabeza (beef head), tripas (beef stomach), pollo (chicken), and chorizo (spicy pork sausage).

The beverage case includes a wide variety of Mexican and American sodas and juices. Fountain drinks are also available, as well as horchata (my favorite).

A variety of ice cream treats are available in the freezer case.

The menu is on the wall, and is also printed on the ordering counter.

A whiteboard announces any daily specials.

A colorful mural covers the west wall of the dining room.

One of the best features of La Tormenta is the condiment caddy, which features grilled onions, pico de gallo or salsa verde, and pickled carrots and jalapenos.

Clockwise from top: four carnitas tacos, shrimp tostada, four lengua tacos, quesadilla. We also had chorizo tacos and a torta. $18 for three adults and two children.

A selection of seven hot sauces on our table. I like the Bufalo chipotle sauce, third from the left.

Shrimp tostada with a cocktail-type sauce and perfect, creamy avocados

Chorizo tacos, my favorite. La Tormenta also offers tacos dorados, crispy fried tacos that come with crumbled queso fresco.

----

Here are the photos of the La Tormenta menu. You can click on the pictures for slightly larger versions.

Da Nang Bistro Update - Cache Valley Gardeners' Market

"Our Da Chanh ice cream sandwich is inspired by the Vietnamese lemonade. Citrus, mint, sugar, and a touch of sea salt meets the coolness of a lemongrass ice cream with wild blueberries. Our most requested frozen offering!"

--Da Nang Bistro

Doesn't that description just get your mouth watering!? I mentioned in my last post about the farmers' market, Lovely Pupusas and Last Strawberries, that I was looking forward to eating Vietnamese food from Da Nang Bistro this week at the market. Well, count me as disappointed to hear that they are taking this weekend off! However, they will be back at the market on July 14, 21, and 28.

Hopefully I will get to try their ice cream sandwich and Vietnamese summer salad with lemongrass grilled pork on one of these later weeks in July. I'll be back here to tell about it when I do! Visit Da Nang Bistro's Facebook page for more information.

Don't forget to take a look at today's post about Places To Get Wet in Logan and Cache Valley. Whether you want to swim, dive, slide, or wade, there's something for you. And stay tuned for Monday's review of La Tormenta. My post will include the full restaurant menu, which has as yet been unavailable online (as far as I can find). Have a great weekend!

LLL

P.S.: Who can remind me of the name of the Vietnamese restaurant that used to be where Logan Burgers is located? I ate there once, in 2002, shortly after I moved here. How long was it open? Where were the proprietors, and where are they now?

Lovely Pupusas and Last Strawberries: Gardeners' Market Recap for June 30, 2012 - Logan, Utah

Note: This post is a recap about my visit to the Cache Valley Gardeners' Market. For my original post on the 2012 market, including hours, address, and other general information, click here. You can also visit the Cache Valley Gardeners' Market website.

 We were late getting to the Cache Valley Gardeners' Market on Saturday, which ended up being a shame because I missed the much-anticipated pho from Da Nang Bistro (I would add the fancy characters if I only knew how). I didn't know where to find their stand. It wasn't by the rest of the prepared foods on the south side of the market. Instead it was on the north side by the river.

When I finally found the Da Nang stand they had recently sold out of pho, and I had missed out. I mean, really missed out -- they still had big onions and hands of ginger charring on the grill and all the tasty condiments on the tables, and it looked so good! I chatted for a moment with the guy at the booth and he gave me a heads up about what they will be serving for the next couple of weeks. It won't be pho, but it still sounds delicious. Up next week are ice cream sandwiches made with lemongrass ice cream, plus a Vietnamese summer salad. The week after that will be fresh spring rolls and something else. I'll be there! He gave me two lychee fruits as sort of a consolation prize. I have only previously had them from a can, so it was fun to peel and try some fresh ones. Yummy!

On my way back over to the other food stands I picked up a bunch of beet greens ($1), a bunch of basil ($1), and a container of strawberries. The strawberries were marked at $2 but I bought them for $1. They were the last container for sale and were kind of sad looking. I knew they would taste great, though. I was excited to show my kids what a strawberry really tastes like. They've only had the gigantic bland/sour monstrosities from the store. You might be sensing a theme since my last Gardeners' Market Recap. Yes, beet greens and basil again, plus a red finger-food fruit for fun. I wondered if the strawberries were the last of the season.

After perusing my lunch options and considering a Dominican food, Ethopian food redux (that's what I had last time), and Mexican food, I settled on Salvadoran pupusas. I did already eat them earlier in the week at the Pupseria El Salvador, but that only served to increase my craving rather than sate it.

I ordered four of the combination pupusas, which were listed at $2 each or four for $7. Pupusas are a thick, soft corn tortilla stuffed with a savory fillings. The combination filling includes cheese, beans, and very finely ground or chopped fried pork. Adding the perfect couterpoint to the soft, warm pupusa is curtida, a crisp and spicy vinegar cabbage slaw. I was given a large baggie of curtida with my order. Four pupusas is quite a large meal. I intended to share with my husband, but instead I ate them all myself. He had a torta from the Mexican stand and temporarily lost his sense of taste when he bit into a pickled jalapeno on his sandwich. Because he couldn't taste much, he didn't bother to take any of my pupusas. All for me!

We were there right at the main lunch hour, so tables were crowded. Our little crew found a place to squeeze in and welcomed others to scoot on in, too. We ended up having a nice conversation with a couple who have moved here from China by way of Germany and Texas. They had wanted strawberries too, but had arrived too late to get any. We shared ours with them and their little daughter. My sons were being quite flirty with her and sharing all their strawberries. How funny! I told them about Mt. Naomi Farms, and they were very interested in being able to pick their own berries. Unfortunately I have learned that the strawberry picking season ended that day. There will be blackberries for picking in August, though. I'll keep you posted on that.

As the market wrapped up we began talking with the children of the Dominican food stand proprietors. I'm looking forward to trying their food next week, along with my Vietnamese food. Our kids all played together in the river for about an hour. It was a perfect Saturday afternoon: shade, sun, good conversation, meeting new people, good food, happy kids. Thank you, Cache Valley Gardeners' Market.

LLL

---

P.S.: What's your favorite recipe that uses basil? I love the herb and would like to get some fresh ideas.

What's The Best Sandwich In Logan?

I got a shout-out this week from SLCFoodie, a great blog covering food in the Greater Salt Lake City area. She tweeted asking for people's favorite sandwiches in SLC. My response and others' were included as part of her write-up on a little sandwich place called Picnic. Check it out! I guess I'm not all that original, because someone else named my exact same fave sandwich and place. You'll have to click through to find out exactly what strange-sounding sandwich it is, though.

I just had to sneak a Logan recommendation in there too, and suggested the Ara's at Logan's Heroes. Don't you love the atmosphere, sandwiches, and especially the proprietor at Logan's Heroes? I think it's such a great example of a true local place.

LLL

P.S. What's your favorite sandwich in Logan or Cache Valley? What's something you seek out to eat in Salt Lake because we don't have it up here? I crave the lemon rice from Greek Souvlaki, or all the Greek dips at Aristo's.

Are you on Twitter? Follow me @LisaBakerHeaton for more Logan stuff I can't fit on the blog.

Herm's Inn - Logan, Utah - Restaurant Review

At the special request of my husband, who could think of no better Father's Day gift than being able to go to a restaurant on a Sunday, we hit up Herm's Inn for lunch on Father's Day. Herm's is one of the newest restaurants in Logan, and features a diner or roadhouse-style menu. It's located at the far east end of Canyon Road, right before the road enters Logan Canyon and approaches First Dam. The breakfast-and-lunch spot is housed in an old service station that sat abandoned for more than 60 years before being bought and renovated by successful local businessman Jim Laub of Cache Valley Electric.

And renovated it was! Just take a look at the "before" photo and compare it to my photo, above.

Photo copyright 2007, Heinz J. Mahler. Used by permission.

The architect and interior designer behind the project was acclaimed Bountiful, Utah designer Robert McArthur of Robert McArthur Studios. He's worked on some great projects, including gorgeous homes, a few LDS temples, and the Cache Valley Electric corporate headquarters. If you're interested in learning more about the renovation process and seeing tons of beautiful professional photos of the construction process and interior and exterior details, click here for posts about the Herm's Inn project on Robert's blog. In addition to being renovated, the building was expanded significantly. ADA-compliant restrooms were added, as well as a second dining room that features huge windows that open up for an indoor-outdoor feel. New footings were poured and the basement was made usable as reception and meeting space.

If I understand correctly, the renovated building was leased to a couple of restaurateurs hand-picked by Jim Laub. Ryan Bird and Heather Santi, who own and manage Herm's Inn, are also involved with Salt Lake City's popular breakfast and lunch spot, Eggs In The City.

New restaurants in Logan always have a lot of buzz around them when they open, but Herm's location, building, and players combined to create more than just buzz -- almost a deafening roar. The question on my mind was, would Herm's Inn live up to the hype? Read on for my verdict. First, the details.

Herm's Inn

1435 E. Canyon Road, Logan, Utah 84321
435-792-4321
www.hermsinn.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Herms-Inn/358672704164617
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Herms-Inn/234322903323616



Hours: Monday-Sunday 7am-2pm
Price range: $3 - $15

Take-out Available: Yes
Delivery Available: No
Year Opened: 2012
FYI: Free Wifi. Reception and meeting space available. Please note that the parking lot is small. Be courteous to the neighbors and park in the overflow lot down the street.

Quick Review of Herm's Inn - Logan, Utah

The at Herm's Inn menu seemed pedestrian at first, and featured typical breakfast and lunch fare: omelets, pancakes, burgers, salads. The casually-dressed waitstaff was friendly and proficient but harried on a busy Father's Day Sunday, and we waited nearly 40 minutes for our food. We were getting worried that Herm's Inn was all buzz and no honey, and that we would be leaving disappointed and writing off the hot new eatery housed in a cool old gas station. But then our food arrived. From the first bite, all our fears and frustrations were erased. A juicy burger on an airy house-made bun. A Cobb salad filled with chunks of tender grilled chicken. A pile of can't-miss fried potatoes. Macaroni and cheese I wanted to steal from my two-year-old. Diner food, elevated. Thank you, Herm's Inn. Drink prices are steep at $3.00, but refills are included. The rest of the menu is at an excellent value point considering the quality ingredients and generous portions. The restaurant is young, and I expect they will continue to work out service and staffing kinks to make wait times more reasonable. I'll definitely be back for more.

Full Review of Herm's Inn

We arrived a little after noon on Father's Day. It was clear we weren't the only people in town who thought Dad might like lunch at Herm's. There were several parties waiting for tables. The weather was fine and porte-cochere provided plenty of shade, so we settled in for a wait and enjoyed looking at the details of the renovated gas station.

Eventually we were seated by a friendly young hostess. We were given what I would say was the worst table in the house, but in our circumstance it was the best table in the house and I think they gave it to us out of compassion for us and our fellow diners. We were seated between the kitchen and the busy bar area, conveniently near an overflowing garbage can. High noise, high traffic. Why would I say this was the perfect table? We were dining with out four-year-old, two-year-old, and sixth-month-old stroller-bound baby. We were far enough from other diners that we couldn't bother them. The noisy kitchen covered the sounds of our children's hungry cries, and we used that garbage can a few times throughout the meal.

The building is strikingly designed, and it seems no expense was spared. Tables were custom-made in a    French industrial style, Tolix chairs sit at all the tables, and custom exposed-bulb light fixtures point to the profession of building owner Jim Laub of Cache Valley Electric. The booths even have their own electric outlets so people can plug in and enjoy the free Wi-Fi in the restaurant. Clever art covers the walls: among other things a cardboard deer head, caricatures of eminent Loganites of days gone by, and an upside-down sign that says "Easy" (as in eggs over-easy). It's easy to feel hip and cool when you're dining at Herm's.

But then we were given our menus and that feeling of hipness ended. Everything listed seemed like completely typical diner fare, at prices a dollar or two above typical diner prices. (With the exception of beverages, which were steeply priced at $3 each.) Biscuits and gravy, pancakes, omelettes, eggs benedict, and french toast were some of the selections on the breakfast side of the menu. The lunch items included burgers, sandwiches, salads, and macaroni and cheese. Nothing seemed all that interesting. When our waiter came to take our order we announced our selections: a burger for me, with cheese and bacon, a Cobb salad for Tyson, and kids' meals with macaroni and cheese and a quesadilla for our boys.

That's when the waiting began, though not the anticipation. We weren't in anticipation because our selections seemed so boring. The only thing that really caught my eye were a few variations on Eggs Benedict like the Macho Benny - poached eggs on a corn tortilla with chorizo, black beans, avocado, and chile verde. There was also a Macaroni & Cheese of the day, but that day's version was jalapeno, so I looked elsewhere.

Tyson noted that it was really difficult to tell the employees from the customers. It did add a nice, laid-back feel to the place, but everyone was dressed very casually. The best way to distinguish employees from customers was by observing who walked behind the counter. And we had plenty of time to observe. The minutes ticked by. Our waiter checked back on us often, and refilled our drinks, but the wait time stretched and stretched until it had been almost 40 minutes since we'd ordered, and nearly an hour since we'd arrived at the restaurant. Our little natives were definitely getting restless. They dug all the ice out of their drinks. They each got to eat a packet of jam. They started to cry. One went under the table and refused to get back in his seat. We began to seriously doubt our choice of restaurant.

A man who wasn't our server approached our table and apologized profusely for the wait. He explained that several of the kitchen workers were new and the restaurant was so busy that day. We asked for some potato chips for our children (potato chips were to accompany their meals), which he promptly brought on a large plate. That's when things started looking up.

That's the guy who brought us our potato chips. Turns out he's owner/manager Ryan Bird. You really should check out his mustache.

After the potato chips it wasn't too long before our food arrived. It definitely looked more appetizing than I was expecting. My photos don't do the food justice, but here are our plates.

Cobb Salad with Cheese Toast

Burger and Home Fries

Quesadilla

Macaroni & Cheese

Seeing the oozing, perfectly-melted cheese on my burger, the thick-cut bacon, and the fresh tomato and lettuce, I began to reconsider my apprehension. One bite erased all my fears. This. This was food worth waiting for! My burger was beefy and juicy. The bacon had just the right amount of crisp, just the right amount of tender. The soft, house-made bun gave easily at my bite. Then I tried the potatoes. Heaven! Gently charred and expertly seasoned, the potatoes actually managed to grab my attention from the burger. I was enjoying my food so much I found myself facing my favorite food-related dilemma: whether to hoard or whether to share. The food is so good you want to keep it to yourself, but it's so good you also want others to experience the joy of its goodness.

Tyson didn't want any of my burger, but he did let me have a bite of his salad, which included a generous amount of chicken he described as, "Real. Really good grilled chicken. Like, done right," and perfect proportions of greens, tomatoes, hard-cooked egg, bacon, avocado, and blue cheese. Somehow even the quesadilla was better than other quesadillas. And the macaroni & cheese. Oh, the mac & cheese! It was sharp and mild and gooey and saucy all at once. In fact, when I started writing this review several days ago I still had a tiny cup of leftovers in my fridge. This picture made me run and warm it up the second I saw it. Yes, I stole my two-year-old's leftovers.

Perhaps I was really hungry (I was). Perhaps I am being overly rhapsodic (yeah, maybe I am). But that food seemed so good! A closer reading of the menu revealed a few clues I missed the first time. Clues that I would like what I was going to be served. The words house-made recur again and again. House-made biscuits, house-made sausage, house-made buns, house-made syrup. Local ingredients, like the cheese that graced my burger, are used whenever possible. Thought and care went into this food and this menu.

Come to think of it, thought and care went into this building. Thought and care went into the preservation and enhancement of the past. Thought and care went into the idea that Logan's one little special neighborhood, "the island", could support a restaurant. I thought the food was going to be boring, but after tasting it I don't know if I care to ever eat fancy food again. Welcome to Logan, Herm's Inn.

----

Here are a few other blogs and articles about Herm's Inn:

http://news.hjnews.com/news/article_3b4e9abc-5776-11e1-9716-0019bb2963f4.html - Herald Journal article

http://robertgmcarthurstudios.com/blog/?s=herm%27s - Blog posts from the architect with lots of photos

http://pantraya.blogspot.com/2012/03/herms-inn.html - Fun photos of artwork, etc.

http://blog.iamcasey.com/photography/herms-inn-inspiration-shoot/ - Beautiful wedding inspiration shoot at Herm's

http://loganlunchroom.blogspot.com/2012/04/taste-of-history-at-herms-inn.html - Journalistic-style story about Herm's

http://nachista.blogspot.com/2012/02/herms-inn.html - Blog post about Herm's Inn

http://peacesofcandy.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/herms-inn/ - Historical info from Herm's daughter

----

P.S.: I don't think I'm the only one who noticed Herm's has a decidedly hipster thing going on.
Check out what I found when I did a Google image search for Herm's. Hipster mermaid meme doesn't like Herm's?!?!

So, have you been to Herm's? What was your take? And, was this review way too long to read?