Olive Garden- St. George Utah

Today my daughter Jessica, my grandson JJ and I went to the Olive Garden for lunch. We went to the only location in Washington County and that is 1340 E 170 S, St George. It is located across from Wingers and Cattycorner from Applebee’s. It also shares the parking lot with Target. I wasn’t feeling so great, so this is more of a review from my grandson’s and daughter’s perspective.

First of all I want to say how nice it is to have an Olive Garden finally in St. George. When we moved here from Arizona, this is the place that we missed the most and for a good reason. They have yummy breadsticks, soups and salads. Their pasta and meat dishes we have found for the most part are excellent.

When we first entered the restaurant, the door was opened for us and we were greeted with a smile from the gentleman at the door and we were immediately seated. For the most part the service was good. It was a bit slower then usual. We had to wait to get our drinks ordered. Once we got our drinks ordered and our food ordered. The soup came out first and then not too soon after that, the main course. I wish they would have waited until we had our soup eaten. There isn’t much room on the table for all the food and it gets in the way. Overall, the service was ok like I said, just not what it usually is when it comes to the waitress. But the food was awesome as always.


Today I ordered the Ravioli di Portobello. If you love Portobello Mushrooms you will love this Portobello mushroom-filled ravioli in a creamy smoked cheese and sun-dried tomato sauce. This is one of those dishes that are very easy to eat and you don’t feel like you have over eaten. It’s just the right amount of food and you will have some to take home. Each of the raviolis’ is stuffed with more then enough Portobello Mushrooms. The cost of this dish is $10.95. This dish is topped with green onions and finely diced tomatoes. Enjoy their freshly baked garlic breadsticks and your choice of homemade soup or garden-fresh salad with any entrée. I always go with my favorite and chose the Zuppa Tascano Soup. You will find a good amount of sausage, kale, potatoes, onions and other spices to add life to this wonderful soup. I could go to Olive Garden just for the soup and be completely content.
My daughter Jessica ordered the Tour of Italy. She was very pleased with her selection and had plenty to take home. Here selection came with homemade lasagna, lightly breaded chicken parmigiana and creamy fettuccine alfredo. I think her favorite must have been the chicken parmigiana. That was the first thing she dug into and was gone. The rest came home with us and my niece had a great lunch for after school. Although I’m not sure how it can be homemade if it is made in a restaurant. The cost of her meal was $14.95. She did have a coupon for $4.00 off a dinner entrée. She found her coupon in the Sunday newspaper.

Now, for the most important person in our dinner party, let me introduce my grandson JJ. JJ ordered Spaghetti and had a good time eating my raviolis. He loved it… As you can tell by the look on his face, he was having a good time with each noodle. He loved the soup too and he even took a few bites out of a Black Tie Mousse Cake.
Sandie's Rating System:

Product Quality- Very Good
Price- Somewhat Moderate - Expensive
Location- 1340 E 170 S, St George
Service- OK, Not Great Though
Speed– Started off Slow, but got faster
Cleanliness- Very Clean
Atmosphere- We love the atmosphere at Olive Garden

Final Thought: If you are a tea drinker, then you should try the Peach Bellini. It is very good. I didn’t have it today, but 9 times out of 10 I order this drink since they serve Coke Products. I must warn you that it is sweet enough without adding sugar. I made that mistake the first time, yuck and double yuck.

Red Robin Hamburgers- Washington Utah

On Friday my friends Jen, her husband, her mom Donna and her cute little baby Zuriah went out to Red Robin. We chose Red Robin for a couple of reasons: 1. We needed to discuss business and 2. To have a good lunch... Both were accomplished... Scott and Jen helped out with the review and I would like to thank them for their input and their company.

Red Robin is located in the Cotton Mill Shopping Center by Kohl's, facing Telegraph (Red Cliffs Drive), directly across from Home Depot and Wal-Mart.

When we first arrived at Red Robin we were greeted very fast and seated. The first thing you will notice when you arrive at Red Robin of Washington Utah, is that is it very family friendly. They will embarrass your friends or family member when it is their birthday as well. Expectations are mostly fulfilled. Decor is as one would expect--shiny, clean, kid-friendly.

I ordered the All Natural Burger- It comes with your choice of fresh fruit (cantaloupe) or bottomless fries, pickles, tomatoes and I ordered jalapeno peppers for the side. I do wish they offered cottage cheese as an option, but they don't so I won't carry on about that one, lol. I also had water to drink. But they do offer Pepsi products, which is good. Overall, I was pleased with my selection.


Scott's A-1 peppercorn burger with jalapeno's added.

Good balance of taste. One bite of heat the next bite smooth and cool and back and forth.
Meat had good texture and was cooked to order, special order was correct and abundant.
Good presentation and speed of service.
Fun plating and design.
Groovy Smoothie was delicious and inviting. Smoothie was a wonderful blend of taste. Glass was fun and decorative.

If you like the heat of a good pepper ask for jalapenos to be added and ask for extra if you really like the heat.


Jenn's Gourmet Cheeseburger.

Meat had good texture and was cooked to order.
Bun was toasted and light.
Plating was fun and accessible.
Good presentation and speed of service.
Ordered a Dr. Pepper. Was asked if I wanted a refill a couple of times and was grateful for the attention.

Bottomless refills on most drinks. A real crowd pleaser for those who like to sit and chat after your meal is the bottomless french fries. As long as you want to sit and relax they will ask you if you want more fries or drinks.

They have a No-rush attitude if their customer wants to relax while eating, which is a good idea for those impromptu lunch meetings.

As you enter the restaurant they greet you with a smile. If there happens to be a small wait they have seating along the windows with a TV in the floor and a small arcade for the kids. They try to seat you to best fit your needs and they do it quickly.

As you leave they send you off with a smile, a balloon for the kids (if they want), a thank you and a please come again. They always ask how was your food and love to hear your comments.

Since your waiter/waitress is your cashier there is no need to wait in line to pay. In your check there should be a comment card. If you fill it out you can receive emails from them possibly for coupons for your next visit.

Price: moderate. you get what you pay for- Average Price is $8.00 on up....
Atmosphere: good
Speed of Service: good even on busy days.
cleaniness: good

Hours of Operation and Location:

640 W Telegraph St
Washington, UT 84780
Sun-Thurs: 11a-10p; Fri-Sat: 11a-11p

Final Thought: This is a fun place to go with the family and they have good food. It isn't cheap, but if you want cheap go to McDonald's.

Coming Soon- Cafe Rio

Made in Brazil Brazilian Steakhouse- St. George, Utah

My brother in law and I were thinking about going out to dinner last night. Since we had the Dixie Direct Card we decided it was a good time to try something different. Since a number of people have asked me to do a review on the Brazilian Steakhouse, we decided the time was now… So off we go wondering what to expect. We have never had Brazilian food before and this was something different for sure.

The Made in Brazil Brazilian Steakhouse located in the Phoenix Plaza on Bluff and Sunset. The exact address is 929 West Sunset Blvd. The Brazilian Steakhouse is not your ordinary steak house. At some restaurants, by the time you get to eat your cut of meat, the meat has a tendency to fail to deliver the right amount of flavor and may not be hot. That is not the case here.

The giant skewers of meat are rotisserie-cooked meat The giant skewers of meat are rotisserie-cooked meat; all cooked over a mesquite charcoal pit. they are carved and served directly from fire to your plate.; they are carved and served directly from fire to your plate.

We started out with the salad bar, which I loved. They had a good variety to choose from. You will find some interesting and tasty choices. I really enjoyed the black beans with beef. It had a very pleasing flavor to them.
Guests of Made in Brazil, Brazilian Steakhouse will use a wooden cue to let the servers know when they are ready for the next skewer of meat. Place the green side up, and the servers will continue to bring skewers to you. Place the cue on the red side when you are too full to eat another bite! This makes it nice to set your own pace and relax.

When you are finished eating and had your fill, turn the cue to the flat side to let the waiter/waitress staff will then bring your check.

A bit of advice -- Try a little at a time or you will run out of room before you have gotten a chance to try all the varieties of meat. I was so full, I didn't get to try them all. And don’t forget to turn the wooden cue over of they will keep feeding you and you will need to loosen that belt.

Some of the Meats Offered Are:


* Prime Rib
* Ham- My Favorite
* Chicken wrapped in bacon
* Tenderloin w/garlic
* Top Sirloin
* Lamb
* Chicken
* Pork Sausage
* Pork Loin
* Chicken hearts upon request (Dinner Only)
* Pineapples


More Information: Lunches are priced at $11.99 , kids 5-11 are $5.99 and Dinner is $18.99, kids 5-11 are 9.99 .... If you have the Dixie Direct Card, they offer a buy one get one free. But if you go for dinner, they will discount your bill for the $11.99. They also offer more meats on the dinner menu, its is a meat lovers delight, lol. They serve Pepsi products and have a variety of other choices as well like limeades and alcoholic drinks. We didn't have any dessert, but they looked yummy.I was too full after we ate to get desserts.

There are many, many options, check out The Phone Book for more information and menu items. You can find it on page 788.


Sandie's Rating System:

Product Quality- Very Good
Price- Moderate - You pay for what you get
Location- 929 West Sunset Blvd, St. George, Utah
Service- Excellent
Speed– Pretty Fast- Sometimes too fast :)
Cleanliness- Very Clean
Atmosphere- Fun and Inviting, Something Different

If you have come here via The Spectrum, thank you for visiting us, and your comments and suggestions are welcome

Looking For A Great Breakfast and A Good Cause

All You Can Eat Pancake Breakfast


Usually I do food reviews on this blog. But this time I am gonna tell you about an awesome deal before it happens. At Lin's Marketplace on Saturday, February 21st from 8am-12 pm. Lin's will be sponsoring an All You Can Eat Pancake Breakfast. Lin's is located at 1930 West Sunset Blvd in St. George. Offer is good only at the Sunset Location...

Cost:

$20.00 per family or $5.00 per person

All of the proceeds are being donatated to Lin's Bakery Employee Char Barton and Family in memory of her loving husband and father William Barton.

I work at Lin's and have gotten to know Char and she has two young daughters and she is very kind and loving. Char is the kind of person that will do anything for anyone, even though she has nothing. The loss of her husband was and is devastating to her family. he ws uninsured and was on disability due to his medical problems. He will be deeply missed by his daughters and Char. My thoughts and prayers go out to her. She has a long road ahead of her. I know that God will be looking out for them and she will be ok. But if you don't have any plans for Saturday, February 21st, come over to Lins and have a great breakfast and at the same time, you can help out a family in need.

P.S. If you have kids under the age of 13 or so. There is a Kids Club Activity that day from 10 am-2pm. It's free and you are never asked to buy anything. Just look for the table that has Kids Club Balloons...

What Would You Like Us To Review?

If you have a place you would like us to review. Post it here in the comment section. Let us know the location and if there is a particular item you want to know about. It must be located in Southern Utah to be reviewed.

Thanks, Sandie

Rickshaw Asian Gourmet- St. George Utah

Rickshaws Has Gone Out of Business... 

Tonight we went to Rickshaw Asian Gourmet on 1973 W Sunset Blvd, St. George, Utah. Its located in the Albertson's Plaza on Sunset across from Lin's Marketplace... This is one of those mixed reviews. But for the most part it is a thumbs up.

All of the entrees come with your choice of soup or salad, your choice of steamed rice, organic Malaysian brown rice, fried rice or veggie-lo-mein (soft noodles).

I ordered the Spicy Volcano Chicken (Hunan).It was priced at $6.99. There is a warning on there that says, " A Spicy lover's special, we dare you to try it. OK... I am all up for a dare. So I tried it and while it was good and easy to eat. It wasn't hot. It had good flavor and all. With my order it came with egg drop soup, which was the easiest for me, Malaysian brown rice and one of those cookies that has an almond on it. I didn't eat the cookie, but then I never do, so I didn't include this in my review. My fortune that was in the fortune cookie was something like "Don't Disappoint others that look up to you". I got no, you will meet a tall dark and handsome stranger. But then I don't need to do that since I have my husband who is tall, dark and somewhat of a stranger, lol Or should I say strange :) And lets hear it for a drum roll. THEY SERVE PEPSI PRODUCTS... YAY and I ordered a Diet Pepsi.

My brother in law ordered the Sesame Chicken (Shanghai). That was also priced at $6.99. He had the fried rice, which he liked better then mine. But I thought I would go with something easy to eat and digest... He enjoyed his dinner.

My niece ordered the Orange Chicken(Canton), it was priced at $5.99. She ordered the noodles rather then the rice. The noodles was OK, but they weren't for me.



Some of the other foods they offer is:

Vegetarian Egg Rolls, Fantail Prawns, Pot Stickers, Beef Skewers, BB Pork, Ceder Smoked Chicken salad, Lettuce Wrap, Fresh Garden Salads, Mango Shrimp, Basil Fowl, Mandarin Pork, Teriyaki Chicken and Bowls, Coconut Curry, Yu-Shang Chicken, Walnut Shrimp and alot of other things. They also have a decent vegetarian selection. And of course they have Pepsi Products...

One of the things I dislike about this place is how they will bring orders out one at a time. Someone in your party will get their order, and the others will have to wait. I personally think that they should bring the orders out when the entire party's orders are finished.

Sandie's Rating System:

Product Quality- Very Good
Price- Reasonable - Ranging from $1.99-$9.99
Location- 1973 W Sunset Blvd #F, St. George, Utah
Service- For the most good- Should bring orders out together
Speed – Pretty Fast
Cleanliness- Very Good
Atmosphere- Easy going and relaxing

Final Thought- They have a children's menu, but they only offer Chicken Fingers for that with sweet and sour sauce and a kids drink. And there is no MSG in their food, and they deliver within a 3 mile radius.

Hours of Operation:

Mon-Thurs: 11am-9:30 pm
Fri-Sat: 11am-10pm
Sunday: 11am-9pm

Next Review-

Burger King "Angry Whopper"- St. George, Utah

This review is for Burger King, or should I say the quote unquote Angry Whopper. The location of the Burger King I went to was 1185 S Main St, St George, UT.


I don’t have cravings for Burger King very often, but last week was different, I had a huge Whopper craving last week and I gave in and purchased the Angry Whopper. My curiosity has been fulfilled and I no longer crave this burger. With the name Angry Whopper, you would expect this burger to be one really hot, where the tears run down your face. Even though it had jalapenos, pepper jack cheese, spicy onion rings, and a spicy Angry Sauce, the Angry Whopper is far from being angry. The angry onions look like they are just cut up onions rings. It was on the side of a cat running with its tails between its legs.

You might want to think about the calories and fat in this burger. It contains over 880 calories, and that doesn’t include the fries. The total fat is over 55 grams, saturated fat is 18 grams, Sodium is 1670 grams, carbohydrates are 59 grams and Tran’s fat is 2 grams. I can’t even think about what the nutritional facts would be for the double and triple patties. Wow, that makes me want to not think about eating that. I wonder how many miles or workout hours I would need to get rid of those calories. Oh, and if you get the fries for the Combo Meal, add an additional 359 calories, 20 grams of fat, 592 grams of sodium, and 41 grams of Carbohydrates for a medium order of fries… You better drink water or a diet soda in order to not add more… Or go all out and order a Coke product. I guess sometimes looking at nutritional facts is not a good thing, or maybe it is a preventative. I guess it depends on how you look at it, lol.
I thought the flavor was good. But nowhere close to being how they described it on the commercials. I was disappointed that it wasn’t hot. To me, when you mix the sauce, with the pickled Jalapeño’s, you get zip. When I order jalapenos, I want to be able to taste them. I did ask the guy in the window about the heat of the burger. When I looked at what was inside this burger, I found three very small jalapeno’s… What is up with that? And he said that all depends on what you are expecting. Well… I am expecting it to be HOT or ANGRY as the commercial says.

I am glad I tried it… I don’t go there very often… But now I know if I want to taste a burger that is hot, the closest so far is Sonic or Wendy’s. They use real jalapeños, not pickled ones. Another alternative is the volcano sauce at taco bell. At least there is a bite to that.

Sandie's Rating System:

Product Quality- Good but not as described
Price- Reasonable- $3.79 for the single meat, not the combo price
Location- Main Street next to Denny’s
Service- Very Good Service
Speed – Fast
Cleanliness- Went through the drive through
Atmosphere- Didn’t go inside, but if you go inside, it is casual

Final Thought- If you want something spicy and hot, this is not for you. But otherwise it was a good hamburger with a bit of a different flavor. I found the service was good, and the guy at the driver thru window was pleasant and fast.

P.S. Nutritional Facts were found on Burger Kings very own website.

Next Review- Rickshaws Asian Gourmet, St. George Utah

Rise and Dine Restaurant- Washington Utah

Rise and Dine Restaurant is now closed and Bishops is in it's location.

For breakfast or lunch, dine-in or carry-out, Rise and Dine Restaurant is open from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., 7 days a week. You can order Breakfast and Lunch and on certain days, they are open later for dinner. I'm not sure of what days those are though. They are located off I-15, exit 10 (Washington) just North of Costco and Sportsman's Warehouse. If you know where the Lucky Buffet is and the new Checkers, that's where it is.

My husband and I and my brother in law go to Rise and Dine every Monday. My husband is a truck driver. So this place is close to his work and he gets a great breakfast before heading out for the week.


Today I had the Spinach and Mushroom Omelet. It comes with sour cream, but I substitute the sour cream for pepper jack cheese. It is great that way. I also get oatmeal with bananas instead of the grits or the hash browns. There is something about grits I don't like. I know many that like them, and who ever eats there seems to like theirs, but my thought is ewwwww, lol. I always seem to order the same thing. I also have coffee with my meal. You do have to ask for the real cream/half and half. On the tables they offer the flavored ones. For the toast each table has a good variety of jams for your toast. I never eat the toast. But that is because I'm not really into eating bread.

My husband ordered the Ham and Cheese on Rye Bread with French Fries. He isn't fond of fries. But he really liked theirs. They were crispy and had some kind of a coating on them. I did try one, and they were really good. They weren't wimpy. He stated that usually when a place says a heaping amount, it really isn't. But that wasn't the case here. He was very pleased with his lunch.

My brother in law ordered a club wrap. It had all kinds of goodies in it. He ordered chips to go as his side and was thinking after he tried the fries that he should have gotten that. The wrap was loaded with all kinds of goodies. He ordered the garlic and herb wrap. They have a few other choices, but didn't hear what they were.

For the three of us, our breakfast costs us around $29.00. Which isn't bad. Not the best price. But you do pay for what you get.

I don't think we have ever had a bad meal here. Usually my husband will order the Sausage Benedict. Sounds weird,. but it is like Egg Benedict, but is topped with sausage gravy instead.

This place is really good if you want to have a down home feel. Now when we go in there, they know who we are. Not sure if that is good or bad, lol. They are great when I substitute things, which I am good at doing. I guess I am somewhat picky.

Sandie's Rating System:

Product Quality- Very Good
Price- Very Reasonable
Location- 969 N 3050 E STE B6, Washington Utah
Service- Very Good Service
Speed - Good
Cleanliness- Excellent
Atmosphere- Down Home and Welcoming

Final Thought- You can get a coupon for Rise and Dine in the Senior Sampler and I am sure a few other places. You will be happy with your service and food. They are also in the Dixie Direct. You get a buy one get one free in there. Check it out, you won't be disappointed. If you are, let us know how your experience was or if you liked it, let us know that too.

Next Review: Angry Whopper From Burger King