The Porcupine Restaurant

At the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon there is a lovely little restaurant called The Porcupine. Well, actually I guess it's technically considered a pub, but since I don't drink I forget about that part.

Anyway, my good friend and former roommate Emily introduced me to this great little spot. It's got a lodge-y sort of feel, perfect for the end to a day on the slopes. Her favorite is the fish 'n chips, which are great. My favorite is this Ahi salad with a Mexican-esque twist, as in there's black beans, salsa, and tortilla chips involved. They're sandwiches and pizza are also very good, so there's pretty much something for everyone.

What I really want to write about, though, is their signature dessert: the Chocolate Porcupine. This adorable little guy is made of a layer of chocolate cake, then a custard filling and a layer of chocolate mousse covered in a hard chocolate shell. On the back they stick slivered almonds into the mousse before they dip it into the hard chocolate so it has quills, then they use white chocolate chips dipped in dark chocolate for eyes. They serve him with a delicious vanilla bean ice cream and a sliced strawberry and whipped cream. He's cute and so tasty! He's really the reason we go there.

Here he is peeking out from behind his whipped cream cloud.

Does he look nervous to you, too?

The waiters are typically attractive, which is like an added bonus, and when we went this weekend they were having a special for Oktoberfest, so all the waiters were in Lederhosen, and the waitresses in German-looking outfits with skirts that were way too short when they were walking up the stairs. Emily was kind (or brazen, take your pick) enough to ask if I could take a picture with one of the waiters (alright I admit it, I had been checking him out the whole time, but he was cute).

And here's the pic:
He was going to get some steins for us to hold, but he couldn't find any, how sad. Geez, I look stiff.

And here's the girl that got me into this mess...
The trick is in knowing there is no spoon...which is probably why she looks so confused at the fork.