The Elements

About
640 S 35 E at the Riverwoods - map it!
Self described as Contemporary American cuisine, Elements is a culinary powerhouse when it comes to beautifully crafted dishes, in terms of presentation and taste. It may seem like a big fish in a small pond, but the chefs that run the kitchen are truly talented and compete on the levels of any city's best restaurants. Elements is spacious and stunning on the inside with its modern, loft-like architecture and soft lighting. Surprisingly affordable and with its own pub-style bar addition, this restaurant will definitely change how you eat in Logan.

Menu - view menu!
Hubs and I have ordered several options from their menu and here is what we think:

Gaufrette Potato Chips - PASS.  We thought they meant 'chips' as in potato slices but they were literally fried waffle chips. Really heavy and not a great way to start a meal. Sauce was heavy and soaked through the center chips in minutes, leaving the other chips bare. We ate like 5 chips and called it quits. Great presentation though.



Firecracker - B  The standard hummus and chips (hummus not pictured, sorry! It was a decent serving but really unphotogenic). The chips and bread were great but the hummus was a bit lacking, like grocery store hummus. Unless you really have to have hummus, stick with the complimentary bread basket for your starch.

Thai Lettuce Wraps - A+  Always delicious and worth every penny. The bok choy salad is so good and the flavor profiles are spot on! Super impressed! The sauces are pretty good but the only one hubs and I keep reaching for is the chili garlic sauce as the curry one is a bit strong and the peanut sauce was just okay. Pretty messy but our waiter dropped off hot towels with the appetizer (so thoughtful of Elements!) Really filling so we think 3-4 people could share this and still be good to go for the entree course. After the complimentary bread basket and this, the hubs and I were pretty full.

Baby Spinach Salad - A-  We've only ever had this as a side and it's HUGE. The salad itself is amazing but it always has way too much dressing on it. Can easily share this side with another person (or two) due to the size. I definitely appreciate the chefs giving us more bang for our buck, but it doesn't let you savor your last few bites and longingly look at your now-empty plate. Size down the portion by half and scale back on the dressing and it'll soon become a crazy favorite.

Sorry! Hub's iPhone picture bc someone forgot her phone and her camera...

Shrimp Platter - A  Great variety and worth the money. Shrimp lovers rejoice!  (Cold Weather Special)

• Chilled Prawn Cocktail - A  I love shrimp cocktail so this was awesome. Great sauce with a nice kick from the horseradish. Prawns were really fresh and chilled at the right temp.
• BBQ Tiger Shrimp - B  Didn't love this compared to the other options. My least favorite as the BBQ sauce wasn't anything special.
• Cajun Rock Shrimp - B+  It was pretty good, but definitely got out-staged by the coconut shrimp which I felt was too similar and got its butt kicked by coconut-y goodness.
• Coconut Shrimp - A+  I feel sometimes a perfect coconut shrimp is the end-all of favorite foods lists. There is simply nothing better than a perfectly executed coconut shrimp. And admittedly, it's hard to perfect. The batter has to be perfectly cooked so as not to overcook the coconut and avoid fryer-taste, while thoroughly cooking the shrimp, but not overcooking it. And then the sauce as to be equal parts sweet and citrus-y. If you have been searching for said coconut shrimp, you have found it. At Elements. 

BBQ Chicken Woodfired Pizza - A-  Their woodfired pizzas are seriously amazing and a straight up deal at the $8-10 range offered. So good, hubs orders it every single time we're at Elements. Not the best BBQ Chicken pizza ever, but pretty dang close.

Lobster Ravioli - A  So, so good. I would have liked something to cut the lavishness of this dish (like chopped asparagus maybe? capers?) but on a winter night, it seriously hit the spot. Can't really distinguish the lobster as its ground into the filling and not lumps of lobster like I would have liked, but at $23 in Logan, I really can't complain. Beautifully crafted dish and the fragrant saffron risotto was everything I dreamed of and more. Plus, it comes with lots of little shrimp for an added seafood boost. Yum! Comfort food at its best!



Turkey Chop - A+  If you like turkey at all, you will love this dish! An unexpected gem in their vast menu, this dish is brilliant; the turkey is so perfectly cooked- juicy and tender and mind-blowing and goes well with the marmalade/reduction (peach and orange, I think?). The filet-mignon-like bacon wrapped turkey is finished with butter and does not have the weird gamey taste that it usually has. If you said this was hearty chicken, I would have believed you! The french beans are cooked with bacon and compliment the Thanksgiving theme perfectly. And as always, the sweet potatoes here are a must-have. So good you will want to wrap yourself up in it and give in to the food coma that will surely ensue.

Price Range - $8 - 29
Surprisingly affordable and worth every penny! There's something for everyone here in their smartly curated menu and full size salads and soups go for as cheap as $5! Whether it's a causal lunch (even cheaper prices) or a romantic night out, Elements will never disappoint!

Be sure to check out their Cold Weather Specials for their daily special offerings!

Verdict - 5 stars
Whenever the hubs and I want to have a nice night out or have a thoughtfully prepared meal, this restaurant is it. The chefs deserve medals for opening a place like this in Logan. Everything on the menu is so well put together and the effort really shows. From this happy foodie, please never change the quality!

Apple Spice Bakery

About
1545 N. Main St - map it!
Apple Spice Bakery & Cafe is a cute new restaurant in Logan. They have multiple other locations throughout the US and offer cafe-style seating, delivery, and box lunches. There are in a convenient location but be wary of eating in their outside seating area, as it could get quite loud due to traffic.

Menu - view menu!
They have a great variety of soups, sandwiches (including paninis), and salads, as well as baked goods such as dessert items or freshly-baked bread. There is something for everyone, which is great because it's a healthy and delicious alternative to having lunch at common fast food places around, like Taco Bell or McDonalds (hey- I love those too, but sometimes a girl craves something healthy!). Apple Spice Bakery has an incredible selection of sandwiches and salads, so every visit there is something to discover!

Granny Apple Turkey on Honey Wheat Bread with (half-eaten) Pasta Salad

Price Range - $5-9
The cheaper items in the $5 range are breakfast items, which they serve until 10:30am. Other than the lone Mac n Cheese or the Garden Salad options at $5.99, all other menu options fall in the $6.99-8.99 range. A little pricey for lunch, but you pay for the creative options and unique variety you wouldn't find much else of in Logan. They do offer free delivery which is a great deal!

Freshly sliced turkey, havarti cheese, crisp apples, and lettuce on gloriously mouth-watering bread.

Verdict - 4.5 stars
The food was great and the atmosphere inviting, my only complaint is that it was a bit pricey for portion sizes (which is rightly justified by the creativeness and rarity of menu items but we were still kinda hungry after). But all the menu items seem thoughtfully crafted and delicious! I would definitely come back here again even without the "Buy one menu item, get one free" option from our Cache Valley Club Card.

Pecan Pie

Pecan Pies

Makes 3 pies

16 oz. pecans (Stone Mountain Pecan Company)

2 sticks margarine (Parkay)

16 oz. package light brown sugar (Domino or Dixie Crystals)

1 heaping tablespoon (serving tablespoon, not measuring spoon) self-rising flour (White Lily)

16 oz. bottle light corn syrup (Karo)

1 tablespoon (serving tablespoon, not measuring spoon) imitation vanilla

6 eggs

3 regular size (not deep dish) frozen pie crusts (Pet-Ritz)

Melt margarine in the microwave for about 2 minutes or until melted and set aside.

Prepare your pecans. Remove any unwanted brown pieces from the pecan crevices and shake out pecan crumbs in a colander.

Place brown sugar in a large bowl. Work out any lumps with the back of a spoon. If the brown sugar is too hard, you can loosen it up in the microwave. Heat it for a few seconds and it will be fine.

Add a heaping serving tablespoon of self-rising flour and stir until the flour disappears into the brown sugar.

Add a bottle of light corn syrup. Then add 1 serving tablespoon of vanilla and stir until thoroughly combined.

Add melted margarine. Fold carefully into the mixture so it doesn’t splatter. Fold until the margarine is thoroughly worked in and disappears.

In a separate bowl, crack open six eggs. Remove the “roosters” and loosely beat the eggs with your spoon.

Fold the eggs into the pie mixture until they disappear.

Add pecans and stir until completely coated.

Remove three pie shells from the freezer at this point and check for cracks. If you do have a crack, thaw and knead the crack together and refreeze.

Pour the mixture evenly into the three shells. You’ll probably have a little bit leftover in the bowl. Tap tops with a spoon to check consistency and make sure there is the same amount in each pie. Redistribute pecans if necessary to make equal.

Bake for 45 minutes to an hour at 350. Cook pies until they swell and then fall. At that point they are done.

Remove and cool for about three hours. Store on the counter or in the refrigerator depending on how you like your pie.

Garlicky Cream of Broccoli Soup

Excellent for beginners, great for people who are on a time crunch to savor that lusciously rich, slow-cooked taste with only 15 minutes of work. Serves 2-4.

Ingredients:

1 cup small broccoli florets

2 cups chopped broccoli stalk and bigger florets

1/2 small onion, quartered - optional

4 giant cloves of garlic

1 pint half and half (or whole milk, but it's only 99 cents and well worth it!)

1 can (10 oz) condensed cream of celery soup

1 cup grated extra sharp cheddar (or really, any cheese)

salt and pepper to taste

a pinch of nutmeg (seriously)

To start, bring a well salted pot of water to a boil and toss in the 2 cups of roughly chopped broccoli, the chopped onion, and 2 cloves of garlic. Boil on high until the stalk pieces are fork tender and scoop out and blend in a food processor until smooth. Save 2 cups of the pot water and dump the rest.

In the same pot, mix the can of cream of celery and the carton of half and half. Add the blended vegetables and stir on medium heat. Mince (don't food processor it- no matter how tempted you are) the other two cloves of garlic and toss in. Add in the cheese and stir. As it bubbles away, periodically add the saved pot water to keep it from getting too thick. I used about a cup and saved the other cup to add when I boiled the soup again later for leftovers.

Remember to keep tasting as you stir so you can flavor it with salt and pepper accordingly. I did add quite a bit of salt and pepper, but I find broccoli usually requires more salt than most veggies do and I just plain old love pepper. Add the nutmeg and cover and let simmer on very low heat for however long you want. I let mine sit on low for 45 minutes since we were in no hurry and it was amazing. Serve with crusty sourdough bread!

Look Paula Deen, no butter! I love butter, but why add it when you can't even taste it in the end? This soup is plenty rich and flavorful without any. The nutmeg saves the soup from tasting too vegetable-y and gives it the right amount of fall spice. You can't taste the nutmeg too much, but it definitely makes a difference.

Call of the Wild

There's no question that I live for food. If food was taken away from me, I would seriously reconsider living. What about your significant other, you say. Food is my significant other (no offense, B). It is the reason I breathe, the reason I get out of bed in the morning, the reason I live. And this meal, is what I dream of.

No, not this salad, however yummy and oriental.

No, not this drink which deceives you into thinking it's beer (it's rootbeer, mom, chill out)

THIS. All you can eat, freshly caught off the shore, dungeness crab. Where's my portion? I ATE IT ALL before everyone else could pick up theirs and I'm impatiently waiting for the server to bring me my next victim.

Homemade daily, topped with a sauce made from wild Alaskan blueberries. Yet it still wasn't the best part.

That is one happy girl. And if she could, she would throw it all up so she could fill her stomach with juicy bites of buttery crab all over again.

I don't wanna brag, but crabs scuttled for their lives away from us for weeks.

Art City Trolley Restaurant

About
256 N Main St, Springville
Art City Trolley is a cute restaurant that opened in 1995 that features a real 1931 trolley built into the front of the restaurant that you can dine in (I definitely suggest it for spring-fall), and their menu boasts lots of delicious creations. Their baby back ribs won Zagat's Dining Guide's "Best BBQ in the State" and their salads (can you say huge portions?) won "Utah Valley's Best Choice" for salads. And you can get their famous salads as a catering option, as well as whole cakes (be prepared- they're giant) and cheesecakes, dressings, wing sauce, and salsa.

Menu
view menu!
The menu is sectioned off into Salads, Sandwiches, Burgers, Quesadillas, "Basket of Goods"(fried chicken and fish), and "Off the Grill," where you'll find the wings and ribs. And of course, appetizers and dessert. I've had the Oriental Express Salad and Trolley Chicken Sandwich (soo yummy, get the "Lip-Sweatin' Hot!" sauce- not too spicy but has a Wingers-like tangy-ness to it). Hubs has had the Fish and Chips and the Bleu Bacon Burger (he ordered it "Build Your Own" to get it cheaper and without tomatoes).

(for mouth-watering foodie goodness, right click on pictures and open in a new tab)

Bleu Cheese Burger (doesn't normally come with fry sauce but the hubs slathered it on before I took take a picture)

Trolley Chicken Sandwich with "Lip-Sweatin' Hot!" sauce

Trolley Chicken Sandwich

Bleu Cheese Burger (not real bleu cheese, but a bleu cheese sauce... still delicious)

Price Range - $7-14
The menu has good variation and is fairly priced for the generous portions and quality of ingredients. The chicken is juicy and seasoned well, never dry. And the cod for the fish and chips were fresh and flaky. The salads are enormous, so if you're not planning on sharing or taking it home to eat relatively soon, I'd order a half salad. The burgers are a bit bigger than your normal burger. So in summary, a little pricey for a casual lunch (or decently priced for dinner) but worth every penny for the quality and creativity.

Verdict - 4.5 stars
Hubs said this might be one of the best burgers he's ever had. The salads are a repeat favorite of mine and the mother-in-law. The chicken sandwiches are to die for (if you're a chicken sandwich fan, you have to try one here) and the fry sauce is one of the best in Utah. The service is awesome and attentive. This place is my favorite place to eat in Springville! A must-try for anyone.

Cafe Sabor

About
600 W Center St - map it!
Cafe Sabor is a mix of American and Mexican, resulting in crave-able flavors and generous portions of satisfying Tex-Mex food. The complimentary homemade salsa is very addictive and you'll find yourself wanting to put it on everything. The restaurant itself is located in an old train station and is well lit and spacious as well as interesting.

Burrito Supreme - marinated meat, rice, and beans, covered with amazing sauce.

Menu
view menu!
The menu is vast; from spinach and artichoke dip and table-side guacamole to fish tacos and Baja chicken pasta, the menu encompasses hearty and healthy foods for every palate. They've got salads, burritos, pasta, seafood, quesadillas, fajitas, tacos, and chicken dishes.

Fajita Burrito - marinated meat, grilled onions, bell peppers, and zucchini, covered in red sauce.

plate size perspective by soda glass and free chips n salsa!

Price Range - $6-15
The pricing is very fair and the portions are generous. Chips and salsa are complimentary and our server always refilled when they got low. They have different specials for several days of the week, so call in advance or go check it out! And if you have a Utah State Brainy Joe card, Cafe Sabor offers a "Buy an entree, get a fried ice cream free" deal.

Verdict - 4 stars

The portions are well sized for day-later lunch or a big appetite, and the food is definitely soul-satisfying. Hubs and I sometimes crave Mexican-but-not-Mexican food, so this place hits the spot! Open til 10pm on weekdays, this place is nice to go to for those pesky late-but-not-too-late night cravings.

Stroganoff

About
Stroganoff is creamy and peppery and hearty - all of which soul food should be. We love this recipe, as it allows a lot of wiggle room for creativity and adjustments. Stroganoff would be good served with cut corn, green beans and cottage cheese, or a simple salad.

Recipe

• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 c sour cream
• 1/2 pkg of egg noodles
• (1 small can of mushrooms, drained)
• (1/4 of an onion, finely chopped)
• (2 cloves of garlic, minced)
• black pepper

Boil 6 cups of water in a medium sized pot (or fill it halfway). Add the egg noodles in and keep on medium-high heat until tender. Meanwhile brown the ground beef on medium-low heat. When noodles are done (about 8-10 min) drain and set aside.When the pink color of the meat is almost gone, add the onions and garlic and simmer until meat is thoroughly cooked through (10 min). Add in the can of mushroom soup, sour cream, and mushrooms (if you want them). Add in generous amounts of black pepper to taste (at least about 1/4 tsp). Stir until heated through and serve! 

(While the onion, garlic, and mushrooms are not necessary, we find that they improve the flavor of the stroganoff a lot, so if this isn't just a quick meal for you, I'd definitely use those if you have them.)

Price Range - $4.00

This is a serving for two without sides and maybe one plate left over, so I'd say it costs about $2/person to make, less with the more you make (the more you buy in bulk) of course. We both had 2 big plates each with another plate in leftovers, so with side dishes, you could stretch this to a 4-5 serving meal.

Verdict - 4.5 stars

We love stroganoff and love even more how easy this meal is to make. It takes 10 minutes and uses ingredients most people already have around. Hubby and I used to eat the Pastaroni kind until we realized how easy and painless it really was.

Grandma Kelley's Waffles

About
Apparently Grandma Kelley is renowned for her cooking prowess: Grandma Kelley's this, Grandma Kelley's that. Her recipes don't do her cooking justice as she has that magic touch and it can never be replicated. I've always thought that grandmothers were excellent cooks and Grandma Kelley having 12 kids and who knows how many grandkids, I guess that makes her a super-grandma. Anyways, I found her recipe for waffles digging through Braden's parents' kitchen cupboards and wanted to try it out.

Recipe

• 2 c all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 3 eggs
• 2 c milk
• 7 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp salt

Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Place milk, eggs, and oil in a blender (don't really have to, just whisk furiously for a minute or two), then add to dry ingredients and bake in a preheated waffle iron. No greasing of the iron needed unless you wash it regularly (then just give it a quick spray of Pam or wipe it down with some veggie oil on a paper towel, getting into all the crevices). When the steam comes out the sides of the iron, it's almost ready, or bake until it's golden brown.

Price Range

Since it's from ingredients you should already have in the pantry, I'd say this cost nothing to make or if you really must know, probably around 2 or 3 dollars, if even. Makes around 10 waffles, or two batches and then some in a 4-square waffle iron.

Verdict - 4.5 stars
These were great! All the waffles we've previously made were just alright. These were fluffy, light, eggy, and delicious. And the best part? No buttermilk needed for that wonderful childhood reminiscent waffle flavor and texture. We had ours with lots of butter and Mrs Butterworth's syrup and homemade strawberry and Grandma Kelley's homemade pear jam. Of course the hubby had his with cinnamon peanut butter. We might get creative next time and add in chips of fresh strawberries or blueberries.


This is what we use in our kitchen.
We got it as a wedding gift and it's fantastic to have.
But any waffle iron should be good for this recipe.

Pounders Hawaiian Island Grill

About
473 S. Main St - map it!
Pounders is a casual Hawaiian joint that is open Mon-Sat 11-9. They serve up the good old rice with meat combo. They range from chicken cooked in various ways to traditional Hawaiian Kalua Pork, smoky, slow cooked pork and Locomoco, a hamburger patty on white, sticky rice with two eggs and smothered in brown gravy.

Menu
view menu!
The menu is split in half by meats + sides entrees and Pounders Originals. The meats + sides are combos of your choices of one, two, or three meats ranging from Kalua Pork to Papalani Chicken (a must try!) and a side of macaroni salad and rice. They also have burgers and other meat-lover-heaven goodness. The food is hearty and comes in large portions. I love that they have a balanced menu filled with "safeties" and more intriguing traditional Hawaiian food.

Price Range
The price ranges from $4.95 to $24.99 (but that's for like, 5 people). Kids can eat there for $2.99. I would say it's a bit pricey for what it is, unless you're willing to bump it up and share. Extra meat comes in a heaping to-go box, so that is totally worth it. For a meal for two, you can expect somewhere around $20 with drinks. Single person, anywhere from $7 to $12 with drinks.

Verdict - 3 stars
Hubby went out on a Friday night to grab Pounders to go and waited an HOUR for one order. There were groups there that came after him that got their order before he did. That definitely dampened our mood. We had the Kahuna, (an order of 3 meats, a side of rice, and a side of macaroni salad) with a side order of extra meat and extra rice. The Kalua pork was pretty dry and bland compared to the ones I've eaten before and the macaroni salad tasted strongly of bulk macaroni salad, the one eerily similar to the one that we served at Honeybaked Ham, scooped out of a huge white bucket and very mayonnaise-y. The rice was disappointing because there were so much meat but a tiny scoop of rice (like literally 3 tablespoons of rice) so if you're ordering for one, definitely get an extra scoop of rice (even though it's super pricey at $1.50 for the amount they give you). The Papalani Chicken was definitely our favorite- so flavorful! They were sold out of Kalbi and gave us two Teriyaki Chickens instead of the Pounders Chicken we ordered alongside the Kalua pork. So with a screwed up order, an hour of standing around wait time, and two tiny scoops of rice with bland Kalua pork later, we give it 3 stars for the Papalani Chicken alone. We'll try Pounders again sometime after the initial shock wears off.

Hamiltons Steak and Seafood

About
2427 N. Main Street - map it!
Hamiltons is set up with tables and booths in a very open, lodge-style building. It has a huge fireplace right in the center and big, exposed wooden beams in the ceiling and I aspire to live in it one day. They serve everything from seafood to steaks to chicken. It's a great environment for a nice date or a refined family outing and especially great for weddings. Hamiltons is where we had our wedding rehearsal dinner, so it's held in a special place in our hearts. That being said, let's pick it apart.


Menu
view menu!
Their caesar salad is ordinary, but their candied apple salad was fresh and playful (the sweet caramel vinaigrette is creative and delicious). The potato chowder is a must-try. It's not all all thick and chowdery but very like a soup and comforting. I preferred the miso glazed salmon over cedar plank salmon and my husband loved the chicken cordon bleu more than the herb chicken (I don't quite agree, but then again I'm not partial to chicken cordon bleu like he is). The steak was tender and everything it should be, but it is a steakhouse right? The desserts are simply the best, the sorbets are exactly what I imagine if eating perfume would be like in the best sense possible (airy, sweet, flowery, you get what I mean), and the german chocolate cake is so rich, the two of us couldn't finish it. The cheesecake was fantastic, although simple. And whenever you see an apple crisp on the menu, you know it's good. The creme brule made me sad because it was grainy and not custard-like as it should be. But if you crave it like I do, order it! It's still good (Haagen Daz makes an amazing creme brule ice cream by the way).

Price Range
Hamiltons is definitely on the pricier side from a college student's point of view, but the work they put into it goes above and beyond the standard. The menu is very well thought through and they use great ingredients. If you're looking to feed more than 10 people, going with the catered reservation is the cheapest way to go. It's just like the normal setting, you just get to pick the food people will want to order 48 hrs+ in advance.


Verdict - 4.3 stars
I love Hamiltons. It's a beautiful environment that makes you feel at home with great stick-to-your-ribs food and definitely an accessible fine dining option without being snobby. There is something there for everyone, no matter how shy or adventurous, picky or gluttonous.