In case (pun intended) you haven’t noticed, the mighty trifecta of Provo/Orem grocery stores are just about done wrapping up their most recent episode of everyone’s favorite shopping steal: the case lot sale. If you were brave enough to battle the even-more-so crowded parking lots, play bumper carts with half the county, and stand in lines that make a summer holiday at Disneyland seem not so bad after all, you have found yourself with a pantry full of food that you may not know what to do with.
I am just like you — I don’t know why I needed 36 cans of corn, but for savings of 30 cents or more per can, well, someone grab me an extra cart. And now here we are, staring at a cupboard full of canned goods, wondering why you just dropped half of next month’s rent on food you aren’t even sure if you like. Don’t worry. In case of a local disaster, you will be everyone’s new favorite neighbor. But rather than letting your case lot investment turn into paperweights or bed risers, there are plenty of delicious meals that require nothing more than a few of these canned commodities.
Recently my wife picked up two flats of black beans from a local case lot sale. Most commonly used in Latin cooking, these beans pack both a lot of flavor and a lot of nutrients in a humble, oblong body. These low-fat legumes boast high fiber and protein, making them ideal candidates for the leading role in any meal. Many veggie burgers use black beans for bulk and a rich, earthy flavor. They can be used as filler in quesadillas (do this with some spinach, you won’t be sorry), burritos, salsas, or mixed in with rice for a simple, yet filling meal.
We chose to cast our black beans in a savory, yet beyond-simple soup. With only three (not a typo, really) ingredients, this black bean soup carries enough heat to get you through another Utah winter, but satisfies the body and soul’s hunger for real flavor. And with two of the ingredients highlighted in recent grab-as-much-as-you-can sales, it could be an easy and inexpensive way to check off a culinary conquering: the canned bean.
Communal is Provo's newest fine dining establishment in the downtown area.
This year hasn’t been great for small businesses anywhere, so it’s no surprise that Provo’s downtown — with all its vacant buildings and low foot traffic — vaguely evokes the aesthetic of a ghost town. Yet despite the woeful state of the economy, a few courageous entrepreneurs decided to open shop this year and have surprisingly managed to defibrillate our struggling Center Street area.
Of course, the local business scene can be a tricky thing; stick around long enough and it seems like most small-time joints go under just as they’re getting cool. Yet whether they remain for a few months or a few years, independent stores and restaurants are almost always one-of-a-kind. They also provide a place for people to come together and interact as friends and neighbors. In other words, local businesses are a city’s soul and supporting them is a worthwhile investment in community and culture.
In that spirit and in no particular order, here are of some of 2009’s best new businesses. All of them began in 2009 and hopefully, if people continue to check them out, they’ll survive for years to come.
F Stop Café — Provo cafés come and go, but F Stop’s simple offerings (mostly drinks) and chic, low-key ambiance set it a head above many of its predecessors. The café is a regular participant in Provo’s Gallery Stroll, so it also typically houses new exhibits each month. That means there is always something interesting to look at and talk about. It also means that visiting the café continues to be surprising month after month. If its warm there will be chairs and tables outside, but no matter the weather the F Stop Café is one of Provo’s newest and coolest places to hang out.
Lady Danburry Tailoring and Design- Do you ever wish you could get all your clothes tailor-made? Or just that they were designed for your body shape, instead of the platonic ideal of a woman or man? The answer to your questions is Lady Danburry Tailoring and Design, Provo’s own tailor shop. Run by Lynette Danburry, the shop sells custom clothing and can tailor the stuff you’ve already got to fit just how you like.
At long last, the final ballots are here! You nominated your favorite local people, places and things for our 2009 Readers’ Choice Awards — and now you get to vote for them! The polls (included below) will be open through the end of the year, so vote for your favorites and tell all your friends to do the same. We will announce the winners in each category in early January. As always, thanks for reading. Happy voting!
Yet another year has come and gone and the time has come to pay tribute to 2009 in the only way we know how — the first annual Rhombus Readers’ Choice Awards! This is your opportunity to vote for the best local music, food and culture of 2009, so don’t miss out — make your voice heard.
You can help us start the process by copying the nominating ballot included below into the comment box at then end of this post and filling in your favorites of 2009 in each category. The nomination process will continue through December 24th, at which point the Rhombus staff will cobble together your nominations and create a final ballot on which you can vote once more for the ultimate winner. The final ballot will be available December 26th through December 31st, with the winners announced in early January.
This is all about the stuff that mattered to you in 2009. It’s your opportunity to recognize the best Provo had to offer this year and give a big shout-out to your favorite local bands, albums, restaurants, stores and more, so cast your vote in the comment box below and tell all your friends to do the same! As always, thanks for reading. Let the votes fly!
– Steve Pierce, Editor
Copy and paste the following into the comment box below and cast your vote:
Best Artist (Folk/Country): Best Artist (Rock/Pop): Best Album (Folk/Country): Best Album (Rock/Pop): Best Music Venue: Best Restaurant: Best Movie Theater: Best Clothing Store: Best Hang-out: Best Trend: Best Sports Moment: Best Event:
After another month long hiatus, our famous men of the Munchmobile are back on the road in the search of quality food here in the greater Provo area. In this week’s edition, our munchers sought out a restaurant that has claimed to complete the trifecta of the dining experience. This trifecta is defined as a restaurant that provides a) quality food with b) good quantity at c) a reasonable price.
For years we have seen buffets and eateries that can perfect two of these categories, but have never solidified all three. We have places like Tucanos that offers an unlimited smorgasbord of delicious Brazilian meats, but you have to fork over a pretty penny to gain entrance. Then there are the typical Chinese buffets that give you all you can eat at a friendly price, but you always have to question if the beef really is beef and if the chow mien is more than a week old. The list of these kinds of restaurants goes on and on.
Just recently a pizza place has come to town claiming to offer a buffet of quality food at a low price. The Pizza Pie Café, located on University Parkway near Albertson’s and 24 Hour Fitness, is a replica of the Rexburg favorite Craigo’s. They offer a sizeable pizza buffet, along with a salad bar and some pasta options. Is the food good enough for Pizza Pie Café to complete the fine dinning trifecta? Our munchers Ben Wagner and Jake Welch give their two cents.
Ben Wagner
I once had the chance to sample Craigo’s Pizza in Rexburg (I saw a mouse there by the way, as well as fitting eight people into the back of my jeep liberty on the ride over, but that’s another story) and, if you’ve been there, it’s impossible to try the Pizza Pie Café without comparing the two. They are, for all intents and purposes, identical. In fact, I’m unsure as to why the owners (who own Craigo’s as well) named the new restaurant the Pizza Pie Café instead of just naming it Craigo’s. Besides being snappier and rolling easier off the tongue, many of the students at BYU have been to Rexburg and I’m sure many have sampled Craigo’s or at least heard of it. The title Craigo’s would have evoked memories of the classic Rexburg college dive.
