Monday, February 26, 2007

Viors

Roland was stuck, so I came to his aid,
It was lunch time, and his Computer was broken,
well not broken, but not working right either,
So I told him I would stop by on my way home.

When I was done, he bought me lunch, and since Vior's Bakery and Deli is really close to our offices, that's what I got. And ohh was it good.

He has them on speed dial... just in case he can't get out,
and speed dial works well. You give them your name, and then tell them your sandwhich,
(He also has a menu for super easy ordering)

I asked him what was good, and he said "everything." I had to be skeptical.
So I asked him about the Chicken Panini.
That's the one he's never had.
That's the one I wanted.
In the Store I think it was called Vior's Chicken Panini, but on his menu is was something else,
like Tenegate Chicken Panini, I would look it up, but they don't have an easily accessible website. When I got there my sandwhich was ready. Of course I had to get an Alligator Jaw to close out my meal.

I took the food back to my office, and oddly, it was still warm.
When I took the first half of my sandwhich out of the container
(I got a full-- two halfs), I thought this bread feels funny,
but as soon as I took my first bite, my hesitation began to disappear.
The sandwhich was amazing! And it was still hot!

Vior's Chicken Panini
The chicken was nice and warm. And it had the perfect texture,
I think it was pulled. It was thinnish, but it still felt like chicken.
It wasn't dry, and I didn't need to stop to cut each bite before I ate it.
(it may have been in chuncks, but it didn't feel like chunks, it just felt, and tasted perfect).

Then I noticed the bread it was really good.
not overly airy, but not overly dense either.
It's a panini, so the bread is not typical bread. This Panini bread is baked
in single serve size "loafs"

The sauce was really good. It's something like big mac sauce, but a little lighter.
I didn't compare the sauces but I think Vior's is better, maybe a hint of BBQ.
Either way the sauce was way good. In fact I would buy the sauce alone,
and I think it would fix many a dull sandwhich.

At this point I really wish I could find their website.
I don't remember everything that was on the sandwhich,
I just remember that it was amazing.

If I had to guess I would say lettuce, and tomato, and Red onions.

Not only was the Sandwhich very tasty, but it was big too.
Like I said, I got a full, and that's what it did too.
After the first half, I already new this was a meal!
The second half was just as good, but I had to wait to make room
for my alligator jaw.

Alligator Jaws
Call it a guilty pleasure,
or maybe it's those found childhood memories,
but part of me really likes alligator jaws.
It's a deep fried triangular donut, then they cut it open,
and fill it with this uber-sweet pink frosting.
They can't possibly be good for you, and sometimes even I think it's "too much"
(not too big just too much, though the size is nice),
But it's a tradition, and I love them.
so I had one of these too.

and when I got to it,
it was good too.

It seems like I ate there once before, but It's been a while,
that time I got a cressant, (and It may not have been Vior's at the time)
but it was too small.

Viors is located on 4th south, just off of Main St.
In Cedar City, They also have a location in St. George,
I think it's by the Factory Stores.

Viors Bakery
50 West 400 South, Cedar City, UT 84720
(435) 586-4572


Highly satisfying
I give this visit to Vior's 8 wooden spoons, (even with dessert and a drink, I stayed under $10)


Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Gadolfos Deli

My first experience with Gandolfo's Deli was probably about two years ago.
In fact I'm not even sure that I saw one before that.
That is about the time that the Cedar City location opened for business,
and that is about the time that I started eating there.
This review (at least on my part) will speak specifically about that location.
but as always I welcome all comments, about this and any location.

Update: The Cedar City Location is under new management, some comments may not apply anymore. We may even update the review, we'll see.

As always I feel I must talk about the bread.
It's tradition.
but first let me set the scene.

Gandolfo's Deli is Located pretty squarely in the Heart of Cedar City.
If Cedar City has a downtown, Gandolfos. is the place.
The place is kind of dark, but I guess that gives it a slightly more authentic feel.
And they have little bits here and there, that make you think of a big city, back east. Then there's the deli counter.
yep
they have the salad's and the desserts and such, just like you would
expect in a deli. To be fair I haven't tasted their salads or desserts.
And of course what Deli would be complete without a large tub of dill pickles
(also an item that I have yet to try).

Then there's the menu, at first it's pretty impressive,
maybe even overwhelming. I mean there have to be over fifty different sandwiches,
and each can be adjusted to you own likes, and many can be served hot or cold.
I like the freedom of being able to choose exactly what I want, but it does make it harder to judge the eatery as a whole.
And for me, it make's it pretty tough to pick the sandwhich that I want.

Well it sounds like it's time for me to talk about the bread.
It's really rather unimpressive. There are a few choices on bread,
and some of them are definately better than others, but I have yet to find on that I really liked (ok the wheat bread was decent. but certainly not stellar).

The first time I went I thought, "Try the regular sub-bread,
regular is always safe."

Regular was disappointing, but I didn't realize it was the bread for until I had it a few more times.

The bread was chewy,
maybe even a little doughy, but certainly not the highlight of the sandwich.
And maybe, just maybe, the bread is not made to be warm, but I like warm sandwiches, so I thought I would try it.

After a few failed attempts, with the normal bread I decided to go for the wheat bread. It was way better. The regular bread is a hogie roll, the wheat bread is just a couple of slices of bread. But to be fair, it is big. The wheat bread is pretty thick, and it is large enough to still feel like a pretty healthy sandwich.
Actually I was surprised by how little it wasn't.

And like I said the wheat bread is much better, but it's almost like they over correct. The hogie roll, is perhaps a little doughy, and the wheat bread was just a little dry. Still of the bread's I've had there, the wheat wins hands down.

Perhaps now would be a good time for a disclaimer,
I don't feel that my local Gandolfos has given me the best possible experience.
I think the staff just doesn't care, they work for next to nothing, and they're not about to get fired.

Unfortunately the sandwiches that I have had seem to reflect this attitude.
Thus my review is somewhat tainted.
One thing that has really bothered me about gandolfos is the way they do a hot sandwhich. It's like only half of it gets warm, and that half only gets warm.
I really love a good hot sandwhich, but I have never had a good hot sandwhich there. Sure they have an impressive menu, and some of the ingredients/ combinations look phenomenal, but they never live up to my expectations.

here are a few of the sandwhiches that I think have had:
The Urban Cowboy
The Bronx BBQ
The Bridge Hampton
And Maybe Club Met

The last time I went in I was very aware of my sandwhich,
I ordered the wheat bread, I didn't get it heated, and I still didn't like it.
What I noticed was the MAYO. I don't know why but the mayo really hit me,
maybe I don't like mayonaise, or maybe I don't like their mayonaise, or maybe the person who threw my sandwhich together put on too much, but either way it was not very pleasant to me.

So for me Gandolfo's is out,
yes I might go there again, but it won't be my choice,
and yes I do think I could do it right this time, but I don't imagine it will be anytime soon.

I give Gandolfo's Three Wooden Spoons, just not my sandwhich shop.
(but their web site is quite nice)

Cedar City, UT 126 N. Main St., Ste 102 (435) 586-8116

http://gandolfosdeli.com/storelocator.php

Saturday, February 03, 2007

Quizno's or Gandolfos, I can't decide

But I can tell you this one is an up,
and one is a down
let me know if there is one you would prefer to here me babble about.