Olive Garden and Panda Express

This past week we went out to dinner twice- I'm sorry that neither were locally owned but we had reasons for going where we did.

Thursday we went to Panda Express because it was my sister-in-laws birthday and that's where she wanted to go. Again my problem with restaurants kicked in and I ate before taking pictures, but here is a picture from their website of one of my favorites- Beijing Beef.

We had a good time at Panda Express and enjoyed the food there. My husband loves the orange chicken and there were a lot of options that we could give our little baby pieces to try. I wouldn't say that it's traditional Chinese Food by any means but very good none the less.


Saturday to celebrate Valentine's Day we went to Olive Garden- it's another one of our favorite places but we don't go there very often (we happened to have a gift card). It is very good. The meals come with unlimited salad and bread sticks and I would defiantly take advantage of that so you are full enough to have plenty of leftovers to take home.
I had the chicken alfredo pizza (shown above) and it was so so good, the alfredo dipping sauce that came with it was amazing, it looked small but I could only eat 1/3 of it after all the salad I had eaten. My husband's favorite is the Ziti but he tried something different (lasagna rolls) but still reccomends the ziti.

Kiwi Loco- Self-Serve Frozen Yogurt

On the corner of Hitt and Sunnyside is... you guessed it, Kiwi Loco. Self serve yogurt places seem to be the new trend- popping up all over the place; one has even popped into Idaho Falls. The way it works is you go in and grab a bowl (a couple different size choices) and then fill it with any mix of frozen yogurt that sounds good to you. Then you top it. You pay by the ounce so the amount is totally up to you. Kiwi Loco's price is $0.39 an ounce.



We enjoyed Kiwi Loco- the first reason was because you walk in and smile because of the bright fun look of the place. The choices of yogurt were good (the husband recommends fruit flavors) and the topping variety was amazing (over 50 choices). There were sugar free options and also a dairy free yogurt option that, as you can see by her little mustache, the baby enjoyed too.

Jazz Big Band Dance - Skyline Band - Elks Lodge

I'm so excited about this, but I'm still trying to convince my husband to take me. Skyline High School Jazz Band and The Jazz House Big Band are putting on a big band jazz dance to support the Skyline Music Program. It is Saturday night 7:30 at the Elks Lodge there is a recommended donation of $5 per person or $8 per couple. If you don't know how to dance you can go at 6:30 and swing dance lessons will be going on until the dance starts.

The Snakebite Restaurant - Downtown Idaho Falls

The husband and I were given a gift certificate to the Snakebite in Idaho Falls and were glad for the excuse for the opportunity to try it out. This restaurant is located downtown on the corner of Park and A. Mondays and Tuesdays they are only open for lunch but the rest of the week they are open until 9.
We went on a Friday evening around 6 and all the tables were full but the wait wasn't long at all, but plan on waiting a bit for your food as well. We thought it was worth the wait but my in-laws four year old son did not.

The majority of the menu is pretty basic American food, but fancier- My husband and his brother both got hamburgers which they raved about and they were priced comparable to Red Robin or other places like that. I got a chicken burger with avocado on it. It was also so good. We all enjoyed our food. They also had pastas, steaks, and seafoods. Which by the looks and smells seemed like they would be great too.

It's a little unrelated but I thought it was so cute I had to share- after we got seated it got a little busier and there were three couples waiting for tables, a table for four opened up and it was given to an older couple that looked like they were out for their anniversary or something. They invited the next couple waiting to sit with them and share the table. I thought that was so nice.

Anyway- the food was great, I can't wait for an excuse to go there again.

Rigby Bowl - Family-Friendly Bowling Alley

Sorry- I was waiting to get this done last week for my friend to send me pictures. She hasn't yet so here are pictures from last time we went.

Rigby Bowl is a little retro- which totally makes it fun. Bowling there is pretty cheap- shoes and a game were less than $5 a person.

You have to keep score yourself- don't worry it comes with directions in case you don't know.

They open at 5 on weekdays and noon on weekends but a few times I have called and they have opened at four for me.

263 S State St
Rigby, ID 83442
208-745-6859

Also in Rigby there is a great sandwich shop, Gator Jacks.

Gator Jack's Sandwich Shack

A little bit after we were married I overheard somebody mention Gator Jack's in Rigby. We stopped by after school one day- mid afternoon and were greeted by Jack himself, who let us sample a few different things before we finally decided on what we wanted, now it is a favorite place of ours. The sandwiches are delicious and totally loaded down (4 inch is their small size, and totally big enough for most people).
I like to stick with what I know I like so I usually order and Up Yonder! or Shine from Da Moon. You'll have to go in to find out what those are. My husband has tried most of them but his favorite is the Kissin' Kin. A fun thing is to get an order of gator bites- they are mini baked potatoes... so good!

Gator Jack's now has two locations- in Rigby on Farnsworth way, right off the highway and in Rexburg across from Porter Park.

(note- these pictures were taken from the Gator Jack's website. When we got some on Friday I realized after I finished my sandwich that I was supposed to have taken pictures.)

If you want something to do after you eat, Rigby Bowl is nearby.

Carstens Bakery - Downtown Idaho Falls

243 Cliff St
Idaho Falls, ID 83402

I've stopped by this hidden gem a couple of times but New Year's Eve was my first chance to take the husband there. It was a great quick date. Carsten's has treats of all kinds that are reasonably priced as well. There isn't room to eat there so we got a sandwich to go and each picked a couple of kinds of cookies because they all looked so good. One of my favorite things to get at Carsten's is their doughnuts- their maple bars and chocolate bars are filled with cream. They are super good. Anyway, they also have fresh bread, pies, and cakes, as well as eclairs and danishes. Usually, Mr. Carsten is there and is always good for a chat. Carsten's is a great place for a treat. The only trick is they close pretty early in the evening so for the husband and I it will always have to be a Saturday date.