Fine Dining

These are places where I like to go for celebrations

• Ottavio's

  77 E Center St, Provo, UT‎ - (801) 377-9555

  Ottavio's is an Italian restaurant in downtown Provo. This is my favorite place to go get dinner when I want a rich atmosphere and great food. The whole restaurant is well decorated, and lit. They have an accordion player what will serenade your "party for two", and create a nice atmosphere for your night on the town. The food is fantastic and there is plenty. When you go, you will receive complementary spice bread, (which is fresh of course). When you order your meal, make sure you order a side of tomato basil soup. Its almost worth it to go there just for the soup and bread.

  After you finish your appetizer, you'll find there is a wide selection of main dishes for nearly every taste. My favorite is the Polo Ottavios dish. Its a large chicken breast covered in their thick tomato basil sauce with stuffed tortellini. When I finally roll out, I usually have enough left over for lunch the next day.

• Chef's Table

  2005 S State St
  Orem, UT 84097

  There are two moments in my short life when I've ordered steak and wished the moment wouldn't end. One time was on my honeymoon in Hawaii, the other was an anniversary date at Chef's Table. The steak here is fabulous. Don't order it well, or even medium-well. You'll probably offend somebody and a waiter will probably drop a tray somewhere. The steak here can't be wasted like that. It is a precious thing that should be savored.

  The ambiance is a little different from Ottavio's, in that its (usually) much quieter and posh. The waiters are very formal and professional. A piano will be playing quietly in the background. Make sure you get a table near the large glass windows on the east side. They overlook the valley below and can provide a great setting for your dinner.

  One side note - I'll have to go over there again sometime to be sure, but last time I went, I think they gave me instant potatoes with my life-changing steak, which kind of rained on my parade a little.

All American Burgers and Fries

These are places that make great burgers, fries, milk shakes, etc. Stuff any red-blooded American would like.

• JCWs

  580 East State Road
  American Fork, Utah 84003

  These guys are just right off of the 5th East exit in American Fork. (A new one just opened as well near Thanksgiving Point.) These guys are my all-around favorite place to get burgers, fries, and shake. They have overall good quality and are priced fairly well, (around $6-7 dollars for a typical combo and a $3-4 more for a shake). I usually like to get their bacon blue cheeseburger with a butterfinger shake.

• Apollo Burger

  452 N. State St.
  Orem, UT 84057

  The Apollo Burger that I like is located just north of 4th North and State St. in Orem. Its really close to just about everything in Orem, which makes it an easy choice for a good lunch. If you go, make sure you try their Apollo Burger. Its a regular burger with lots of pastrami. Its hard to get your mouth around the whole thing. Another thing you'll want to do is get a side of onion rings to split with your friends. They are large and worth the extra money. They basically dip a layer of onion, (just just a ring), in batter and deep fry it. They'll give you about half of an onion like that. :) The fries here are great, and they make decent fry sauce. Mike shakes are also available. Expect to pay around $7 dollars for a combo, a dollar more for onion rings, and $2-3 dollars more for shakes, (if you can manage to eat that much).

• Iceberg Drive Inn

  180 N State St
  Orem, UT 84057

  What can I say? They make good shakes. The burgers are alright, but seriously. Go here for the shakes. They make spectacular fries and onion rings as well. Their fries are probably my favorite of all of the places in Utah County.

• RedRobin

  1200 Towne Centre Blvd
  Provo, UT 84601

  When I go to RedRobin, its basically for bottomless fries (which are actually thick chunks of potato that have been deep fried), and the bacon blue cheeseburger. I'm actually kind of new to RedRobin, so there is much to discover still.

• Purple Turtle

  85 E State Rd
  Pleasant Grove, UT 84062

  These guys are known mainly for their shakes. They have a very large selection. Their fries and burgers are about average.

• Steak and Everything

  On west side of freeway off of the Provo Center St. Freeway Exit. They are on the north side of Center St. (I can't seem to find the proper address).

  Formally known as The Great Steak. These guys rock at burgers. Seriously. If you live in Utah County, you need to go here, and buy a burger. I also really like the chicken Malibu sandwich as well.