Tubby Tuesday: Moochies

Welcome to Tubby Tuesdays!  One thing I really like is food.  I mean, I really really like food.  When I work out, it's because I want to be able to eat more food.  When I don't work out, I still eat a lot of food.  There are a lot of great places that I have eaten at and wish I would have known about them sooner.  Think of Tubby Tuesdays not as a review, but as an unpaid whole-hearted endorsement of places that could change your food life FOR-E-VER!  With installment number one I give you Moochies.

Moochies: It's not much to look at...but boy oh boy!

Moochies is like a secret restaurant that isn't really a secret at all, thanks to Diners, Drive-inns, and Dives.  Still, there are an alarming number of people who have never had the privilege of having a Moochies steak sandwich, dripping with Jumpin' Jalapeño Sauce charging through their lips!

I was introduced to Moochies a couple of years ago.  It had already been featured on DDD, so we were far from the first to discover this mecca of meatball.  Some buddies from work told me I had to try it, so we were off to Salt Lake.  Moochies original location is on 800 South and around 200 East.  It was originally a pottery studio, but the owners wife decided she was going to sell some great sandwiches and Moochies was born.  When I first walked in I figured the food must be great, because the place was as hole in the wall as I had ever seen.  Exposed brick in places on the wall, eclectic decor that wasn't even kitschy, and not enough seating for half the people in line (I soon learned that Moochies has a house next door that provides extra seating so--no worries.  Also: their bathroom has a bathtub that is filled with dirt and has plants growing in it--when's the last time your favorite restaurant did that?)

Picture of Moochies Food (Courtesy of UrbanSpoon)

We placed our order, I ordered a 12" steak sandwich with peppers and mushrooms added, one of my buddies ordered the 12" meatball and we split it so we both got half of one.  The steak sandwich was great.  Pretty much what I'd expected, good meat, good peppers and onions on pretty good bread.  What I didn't expect was Moochie's Jumpin' Jalapeño Sauce that changed the way I eat.  It is a creamy sauce that seems to be mayo based with diced jalapeños in it (very hard to properly duplicate by the way).  I'm not sure if that sounds good to you or not, but you owe it to yourself and your posterity to try it at least once!  It's wonderful and flavorful and makes EVERYTHING I've tried it on taste better.  Really.  I bought a bottle and have tried to always keep a full one in the fridge at home.  This is difficult because it is so good that I will eat when I'm not really hungry anymore just to have more sauce.  (The best foods that I have had Moochies sauce on are: pizza, cold pizza, grilled cheese, and quesadillas--I tried it on a donut once as a dare from Birdie (who was delighted and grossed out at the same time) and it was even good there!)

Two week supply of Moochie Sauce

The meatball sandwich was a masterpiece as well.  The meatballs are HUGE and messy and amazing.  It goes without saying that it also goes wonderful with Moochies sauce.  A few visits down the road we discovered fried ravioli (good discovery Nellie!) and it's only enhanced the Moochies experience.

A couple of months ago they opened a second restaurant in Midvale (about 7700 South State), I visited and was just as pleased with this location!  I had a chance to talk with the owner for the briefest of moments and was able to beg him to open a location in Happy Valley.  He also told me they had toyed with the idea of selling Moochie sauce in one gallon jugs--here's hoping.

Overall, Moochies is high on my list of places to recommend.  I'm not sure I've enjoyed a sandwich more consistently over many, many visits, but as Lavar Burton used to say on Reading Rainbow: don't just take my word for it!

Post Script:  I recently hit a high-water mark in my parenting life.  I was making quesadillas for lunch with the kids.  When it came time to eat I couldn't find my Moochies sauce.  Scott ran down to his room to grab the bottle out of his locker.  I was confused about why it was down there and inquired if I had somehow left it in the basement.  Turns out, Scott had thought it would be funny to hide it until I wanted it-- he felt terrible when I told him that it was now unsafe to consume because it hadn't been refrigerated.  I was proud because I was able to laugh and didn't get mad at a mistake my awesome son had made.  (You would think it was awesome if you'd had the sauce--promise).

Acknowledgement: Jake Kuresa is the man responsible for my Moochie's introduction--for that I thank you.  Oh, and thanks for stopping that guy that would have tackled John Beck before he could complete the now famous Beck-to-Harline pass to win the 2006 BYU Utah game.