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If you are looking for honest Italian in the middle of America you don’t have to look too much further than Pizzeria 712. This small establishment is not small on taste. In the style of a café this Italian nook has the authentic, bold flavors of the boot-shaped country. Two menus are provided: lunch and dinner.

The lunch menu includes green salads, Panini sandwiches, pizzas and other additions. How is this different from any other restaurant? The ingredients are fresh. The mozzarella is hand-pulled. The olive oil is high quality. Some pizzas include speck and cauliflower, while the Panini choices include braised beef and fresh pesto. The pizzas themselves are separated from the American classic. You will not find pepperoni here. Fresh basil, caramelized onions, house-made sausage, feta, ricotta, roasted corn, and more dot the thin-crust pizzas. The lunch desserts are always changing. Some days they are a creamy custard and others they are a fruit cups with biscuits.

Dinner kicks it up a notch to gnocchi with ricotta, pork belly, short ribs, lentils, and polenta. A simple green starter includes heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil with balsamic vinegar.

Pizza 712 offers reservations and intimate dining. The prices for these luxury items are fairly priced so they won’t break your wallet.

Very few burger place come highly recommended and actually have good quality hamburgers. Five Guys is one of those places. This burger restaurant is equip with nearly nothing but hamburgers and fries in whatever fashion you like.

Five Guys was first opened in 1986 in Arlington, Virginia. After spreading along the east coast over the next two decades, Five Guys is now in 750 locations in the United States and Canada. This restaurant is Zagat rated and comes with ordering lines out the door.

The menu holds single, double, and triple patties with or without bacon. They even come in smaller versions. These come with or without cheese at no added cost. The best part is the toppings. Five Guys burgers do not come with anything on them. You get to tell them exactly what you want. An entire condiment and topping list is provided at the register. These include grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, mayonnaise, relish, onions, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, ketchup, mustard, green peppers, jalapeno peppers, A1 Steak Sauce, barbeque sauce, and hot sauce. This means more than 250,000 ways to dress a burger.

Kosher and vegetable hotdogs and grilled cheese are also on the menu. Fries come in large and regular sizes in original or Cajun varieties. Besides beverages that is Five Guys’ entire menu. But do not be discouraged. These burgers are thick and flavorful. They are made right as you order them as are the fries. The ground beef is fresh. No Five Guys restaurant even owns a freezer. The entire menu is trans-fat free and only peanut oil is used.

Mexican, Chinese, American, and Japanese foods are available in masses. Several chains offer commercialized cuisine to authentic cuisine and everything in between. But what about the other countries? The search for authentic and some of the most amazing food you will ever encounter is over. South America is now in the States in the Brazilian Tucano’s restaurant.

Tucano’s is a Brazilian experience. The menu is of epic proportions, literally. This restaurant starts with a salad bar. But it is not just any salad bar. It includes exotic foods from bamboo to quail eggs. The opposite side of the bar includes hot cuisines with pasta, potatoes, breads, and other side dishes. Once this is finished the real fun begins. Each table comes with a red and green totem that is flipped to the green for go and red for stop. During the green light phase servers carry various kinds of meat table to table. Most meats are skewered and are freshly cut directly onto the plate. Other meats come fresh in bowls to also be served directly onto your plate. When you are full, just flip the totem to red and the servers will stop coming.

Meats include top sirloin, garlic beef, sirloin tip, beef tender, beef brisket, Brazilian sausage, sugar-glazed ham, pork loin, bacon wrapped turkey, cod, chicken hearts, and others. One of Tucano’s specialties is their sugar-glazed pineapple. Vegetable and fruits are also available, not to mention countless exotic desserts.

Tucano’s is a meat experience that is found in only four cities: Provo, Utah; Boise, Idaho; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Salt Lake, Utah. They also cater and offer a free birthday meal when signed up. Tucano’s is an unforgettable experience.

There is always the ease of walking to the mall’s food court and finding Asian cuisines. But what about the real non-Americanize cuisines? One restaurant provides the culture of family-style dining possibilities with authentic foods. PF Chang’s is a restaurant chain that is both of these things. As a more high-ended enterprise, PF Chang’s combines sophistication with modern culture. This restaurant allows for reservations and online ordering. PF Chang’s menu is so popular that eight of the most popular selections are now being sold in the grocer’s freezer section. So what makes it so special?

PF Chang’s has a full bar with beer, wine, specialty drinks, sake, tea, and coffee. The menu starts with small plates and starters ranging from dumplings to lettuce wraps. Different soups and salads are also offered. The menu also includes sides of various vegetables, including asparagus, green beans, and cucumbers. Sixteen different duck and chicken options are available as well as seven beef options, five pork and lamb options, and seventeen seafood options. Vegetarian options and noodle sides are also on the menu. PF Chang’s even has nearly thirty gluten-free options.

Lunch bowls are available in smaller portions and at smaller prices. A special dinner for two is optional that comes with choices of a starter, cups of soup, two entrees, and two small desserts. A more specialized menu is available with happy hour drinks and foods. There is even a kid’s menu. And of course there is dessert in twelve different varieties and sizes.

Like most American restaurants, PF Chang’s comes with an American flare, like their happy hour Asian street tacos and special spare ribs. For a step above the Panda, PF Chang’s is sure to satisfy even the pickiest of diners.

One of the biggest food locations in in the southwest is the Mexican-inspire restaurant called Café Rio. Not only does this Mexican café provide a chain of across-the-border delights, it also does so with class and perfect taste. Café Rio is the winner of countless awards, including the Zagat award. So what makes this café of burritos and salsa so special?

The secret is in the sauce and the pork. Café Rio specializes in the perfect sauces for their meats. By far the most popular meat is the sweet pork. This pork has been cooking for hours and falls apart when it is eaten. It is that good, and of course it is sweet. Fire grilled chicken and steak are also available. These meets will blend with black or pinto beans in one of six ways: quesadillas, burritos, tacos, salads, tostadas, or enchiladas. Each combination is different and comes with lettuce, pico de gallo,  cheese, and smothering options. The sauces come in hot, medium, or mild concoctions.

Appetizers of chips, salsa, and avocado are available, as well as flans and tres leches options. Each day Café Rio offers a different specialty item that is only available that day. Monday is the chile relleno. Tuesday is the coconut shrimp tacos with mango salsa. Wednesday is chicken tostada salad. Thursday is the pork or chicken tamale. Friday is the grilled steak or chicken fideo. And Saturday is the fried shrimp taco. Each week the specials are the same and bring customers specifically on those days for those hot commodities.

The atmosphere of Café Rio is bright and happy, with Spanish words flashing in the air and on the walls. This restaurant originated in St. George, Utah in 1997 and has now expanded to forty locations across California, Nevada, Idaho, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado.

Where do you go when you want something light but still want a variety? In these cases soup and salad options are available. Many restaurants advertise a low price for soup and salad, but very few restaurants actually have high quality soups or even a vast selection. Other than a soup of the day, a house salad, and the occasional Caesar salad options most restaurants do not have the soup and salad options that are actually worth the price.

There is one restaurant, or more of a café, that provides these options to the maximum for the same price. Zupas is a restaurant of huge proportions and options. This café offers not only soup and salad but also Panini sandwiches, desserts, and fondue. The salads come in seven varieties from fruit infused selections with strawberries, raspberries, and strawberries to chicken taco salads. You can even create your own selections. Just pick your protein, your lettuce, your dressing, and your toppings.

Soups come in all kinds too. With ten different varieties you can even add more toppings to make them your own. Soups range from lobster bisque to tomato basil to clam chowder. You can even mix soups together if you wish. Each month a new soup is featured, and free samples of any soup are included.

The Panini options are also huge. Zupas has nine different sandwich options that can include alterations if you wish. The turkey spinach artichoke includes an artichoke spread that is unforgettable, not to mention the ultimate grilled cheese option, made with two cheeses and a pesto spread. The desserts come in large portions. Cookies, custard cups, chocolate fondue, bars, and cakes are provided. Each meal also comes with a chunk of French bread and a chocolate-covered strawberry.

The sizes of soups and salad vary and a half-and-half option is available. Customers can choose half a salad, half a soup, and a Panini in whichever combination they choose for a lowered price.

The varieties of these light options are literally endless.

Sushi seems to be one of the best contributions that Asian culture has made to America. With this some places are better than others. Some ingredients are fresher than others, while some have better flavor combinations than others. Just because a sushi bar advertises half-off Tuesdays doesn’t mean that the sushi present is worth the four dollars. Other times the rolls themselves are small and you need to buy two or three to get your fill. But there is a high-quality restaurant with reasonably priced sushi that just might be classified as the best in town.

Happy Sumo is a chic restaurant where the waitresses wear all black and mauve draperies hang around the secluded booths with candle light. Outdoor patio seating is also available. The menu comes in a wide variety of Japanese cuisines. Appetizers are elegant and flavorful, not to mention coming in large varieties. Edamame, steamed soy beans with sea salt, are the most requested starter. Salads are also optional.

The sushi itself comes in four different forms. Nigiri sushi comes in twenty varieties with different kinds of fish and seafood, including octopus. The maki sushi comes in eighteen different kinds and six to eight pieces. Sashimi sushi comes in eight varieties. Happy Sumo has even created special combination platters combining different maki rolls and nigiri pieces.

The fourth and most requested form of sushi at Happy Sumo is the special roll. Special rolls come in forty different varieties and mix various vegetable, fish, and seaweed combinations with signature sauces. Entrees are also available for the non-sushi lover, including stir fry, chicken, beef, and seafood. And of course there is dessert, of six different kinds. But the Japanese mocha ball is the specialty.

Happy Sumo combines elegance and the sophisticated tastes of the Eastern world and brings them to a table set for two or more.

Have you ever had a debate to which restaurant you and a friend should go to and cannot decide between Asian or Italian? One company has combined different cultures into one restaurant. Noodles and Company is a quaint little restaurant with a bistro atmosphere. And of course the main element of each meal is noodles, but these noodles are not just simple spaghetti or penne noodles—though these are options. Noodles and Company provides noodles from all over the world.

Chopsticks are a must and even come with small holders for beginners, though forks and spoons are provided. Noodles and Company offers four different cuisine types: Asian, Mediterranean, American, and Italian-inspired themes. The menu provides already-made choices, but mixing and matching is encouraged. Want to add protein to a dish? Just ask for meatballs, beef, chicken, or shrimp. Adding more vegetables is also encouraged.

Noodles and Company even offers odd food pairings, like adding Italian meatballs to the Wisconsin elbow macaroni or sautéed beef to pasta fresca. Noodles are not the only choice on the menu. Sandwiches, soups, and salads are also provided and in combo platters. This company even offers choices for all dieters. Need a meal that is gluten-free? Rice noodles are an option. Watching fat intake? Smaller portions of five noodle meals are available as well as different salads. Low sodium dishes are also available.

Vegans and vegetarians are also welcome as between six to eleven noodle meals are available. Now no compromise is needed for which ethnic food to choose. You can get Bangkok Curry with tomato bisque and your friend can get a Mediterranean salad with pesto cavatappi.

Not all restaurants need to be sophisticated and monochromatic to have a taste of elegance. It’s the little, comfy places that can have the best food. Mimi’s Café is just one of those places. This restaurant is unlike any other, especially when sandwiched beside a men’s clothing store and a burger joint. But it is the outside that sets the appeal. Without the signing reading “Mimi’s Café” the building could simply be a cozy little cottage on the side of a busy street. The inside takes the homey feel even further.

Each section of the restaurant is designed in a different theme with various colors. Some include ranch homes, others the South, and still others backyard gardens. The interior and exterior are reflections of the food. Mimi’s provides options for all three meals. Nearly each meal comes complete with a beverage, and quick breads and raised breads are provided at the table. The food itself tastes like home. From omelets to homefries, to steak and pasta, Mimi’s has nearly anything Mom would make, with a taste that doesn’t say is above ten dollars. The only difference is that Mom could be sitting right next to you without having to lift a finger.

Mimi’s Café’s are found all over the United States, with the exceptions of the Northwest, the northern Midwest, and the Northeast.

When you drive up, you notice how it seems like an old ranch house. Up top is a balcony for outdoor dining when the weather is nice. On the other side is a butcher’s shop, where you can purchase many fine meat products. The inside is cozy and quiet. This is a good old-fashioned
family restaurant.

As our hostess escorts us to our seats, she reminds us to try their home-brewed root beer, sassafras beer, or cream soda, all served in frosty mugs. I can’t resist a good root beer, and the stuff brewed at Maddox Ranch House is some of the best I’ve ever tasted. She quietly leaves us, and our waiter appears after a few minutes. Not too long, but not too soon either. He is soft-spoken, non-intrusive, but his voice is enough to carry over the din of the dinner hour without being too loud.

We order, and our appetizer arrives shortly. Hand made rolls and corn bread with home-churned honey butter. Simply delicious. We haven’t finished our drinks yet, which means its been about five minutes. Fifteen minutes after that, our waiter brings us our dinner and a refill on our drinks.

The food is fantastic. Good cuts of meat, well seasoned vegetables, all served on heated plates to make sure the food stays warm as its being brought from the kitchen. We savor our meal, too full for desert, and leave our waiter a generous tip.

• Atmosphere – Good, subdued and calming
• Service – Good, prompt and non-intrusive
• Food – Good, delicious and prompt

All in all, I would highly recommend this restaurant. The only drawback is location. If you’re ever in the area, or near the area, I can’t recommend it enough.