Dining out: Wriggles

Published: Friday, Nov. 21, 2008 12:32 a.m. MST
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Every weeknight, while most of us are sleeping, there are meats cooking slowly at Wriggles, getting ready for the next day's customers to this little mid-valley dining spot.

And early each morning, the owners of Wriggles go in not just to hand-shred the meat, but to make the Lebanese-style flatbreads that are the other pillar of this restaurant's delicious wrap sandwiches.

Those two things alone — slow-roasted, hand-shredded meat and homemade flatbreads — should be sufficient to entice anyone to give Wriggles a try. But I might as well mention a few more highlights.

The friendly service, for one. First-time visitors can count on practically being led by the hand through the ordering process, and maybe a little conversation later if the family-owned place isn't too busy. Many items on the menu are homemade, from the creamy ranch dressing, tahini and hummus that go on the wraps to the daily soups.

The place is a little hard to find — it's just west of I-15 off 5300 South in the bottom of a building housing the University of Phoenix — but parking is ample and the ambience is pleasant and open. There's also a full beverage bar that serves a variety of coffees, frozen drinks and smoothies.

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We were more interested in the wraps on the recent weekday when my husband and I visited for lunch. He had a white flatbread wrapped around a huge mound of barbecue pulled pork and topped with lettuce, green peppers and red onions, everything fresh-cut and crisp (there are a couple dozen toppings available, including three kinds of mustard, the above-mentioned spreads and several kinds of peppers).

The wrap was huge but surprisingly easy to eat thanks to the practical way Wriggles packages its sandwiches. First, it was snugly wrapped in waxed paper, which our server suggested we "peel like a banana" as we ate, to keep things together. And to avoid the common problem of fillings falling out the bottom, it was inserted into a small plastic cup before being wrapped in paper. The whole set-up is so easy to handle you could probably eat a Wriggles wrap while driving — not that I'm recommending that.

I loved the pulled pork and kind of wish I'd had it as well, but my sandwich, turkey with both ranch and balsamic vinaigrette — a recommendation from our server — had a nice complex flavor brightened by the tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions and lettuce I had with it. The turkey was perfectly cooked and juicy, and my wheat flatbread, more dry and less stretchy than a tortilla, lent a nice nutty finish.

For our son, we got a cheese quesadilla, simply served and cut into finger-friendly slices.

Recent comments

Excellent Food!

Brigham Wayman | March 3, 2009 at 12:50 p.m.

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