I am a food lover

One of the unique things about my family-well, mostly my Dad's side- is that we are complete food snobs. Being LDS in Utah means that typical meals resemble 1950's comfort food or warped versions of what I consider normal meals adorn most family's tables. Dishes like "funeral potatoes," "jell-o salad," "carrot casserole," etc. are common additions to most meals centered around mass quantities of meat and white, refined breads.
My Dad is in the restaurant business. He has worked for Sysco Intermountain Food Service since before I was born. He currently is a sales rep and has clients like the Alpine Country Club, Pizza Factory, Flour Girls and Dough Boys, Ottavios, La Vigna, etc. He has worked with chefs around Utah developing menus and watching them cook. So growing up he was always experimenting with recipes infused with strong spices. I am not a stranger to intensely hot dishes or strong flavors of garlic, onion, cumin, etc.
My Aunt Catherine, who is not in the food business, (she is a judge in SLC) also has a talent with food. I moved in with her my sophomore year in college and haven't been the same since. In a good way. :) She is obsessed with cooking food from any ethnicity. Dishes like shrimp curry, baba ganoush, falafel, etc. are regular meals around here. She has cookbooks on Indian, Thai, Middle Eastern and Latin American dishes.
So when Justin and I started dating I felt disappointed to learn that he was a picky eater who hated the things I loved most. Namely fish, strong spices, ethnic food, and sushi. He loves Mexican food (the gross kind with hoards of melted cheddar and beans), milk (I can only stand soy milk), and Mormon comfort food classics. Since we can't seem to agree on food to cook, we eat out quite a bit. A few weeks ago we made an agreement to limit our eating out to conserve money. We also decided it would be best to try and eat at new places each time.
So I thought I would write reviews on the restaurants we eat at. My point of view, however, will probably not be the typical Utahn opinion. I am a food snob and am accustomed to fine dining so I am a demanding customer.
Last week we ate at The Blue Plate Diner for breakfast and Bangkok Talay for dinner.

The Blue Plate Diner:
The location and decor of this diner is really unique. There were vintage bicycles (which Justin appreciated) and typical retro diner embellishments. Althought 21st and 21st is pretty busy, it was a fun place to sit outside with the shaded patio and bustling street. The service was too slow and on the unfriendly side. We waited unreasonably long for a greeting and water. However, the food was tasty and classic. I ordered the heuvos rancheros verde. The verde sauce was extremely spicy, though delicious. My fried eggs were just right with barely runny yokes and the thick tortilla covered in black beans went well together. It would have been better with a side of pico or freshly sliced tomatoes. Although the breakfast potatoes were nothing to write home about, the dish was overall good breakfast diner food. Justin ordered biscuits with sausage and country gravy. His food was decent, but definitely needed more attention. The biscuits were dry, the gravy ordinary and sausage bits tasted artificial.
Overall, if you like typical diner food, I would recommend this place but be prepared to pay more than what the food is worth and to receive slow service.


Bangkok Thai Talay:
This place was a great find. Close to home (Highland Dr. and 33rd S) and excellent, standard Thai made this one of my new faves. The decor is plain, the service definitely is too slow and when we arrived they were unprepared for the dinner rush. But the food redeemed the entire experience. The menu features typical favorite Thai dishes including curries, stir frys, noodle dishes and salads. For appetizers we had fried spring rolls which were hot, crunchy and good with the rice noodles and cabbage and pork dumplings which were also hot, but chewy and flavorful. I ordered the Lemongrass Stir Fry with chicken and brown rice. Justin had the Sweet Bean Noodles. My dish was fragrant and hearty. With coconut milk, thai basil, thai eggplant, baby corn, red pepper, chicken, onion and fresh lemongrass it was perfect. Justin's dish was also fragrant and delicious filled with veggies, steak and flat egg noodles.
I would definitely recommend this place. It's affordable, delicious Thai food. (All things I love.)