I Ended Up at Park Place

Sometimes all you want is a taco and you end up discovering Cedar City's best sandwich place.

It was a Wednesday night. You know those nights when it's all of a sudden 7 pm and you realize you haven't eaten since 10? That was the case with my Wednesday night. I ran down to the fridge and remembered that I hadn't gone grocery shopping in a while ((weeks lets be real)). You'd think I'd go get some groceries, but by the time I bought them and came back to cook it, I may have died from starvation.

I remembered my boss telling me about this hole-in-the-wall place called El Quetzal. Located above Boomer's, it's a little Guatemalan grill. Let me tell you, I am a fan of tacos; so when someone tells me there's a good taco place you'd better believe I'll make it over there before the week is through. [I know, you're confused because there's a picture of a sandwich. We'll get there.]

Boomer's is one of the most unique buildings in Cedar City. On the main level there's a small coffee shop, a candy and floral shop, and at least three abandoned storefronts. In the center of the store, there's a water fountain with stairs. Up the stairs is where you can find El Quetzal.

So I got in my car, drove six blocks from my house to Boomer's. The minute I walked in the door the alarm system called out "Back Door." I looked up to see if I was alone and there were only two lights on in the hallway. BUT the website said that El Quetzal closed at 8 pm and it was only 7:05 so I continued to walk down the hallway to find the stairway. The abandoned storefronts I was passing seemed a bit eerie being alone in the building-but I told myself I'd be with other people in the restaurant in just a few steps.... or at least that's what I thought.

I reached the stairs and looked up into the restaurant. Instead of lights and people I found a dark storefront and chairs placed on top of tables. It was that moment that I remembered the alarm when I walked in and I sincerely thought someone might be on their way to pick me up in a nice police cruiser.

All I wanted were some tacos. I guess you know it's a hole-in -the-wall when you feel like you're trespassing.

I mean just look at what I was missing out on below. These are El Quetzal's Asada Tacos. I wish I could tell you how delicious they are.

I briskly walked back down the hall, out the door and to my car. I called my friend Megan to tell her about the whole fiasco and she recommended that I go across the street to a new restaurant called Park Place.

Park Place opened as part of the Cedar City's efforts to revive downtown. It's a cute little cafe that sells sandwiches, soups and cookies. Although it was no taco, I decided to check it out.

Not exaggerating, I began salivating when I walked in that restaurant. The can only describe the smell as a combination of cinnamon, pesto, and fresh turkey. It's a cozy little place that was ranked 12th out of the restaurants in Cedar City. I walked right up to the counter and ordered a half of a hot turkey sandwich.

I mean we're talking about turkey, mozzarella cheese, avocado, spinach, pesto and tomato on hearty sandwich bread. It's called The Foster sandwich and I'm telling you this sandwich will bring joy to anybody's day.

The best part? Every order comes with a side of Kettle Chips. Park Place is reasonably priced for a filling meal.

So friends, there's a happy ending here. I still have some delicious tacos to track down and I discovered my new favorite sandwich shop. Watch out El Quetzal, I'm still coming for you-but not at night this time.

Comment if you've had a similar experience trying to track down a hole-in-the-wall place. I sincerely hope you got out of there like I did. It was a close one.

Update (2/14/2018): El Quetzal is closed for good. Which explains a lot of this story

Until next time,

Katrina.