The Beginning

Ghost Town : a town that has been abandoned, usually because the economic activity that supported it has failed or because of natural or human-caused disasters such as war. ... A ghost town may be a site where little or nothing remains above the soil surface, e.g. Babylon. See also: BYU at 11 am on Tuesdays.

Translation: when forced to clock out, campus employees get creative. Today's creativity turned into an Asian Adventure to The Four Seasons Hot Pot & Dumplings. Lunch conversation quickly turned to other restaurants around Provo and Orem that we love to love and would love to try. Naturally, plans for a restaurant review blog hatched and here we are.

Here's how it works: the name and information for the restaurant will be given first, then quick facts and an overall review. If we ended up at that restaurant in an extraordinary way or something mildly entertaining happened while we were there, the story will proceed the review. Three asterisks (***) will signify the end of the story and the beginning of the official review. Please feel free to add your comments, whether you agree with us or not.

The Format... and we don't mean the band.

Restaurant's Name
Address:
Hours:
Phone Number:
Website:

Quality: Excellent, Fair, Poor
Authenticity: Practically There, Close But No Cigar, Yeah right!
Price Range: Ridiculous, Moderate, Cheapo!
Payment Accepted: Major Credit Cards, Debit Cards, Personal Checks, Out of State Checks, Cash
Atmosphere: (several words could be used here)
Dress Code: Black Tie, Sunday Best, Business Casual, Casual, 90s Grunge, PJs
Reservation: Absolutely, Only if it's Friday/Saturday, Taken but Not Necessary, None Taken
Wait Time: Take a Snack, Not Bad, Seated Immediately
Service: Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor, Self-Serve
Date-Worthy: Yes, No, Depends on Your Date

Review: (space for us to go into detail about why we rated each category the way we did)

(each blog post will also be given broad labels so you can easily search for restaurants by category)

***

The Four Seasons Hot Pot & Dumplings
Address: 236 N. University Ave., Provo, UT 84601
Hours: Monday - Thursday 11 am - 9 pm, Friday- Saturday 11 am - 10 pm
Phone Number: (801) 375-6888

Quality: Excellent
Authenticity: Practically There
Price Range: Moderate
Payment Methods: Major Credit Cards, Debit Cards, Cash
Atmosphere: Clean, open
Dress Code: Casual
Reservation: None Taken
Wait Time: Seated Immediately
Service: Excellent
Date-Worthy: Depends on Your Date

Review: We've been wanting to try this place for a long time, and we finally ventured past the front door! It's owned and operated by a Chinese man and his wife. He's tends to wait tables and keep the hot pot ingredients organized. His wife makes the dumplings, so when she's out of town dumplings are unavailable. If you're feeling adventurous or have eaten in China before, you should be just fine. If the above does not apply, take someone who knows what makes a good dumpling and how to operate a hot pot buffet. Also serve baozi! A real treat for those of you missing the PRC. Decor is classic red, black, gold Chinese characters. Tile floor makes the whole place a bit echoey, but overall a fun atmosphere. Menu is a bit confusing at first glance, but the owner is more than happy to explain it to you. English is definitely his second language, but he speaks excellent Mandarin.