Rexburg Root Beer Selection

I discovered one day while waiting on slow roommates that Broulim's has a rather extensive collection glass bottled root beers in their (oddly) alcohol section. Don't judge. They have a few options in their soda section, but  I was excited to discover many more. This review negates your aluminum canned and plastic bottled root beers, because everyone knows Root Beer is best in glass bottled. I tried all available options except the diet root beers and the one with green tea in it. That's just wrong. So here you have them, rated on a scale from 1 to 10. And remember, all root beer is best enjoyed cold.

Henry Weinhard’s (9) Smooth and classy taste, excellent foam.  

IBC (8.9) Classic Root Beer taste, with a little bit of bite. HW is my favorite, but I OD’d, so IBC is a good second.

Sprecher (7) Good taste but kind of flat. Overall a good, albeit unremarkable Root Beer

Virgil’s (6.5) Slight licorice flavor, dry foam

Boylan (6) It has a very sweet flavor to it. Not bad, but nothing special

Thomas Kemper’s (6) It has a honey flavor – you get used to it, but it throws you off at first (find at Wal-mart)

Stewart’s (5.5) Nothing special, but worthwhile if a Root Beer is needed

Sioux City (5) It has a good aftertaste, but the beginning taste was meh…

Buckin’ Root Beer (4) Tastes like Root Beer flavored Popsicle or bottle cap candies.

Frostie (3) It has a kind of weak root beer taste.

Natural Brew (2) It has a bitter licorice flavor. I didn’t like it.

Great Harvest Bread Company

Located on Main Street, between Broulim’s and US Bank.

In my travels I have become very fond of bakeries, which we have a shameful lack of in the United States. The bakery in Rexburg is the Great Harvest Bakery, which is a chain, so not quite local, but still here anyway. Beyond breads, there is also a selection of soups and sandwiches as well. However, the best part of Great Harvest is their cookies. Any kind really – they’re all good, although if there are any with white chocolate chips, those will be the best. You can take that on good authority – I know cookies. The variety of bread is extensive, but most of what I had still had that generic mass produced bread taste. 

I was skeptical on the soup at first – they only had two options the day I went in, and I opted for the wild rice and chicken. Usually that particular soup is brothy and grainy, and I don’t generally like it, but I preferred it to broccoli and cheese, the other option. However, I immediately changed my tune when I began eating it – it was thick and creamy, and didn’t have that grainy, dry taste one usually associated with wild rice. There were moist yet small chunks of chicken and carrot as well; making it one of the best soups I’ve had in a while. The cup of soup also comes with a free slice of bread (they have a few daily options), and they don’t try to skimp on that – the slice was like a quarter of loaf almost. The bread I chose that day was tomato, basil, and parmesan. Those are generally an excellent combination, but to be honest, not as bread. That was my mistake (I have been known to make those on occasion) but when I used some sourdough with the soup, that proved to be a good combo. 

They also have pumpkin chocolate chip bread, which is perfectly sweet without the need for milk, though it’s still good anyway. The bread is pricey, so don’t seek Great Harvest for your lunch box sandwiches, but as a house warming gift, or any occasion where bread is an appropriate offering, this is a good bet – especially that pumpkin chocolate chip.

College Ave. Deli

Located on College Avenue, a block from the Spori – near Sammy’s

Formerly known as the Pita Pit, College Avenue Deli came about because the Pita Pit owners wanted to branch away from the franchise. Pitas are still offered, but in the more traditional sense – not so much the wraps one might be familiar with, but more like a taco. Sandwiches and wraps are also available. The only difference between the three is your bread. Since you order your meat and then select from a list of toppings, the awesomeness of your pita/wrap/sandwich depends on how well you can balance the flavors in selecting your fillings. The variety is extensive, and the quality good, so if your sandwich is bad, it’s all you, because they do a dang good job. Remember – the key to a good sandwich is balance, and these guys have that down. And, since I am an expert in sandwiches and sandwich filling, you can have it on authority that theirs are awesome. But there are many sandwich places in town, so The Deli offers even more than you’d expect.

We’re talking hot dogs, corn dogs, and fried baskets. They have a variety of hot dogs and polish dogs, which are at half price after 10 pm for the budget conscious (second dinner anyone?). The corn dogs are technically located on the kid’s menu, but since we’re all someone’s kid, there’s no shame in that – they don’t judge. The fried baskets can be chicken strips, shrimp, or finger steaks (battered beef strips) served with fries or tater tots. They also offer fried desserts, such as deep fried Oreos, Twinkies, and cheese cake. They also have candy bars, but the Oreos are probably my favorite. If you’re young enough, eat them at least once, and apologize to your arteries later – it’s totally worth it. There is rather cheap hot chocolate available on those cold Rexburg nights (you know the ones), and on Friday nights from 10-11p, they have your coin toss option, where you can flip a coin to try and get free fried cheese cake. I won once.

To speed up the process, the menus are on sheets of laminated paper, which you mark with available markers to tell them exactly what you are ordering, with all fillings and condiments on them. It catches a few people of guard at first, but after a while, you realize it's pretty simple. While not usually my favorite date place because of how weird it feels to mark x2 on the sheets, it is one of my favorite eateries, and most definitely scores in my top 10 places to eat in town.

Sammy's Cafe

Located a block away Gringos, near the Craze Fun Center. A Landmark in itself.

I remember opening day in Fall of 2010. I stood in line for 2 hours and it was totally worth it. Mere months later, I don’t remember where we used to hang out before Sammy’s existed – it’s the most happening place in Rexburg, and you sort of have to go there at least once. The Sammy’s ambiance is part old timey soda bar, part trendy/indie hipster. There is live music every weekend, which has saved me on more than one date occasion (that is a rant for a different blog), ranging from jazz to alternative to folk music.

The thing you absolutely must try is the pie shake. Basically a piece of pie is inserted into a blender with milk and ice cream, and voila! Awesomeness. To maximize the experience, go with either pumpkin pie or coconut cream. Your shake will be like a regular shake, with chunks of pie crust augmenting the experience. If you opt for a fruit pie, it comes out to be the same as a normal fruit shake – good but not special. And you want special. They also have cupcake shakes, using the Cocoa Bean cupcakes. However, this basically results in a shake with soggy cupcakes, so go for the pie.

The burgers are excellent as well. The meat is high quality, cooked to perfection, at a slightly larger than normal proportion. There is a variety of burgers listed, with the Promo being your basic burger. I like the Big Lou (supposedly names for Lou Buhrly, an Anat/Phys teacher here) which adds pastrami, but there are many options, all pretty dang good.

They also have a unique promotion called Mustache Mondays. I sported a horrible mustache for the better part of a Monday so that I could get me a free grilled cheese sandwich there. Mostly I just wanted to say I took part in the promotion. Fake mustaches get half off – it’s a good sandwich though. Go with Swiss cheese.

The only drag is that when the place gets busy, service can reflect that – I once had my order forgotten about for over an hour. When I finally brought it to their attention, I was given free food, so I don’t harbor hard feelings, I’m just giving the warning. Sometimes it’s best to go during the non-peak hours. Overall though, it’s one of the best places to go eat, albeit a little bit pricey on my poor man budget, so I reserve it for first dates only. Good food, good music (usually), and good atmosphere – Sammy’s doesn’t even need my review to garner attention, but it’s on my top 10 anyway. It is Sammy’s after all.

New York Burrito

Located on Main Street near the Plasma Center

I was skeptical of this place for my first year of school here. No one goes to New York for a Burrito. Los Angeles Burrito would have been my first stop – those are good burritos, but New York? That’s a pizza and hot dog town. However, I eventually learned that it specialized in wraps, which are sort of like burritos I guess. The first thing I noticed was that it smelled way good inside. That seemed promising. 

There is a large variety of wraps there, starting with the tortilla itself. While the typical white and wheat are there, they also have tomato, garlic, and spinach wraps, with a few others. There are a variety of fillings for anyone, regardless of how adventurous your tastes are. The most popular is teriyaki, but they have things as unique as Thai to as commonplace as chicken ceaser. The place has a similar function to Jimmy John’s Sandwiches – you select something from the menu, and they make it exactly as listed, although they will ask if there is anything you want removed. Then to round off the meal, keeping with the burrito theme, they give you corn chips and salsa.

I opted with the chicken ceaser, which wasn’t bad, but I was unimpressed. The balance wasn’t quite right – too much tortilla, not enough everything else. The chicken was a little bland, though the dressing was well made and the romaine lettuce was fresh and crisp. Perhaps the fault lies with me – I decided not to be adventurous, and as a result was bored. I recommend trying to be bold if you yourself go. The salsa itself was good, but chips and salsa with a wrap? That’s peculiar, but then again this is Rexburg. Overall, it’s a long running Rexburg establishment, and definitely worth a visit, but not really my plate of sandwich, if you get my drift.

B Big Bites

Located across the street from Gringos and the Paramount theatre

One of the newest establishments in Rexburg, B Big Bites is one of Rexburg’s best kept secrets, and I’m letting the cat out of the bag. Family run, it is a throwback to the old fashioned neighborhood diners, where you knew the owner, she knew you, and she cooked you what you wanted. Therein lays the charm of this place. While the specialties are Soups and Sandwiches, there is always something new, off the menu. Every Friday and Saturday there is the $5 meal special – it could be anything from lasagna to meat and potatoes, and is usually all you can eat, plus a drink. There is a large selection of sandwiches, which are actually quite good. There is a good balance of bread to meat to cheese, and etc., which is key to a fine sandwich. Their soups are also good, usually served in a bread bowl. My favorite that I’ve had there is bacon and potato, hearty and creamy, and involving bacon. The ice cream selection is slightly limited, but they have the finest vanilla I have had in town, so I don’t even care. It’s sweet and creamy like nothing you can find in stores, and I recommend it to everyone.

The owner and chef is an amiable woman named Ida. She treats all patrons as family, and has a presence that is both laid back and comfortable. She also is one of those cooks who likes to always try new things out, and is always open to suggestions of new products. If you want something different and off the menu, she’ll find a recipe for you.

Because of her openness to suggestions, there is always something new available at Big Bites. My favorite has been chocolate covered bacon (which is definitely worth trying when available), but other offers have included fried cookie dough and chocolate covered strawberries, bananas, and kiwi. There is also a constant selection of blueberry muffins and cookies as well.

The prices are well within a poor college student’s budget - $1.00 for three scoops of ice cream, $0.50 muffins, and $3.50 sandwiches, if you want to eat out for cheap, this is the place to go. And there’s something to be said for a business that offers free Easter dinner to its patrons. This ranks on my top 10 places to eat in the ‘Burg.