Rocky Mountain Drive-Inn

Last night after institute my car died. It had to be jumped three times before Grandpa (& Grandma and Lincoln, whose parents are in Hawaii, where I wish I was) got it and me to the autoshop today to get the battery checked out. It turns out I didn't need a new battery (phew, saved like $80) but just a new...connectorjiggy. Yeah. It was all corroded and snapped when Grandpa tried to take the screw off to get the battery out.
Anyway, after the couple of hours messing around with the car and everything was fixed, we drove the few blocks over to Rocky Mountain Drive-Inn at 43 South 500 West in Provo. Don't ask me why it's "Inn," maybe they originally intended to have an adjacent hotel or something.

(Picture to come....possibly)

I was a little concerned as we walked in because everything looked sticky and broken and the menu was faded and peeling. But both my elder companions (Lincoln didn't have much to say in the matter) assured me the food was fantastic 15 years ago. I ordered an Oreo milkshake and a grilled cheese sandwhich, falling back on something I knew I'd like just in case. Grandpa got the chicken sandwich and fries and Grandma and Lincoln got burgers. There was also a chocolate milkshake without specific ownership.
The milkshake was very thick. It was more like soft ice cream. It stuck above the cup a couple of inches, not unlike the great shakes at the Malt Shop (also in Provo, maybe someday I'll do a review of it). When the food came, I loved that it was simply wrapped in yellow paper. Oh, and my sandwich was almost heaven (though not as good as Sammy's!). Maybe it was the contrast from the cold, sweet shake, but it was warm and cheesy (American) and delicious and gone quite too soon.
An interesting thing about this place is that they have a few unusual items on the menu-- like scones with honey butter and English chips. I wish I could've tried the chips, I love chips. Rest assured, they had battered fish too. I didn't try it, but if you base everything off of the fact that we all enjoyed our food immensely, I reckon that if you're ever craving fish and chips, you could go here for a good fix.
Prices were fairly reasonable; all our food totalled under $20 (but only just). I'd say with a little cleaning and modernizing of the interior, that place could be a lot more popular. Of course, it's probably a lot more popular at times other than 4 in the afternoon in the middle of winter.

In other news, does anyone know anything about Tibetan or Mongolian (or thereabouts) folklore? I'm not educated enough to know whether or not that's what this is, but I'm curious whether there is any reference in this amazing but very strange music video:
"Wanderlust" by Bjork, remixed by Ratatat.

Something Fun

Yesterday Adrien and I somehow started watching videos of obsessed girls' "Top ten hottest celeb guys" and whatnot. I cannot express to you how funny/embarrassing it was to watch them. They normally consisted of Disney Channel people and Twilight people. Anyway, so Adrien and I decided to make our own. We stayed up until nearly 3 this morning making them, with revisions this morning too.
Anyway, we got them up on Youtube and they are by far the funniest things out there.
I decided to pick not really the top 10 celeb guys but 10 of the celebrity crushes I've had over the years. I started with who I liked when I was like...7? and went to present day.

Anyway, here's mine:



And here's Adrien's. I'm not sure if she was planning on sharing hers, but now she has no choice :) (Adrien, let me know if you'd rather put it on your own blog or whatever)



Also, my first semester of college I had a stalker. Incidentally, so did a girl in 2 of my classes, and it was the same one. Anyway, we became friends (the girl, not the stalker) and this morning she called me to tell me she saw him and that he was just as weird as ever. It was pretty funny. We call him "Creepy McCreep-Creep" and I think it's hilarious we still report Creepy McCreep-Creep sightings, even now that I'm three states away.

Elizabeth's English Bakery & Tea Shop

Yesterday Megan and the kids and I went up to Salt Lake to check out a number of antique shops. It was a lot of fun (until the end when the children started to cry, as tired and bored young children are wont to do) and I'm glad we went even though the only purchase made the whole trip was Megan's vintage animal cracker tin.
For lunch we went to Elizabeth's English Bakery and Tea Shop. I grew up with an affinity for all things British, having Mom for a mom, so I was personally very thrilled to include the Tea Shop among our many other stops. That, and I was starving.
Adjacent to it is the London Market, which, very sadly, we did not have time to visit.
Unfortunately I neglected to take pictures of the facade, so I've stolen ones from this blog (they have pictures of the interior of the London Market as well). I also didn't take the picture of the counter, the link to that photo is above in the shop's title.
Anyway, the food was smashing. I got a slice of ham quiche that came with a side of baked beans. I was still hungry after that so I got a scone with strawberry jam. Megan got a Cornish pasty, scone with jam, and a mug of hot cocoa. (I didn't take a picture of my quiche and beans because I ate it too fast.)
The quiche was a little blubbery in the middle, but most all quiches are like that. It was very tasty. I didn't try Megan's pasty, but she said it was incredibly good, and it certainly smelled so. The scones were very good, a little harder (and rounder) than I'm used to, but still very good. But the jam-- oh the jam-- Megan especially can't stop talking about it. It was some of the very best strawberry jam either of us have tasted. The hot chocolate came in a mug (not a styrofoam cup or anything else) and was very foamy and good. I like my chocolate a little weaker (than the European sipping stuff Megan loves which is really just chocolate syrup in a cup), and this was almost perfect.
The food was relatively well-priced, but I sort of felt like the novelty of British food was included in the price for some items. All in all, though, it was a stop well worth it. The staff were even patient with the kids and didn't say anything when Rylie cried and gave Nathan a little Thomas the Tank Engine thing to look at/play with.
Next time you're in Salt Lake, stop by. And tell me how the Market is.

Elizabeth’s English Bakery & Tea Shop
575 S. 700 East, Salt Lake City
(801) 433-1170

J Dawgs

Today I accompanied my friend Autumn to J Dawgs just south of the BYU campus in Provo. I don't normally like hot dogs, but this place's fare is so much better than the average limp thing one normally calls a hot dog. Aside from the slightly ridiculous name of the food, the place is definitely worth going to.
J Dawgs is a little red shack on the corner of 900 North and 700 East with outdoor seating. The play music out over the tables and chairs so as to create a bit of atmosphere. Today they played a bit of Bobs Dylan and Marley.
The Dawgs are about 8 inches long, incredibly plump (but chopped a little so you don't have to work to get a bite), and served in a thick and yummy, almost flakey bun. Though the menu is rather limited (option of Polish or Beef with a number of toppings), it's friendly to the student budget (I paid $4 total for my Dawg and a drink), so you get your money's worth. I got a Beef Dawg with ketchup and dijon mustard. Autumn got a Polish Dawg with the "Special Sauce," which is just a sweet sort of barbecue sauce. Normally I hate barbecue sauce, but I tried this "special" stuff, and it was good enough to make me want to get some on my Dawg next time I go.

Going Home

This past week was one of the best weeks I've ever had. Last Wednesday night Megan, Adrien, me, Nathan, and Rylie made our very long way back home to Fallbrook. I had a great time. Thursday we (the girls + Nathan) went to lunch at Ruby's on the pier in Oceanside. It was windy and we met lots of pelicans.
Friday Adrien, Megan, and I went down to my favorite beach in Leucadia/Encinitas. When we got back Adrien, Ian, and I went bike riding.
Saturday I spent the day with Michaela and then the family went to Olive Garden for dinner (I don't have pictures of that).
Sunday after church I drove up to Long Beach and went to Sunday school at my old ward, El Dorado, and suprisingly, most people in the ward weren't even aware that I'd moved...not too suprising though, since I didn't really tell anyone. Afterwards I took Kevin over to Robert's parents' house to hang out with them and Justina.
Monday we went to the zoo. It rained.
Tuesday was sort of a packing and tying-up-loose-ends day, and Wednesday we left. I got back to my lovely warm and particularly well-made (thanks roomies! I think...haha) bed and slept until late this morning.
The trip had a lot of eating, a lot of being outside (especially bike-riding), and a lot of raining (which I loved).
Now if you'll excuse me, somebody left cookies on the doorstep and I have to go eat them.

Mad Greek

If any of you have ever made the trip from one end of the 15 (as in I-15) to the other, you know about the Mad Greek Cafe in Baker. With all the advertisement on billboards a hundred miles in either direction, I've always wondered whether or not the place was all it was cracked up to be.
Though the food is absolutely supreme, it is incredibly overpriced. I paid upwards of $15 for a gyro with rice on the side and a chocolate shake. Yikes! And they didn't have very many vegetarian options for full meals, just appetizers. I was pretty sad since my favorite bit of Greek food is falafel in a pita. But other than those things, the atmosphere and the food were fantastic. Statuary (Greek and otherwise) was crammed into every nook and cranny and the walls were plastered with travel posters, photos of Greek towns, paintings, and even a list of the Greek Alphabet and pronunciations.
My gyro was so very good. The rice was fat and soft. My chocolate shake was almost too chocolatey. I sampled Megan's strawberry shake and it was so very fruity and tasty-sweet.
So if you ever find yourself in the middle of nowhere on the 15 with too much change floating around in your pocket or car, stop at Mad Greek for playful atmosphere and good food.