Bayleaf Cafe

Greetings from Utah! (officially) So, While walking through Downtown last weekend we decided to stop in to a place that we visited when we came earlier in the summer for a visit: The Bay Leaf Cafe. It's a pretty cool little spot. It has some late night hours on the weekend and it's claim to fame is a menu with a little southern charm. They also offer Filipino fare as well which I was surprised at the combination, but I guess it works. It's a cute little place with chairs and tables set up on the ample sidewalk in front of the restaurant, since Salt Lake City weather is so nice, and inside are a huge bar and tables set up with sports on the television. We opted for outdoor seating and it was a nice choice. This place is neat because they have daily specials. Let me introduce you to the menu:

I like this restaurant because they offer huge mason jars of water and Sweet Tea. We decided to start with:

Fried Pickles: $4.99 Hamburger chips dipped in batter and fried. It's so simple yet so good. They set it up with a spicy and creamy dipping sauce.

Brooks decided to get what was on special that day and it was the:

Fish and Chips: $6.99 A cornmeal battered catfish, with seasoned fries and tartar sauce. This was an excellent special of the day. I was actually sad I didn't get it. The tartar sauce was really good and the fish tasted fresh and had a good color. The batter was really good and seasoned right. It was really a good dish.

Crab Cake Po' Boy: $9.99 Two crab cakes on French bread with slaw and seasoned fries. So, I must say I was a little disappointed with this choice. The bread was good, the fries were good, but the crab cake was lacking. It had absolutely no flavor, and the slaw wasn't particularly flavorful either. I used some of Brooks' tartar sauce and that made it better but I was really expecting something with a little more seasoning than what I got.

With that said, I would still come here again and keep trying what they offer. It really is a nice little place and the service is pretty good. Plus they offer sweet tea, and that's just something I cant live without.

www.bayleaf-cafe.com

Bayleaf Cafe

159 South Main Street

Salt lake City, UT 84111

801.359.8490

A long wait...and the gem of New Mexico?

So, pretty much the only restaurant we stopped to eat in along our route to Salt Lake City was The Silver Moon Cafe in Santa Rosa, NM. Apparently this is an institution along the route 66, but I wasn't so impressed by it's culinary delights as much as I was with the kitschy gift shop and the kokopelli menu holder. We got there kind of early and there weren't that many people there. The waitress may or may not have been a little creeped out by us, but she was nice.

Now as I have said in the previous post, I was not prepared for recording my meal, but I did have my camera in my purse and that's why there are photos. Brooks had the Chicken Fried Steak with Gravy, Eggs, and Hash-browns. He said he liked it and he finished his meal.

What I experienced is the exact opposite. So, after cruising the menu, and it was pretty extensive, I settled on the Green Chile Huevos Rancheros. let me preface this next part with that I only have myself to blame...So, I am a Texan and perhaps I didn't ask the appropriate questions, nor did the waitress feel the need to offer any further information, NOR was it stated on the menu that Green Chile Sauce has pork bits in it. Some of you may know that I prefer to not ingest pig. (I am no animal rights activist, I just do not enjoy eating the curly-tails). And actually this is just the tip of the iceberg...The temperature of the food was tepid, at best. The Green Chile Sauce mixed with the cheese had formed a chilly, gelatinous mold around the eggs. The  pinto beans were dry and cold, as well as were the potatoes, but I can eat potatoes any old way so they were still edible. Actually the best part of the meal were the home-made flour tortillas. They were excellent!

So, out of trying all of the things on my plate I ate the beans, potatoes and tortillas. I did try the eggs and a bit of the sauce (after scraping meat bits to the side) but it was all in vain, because simply: It was not good.

I think Brooks and my experiences were on the opposite ends of the spectrum. If you do ever find yourself in Santa Rosa, NM, eating at the Silver Moon Cafe, choose your food wisely. I wasn't expecting anything more than what it is but I do expect for hot food to be hot.


Silver Moon Cafe3725 Will Rogers Drive Santa Rosa, NM 88435575-472-3162

Polvos and A Long Wait...

So, I know it has been a while since I have posted, I have been moving to Salt Lake City, Utah. I do have a few things I want to post before I delve into any SLC restaurants.....One of my last dining out experiences was at Polvos with my friend Georgia. ( Also let me just say that the next 2-ish reviews will not be as in depth as I usually like to do, but I still want to put it out there, don't worry I will be up-to-par soon.) 

So, Georgia and I went to Polvos and for those of you who don't frequent that place often, let me tell you that they have the best Sangria Swirl Margaritas in town. Two of those and you're good. We were keeping it simple, and I know that I have definitely gone there in the past and dropped major cash, but thanks to another friend of mine, Lacey, I was introduced to the Exotic Taco.

Exotic Taco: You choose from your favorite meats and/or vegetables, cheese, beans, rice, pico de gallo,and one or two of Polvos exotic salsas, all piled on a tortilla. I chose a fish taco with Margarita sauce. It has peppers and onions and a little bit of escabeche-d carrot on top.( escabeche is basically a marinated vegetable or sometimes fish)  Let me tell you guys that this is PLENTY of food for one person, if not two. It's an awesome marriage of flavors, and a taco that you have to eat with a fork. 

Chili Con Queso: Melted american cheese topped with guacamole, ground beef, and pico de gallo. As you can see from the pictures above, everything is included on the side. I really enjoy that about places. I love choices and I appreciate when restaurants give you the option to choose. On the side is the ground beef, the guacamole, the tomatoes, the onions, the jalapenos and the cilantro. It's great.


Another cool thing about this place is the self-serve salsa station. You can choose from a variety of salsas and re-fill as you see fit. I highly recommend checking this place out if you haven't yet. 


P.S. Get there early though, there's always a long wait in the dinner-rush times.


www.polvosaustin.com


Polvos Mexican Restaurant
2004 S. 1st St.
Austin, Texas 78704
512-441-5446