Cubby's Chicago Beef

A friend of ours recommended that we try this place out. She knew the owner/founder and told us it was good. Ash and I had to investigate, and hopefully lend our support to the rising generation of new Provo restaurants: locally based, more niche menu, better ingredients...

Here's Cubby's blog.

Price:


Lunch/Dinner:
        Most main dishes range from $6 to $10

Atmosphere/About:

Some friends of ours instigated "new-food-Wednesdays" where we eat out at some restaurant we've never been to. I think everyone should have something like that. And as you may have guessed, this week we went to Cubby's Chicago Beef.

Located in-between Little Cesar's and that electric wheelchair store near Macey's Grocer, you'd think from looking at the outside, that a pretty average meal was waiting inside. It's by no means in the classy part of town, but wait on passing judgment until you get inside.

There is a very heavy use of chalk paint inside. I like the idea. Since its a pretty small venue, the menu is visible from anywhere. Plus it has a kind of "urban outfitters" feel to it.

No, we didn't get special privileges to see the back. This is the view from where you order. I like places that have open kitchens like this that are visible to the public because in order to keep business, the kitchen needs to stay clean. So there's this kind of natural, cleanliness mandate being enforced. Kitchens can seriously get so nasty. As you can see; however, this one is clean and tidy.

Food:

You know when you see "quinoa of the day" on the menu, that you are eating at a place that has a higher sense of what food can be, you aren't going to see a lot of mediocre food masked with salt or fat to make it good, but are probably going to have food that took thought and quality ingredients. It even says on the menu (the part I didn't get a picture of) that all their food is fresh, local, not frozen, etc. AWESOME!

As I've been typing this and staring at the salad below, I've thought several times "that is a really good looking dish."

This is the dish that Ash got. The apple pecan chicken salad. Complete with beets, apples, and Red Dragon cheese (yet another detail that impressed me. Red Dragon Cheese???). Described as buttery and spicy,  the cheese is made with Welsh brown ale, and mustard seeds, so it packs a flavor punch. Not your traditional American Cheese by any means. Seriously, find a piece and suck on it for a little bit. Find those flavors!

Apple Pecan Chicken Salad

I on the other hand had to get what the Cubby himself recommended. When we were there, he said that he'd been open for 25 days, and there was some guy who'd been in there 23 times getting this very same thing. The Rip City Tri-tip Sandwich. I seriously can't even write about this without salivating.

I love BBQ. It's such a sensual combo of tangy, sweet, and spicy. By the time I was done, I could have walked right back up there and asked for another one. It was SOOOOOO good!! If you're new there, and aren't sure if you're going to like the place, get this. You'll convert on the spot. It's saucy, its flavorful, the meat is tender and juicy, mmm!! If this kind of stuff is prevalent in Chicago, then I am suddenly very interested in going.

Rip City Tri-tip Sandwich. Can you say saucy?? 

My friend did his homework on their blog and decided beforehand what he wanted. The Mr. Beef. Now I only had a little taste, so it wasn't enough for me to have dreams about, but the flavors were there, the texture was there, it was super tasty. I really liked the extra crunch from the marinated carrots and celery.

Mr. Beef

OK. Let's talk fries. We wanting to be a little on the frugal side, I suggested to Ash that we get the Rosemary fries. "Heck no! I want those bleu cheese Buffalo fries!" was the quick response! I love it when she does that.

OMG!!! These fries were TAAAASTY!! First, for everyone that might not know, in its basic form, Buffalo sauce can be just butter and Tabasco sauce. A divine combo. So on the one hand, we have the rich, spice from the Buffalo sauce, offset by the tangy, creamy bleu cheese sauce, both smothering some deliciously cooked fries. If that description didn't convince you, then you're hopeless. Stick to Denny's.

Bleu Cheese Buffalo Fries

(Here's the trick. Once you get the fries DO NOT start eating them. Stir the sauce all around and let them sit for a little bit. Let the sauces soak in and they become AMAZING!)

And P.S. As of recent, Cubby's now offers gluten free options, so celiac conscious, enjoy!

Overall:

A resounding "GO!" If it were reasonable, I could seriously see myself eating here for lunch everyday for a month straight. The only hesitancy I have is that it may not fill up a college student for the same price as somewhere else. For me, that's fine, so long as the food was good (and it was) but I can see that for someone who can't appreciate the importance of using quality ingredients and flavors, they might have a harder time justifying a $9 sandwich when they can get a foot long from subway for $5.

But seriously, the food was great, Cubby was cool, it had a really cool ambiance in there, they are conscious about the quality of ingredients, and, as of recent, they have gluten free options.

GO!