A claimed Utah invention, from Arctic Circle restaurant circa 1948, according to Wikipedia.  We had few choices for lunch in an unfamiliar part of town this weekend, so tried a small Utah chain restaurant that looked like a diner in the back of a mall by the guitar store.

Jim got the cheeseburger, of course.  I ordered a full breakfast with eggs, bacon, sausage and home fries for $6.95.  They placed an opaque plastic squirt bottle of pale salmon-colored stuff between us and I asked Jim what it was.  Yes, me asking Jim about a food item, must be the first time in eight years!

He piped up and told me it was fry sauce.  I looked it up and it’s based on two parts mayo to one part ketchup and yes, one eats it with fries.  He knows this by going out to lunch with the guys at work every day, like “taco Tuesdays” et al.

While the thought of a particular “regional eccentricity” may not appeal to me, the knowledge that they exist makes for a vibrant dining scene and local personality.  After all, I grew up in the land of the hot wing, my relatives had their “smoked meat” and I was the one who flew BBQ from Austin to Western NY for July 4th a few years ago so they could taste “real” brisket, sausages and ribs.

Keep eating and cooking!  And feel free to send in any regional eccentricities from your neck of the woods.  Cheers!  Dee

In trying to come up with recipes for things I actually know how to cook, I came up with the idea to cook something I learned about while living in a specific part of the country. First up is Utah because, well…I want some French Fries.

Tom and I, Antelope Island, Utah 2005

Back when we were living in Salt Lake City in 2004-2005, Tom and I had a standing Friday night date at Training Table, a quirky burger restaurant where you place your order from a telephone at your table, and the kitchen calls you back when your food is ready (seriously – fun times). My mouth still waters as I think of the Hickory Burger I ate weekly before going home to watch Joan of Arcadia. Those two things are forever joined in my mind.

Fry Sauce, a yummy regional condiment made from a mixture ketchup and mayonnaise, is served pretty much everywhere they serve fries in Utah. The fry sauce at Training Table is better than most, though, because they substitute barbecue sauce for the ketchup. Mmm, tangy and delicious!

FRY SAUCE

Ingredients:
1/3 cup Barbecue Sauce
2/3 cup Mayonnaise

Mix together until thoroughly blended.

Happy Dipping!

Written by Adam, GrubGrade Contributor

Utah’s Burger Bar

I’ll admit it; I’m a sucker for anything on Food Network’s Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives. From small town bars featuring only a handful of tables to well-known and nostalgic looking American diners, Food Network’s latest hit is sure to satisfy both the appetites and curiosity of travelers from the east coast, west coast, and everywhere in between. And while it’s true that I may not share host Guy Fieri’s appetite for a seemingly endless array of fried regional specialties, overstuffed south-of-the-border classics, or even such All-American standbys as biscuits and gravy, I nevertheless try to follow in his footsteps whenever possible.

Recently I had one such opportunity, as a spring break ski trip took me just north of Salt Lake City, Utah to the suburb of Roy. Literally situated beneath the backdrop of roaring F-18 fighter jets from nearby Hill Air Force base, the Burger Bar has a serious reputation amongst local servicemen and women (as well as college students from nearby Weber State) for juicy beef burgers, can’t-miss fries, and classic milk shakes which are sure to please any day of the week or hour of the day.

Yet I didn’t detour the hour from Salt Lake just to get just any burger. In fact, I came specifically to try one of the Bar’s signature specialties. Ever since I had seen the road-side restaurant featured on “Triple D” I knew I had wanted one of their Elk Burgers. A longtime fan of Elk’s similarly lean cousin the Bison, I nevertheless couldn’t remember ever having a burger made from elk despite my longtime practice of ordering Bison burgers every chance I’ve had. This being the case I approached the Burger Bar with a good deal of excitement, a feeling only reinforced when I pulled up on an overcast afternoon.

My first impressions of the place was that it had a very expansive menu for its size. Not only can you get all kinds of beef burgers, but you can also get hot dogs, chicken sandwiches (breaded or grilled), steak sandwiches, fish sandwiches, ‘exotic’ meats like Bison or Elk, as well as a whole compliment of shakes, malts, and freezes. Heck, they even have non-fat frozen yogurt, BBQ sandwiches, veggie burgers, and chili if you’re game.

Intrigued as I was, I came for the Elk and was resolute to stick to my choice as I approached the window. One thing to mention is that the burgers are not cooked to order.  In fact, you have to specify “no sauce” if you want to skip the fry sauce, which as Guy points out on his show is actually akin to Thousand Island salad dressing. Having specified that I wanted only the standard lettuce and tomato on my burger, I anxiously awaited its arrival despite being somewhat weary of not getting to specify the degree of doneness to the lady at the window.

The wait seemed to take forever, and it does not help that there is no indoor seating at the Burger Bar or that the staff seemed exceptionally slow in filling my family’s order. Once the food arrived however all was forgotten, as my Elk Burger came dressed in a firm but soft potato bun with tomatoes and shredded lettuce. A healthy dose of ketchup came with the meal in the form of those tiny plastic containers everyone loves, as did extra “fry sauce” and a side order of crispy french fries which comes with your order.

So how did the burger taste exactly? And was my trip to Roy a success? Once more, could the ‘lean and mean’ Elk really matchup to the fattier beef burger as the segment on Triple D suggested? Not to worry, as I’ve got your review covered. Here are the essentials…

The Burger Bar: Elk Burger

Taste: 9.00/10. This was not a dry burger despite my worry, and it had a good “beefy” taste despite not being beef. It was somewhat bland on its own though, and depending on your tolerance for condiments may benefit from some fixings. The lettuce and tomato work well with it, as did my ketchup/mustard combo administered separately. I’m sure “fry sauce” probably makes it great if you’re into that sort of thing, but I’m not and still found the burger to really hit the spot. Personally I find most burgers (beef or otherwise) bland without ketchup and mustard, so relatively speaking this burger had great taste when handled the way I like it.

Value: 7.50/10. At $5.25 you’re getting a decent sized burger of a premium meat that you usually don’t get the opportunity to experience. The fact that you get fries and extra condiments along with that makes this a good deal. Other menu items seem to be well priced as well. Still, I can’t afford to be paying $5.25 for a burger everyday, especially when getting it without fries is not an option.

Nutrition: 8.00/10. Is the Elk burger really less than “two grams of fat” as described on the show? Well, considering your average-sized and horribly dry chicken breast has about that much fat I’d probably guess no, but undoubtedly elk is still leaner and a better healthy eating option than its ground beef counterpart. And with a great taste and good value what more could you want?

GrubGrade: I’m giving this burger an 8.50/10 overall. I really liked it, and if given the chance would easily buy it again. I thought it tasted just as good, if not better, than any classic beef burger you could get at a place like this, and definitely benefited from its status as an “exotic meat” attraction. The fact that it’s healthier than beef but still has that unmistakable “red meat taste” only makes it all the more awesome in my mind, as does its relative value. My only issue was with the lack of customization the customer has over its cooking, as well as the relatively long-wait on an otherwise slow day. Maybe it’s because I’ve been spoiled by sit-down style Bison Burgers which typically come medium, but I just felt like the burger could have gone from “great” to “freaking amazing” if cooked differently. That and it would benefit from char-grilling as opposed to being cooked over a flattop.

If you’re not feeling too adventurous, the menu is big enough to cater to those looking for something less exotic.  If you’re up for a challenge, take a shot at the huge burger called simply “Big Ben”.  The Burger Bar is a must see whenever you’re around Salt Lake City, with the restaurant’s Elk burger making my short list of foods to try while in Utah.  

Check them out:

5291 S 1900 W
Roy, UT 84067
(801) 825-8961

Burgers Supreme – Provo, Utah

People in Utah like their Fry Sauce; you can get it at almost every fast food restaurant and even some higher end establishments. But much like differences on each restaurants menu, the Fry Sauce is also different. At Provo’s, #1 hamburger joint Burgers Supreme, “It’s All about the Fry Sauce.” Made on-site several times a week, it is always fresh and always good. Customers love it. Its part of the recipe of many of the great burgers found on the menu as well as being used to dip french fries, onion rings and many other things that customers choose. In 2008 Burgers Supreme produced over 4000 gallons of fry sauce for their happy customers. That’s one boat load of mayonnaise, ketchup and other special ingredients.

Now Burgers Supreme and their Fry Sauce have gone on the road. If you enjoy going to the restaurant located in the Brigham’s Landing Shopping center in Provo, you might like to know that Burgers Supreme Catering can now come to an event near you. Company events, neighborhood parties, church gatherings and any other event you might think of are all in the realm of Burgers Supreme Catering. Cooked on-site hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, teriyaki chicken kabobs and of course their fabulous french fries (with fry sauce) are just a few of the options you can choose. So if you or someone you know wants to throw a party and you want Burgers Supreme just call the catering line at 801-623-0989 or go online to burgerssupreme.com.

Today Austin and I tried two different German foods that we have in the U.S. too.  The first was what looked to be honey roasted peanuts.  When we opened the bag up on our picnic in the mountains, and poured out the first few nuts we realized that they were not the same but they are delicious!  They are called “Pinats” (pronounced almost the exact same as the English “peanuts”) and they are more like the variation you could get at a fair (normally almonds though) with the hard candy shell.  

The second food we got today that reminded us of home were french fries.  They were not just ordinary fried potatoes though, these are called rot weiß pommes frites (red white french fries).  ”Big Pommes” (we call that denglisch (Deutsch + English) here) sells them and we thought they were just ketchup and mayonnaise (strikingly similar to Utah’s claim to fame: fry sauce) but they were really mayonnaise and CURRY ketchup.  Not necessarily bad but I’m not such a big fan of the curry addition to “normal” foods.

A while back I was sending my son some money for his birthday (I know, not a very personal gift, but that was what he needed). He is in Texas and has not lived in Utah since he was 11 years old. I thought I’d throw in some “only in Utah” item that he would appreciate. At the store I found Sweet’s Orange Sticks, which I’ve always liked, and threw them in the package. I thought about putting in Some Dude’s Fry Sauce, but I figured that was pushing it. I went with the orange sticks and a couple of Visa gift cards.

Today I was in the grocery store, and my daughter and her friend pointed out a rack of LDS-themed greeting cards. There were the usual suspects: “Return with Honor,” “In the Hollow of Thy Hand,” and other scripture-based cards. One showed a missionary with a Muppet, claiming to have found a golden investigator. My personal favorite showed an Arnold Friberg-esque “Lamanite” mother tearfully embracing her young son: “Farewell, my stripling warrior” the caption read. My daughter thought that one was particularly retch-worthy.

At Wal-Mart, I saw several snow globes containing everything from Delicate Arch to the Manti Temple, and next to them shot glasses stamped with a likeness of the Salt Lake Temple. I want one of those, and I don’t even drink.

My beloved spouse has been making Saturday trips to Deseret Industries to find old movies, books, and whatever else strikes her fancy. One Saturday night I descended our stairs only to smack my forehead hard on a tole-painted plaque reading “Choose the Right.” I guess half an inch of wood was just enough to make the ceiling the right size to impact my head. We also now have plaques reading “Love at Home” and “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,” as well as a framed copy of the Proclamation on the Family.

We used to make fun of my sister-in-law, who could not understand basic concepts like the Atonement but shelled out several hundred dollars every year for scripture decals, family home evening “wheels,” inspirational books, and Education Week seminars. Her home was a monument to Mormon kitsch, but I think we’re catching up.