Resturant Review: Station 22 Cafe

Restaurant Review: Station 22 Cafe
Where: Provo, Utah
How to find it: http://www.station22cafe.com/

There are some things in this world I will never understand. Why do we drink aspartame if it's so bad for us? Why do some people seek for power they aren't qualified for, when all that means is a lot more stress and responsibility? Why does my toddler son hate sleeping so much? Sadly, today, I will get to add another question to the list. Why is Station 22 Cafe so popular? Seriously, that place is always packed, which is why we had to go on a weeknight.

Now, before I begin my complain-train, and before literally everyone in a ten mile radius around my house get's defensive, let me just say that I don't hate Station 22 Cafe. Am I disappointed? A little. Do I feel it's overrated? Yes. But just because something is overrated does not mean it's bad.

So lets start with what the restaurant does right. They have a lot of gourmet sodas. They prepare their food correctly, for the most part. They have fun antiques hanging on the wall. Can I stop being positive and happy now? Good, that's not my strength.

As for their two great sins, the food is bland, and the menu and decor feels unfocused.We had the poutine, Jack Kerouac burger and the Pig n' Cheese sandwich. Oh, and an in-house brewed root beer. And everything was bland! The only flavor that was added to anything was sugar. Everything felt like it was by-the-books American food, don't mess with it or experiment with anything, we want people to feel safe coming here.

The menu is large. When I first looked at it I was genuinely stumped as to what I should order. Everything sounded so good! But it felt unfocused. Sure there was a lot of burgers and sandwiches, so I guess it's a burger place. But there were grits and shrimp, poutine (again), chicken and waffles, and ten thousand types of soda. Which honestly, with the soda, you wanna know what all gourmet sodas taste like? Sweet. They all have the exact same flavor of way too much sugar.

I don't usually rag on how a restaurant looks, but it feeds into how I felt about the menu and restaurant as a whole. When you first walk in, it feels like you are walking into any number of trendy restaurants that use antiques to say "wasn't food just so much better in the 50's"? Only, once you look around, you realize that nothing actually goes together. The stack of old school speakers doesn't work with the cardboard cutouts of the deer, which don't go along with the highly abstract yet not non-objective art, which really has nothing to do with the leather bound books and a dead tree in the front. All these things feel nostalgic and comforting, just like the menu. And just like the menu, the decor also feels unfocused and bland.

If you have family visiting, and want to take them to a safe if slightly boring place, take them to Station 22 Cafe. If you want to go on an adventure, go literally anywhere else.

What is expressed here is only my opinion and should not be taken as an attack on your person or character. If you feel we ordered the wrong items from the menu, let me know in the comments, me and my wife are always willing to give anyplace a second try.

Parker Monson