Las Glorias Mexican Restaurant: A Red, Green and Yellow Glimmer of Hope!

Last Saturday, I was wrapping up some appointments in Draper. Again, I had overlooked breakfast as I had a lot to accomplish; not a wise choice. I was craving Mexican food and drove down 12300 S. looking for La Puente. The searching was in vain as there was no La Puente to be found and my spirits were beginning to be crushed. Right as all hope was going to fade forever, I saw a bright green, yellow and red sign that read "Las Glorias Mexican Restaurant." It looked delicious!
While walking in, I saw the daily special written on the board, Carnitas Burrito: a homemade flour tortilla filled a touch of refried beans and very tender pork carnitas topped with our special sauce and melted cheese. Served with a side of rice, avocado slices, lettuce and pico de gallo.

That actually sounded really good and it saved me from having to read the menu. The waiter who seated me asked right then if I knew what I would like. I mentioned the special and he said that he would get working on it and bring me some chips and salsa as an appetizer. This all took about 30 seconds. In my mind, I can see my wife's eyes rolling as she reads this.

All the food here is homemade including the chips and salsa. The chips are thin, crispy and delicious. I often find myself on a hunt for good tortilla chips. The closest that I have come to finding chips like these was in a grocery store while on vacation to Whidbey Island. The salsa is filled with chili peppers so make sure that you have your glass of ice water close by. It's worth the heat despite having to guzzle cold water. They have developed some fabulous flavor profiles here.

They are right about the pork carnitas; it is very tender. Pork is so easy to overcook and they do a masterful job of keeping it moist and tender. The Burrito was loaded with a lot of pork and refried beans. Their special sauce must be mole-similar to a chili pepper puree. It's delicious and goes really well with the dish. It reminded me of the mole at El Mana. I wasn't sure about how the avocados would fit but they were very nice; a creamy, soft component to a pretty powerful entree.

My only slightly negative thought by the end of the meal was that it could use a hint of sweetness. There are some powerful, spicy flavors in there. You don't notice it at first but like a high-maintenance relative, it takes it's toll in the end. I will say however, that authentic Mexican cooking likely doesn't have much sweetness. That is when food gets "Americanized." that it becomes sweeter.

The service here is impeccable. They really care and are invested in both your experience and the quality of the food.

Las Glorias Mexican Restaurant

185 East 12300 South

Draper, Utah, 84020

Happy Eating

My First and Only Drug Deal!

Last Wednesday, I wrote a blog post titled "Another 30 Minutes of Work Accomplished Today." In there I described one of the worst job experiences of my life. I didn't listen to the whisperings within and dearly paid a price for it. I love these life lessons.

At the office one afternoon, I was joking with some co-workers that there was a bottle of Lortab in my medicine cabinet. Somebody at the office had recently had some dental work done and was in pain. The medicine was in my cabinet because my wife had her widom teeth out years prior but never used all of the pills.

One day some two weeks later, my manager came up behind me and whispered "Hey Jeff, can I talk to you?" I said sure and the conversation went like this: Manager, "Do you still have any of that Lortab" (she must have overheard my conversation with co-workers). I nodded in accordance. They continued, "My back is killing me. If you go get me two Lortabs right now, I'll give you half a day off Friday as a paid bonus."

Within two minutes I was in my car driving to my apartment. I brought the Lortab back and that Friday I spent the afternoon relaxing. What a horrible decision yet anything was nearly worth it to me to get away from that place.

Reflecting on this experience was another reason that I made the decision to leave. I was so miserable inside. I often look back on events in life such as this, which help me to understand who I am and what calls to me from within.

Firehouse Subs: Dinner with the Founder!

Italian Sub

Last April I went to Firehouse Subs with a friend. He wanted to go there but I pre-judged the place thinking that this was just another chain with cheap, processed food. I was wrong and wrote here about how much I loved the place and the food. It's also where I began scheming on how to get one of those interactive Coca Cola machines installed in my house.

This past week, the Founder of Firehouse Subs was in town from Jacksonville, FL. He invited some food writers to a presentation about his company and to try some delicious food.

Robin Sorensen and I

Robin Sorensen is a down to earth, fun-loving guy who also is a great cook. He fell in love with cooking while working at as a Fireman on those 24 hour shifts. His Parents ran a TV store for many years and that is where he learned customer service. They do a great job of making you feel great at Firehouse Subs. When asked what makes his place stand out. He replied with "Rich Flavor, Quick Service and Hospitality." Firehouse has the highest sales in the industry; they also have the highest food costs. What this means is that the ingredients are all high quality. He described in incredible detail, each of the meat suppliers and their process. I was awestruck.

When I came last year I, ordered the New York Steamer. We got to eat this again along with the Hook & Ladder, Smokehouse Beef & Cheddar Brisket and Italian Subs. There was no going home hungry this night.

Hook

The Hook & Ladder is their best seller. It has Smoked Turkey Breast, Virginia Honey Ham and melted Monterey Jack cheese served fully involved: mayo, deli mustard, lettuce, tomato, onion and a kosher dill pickle on the side. This sub is incredibly delicious. The melted monterey jack over the meat is a perfect marriage; especially over the Virginia Honey Ham.

New York Steamer

The Italian was a little over-seasoned and had a hard time standing out over the other three sandwiches. The Smokehouse Beef & Cheddar Brisket came in second with the New York Steamer claiming the gold medal. It has corned beef brisket, pastrami with melted provolone. The quality of the smoked meat really shines through. This meat would be good by itself. Combining it makes heaven on earth.

Firehouse Subs also has a large selection of hot sauces, Cheech's Mango Habanero Hot Sauce, Bee Sting Rainforest Honey Mustard, Jim Beam Hot Sauce, Jamaican Scotch Bonnet, and the fabulous Captain Sorensen's. It's made with the Datil Pepper and definitely has some "fire" to it. I would use this as toothpaste if I could.

The generous folks at Firehouse left me with a stack of gift cards. Nothing like a good contest for free food. To get one, please comment on where you think I should go next to eat. Leave your e-mail address and winners will be contacted.





Firehouse Subs

1008 E. Ft. Union Blvd.

Midvale, Utah, 84047

Happy Eating.

BRUGES WAFFLES & FRITES; And a Machine Gun Sandwich!

While driving through the Sugarhouse neighborhood, I noticed that a recently seedy gas station was now bright and inviting. There was not time to look for too long. I was driving and you can't focus on the road, write e-mails, update facebook, and look around for restaurants all at the same time. You need to eliminate at least one of those.

Thankfully I am driving on this road often and was able to look more thoroughly the next time. In nice yellow and maroon colors read the sign, Bruges Waffles & Frites. The place looked wonderful. Too bad it was only 8:00am and my first lunch of the day doesn't start until at least 9:45am.

A few weeks later I made it here for lunch. The Waffles looked delicious and like they could also be dessert. The "Frites & Co" section of the menu also looked wonderful. It's that recurring dilemma of what to order, how much, and when can I come back?

The Machine Gun Sandwich

The Machine Gun Sandwich sounded particularly fitting to my personality that day. It's a hearty lamb merguez sausage served on a fresh baguette, stuffed with their famous fries and smothered with Andalouse sauce. What honestly sold me on this sandwich was the sauce. I didn't even read what it was, just went on impulse. Later I read the sauce menu; Andalouse: Mayonnaise with fresh red bell pepper, fresh basil, mustard, cayenne pepper, seasonings.

Sauce Menu

The lamb merguez falls somewhere in between a brat and gyro meat; both good things. It really gets lost in the baguette but stuff it with fries, drizzle with sauce and you have a party. The fries truly are heaven sent and are as good as the fries at Yanni's; a perfect crispy outside, fluffy inside combination with great flavor.

Their sauce selection alone could make your shoe, belt, shirt, or that weird relatives cooking taste good. You can choose from Lemon Pepper Dill, Zensation, Brasil, Curry, Zango and Samurai among others.

Found the Lamb Merguez Sausage hidden in there

I look forward to returning soon to indulge in their waffle selections. That is if Fiddler's Elbow or Fat's Grill don't divert me on the way. It's a great Foodie neighborhood.

Bruges Waffles & Frites

2314 South Highland Drive

Salt Lake City, Utah, 84106

Happy Eating

Another 30 Minutes of Work Accomplished Today!

Yes, this is a blog about food. But I also love to look at what started me on this journey of finding out what I truly love. We all have life experiences which are very educational and most often enjoyed in restrospect. Here is one of mine.

In 2003, I graduated with a Business Finance degree from the University of Utah. At that time I was working as a Teller for Bank One, now Chase. I applied for numerous jobs within the bank but no positions were offered. My wife was back in school, our savings was running low and I was feeling desperate.

Finally I interviewed with a mortgage loan servicing company. The interview went very well and two days later I was extended an offer. I accepted the job over the phone but couldn't ignore the sick feeling that I had inside of me. For two weeks I justified the feeling; telling myself that we needed the money and this was an answer to prayers.

On a Monday morning I showed up for work, putting on a good face while the sick feeling still resonated. They trained me but honestly, not much training was required. If you have seen the movie "Office Space," my job was very similar.

It was my responsibility to copy the loan number from a spreadsheet, pull it up in the company's software and see if the borrower's were current on their taxes and insurance. If they were current, I typed "FINA;" If they were not current, I sent an e-mail to an employee in another department. That was it!

On my first day, I could analyze 400 loans. By my last day, 8 1/2 months later, I could still analyze 400 loans. Why no improvement you ask? I soon learned that if I finished a spreadsheet, then I got another spreadsheet sent to me.

This was so frustrating to me. I am an incredibly hard worker but my motivation was zero. There was no variety and my anxiety and unhappiness started to manifest itself physically. I was out of shape and getting heavier by the day. To cope with my unhappiness I drank 1 or 2 super big gulps of Dr. Pepper per day. I also usually ate fast food and snacked on candy all day.

It was so exhausting to look busy. How to fill 7 1/2 hours a day was incredibly draining both physically and emotionally. Most of the people in my department surfed the internet all day. One guy would have phone interviews for other jobs while he was sitting next to our manager.

Ultimately, I was having borderline suicidal thoughts, my wife disliked being around me and I was going crazy. I took the jump and quit with no guarantee of anything or even another job.
Lesson here: listen to those feelings within. They are telling you something.

Will Vacation Food Kill Me?

Hometown slop was on the road this past week. Nothing is more fun than watching your good eating habits diminish and your exercise routine vanish. Fun until you return home and attempt to get back in shape.

Road food is wonderful even if it can be unhealthy. Here are some of the culinary delights we enjoyed:



Old Timey Burger at Slater's 50/50. Yes, the meat is 50% beef, 50% bacon on a Brioche Bun. Very Delicious!





Bacon Mac & Cheese Hot Dog at Disneyland



Appetizer Platter at Slater's 50/50: Sweet Potato Fries, Beer-Battered Onion Rings and Deep Fried Mac & Cheese Balls



Hearty Chili in a Sourdough Bread Bowl at Disneyland

Complimenting the Chef who made some of these dishes possible.



Happy Eating, whether at home or on the road.

Announcement #1, Addendum 2.

Okay, I know that the title to this post can be misleading. Yes, there is another announcement coming but it's not quite ready.

Last week I wrote about Suprise Announcement #1. These are exciting times and today I am adding that City Weekly picked up another article of mine. Thai food has been an addiction of sorts for me; especially one dish: Tom Yum Gai Soup. Some people have a goal to scale Mt. Everest. Others to visit every country in the world. For me, I want to eat at every Thai restaurant in the Salt Lake Valley. Oh the wonders that await.

Searching for Tom Yum Gai Perfection

Please read it, rate it, comment on it. I appreciate your participation greatly.

Happy Eating