Black Sheep Cafe from the mouths of the Web Staff

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Haley Madison | Blog Editor | @haleyshantelle
Last year, we would go to dinner every Friday night as a newspaper staff. I always begged to go to Black Sheep Cafe, finally going on my birthday when I enjoyed the Navajo tacos. For a restaurant that I was so desperate to try, it has been off my radar ever since. When we decided to go for a staff dinner, I was excited to try it again. 

I hastily decided to get the Buffalo Nickel burger, which is very unusual for me. I’m a terribly picky eater but I only had to ask for the tomatoes to be left off, a miracle in itself. When our food arrived I was immediately concerned about the logistics of eating the burger. It was huge and while everyone at the table told me to just “smash it”, the bun was very buttery and I’m a girl who hates any mess. I decided to cut it in half and go from there. The burger is buffalo meat which, oddly enough, I’ve had before so it didn’t scare me. It had cheese, caramelized onions, arugula lettuce and a sauce that I can’t remember and can’t find on the internet. It had a strong barbecue flavor and was very sweet. I thoroughly enjoyed it, though I only made it through the first half. The next day I ate the other half and it was… alright. I wouldn’t recommend the left-overs. The star of the show for me was the fries. They were rosemary parmesan french fries served with, of course, fry sauce. I loved them and could’ve had a whole dish of just them. 

For a drink, I would recommend the cactus pear lemonade, which was introduced to me by Blake McClary. It has a unique flavor that is not as sweet as a traditional lemonade which is nice. 

Boyfriend got the green chile enchiladas and we were both floored at how good they were. He did say, though, that he almost got tired of the dish towards the end. The cilantro-lime rice that came as a side was a bit too strong of a lime flavor for him. He thought it would be better if it was pulled back just a little. He did like it enough that he’d go back just for the enchiladas.

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Tiffany Frandsen | News Editor | @tiffany_mf

I ate something delightful called posole, which without a Google search I can only assume means “flavorful red chile soup with pork and hominy” (Fine, I cheated and used Google because hominy is obscure). In Black Sheep Café’s case, posole is savory and semi-spicy soup with hominy and pork that is tender enough to fall apart easier than a croissant, and almost juicy enough to qualify as a fruit.

And the fry-bread – oh, the fry-bread. It was larger than my head (my head being normal-sized), light, fluffy, and soaked my soup up nicely.

The food was only half of it; the ambiance was quirky and friendly. I verbally approved so many of the songs that played in the background that I think one of the other tables made a drinking game out of it and I had to put a moratorium on commenting on their music choice.

Here’s the best part- I took half the soup home, and a day later, it held up.

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Kenzie Jones | Sports Editor | @KenzieScribbler

Before our staff dinner I had never even heard of Black Sheep Cafe. I had no idea what type of food they served or where it was located, but everyone seemed excited about going there and I love trying new things. The over all experience ended up being worth it. I had a lot of time to look over the menu since I was one of the first of our group to show up and by the time everyone was there I had picked the Chimichangas. I don’t know why I picked them because I had the feeling I was setting myself up for some disappointment. When it comes to Southwestern or any type of Americanized Mexican food I have become extremely picky after living in Texas for a year. That being said I was actually pleasantly surprised by Black Sheep’s version. It contained slow-cooked red chile pork, red onions, and cheddar cheese wrapped in a flour tortilla. After the first couple of bites I was missing the spice I expect when it comes to this style of food, but that was short lived. Sure I never actually got any kick, but soon the subtle blends of unusual flavors started to come together and leave an impression on me. The whole thing was topped with guacamole (the best part), creme, lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, green onions, pomegranate, and more cheese. The pomegranate was the unusual aspect to the dish. I loved the flavor and thought that the sweetness played well with the hint of spice from the meat. It was served with cilantro-lime rice and pinto beans.
Over all I liked the food even though it was a bit laking in kick it made up for it in surprising flavor combinations. If I ever go back I’ll probably get the Buffalo Nickel burger or try one of the soups that a couple other people in our party ordered. It all looked really good and I never like ordering the same thing twice when it comes to restaurants.
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Alex Rivera | Deputy Managing Editor | @HashtagginAlex

Even today, I know not why they call this place Black Sheep. I do know, however, that it is delicious, and my second round at this restaurant continued to impress.

Earlier this year, I tried Black Sheep for the first time and fell in love with their Navajo tacos, which they are famous for. This time around, I wanted to try something else on their menu. I wasn’t disappointed.

I ended up trying their posole, which is a soup that had tender and smoked pork with hominy in a savory red chile broth. I fell in love the second I took my first spoonful. Rich in taste and soft meat was a great combination to my meal. But the star of my dish was my side; nanniskadii bread.  A fluffy, soft, and sweet bread that complimented my savory soup just perfectly is just what I needed to make my night. I crave that bread daily and it’s been over a week since my journey.

The food isn’t the only thing that impresses me about the Provo restaurant. The location is prime for students as it is found in the heart of Provo, across the street from the still-in-construction Provo City Temple. The interior of the store was small enough to keep it cozy but large enough to seat a party of 7 (or more) on a relatively busy night. Not to mention, they took our reservation during the prime hours of the night and we we’re able to be seated comfortably and immediately.

Service was quick and great, though there were longer stretches of time before our waiter came back to us before we got our meals just so we can order. But aside from that, friendly faces make for friendly places and I enjoyed the hour or so time we spent inside their doors.

Black Sheep Café continues to impress me in a county where new restaurants are popping up like goose bumps in the winter. Yet they produce quality food on a high level to put those other restaurants on the back burner for the time being. Highly recommend, and invite me when you go. I’d love to come with.