Just a few thoughts for the masses who, like my wife, have been wondering, "what have you been eating?" Though she asked while spritzing Fabreze around my office. Here are my notes on a few new dives around Utah Co.

Jasmine Thai (fka Thai Chili Gardens)
430 W. 800 N. Orem
Ordered the pad thai, pad see-ew, and chicken satay. The satay wasn't served on skewers, but rather as small chunks in a curry sauce with peanut sauce on the side. The curry sauce was a simple one made with commercial curry powder, heavy on the turmeric, so nothing special, but it wasn't bad at all. Needs rice to soak up the sauce. The peanut sauce was good; not too sweet. It had a passable massaman curry vibe when mixed together. The pad see-ew was mediocre and bland. Heavy on the mixed vegetables rather than just gai lan, and too light on the noodles. No smoky flavor from stir-frying the noodles in sweet soy sauce, which I prefer. No egg, either. The pad thai was not good. Although it wasn't bland like most other Thai places around Utah, it smelled and tasted like BBQ sauce. The waitress mentioned that they used hoisin sauce, which to me is just plain wrong.

Thai Bombay
934 N State St. Orem
We ordered the panang curry, pad see-ew, and chicken satay. Thought the latter two would be an interesting comparison to Jasmine, since the owners formerly ran it when it was known as Thai Chili Gardens. The satay was identical to Jasmines, as was the pad see-ew, unfortunately. Really despairing of finding a good pad see-ew. The panang was weak, watery and dull. I didnt get pad thai, as I was concerned by the waitresses description of it as peanut-y and creamy. WTY?

Atlantis Burger
192 S 500 E St, American Fork
New branch of the SLC mini chain. Pretty much the same as the other Greek burger places around. Tried it twice so far. Got the gyro and the double cheeseburger. The gyro was pretty good. Not stupendous, but no complaints. The cheeseburger was also good, but oddly very mild tasting. No strong flavors from pickles or mustard or anything like that. I liked it though. Fries were just standard food service fries, but I quite liked them. Fry sauce was different. Very mayonnaise-y, but not in a good way. The ranch dressing was very good though. Nice and thick for dipping fries. The rice pudding was also surprisingly good. They put a bit of orange peel in it for flavoring. Nice touch.

Joses Fresh Mex
66 West Main St., American Fork
Took over from Nicos Tacos. This looks to be a bit more gringo friendly. Kind of mix of taqueria, Café Rio Mex, and combo-plate Mex. I got the Chile Verde Smothered Burrito. Very good. The chile verde sauce was nice and tangy and the meat was carnitas rather than stewed pork, which lent a nice crispy contrast. The burrito was a lot like La Puente in style, but better. They also have nachos, salads, authentic-style tacos, posole, and a couple of shrimp dishes.

Taqueria Sonorense? (I may have the name wrong)
934 N State St. Orem
Next to Thai Bombay. More of a combo plate-style Mexican joint. Not doing well. Both times I went here - once to get a menu, and once to eat - I was the only customer. I got the pollo ranchero lunch special, which was a great deal: $5 for a plate or pollo ranchero, rice and beans, drink, chips and salsa. However, it just wasnt very good. The ranchero sauce was watery and the salsa was bland.

Sliders Gourmet
1626 E State Hwy SR 92, Lehi (near Smiths)
I tried a couple of sliders with havarti and bacon and a side of fries. Underwhelmed by the sliders. They werent bad, but the meat wasnt particularly beefy (though it was juicy and did seem like they tried for higher quality), and the sliders were oddly harder to eat than a regular burger, since all of the toppings were perched on a tiny bun. A bit pricy, too. The fries were excellent, though. Made from fresh potatoes and fried Belgian-style. Ive gone back a few times just for the fries.

Thoughts on a few older places I tried recently

El Gallo Giro
582 N State St, Orem
Took the boys here before the UNM game. Got the fish tacos. Bit different from other fish tacos. They were breaded (panko maybe?) and fried, then served with lettuce, crema and mango salsa on a flour tortilla. I actually quite liked them. They were very mild and bland, which I dont usually like, but I liked the great contrast of textures, especially the fish. That breading had a very unusual crispy-melting texture.

Café Rio
139 N State Street, Orem
I broke down and tried the Saturday special shrimp tacos. Not the worst Ive had, but Id never get them again. The shrimp themselves were pretty good, but Im not sold on the sauce; not bad, but just didnt seem right. The strong flavors muddied the delicate shrimp flavor. I didnt like the mountain of lettuce, and while I thought the cilantro sprigs was a nice touch, there was just too much. It was like chewing through a forest. Flour tortilla was okay, but I prefer corn for my tacos. Didnt like that it was $7 for one taco, and that it came with rice and beans rather than a la carte (I just dont like Café Rios rice and beans and tossed them after one bite).

Emmett & Ethels
90 E. Main St., Lehi
I tried the burger and the fish and chips on two visits. The fish was very good. Best Ive had in Utah Co. Id compare it to Neils in Draper. They obviously used fresh fish and batter and really took some care, rather than just deep frying frozen Sysco stuff. It was very pricy, though. The fries were decent. Made from fresh potatoes, but a bit greasy. The burger was pretty simple It was just the basic cheeseburger but good enough that Id try another bigger burger. I prefer the ambiance at JCWs though.