moochies moochers

wow. can i just say what an honor. although i kinda feel like the dude that gets put up on stage at his first 'rocky horror' experience. i digress.

so officially this is the second time hanging with the crew. i went as a guest to toasters a few back, and must say it was not not enjoyable, so it was a no-brainer when asked this morning if i was rolling today. having a rare overlap of staff at work, the choice was easy.

and good choice it was, this moochies place. it screams all good things one expects in small, quaint, dive-esque type eateries. loud colors. kitschy knick-knacks for sale. smells of beef and cheese. and a condiment cart!

upon entering the front door of this urban venue, cheerful staff and useful ordering instructions were welcoming. someone on the way to the joint said it was famous for meatballs (i guess it has meatballs in the actual name), but once i saw an old-school philly steak sandwich photo near the entrance...game over.

ordering was easy: went with the six-inch steak sandwich (as opposed to the mamut-sized footlong) with added fresh mushrooms and green peppers. seems like a decent lunch/deli menu (return visit will have to try the moochies dog). soda fountain had red creme soda. yay! outside, dining was indeed al fresco, and, as mentioned, timely with a brief summer squall coming down as we finished up.

the sandwich reminded me of my utah county youth grinding at the italian place on state in orem, but this meal had a little more bite and was very hearty. the beef was excellent, the cheese was gooey and the veggies indeed fresh. baguette bun was very good. along with the spicy whole pepperoncinis and mild sliced peppers, this sandwich hurt so good. washed down with the red cream and a share of really good brownie? forget about it. nappy-time factor of 10 imminent!

all in all, highly recommended. and a great place to pop the bloggin' cherry.

Man-up possibilities: 8.5
Food quality: 8.5
Overall: 8.5

Munchies for Moochies

I started my morning hungry and although a banana and our customary Friday donut took care of that early rumbling in the stomach, my appetite needed something solid today. Moochies to the rescue.

This well-talked about downtown eatery was recommended by Wingnut weeks ago and finally came to fruition and, as was mentioned by GPaK, turned into a picture perfect lunch.

The Philly Cheesesteak seemed like a no-brainer from the time I walked in the door and once everyone else had ordered, following suit was a simple task. I said no to the addition of mushrooms but the peppers were a nice addition to a messy meal. I, like my crew, went with the six incher and passed on turning my meal into a combo. That said, GPaK was kind enough to share his brownie. This thick treat, along with my usual cup of water water chased my sandwich to the tune of one fine meal and an economy busting $6.40!

Moochies (located at 232 East 800 South) is a fine establishment we should all be so lucky to visit. Converted from two houses, or so it would appear, the buildings are painted bright yellow and offer seating inside and out. We opted for the umbrella covered outdoor seating on a 70 degree day with threatening rain and finished our meal mere seconds before a brief could burst. Curbside parking (or parking karma) allowed for a quick getaway and the fastest meal of blog record. If you require handwashing before dining, be sure to check out the bathroom in the west building. Being a former home, the bathtub is piled with live soil and green plants — an interesting addition to a quirky but fun and tasty place.

Man-up possibilities... 10 (6 inch was filling, I can't imagine what a 12 inch would do to you)
Food quality... 9
Service...9
Overall...9.5

—SuperScrunch

Who needs arteries anyway?

Nothing like a good, old fashioned myocardial infarction-inducing lunch to make it worth coming to work on Friday.

Chuckles mentioned that we should try Moochie's several weeks ago (at the suggestion of his wife, Julie) and I've been angling to give it a whirl since then. The stars finally aligned today and four-fifths of the original GPaK, plus new recruit Mark Reece, piled into Wingnut's "Big Rig" to make the short journey.

When it was my turn to order, I was instantly impressed with the down-home friendly demeanor of the woman at the counter. I went for the six-inch cheesesteak and added grilled mushrooms. I was not disappointed. The sandwich was hot and the American cheese melted pleasantly over the steak, onions and mushrooms. I've never been to Philly, so I can't vouch for the meal's authenticity, but it satisfied my appetite just fine. In retrospect, I think I would have enjoyed just a little heat, so next time I'll add some peppers. All of the other guys went the pepper route and came away happy.

The man-up quotient here is off the charts. Now if they only let you add bacon on top of the cheesesteak. Hmm, might have to suggest that.

From the outside, Moochies looks like a couple of 1950's-style houses were smushed together and painted pastel yellow. Diners can choose to eat inside the funky little reception area or outside on what's basically one of the houses' front lawns. We ate at an umbrella-topped table while Chuckles creeped everyone out by taking multiple pictures of us while we ate, then proceeded to take shots of himself. I even recall getting cussed at because I wasn't posing the way I was told.

Man-up possibilities: 10 (this one's a no-brainer ... you could induce cardiac arrest with the footlong combo)
Food quality: 8
Overall: 9

— Brady

Manning up at Moochie's

As slow and frustrating as last week's lunch was, today's was just as fast and satisfying. In fact it was, I dare say, taste-o-riffic.

We took a quick trip to Moochie's Meatballs and More on a cool summer day, and we were not disappointed. I went expecting to get a meatball sandwich, but once I saw the description of the Philly cheesesteak, I changed my mind. And boy, am I glad I did. In addition to excellent meat and tasty, gooey cheese, mine had onions and, based upon my request, peppers. The result was a sloppy, messy, savory delight.

I also had the potato salad, which had a just-right consistency and a bit of a kick, and an excellent brownie for dessert. As for the Coke, it ranked perfect on the fizz-0-meter.

And the service really set Moochie's apart from last week's debacle at Su Casa. We walked up to the counter to a friendly welcome, ordered immediately and had our food within minutes. We were able to eat outside and finished just as a brief, torrential rain started to fall. Our entire trip, from leaving our desks to returning to work, took less than an hour, which was good for this busy day. But I'm also certain that, had it not been rainy and had we been so inclined, we could have enjoyed a much more leisurely lunch, too. I've posted this within an hour of our return, as an homage to the quick service, and again, in contrast with last week's experience.

All in all, it was a near-perfect Friday excursion for the GPaK, and I'm hoping we have many trips to Moochie's in our future.

Man-up possibilities: 10 (I didn't get it, but the 12-inch cheesesteak would feed a family of four for a week.)
Food quality: 9
Overall: 9

— GPaK

Su Casa, who's casa?

Don't be fooled by the name of this restaurant as it's anything but your house. At least my house. At my house when it's time to eat, we eat, and we get at it. Apparently at Su Casa, our restaurant of choice last Friday, we eat when the chef and server feel we've marinated long enough and successfully tied a pair of shoes together and slung them over the above power line.

Seriously, if it weren't for the tasty food and great low prices, this place would wind up on the cutting room floor and might never be seen by the likes of me or my fellow hombres. But as is the case with most dining outings, if we can leave satisfied, it generally means a solid outing and a likely return (with ample time on your hands, of course).

I too (as has been well documented in previous posts) went with the the daily lunch special (smothered burrito plus a bean tostada for $4.99) and added shredded beef for an extra $1.79. I chased it with my typically glass of water and left a small portion on the plate as it dutifully met my man-up possibilities. The chips and salsa are decent — definitely not the best on the block — but they act as a good buffer when waiting ample time for your meal.

Man-up possibilites... 8.5
Food Quality... 9
Service...3
Overall ... 6.75

Special note: Prior to our meal, Gmac and I discussed the urban legend revolving around tennis shoes slung over power lines (see photo above) and its true meaning. After extensive research (typing the phrase into google and clicking on the second link), I've come to the conclusion that it means poor service awaits you at the nearest restaurant (in our case, we failed to heed the warning and dined at Su Casa anyway). For more ubran legends, and an unconclusive reason behind this ritual you'll find across the country, you can read about it here.

—SuperScrunch

Su Case: Take Three (make that four)

Su Casa no es mi casa!

I figured I would write this review at the same speed I was served my lunch Friday afternoon ... SuperSlow!!! (no offense to SuperScrunch!)

Seriously, I've recently been painted as the curmudgeon who dislikes this blog. That is not true.

But truth be told, one of my biggest dislikes is slow, crappy service at what's usually a favorite eating establishment.

That said, the service during our visit to Su Casa (approximately 300 South 500 East) was about as sluggish as it could get. And the food really didn't make up for the disappointing service. My burrito's shredded beef was very tough. It took way too long to be waited on, even longer to get the food. And I never got my Diet Coke refill!

So when the bill came (and yes, they did split it up into five separate bills, which was nice) ... we didn't even think of letting our tortoise-of-a-waiter process the checks.

The crew was its usually funny self, which along with the beautiful weather was the only bright spot on the whole lunch!

Overall....6.5 on quality.
Man-up potential is 7.0.

Other than Gary, non of the GPak manned-up...kinda sad.

-cw

A leisurely lunch

Not sure what was going on at Slow Casa (© Greg Kratz 2009) for the latest GPaK Lunch, but the downtown Salt Lake City eatery did reach an all-time high in sloth-itude.

Even so, the food was customarily good. I decided on the the daily lunch special (smothered burrito plus a bean tostada for $4.99) and added shredded beef for an extra $1.79. My fellow diners followed suit like a bunch of lemmings and ordered the same thing, except Gary, our resident Corey Feldman (No. 128 on the Famous Vegetarians list ... http://www.happycow.net/famous_vegetarians.html). The special is plenty to eat, especially when you add the meat to the burrito, and I was full when it was time to leave (near dusk as I recall). As Greg mentioned, Gary put us all to shame on the man-up scale with his collosal burrito; it was bigger than Jonny's head.

We were a group of five and had to shoe-horn ourselves around a table made for four. It wasn't too bad, but large groups should probably look elsewhere unless you don't mind sitting at separate tables.

There must have been plenty of excellent one-liners flung about, but I can't recall any at the moment. It's possible that I slept through much of the meal.

Just how sluggish was the service? It was so slow that Greg actually wanted to get back to work. If that doesn't make Speedy Gonzalez roll over in his grave, I don't know what would.

Man-up possibilities: 8.5
Quality: 8
Service: 2
Overall: 6

— Brady