Communal Restaurant (Breakfast/Brunch) – Provo, UT

Communal has been generating a lot of buzz in the Provo area.  With its focus on local, sustainable foods and quality presentation, those who have eaten there were most likely not surprised when Communal won the Best of State award in the New American category.  Communal offers separate menus for brunch, lunch and dinner.  Roni and I decided to give the Communal brunch menu a try, and we were largely impressed with our experience.

Every time I tell somebody about about Communal, the question inevitably comes up, “Why is it called Communal?’  I think a quick glance at the menu and the decor of this establishment can quickly answer the question.  The first reason I would guess that restaurant is named “communal” is that whenever possible, the menu items come from local or community farms.  Much of the meat seems to come from Christiansen Farm, while much of the produce comes from Jacob’s Cove, both local endeavors.  The second reason I conjecture the restaurant is called Communal is that a large portion of the dining area is taken up by a large community dining table, as opposed to individual dining tables.  This allows individuals to sit around a joint table, much as a family would gather around the dinner table.  Finally, the dishes themselves lend themselves to community eating.  Instead of each individual getting their own plate, one large plate of the ordered item is brought out and everybody shares from the plate.

In general, the service was responsive and helpful.  Our server did take quite a while to come and get our order, but once he did he was quite good about making sure our glasses stayed full and attending to our needs.  On a less awesome note, I did find that several mystery bits floating in my water, and Roni’s fork had several bits of food stuck to it.  Considering that the water is supposed to be super-filtered pH balanced water, it was a bit disappointing to see bits floating in the water before we even received our food.

By far the best part of the experience, however, was the food.  Roni ordered the eggs Benedict and I ordered the sausage and biscuits with a side of bacon.  The eggs Benedict were perfect.  The poached egg was expertly executed with a warm and creamy yolk that spilled out with the first bite.  I thought the lemon in the hollandaise sauce nicely balanced the richness of the yolk, but Roni found the lemon a bit strong.  The eggs came with a side of potatoes that were perfectly seasoned and cooked.  The biscuits and gravy were perhaps even better than the eggs  Benedict.  The biscuit was crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.  The biscuit was large, but the gravy was generously supplied.  The gravy was savory, and wasn’t overly peppery (as I have found many country-style gravies can be).  The house-made sausage was slightly sweet and provided a nice contrast to the savory gravy.  The bacon, which is cured and smoked on site, had a full smoky flavor which was quite pleasant.  It was, however, a bit tough and hard to chew.

Overall our experience was quite good.  Reservations are a generally a good idea, though we have been able to get a table with a short wait.  If we could find somebody to watch our kids in the morning, I think we would go back much more frequently.  On that note, this is definitely not a place to bring young children.  Hire a babysitter (or guilt a relative!) and go to Communal.  It is worth it.

Category: Fine Dining
Food Quality: 5
Taste: 4.5
Portion Size: 4.5
Service: 4
Overall Experience: 4.5
price (per item): $6-16

tl;dr: Leave the kids at home and enjoy the excellent food of Communal.  It is worth the hype!

Communal Restaurant
100 North University Avenue
Provo, Utah 84601

Adulthood

I’ve just crossed the real threshold into adulthood, and I’m now officially a grownup.

I ate lima beans tonight.

Voluntarily.

T's Diner Style – Provo UT

On an especially hectic night, both Roni and I couldn’t muster the energy to cook a meal at home.  We were thinking of places that we could try and T’s Diner came to mind, as it was near the house and had recently opened.  I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from a place that bills itself as “American and Authentic Colorado-Mexican” cuisine.  Having tried both sides of the border on the menu I was left with mixed feelings.

On the one had, our first visit led to us discovering the best burgers in Provo.  No joke!  I had the guacamole bacon burger and the meat was well-seasoned and perfectly juicy.  The guacamole tasted fresh and it was the best that I have had in a while.  Roni’s burger was also well seasoned and expertly prepared.  The fries were also quite good, but don’t expect crisp perfection here.  These fries were a bit soggy, but were good enough that both Roni and I loved them.  The restaurant itself is simply decorated, and seems to dance the line between casual diner and fast food.  Perhaps that is the reason that it is merely “diner style” instead of a “diner.”

On the other hand, our shakes were a disaster.  I had a caramel shake and Roni had a chocolate shake.  These shakes were so watery that they were scarcely able to be called shakes; it was more like flavored milk.  Based on the burgers, we ended up going back to try the Mexican side of the menu; we were quite disappointed.  Roni ordered a carne asada burrito.  While the flavors were nice and the food tasted quite good, she could barely get through a bite without a rather large piece of gristle.  I can understand a piece here or there, but almost a full quarter of the burrito was inedible connective tissues (FYI: “inedible connective tissues” is rarely a good thing).  This speaks to laziness in preparing the meat and poor quality control in the kitchen.  In my dish, I ordered a green chili sauce to go over my burrito, but red sauce was put on.  Otherwise, there just wasn’t anything special about the burrito; it was immensely mediocre.

Our service also left much to be desired.  We sat at our table for several minutes after we were ready to order without anybody coming to the table to check up on us.  There was only one other table seated, so I doubt we were lost in the crowd.  Also, the server never came back to check up on how our meal was doing.  If she had, we would have told her the issues we had with our food (Roni with the gristle, and me with the wrong sauce on the burrito) and moved on with the dinner as happy customers.  However, the most unnerving thing was that when the waitress brought the receipt for me to sign she just waited there and STARED at us while we filled out the tip amount.  Not just in a friendly “let me get that for you” kind of way, but in an awkward “I want to see the how much of a tip you leave AS YOU WRITE IT” sort of way.  Furthermore, she wouldn’t give back the credit card until we had filled out the tip amount.  It. Was. Weird.  I’ve never felt so uncomfortable in a restaurant setting before.

With that being said, I really cannot say enough good things about T’s burgers.  If you want a the perfect diner-style burger, then this is the place for you.   However, I suggest that you get you steer clear of the Mexican menu and that you get your order to go.

Category: Fast Food
Food Quality: 3.5
Portion Size: 4
Speed: 4
Flavor: 4
Overall: 3.5
Price: $2-$8

tl;dr- Great burgers, mediocre Mexican.

T’s Diner Style
520 N 900 E St
Provo, UT 84606