Yuki Shaved Ice in Provo, Utah

Favorite:

I took waaaaay too long to finally go here.

I spotted this place several weeks ago on my way down State St.

I'm pretty sure I did a double-take when I saw the words "Artisan Shaved Ice" placed on a tiny little building out in front of Mountain West Burrito. Not far down the road I had to pull over and write down "Yuki" so I wouldn't forget to do some research when I got home.

I was so hoping it was what I thought it was.....

It was that and more.

Blackberry & Roza Peach

That's right, made FROM SCRATCH!

Anything that's homemade, housemade, or made from scratch gets my attention pretty quick.

And on shaved ice? 

"Here at Yuki, we make everything from scratch. Instead of getting syrups from a box, we use real, fresh ingredients to create our own flavors that are unlike anything you’ve had before!"

 -Yuki Shaved Ice

Homemade Root Beer

The texture of the ice is incredibly soft and flaky. It literally feels like you're eating snow, and appropriately because "yuki" means "snow" in Japanese.

If you read the menu above, you'll notice that a "snow cap" is free.

That means your shaved ice can come with a drizzle of sweet cream.

I don't see how anyone would NOT get their ice snow capped....

Watermelon & Cantaloupe 

The owner and creator, Dan, was inspired by a shaved ice he had at a sit-down restaurant in Japan.

Dan is incredibly nice. Read more about him from this great post from the Heirloom Group.

Nectarine w/ Ice Cream

"When you try our blackberry, you’re tasting actual berries. Our melon syrups were real juicy melons just days ago. Our root beer and cola flavors are brewed fresh from our own special recipes.

In order to keep our product fresh and tasty, we use produce from local farms as much as humanly possible. For that reason, you won’t see some of the more tropical flavors like pineapple and coconut. (Don’t get us wrong - pineapple is a great flavor, but unfortunately Hawaii is not exactly “local”!) " -Yuki Facebook Page

I almost forgot to mention the delightful end of eating one of these....

So you know how when you eat a regular ol' shaved ice, and at the end it's kinda nasty with the watery, way-too-sugary, fake syrup at the bottom? I usually end up pouring mine down a ditch.

You won't want to do this with Yuki Shaved Ice, because at the end, it certainly gets melty, but oh all of sudden it becomes this fresh, creamy, juice that you won't want to waste. Go ahead and drink it up straight from the bowl. It might be my favorite part.

I'm crazy about this place and I'm predicting Yuki can and will be huge.

Zubs Pizza & Subs in Springville, Utah

Like:

Let me share one of our occasional go-to pizza and sandwich shops located in Springville.

Oh how I do love those two things, pizza and sandwiches.

"I am proud to be an American. Because an American can eat anything on the face of this earth as long as he has two pieces of bread." -Bill Cosby
So very well said Bill.

 Turkey and Avocado (cold): turkey, cream cheese, avocado, tomato, & mayo. half  $5.09

Zubs has great sandwiches that you can choose to have either hot or cold.
If you order a sandwich (this goes for anywhere) with provolone, 
try ordering it with double or extra cheese.
Trust me, I've been doing that for the past fifteen years and I've never looked back.

Steak N' Stuff (hot): roast beef, onions, green peppers, mushrooms, provolone, tomato, & mayo. half $5.09
I forgot to order that one with extra provolone. Dangit!

Everything is to-go here at Zubs, or they can deliver.
On my way home from this trip, my car(van) soon filled with the aroma of freshly baked bread.
Umm, if that's not a sign of good bread & pizza crust, I dunno what is.

"The bread recipe came from owner, Rena Peacock's sister-in-law, Vickie Moss, who was part-owner of the restaurant in 1992." -Daily Herald

My kids love the pepperoni pizza.

I love the Greek Pizza pictured above,
and I love even more the Fiesta Pizza pictured below.

Do not forget to add a brownie (w/ or w/o nuts) to your order. 

It's one of our favorite things, because it's not too sweet and it's the perfect combo of cakey and chewy.

This was my first experience trying their Apple Pizza. 

Not kidding it is A-MAZING!

Perfectly cooked apples (not mushy, not crunchy, but a slight bite), 

crumble topping, and oh the glaze.

Here...I add this picture below to show you the creamy, cinnamon glaze oozing off the side....see it? Yeah, it's pretty sinful. 

And I imagine so is their cinnamon roll seeing as they have an awesome bread recipe goin' on. Order one of those early because they go quick.

Quickly, our first experience with Zub's was just okay, but only because they got our delivery order wrong and didn't seem to care much, BUT the bread is what kept us coming back and the service has been friendly ever since.

Takashi in Salt Lake City, Utah

Favorite:

Today, on my one year blogging-anniversary, I'd like to share an old favorite.

I was introduced to sushi, by my husband, shortly after we were married, 

but I don't really count any of the sushi I had had pre-visiting Takashi.

In '05, my friend SueAnn had recently become a huge sushi fan, and this was one of her favorite places. Around this time, she invited me here with one of our other besties.

I was sold.

Left: The handsome Mr. Takashi himself working his magic. Right: Easy Rider: Maguro, avocado, mint, Thai basil, and a good dab of fresh wasabi; topped w/ roasted, crushed sesame seeds. $8.95

When Mark and I moved to Utah County in '06, I knew we wouldn't have great sushi as easily accessible to us. I haven't really been on the lookout, but I think it's time.

It has been 5 years since my last visit here. 

Crunchy Ebi: Shrimp tempura, avocado, and spicy sauce inside; masago, eel sauce, and tempura crumbs on top. $9.00 :: House-made Limeade $2.00 (refreshing)

Before I go on the lookout for decent sushi in Utah County I needed to set the high-bar.

I set a date for this special trip; I invited some friends (especially SueAnn, because she's been with me every time I've eaten at Takashi); and I patiently looked forward to this review. 

Strawberry Fields: Excolar, strawberry, spicy sauce, and fresh chili peppers inside; toasted almonds and eel sauce on the outside. $8.00

My first bite....I had forgotten.

I thought, "Not only is this good sushi, it's good food."

I literally closed my eyes and savored.

I thought about that first bite my entire drive back home...

Sebastian: Spiced crab w/ avocado & sesame seeds. $7.00 :: Edamame $4.00

Can you tell we love avocado?

Sunshine: Cucumber, avocado, and spicy sauce inside fresh salmon and very thin lemon slices on top. $9.95

This one was my favorite. You lemon lovers you, you'll love this one.

Buddha: Filled w/ tempura-fried portabellas, green beans, sweet potato, and carrots; topped w/ sweet sauce & sesame seeds. $6.00

This one is a vegetarian roll for those who might be hesitant on the raw fish.

Ripe Mango Mousse: $6.95

Heavenly.

Chocolate Rum Torte: A decadent flourless cake served with your choice of gelato. 

We chose the black sesame gelato. $6.95

Yeah, I'm gonna have to get a container of that Black Sesame Gelato...

I forgot to get a picture of their very tall wall full of awards ranging from Best Sushi to Best Japanese to Best Restaurant.

I consider us to be light sushi eaters who haven't taken any huge risks with Japanese cuisine, but I'm pretty sure I'm ready to take those risks at Takashi. Next time for sure.

"Japanese cuisine at Takashi can be as adventurous as you like, ranging from options some people have probably never tried -- and might not want to -- to the safe, but delicious, traditional favorites." -The Salt Lake Tribune 

"As we watched Takashi work his magic, the word “precision” kept popping into my head: artistic precision." -City Weekly

When you have bad sushi, you'll have, what I call, the fishy-burps the rest of the night.

This will not happen at Takashi. Not once did I taste any old fishy taste. 

How he does this in landlocked Utah I will always be curious.

P.S. - To my fellow Utah County-ites, when you go on a special date to downtown Salt Lake, why go to a non-special chain? There are plenty of options like this one.