Dining out: Scaddy's

Do you like supporting restaurants with local roots? (If yes, keep reading.)

Are you a fan of hamburgers? (If yes, keep reading.)

Are you still excited about the plethora of burger places opening all over Utah? (If yes, keep reading.)

Do you like your hot, fresh burgers served up with big-smile, sunny-natured service? (If yes to all the above, get yourself to Scaddy's.)

For some people, including me to a degree, eating local is an ethical issue. But setting aside the economic benefits of supporting local restaurants (and the morality of that goal), I like to eat local because I like the unique character of homegrown restaurants.

Utah eateries are rarely snooty, usually friendly and nearly always proud of being exactly what they are, with few pretensions beyond putting out good food in a setting people like.

That's the case with Scaddy's, which does those little extras that lift a restaurant well above average.

There was a cheerful Saturday crowd on the day that we had a family lunch at Scaddy's, which is brightly decorated in a fast-foody style, with big-screen televisions plus lots of windows thanks to its corner strip-mall location.

My husband had the Scaddy bacon burger, a good-size patty of nicely seared beef with thick-cut, chewy bacon on a toasted bun. The buns are pretty and taste great, though I think they'd be too fragile to stand up to the substantial sandwiches without the toasting.

My burger, the goopy mushroom and Swiss, was toasted, as well, ensuring the bun's survival even though it was piled with a substantial patty, lots of oozy cheese and a pile of grilled brown mushrooms. I love mushroom burgers, and this was truly one of the best I've had.

For sides, we had orders of fresh and salty, skin-on, just-greasy-enough fries, as well as the same covered with Cheddar cheese and a huge order of thick-cut, crunchy breaded onion rings.

Our kids ordered all over the menu: One daughter had the basic cheeseburger, a smaller (but no less good) version of our meals; another had the four-piece chicken fingers meal, a real discovery thanks to its juicy, hand-breaded chicken pieces. That meal came with fries and coleslaw — rich with sweetish dressing, carrots and cabbage

— that also showed a personal touch.

Our son had a "pup," the Scaddy's term for a hand-breaded corn dog, all crisp uneven coating and tender insides, and this corn dog fan had a hard time not pulling it off his plate and eating it myself.

My youngest daughter, a fan of soup, scored with the clam chowder, a thick, creamy blend that wasn't quite salty enough but was studded with potatoes and clams and generously peppered.