I had the ultimate pleasure of dining at La Jolla Groves in the Shops at Riverwoods a few days ago. I went with other bloggers and we sampled several menu items. I'll be honest: I mostly went for the company, but came away thinking the food was far superior. (KIDDING, Melissa. You know I love you.) But that food was MIND-BLOWING.
The head chef at La Jolla Groves is one of the top 33 executive chefs IN THE WORLD. And he's got a restaurant in Provo, Utah. (Miracles happen, folks.) He's really nice and talked with us through part of our meal about his background. Apparently, he used to be all about the butter, as most chefs who want their food to taste good are. Then he hit 40 and realized that if he wanted to be AROUND to enjoy his family and food, he had better change his ways.
Enter the cuisine at La Jolla Groves.
Several succulent salads. Mouth-watering soups. (I'm still daydreaming about their Potato & garden-fresh Leek soup.) A salmon filet with cilanto butter, served over basmati rice -- one of my faves.
Artisan cheese, fresh fruit & hearth breads, served with a healthier fruit dipping sauce.
I LITERALLY could not get enough of the raspberries. I ate every one I could find without looking like a raspberry hog.
Lemon-roasted chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and seasonal veggies. The potatoes were to die for.
Everything I ate was delicious. Succulent. Sumptuous. Mouth-watering. FLAVORFUL. All of that and more. The restaurant uses fresh produce, locally-grown as much as possible. And you can tell from the taste. I was charmed by the atmosphere, too.
Don't even get me started on the desserts. Since most of the menu is full of healthy choices, you can splurge on dessert.
Berries and ice cream.
Lemon Cake with caramel glaze.
Chocolate Mousse.
This meal was a complimentary one, in exchange for my honest review. When I was there, I remember thinking that I'd better eat everything I could, because I could never afford to come back.
I was wrong, my friends.
I looked up their menu so that I would have the item descriptions correct. Their prices are comparable to The Olive Garden or Outback! Very inexpensive food for the quality of it. They even have a kids' menu!
Pair one of the best restuarants in Utah with the Shops at Riverwoods, and you have got an incredible evening. Especially if you can go tonight, Nov. 18, from 6-9 pm for the lighting of Riverwoods. Jon Schmidt will there. Blickenstaffs is giving away a really fun toy.
So consider La Jolla Groves and the Shops at Riverwoods as a sophisticated and more rewarding choice to the new Twilight movie tonight.
Oh, who am I kidding. You know I'll be seeing the movie. But I'm going tomorrow, so I can enjoy tonight at the Riverwoods.
(all photos courtesy Bryce Olsen Photography)
4 comments:
How did I miss the potatoes? That food was seriously awesome. So glad you came!
Wow! It all looks amazing. Sounds like a date night to Provo is in order. Good thing the in-laws are down there to watch the kids.
I love the trees and lights- very romantic.
That really does look remarkable. On my "to try" list, for sure!
We went there for Valentine's Day this year and the food was amazing! We especially liked the price for the taste, and that everything is locally grown and the sustainable nature of their business. However, our most recent experience with the Riverwoods was VERY poor, and we've decided to not go back for a long time. We were approached by a security guard for taking a picture with our point and shoot camera of some friends of ours. He demanded cash or check ($25) for illegally taking pictures. He admitted that there was no sign and would not just give us a warning. He was short, rude and disrespectful. Luckily, we haven't been contacted again about paying the fee(we didn't have cash or check on us), but it's left a bad taste in our mouths. It really stinks too, because the Riverwoods has been a fun place to go around the holidays. Glad you had a good time though....just make sure you don't take ANY pictures there!
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