I love Canyon Creek. I have been coming here for years, and I have yet to have a disappointing meal. The items that I love to order when I pay them a visit are:

1) Bread and butter. Oh honey butter, how I dream of you. Honey butter sounds simple enough to make, but they whip it and do God knows what else to it that makes it taste good enough to eat with a spoon. Ick, I know!

2) Sweet potato fries. They are golden, thin, and crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. I believe they are $4.95 alone or you can add $2.55 to get sweet potato fries with your entrée instead of regular fries.

3) Double Chocolate Brownie with vanilla bean ice cream, caramel crème anglaise $5.25. Every time I have gotten this, the brownie has been steaming hot. Perfection. And the ice cream is just what it needs to satisfy every dessert craving – chocolate, warm, creamy – ahhhh

BUT what really brought me here was their Artichoke dip (AKA, CANYON CREEK DIP). A blend of creamy Asiago, artichoke hearts, and fresh spinach, served with roasted tomato salsa and tortilla chips. The tortilla chips that come with the dip are hot and crispy–probably a million calories, but who the heck cares when it tastes SO GOOD! AND…..THEY TOOK IT OFF THE MENU!!!! OMG! I almost cried when I heard the news. And I almost banned them. How dare they do this to me! Sigh. They have replaced my BELOVED dip with the CANYON DIP ($11.35) and it is made with spinach, mozzarella, feta, parmesan, artichoke hearts, caramelized onions, roasted garlic, with hand cut corn chips and roasted tomato salsa. Sounds good, but I hated it! I literally had one bite, and told our waitress to take it back. 😦

And of course, you can’t forget their steaks! But I can’t afford to always order a steak, specially after I order all of the items above, so when Winterlicious and Summerlicious comes along, I make reservations at Canyon Creek. So far they have participated in almost every Winterlicious and Summerlicious. I think. Well they have in 2013 for sure.

So here is what my friend and I had for Winterlicious 2013:

Caesar salad: a huge plate of creamy, cheesy, crispy lettuce and salty bacon goodness. They do not skimp on ingredients. I rarely finish salads, but this plate was cleaned out within minutes.

Grilled chicken: Moist, grilled to perfection with steamed broccoli on the side. Perfect combination. Oh and the mashed potatoes. Note, the mashed potatoes are chunky and it works. I find that for grilled meat, chunky potatoes work well. For more delicate foods, I think smooth mashed potatoes fit better.

Steak cooked medium with mashed potatoes on the side. The piece is small, but thick. It is always cooked right (pink in the middle–just how I like it). No jus or gravies necessary. Steak was cooked with plain old salt and peppercorn. Perfect.

I had their pumpkin crème brûlée and I was not a fan. The only dish I have not been a fan of at Canyon Creek.  I have to admit that in general I am not a fan of pumpkin, so that probably played a big role in my feelings of indifference towards this dessert. This was a flavor issue only. The dessert itself was cooked very well.

FYI: Every Wednesday and Thursday after 5pm $5 off all “Share” foods, and many of their drinks are $5 (bar only)!! Get yourself to the bar at Canyon Creek on Wednesday and Thursday nights and go wild!–per se. Naturally, it does get packed. Grrr 😦