I will be in Salt Lake City next week, and am looking for recommendations. I've reviewed all the posts and come up with the following restaurants that I am considering. I'd like to find at least 3 dinners and maybe a breakfast.

Breakfast:
Banbury Cross - I am definitely going here, I had doughnuts from here last time I was in town, and they were the best food I had.

Les Madeline bakery - This looked interesting online, is it worth the trip? Are there any breakfast places that are better, or as good and closer to Cottonwood Heights?

Dinner:
Copper Onion
The Tin Angel Cafe
Mazza
New Yorker

I am considering the New Yorker as the capstone of the journey, and then two of the three others.

I am ok paying for an expensive dinner if it is worth it. Is the New Yorker outstanding?

Are the other places worth a taxi ride if I want to have drinks with dinner? Are there any places closer to Cottonwood Heights of similar quality that anyone can recommend?

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Tin Angel
365 W 400 S Salt Lake, City, UT

Cottonwood Heights Cafe
2577 Bengal Blvd, Salt Lake City, UT 84121

New Yorker Restaurant
60 West Market Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84101

I am interested in trying one of the Mazza restaurants when I visit Salt lake City next week. I am willing to drive for a better location, so can anyone comment on whether either is better, for food, parking, etc?

I just ate lunch at the Arboreteum Estancia Churrascaria, and was very impressed. The service was excellent, all the meat I ate was very good to excellent, the salad bar seemed fine to me and the sides were good. I ate by myself, and was made very comfortable. Many places seem to resent the single diner, but here I was treated as well as the big tables. All the meat I got was done the way I wanted. I did ask about the pork tenderloin, which the server said they only serve well done, so I skipped that, but loved everything I had. My favorites were the lamb, both chops and the slice of the leg, and the filet mignon, but I loved everything I tried. I wasn't able to sample all the varieties of meat as I got too full, but I'll definitely be back many times and try the rest.

One note, not a complaint, but others may want to know. If you order a Coke, it comes in small bottles that are $2.85 each. To me, that is fine, I far prefer carbonated beverages from a bottle instead of a soda fountain, and realize you have to pay for quality, but it might be a suprise to some.

So what would be some good recommendations for Austin examples of each of these?

I've seen a couple of people say no to Ironworks and was hesitant to give my opinion, but I've been thinking and thought you might like another view. I recently started a thread to discuss beef ribs in Austin and Ironworks was the most recommended (only 3 recommendations, so it isn't nearly as popular a meat, but my favorite). If you are going to be spending time in Austin and walking around anyway and think you like beef ribs, I recommend you walk there and have the beef rib platter. If you are a big eater, you'll definitely eat the sides, so choose the ones you like (if you don't ask, they'll just pick two, or so I experienced). To my taste, they are as good an example of beef ribs that I have tasted. As far as brisket is concerned, I cannot comment as I never order it. Note that it is counter service, no waitresses at least at lunch, but really good beef ribs.

Thanks for the info, I thought a rack would be an entire side, similar to a pork rib rack, thus my confusion.

Well, I definitely thought it was a good deal, but it is closer to half a rack.

Thanks to everyone that made a recommendation, I will try them all. Today I went to Iron Works BBQ; my impressions are below.

I ordered the beef rib platter, which was 6 ribs worth of meat on 3 bones (cut like Salt Lick) for 13.45. The meat was juicy, cooked to perfection with a great taste without adding sauce. The sauce comes in a squeeze bottle, so it is easy to control how much you add and re-add after each bite if you want. The sauce was very tasty, not overbearing but spiced just right to my taste, neither too sweet or vinegary. The platter came with two sides. I made a mistake and didn't specify the sides I wanted so I got beans and potato salad, so I can't review the cole slaw, but the potato salad was excellent, my favorite so far at any BBQ place I've tried. The restaurant is informal, counter service, paper plates and plastic dinnerware, but the price reflects that. Also, parking is simewhat limited, but there are 7 or so spaces at the restaurant and a few across the street. Overall, the food is excellent. I will definitely be back.

Once they open, I will go in, try your recommendation and report back.

My favorite BBQ item is beef ribs. I also care about the sides, especially cole slaw and potato salad, but for me, the most important part is the beef ribs. I have now had them in the 3 places that I know serve them, County Line, Salt Lick and JJ's. Here are my impressions so far.

County Line, both Austin locations- Best value for money (you get 7 for 19.45 on the Big Daddy Beef Rib Platter). The ribs are very moist, easy to eat but retaining a chewiness that I find enjoyable and extremely flavorful. Best tasting sauce, not too sweet, nicely spiced and enjoyable. The coleslaw is some of the best I've ever had, with a noticable flavor of celery seed, firm slaw, served on the same plate as the other items and no seepage (I despise seepage). The potato salad is decent, the potatos retain their shape, there is no overpowering taste, but nothing special. Overall, when I want beef ribs, until I find something better, I will go to County Line for my beef ribs.

Salt Lick Round Rock - Their big platter is 19.95 and you get the equivalent of 6 ribs (actually 3 bones on the plate, but the meat is cut next to the bone). The cut on the ribs makes these ribs easier to eat than County Line as the meat is doubly as thick on each rib you pick up, but I miss the extra rib's worth of meat. Before any sauce, it is as tasty as County Line. However, the Salt Lick sauce isn't to my preference. It seems too sweet and doesn't compliment the beef. Their coleslaw is not as firm as I expect, as if it was salted and left to drain some of it's water before it was put into the slaw, making it less crispy. It still was tasty, just different than I've had before. The potato salad was far too cooked for me, not quite mashed potatos, but softer than I prefer. Another note is that the seating is picnic tables. For inexpensive food, this seating is fine for me, but when my entree is nearly $20, I'd like a more comfortable seat; not a deal killer but not preferred either. All in all, if my friends are going there, I'll be glad to go to Salt Lick and have beef ribs, but they aren't my favorite.

JJs Cedar Park - This restaurant is just down the road, so I really wanted to like it. However, my first experience was likely my last. This place has counter service and not waiters.I wanted a large order of beef ribs, so I tried to order 7 beef ribs (they don't have the big half rack). The counter person informed me that the beef ribs were about a pound each, so that much would be 42 dollars and recommended I have the platter. The platter was 3 beef ribs. Each rib was cut down the middle, but the meat portion wasn't nearly as long as the County Line version. I got it with coleslaw and potato salad. The ribs weren't remarkable, okay, but not as tender and flavorful as the others. The sauce was ok. I don't remember the potato salad, but the cole slaw ruined it for me. It had far too much liquid seeping out of it, ruining the plate.

Overall, I like the County Line whenever I want Beef Ribs. It has excellent beef ribs, is the most comfortable, has had consistently excellent service in my experience (Salk Lick also had excellent service, no issues there), has the best value for money, has the sauce I prefer, the cole slaw I prefer and the bread I prefer.

Does anyone have another place to get beef ribs that they can recommend I try?

I suggest you ask for recommendations on the Austin board, you'll likely inspire quite a debate about where you should go. My personal favorite is Polvos, but you'll likely get a lot better informed opinions from the regulars.

I have been to Fogo de Chao once, and found most of the meat so overcooked as to be just food; edible, but not something to pay for. I went just at opening time, so I am not sure if that affected my experience.

My questions are:
When going to a Churrascaria, do you need to go at the busiest time, or can I expect the meat to be consistent throughout the service?

Is the meat typically cooked between medium well and well done (specifically pork tenderloin and ribeye steak which I never like done better than medium and believe should err on under-done) or did I have a bad experience?

Other than complaining (I won't, I just don't go back), what can I do to have a better chance of my meat being cooked "right", i.e. not overcooked for the tender cuts?