Hurricane, UT Food Favorites

Posted on February 16, 2023 by Jenny

I have a confession. I’m one of those people who take photos of their food on their phone. I have at least three pictures of the salad below on my phone. I told my husband that if I didn’t love him so much, I would run away with this salad.

This is the Cobb Salad at River Rock Roasting company, but with no bleu cheese and the Moroccan dressing. I always get this salad because I can’t eat cheese without a lot of discomfort, but I love this thing. The Moroccan dressing at River Rock is a little exotic trip in a cup. This post is a little guide to some of my favorite places and eats in Hurricane.

Food Sensitive

River Rock Roasting Company is one of the best places in town for the dietarily restricted. They have chickpea sandwiches, a few delicious salad choices that you can ask to have the cheese left off. I have done that a few times, and they always remember. They also have a garlic and mushroom pizza that you can ask to have vegan style, and they will put a cashew sauce on it instead of cheese. One of the added benefits of River Rock is a gorgeous view of the confluence park you can enjoy while you eat. I have heard their coffee is good, and if you like soda they have a fountain that has some different flavors from your standard Coke and Pepsi. You might want to walk past that before you decide on a beverage. The restaurant also often features local artists’ work. They sometimes get pretty busy, and the best way to avoid that is going at times that aren’t the peak food times. For example, meet at 15 minutes before the hour, or go late in the morning or after the lunch rush.

Quick and Easy

Costa Vida is one of my favorites for that food where it is all a mix of the same Mexican food, but prepared 7 different ways – burrito, salad, etc. all with beans and rice and veggies. I know it is a chain place, but there is a reason these spots are popular. They are not too expensive, and you may wait in line a little, but they have lots of tasty food and options for everyone.

A Little Quieter

If you want to sit down and enjoy a high quality meal, The Pig’s Ear American Bistro is a little pricier, but they have a fresh mix of American classics and some healthy options as well. I like the superfood kale and quinoa bowl, but they have fish tacos, french dips, and a pretty wide variety of other delicious options. They serve alcohol here as well.

Mexican Food

If you want atmosphere, Lupita’s will occasionally have live music on weekend nights. If you want a very delicious burrito from a hole in the wall, I love the chicken burrito with green salsa at El Jinete. The building is bright yellow and orange, and the parking is sometimes crowded.

Local Favorite

Triple TJ’s is my husband’s pick almost every date night. Triple TJ’s serves classic American food. I often get the salmon or the turkey croissant, but they have chicken fried steak, pastas, burgers, fish, and a few steak options. I love their fries because they are a good size with a light batter. I think that Alex likes them so much because they have this dessert—two large cookies with a big scoop of ice cream between, drizzled in chocolate. He will get that even if it’s not a special occasion just so he can enjoy his life more.

If you have another local place you are curious about, give me a call and I’m happy to share an opinion if I’ve tried it. If you are a local, feel free to leave reviews of your favorite places and why in the comments here.

This post and all posts on this site are written by a real human without the use of AI software.

January 2023 Market Update with Mitch Godfrey

Posted on January 18, 2023 by Jenny

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-he98y-1368ac9

In this episode we take a short break from talking about attainable housing to check on what the Washington County market is doing with Mitch Godfrey. He is a fellow buyer agent on The Porter Team at ERA Brokers Consolidated. Mitch has been working in real estate for five years and investing for eight years.

In this episode we discuss current market data from a couple of different sources. The root of all of the information is the Washington County Multiple Listing Service. Additionally, we use an update from Macrae Heppler’s at Eagle Gate Title, and our favorite resource is the ERA Brokers Consolidated Research page. That page updates with a lot of useful data most months, with breaks for December when things are slower and a bigger mid-year report in the summer.

Best Practices for Affordable Housing in Utah

Posted on September 16, 2022 by Jenny

In this opening episode, we’ll be discussing the 2020 report from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute from the University of Utah that recommends best practices for affordable housing. For the first season, each episode will focus on attainable housing.

Check out the episode here:

Episode 1: Best Practices for Attainable Housing in Utah

If you would like to review the Best Practices report in depth, check it out here:

Best Practices in Attainable Housing for Utah

Something New is Coming!

Posted on September 9, 2022 by Jenny

The microphone and me.

Something new is coming to this website. I would describe myself as beyond excited, but that would be too short. I am excited, but I am also nervous, thrilled, and if there were another word for nervous that involved introverts stressing about having to talk to people they respect, admire, and don’t know very well about a subject near and dear to their hearts—well that would be the other thing beyond excited.I often have this conversation.

Well-meaning loved one (WMLO): “What have you been up to?”

Me: “I’m going to graduate school.”

WMLO: “What are you studying, and where are you going to school?”

Me: “Technical Writing & Digital Rhetoric at Utah Tech University.”

WMLO: (confused look)

Me: “It’s a kind of Masters degree in English.”

“What will you do with it?”

Me: “I don’t really know.”

Part of my reason for going to graduate school, aside from it being a dream, was because I was having second thoughts about doing real estate. I’m an introvert. Can introverts succeed as realtors? That is a great question for another time. As I have gone through my program I figured out that I do in fact care deeply about the housing market. It affects every person, and in our county in particular housing is a huge issue. People who have lived here for generations are wanting so much to hold on to our agricultural heritage, but we also want our children to be able to live here. What can we do? Well, remember the “Digital Rhetoric” part of my degree title? It turns out that Podcasting is a form of Digital Rhetoric. So for part of my major project portfolio, I will be launching a podcast here on this blog very soon. I can’t wait to share it with you. I have interviewed some amazing people already, and I’m just putting the finishing touches the first few episodes. So hold tight, and soon you will be able to listen to the Jenny Chamberlain Podcast, and this first season we are going to focus in on Attainable Housing in Washington County.

Summer Solstice

Posted on June 22, 2019 by Jenny

Yesterday was the longest day of the year, and so many good things happened.

I had a good day at work, plowing through lots of things that needed to be done, managing mischief, as they say.

Then, after work I went to dinner with my best friend and husband Alex. We ate at River Rock Roasting Company, and sat enjoying this view:

Could my boyfriend get any cuter? Love him. And then there was this life changing salad. I really love the Amarrakesh (sp?) at Red Rock because it has this heavenly yellow lime dressing. I don’t know what else is in it, but it has just enough heat, possibly some turmeric? Whatever it is, it is exotic. The only thing I don’t love about that salad is that it is all spinach. So last night I ordered the Cobb Salad with no bleu cheese and no ranch (I can’t eat dairy – one of the greater tragedies of my life), and the lime dressing from the other salad.

Shortly thereafter, this salad came, and it was heaven on a plate. It had so many good things. Romaine lettuce, tender chicken breast, bacon – just the right level of crisp. The cucumber and eggs were sliced to thin perfection. I left the tomatoes, because I’m experimenting with avoiding nightshades for my RA diet, but even that meant a pretty red pop on the plate when I was done.

Whoever that chef is takes true pride in his or her work, and I thank them for it. It was a solstice dinner long to be remembered. I wanted to go order another one after we had left because I kept thinking about this salad.

Just look at it. I wish you could smell it and taste it. I made Alex taste it twice. It was magnificent.

Afterward, we went to Best Buy to shop for laptops for me, because it’s getting to be time I had my own. On the way out, there was a gorgeous sunset. The pink gold clouds stopped us in our tracks, and we stood leaning against our car to enjoy it while it bloomed. iPhone pictures never do things justice, so you’ll just have to trust me. Yesterday was definitely a solstice to remember.