I have to be honest with you (unusual, I know). Gas is pretty much the same all throughout Utah -- credit card slidey pump, 3 octanes, a bit cheaper than the DC metro area. So no reviews of gas. As for the food & lodging, see below.
One thing that surprized me on this trip was the availability of wireless Internet. I took my iBook along to store my photos, and I was able to find a hotspot in every town except Boulder (and I didn't spent too much time looking either).
"Eat well & sleep cheap" -- the objective of this trip. So it you're looking for upscale lodging, you'll prolly want to back-button back to Google and click on that guy above or below me. But if you like your eatin' to be good, keep on , my friend.
Springdale
Food: Bit & Spur
A great restaurant -- we make an effort to eat here every time we come to S Utah. Quality Mexican food.
Sleep: El Rio Lodge
The best cheap sleep of the trip. Not a lot to it -- bed, bathroom, TV, microwave, & a lamp. But it was clean as a just-washed whistle, centrally placed, and at $55 a steal of a night.
Coffee: Mean Bean Coffee House
Honorable Mention to Oscar's Cafe (across the street from Mean Bean) for having a kick-ass breakfast.
Escalante
Food: Slim pickins in this town for good food. You won't go hungry, mind you, but your meals will not be at the top of your memories here.
Cowboy Blues - Decent food, but it has the ambiance of a waiting room.
Golden Loop Cafe - Your local color is found here. The unremarkable breakfast is totally worth overhearing the conversation.
Sleep: The Padre Motel
You get your standard $55 room. But no microwave. Not as good as El Rio. And although it seems a bit long in the tooth, it is right in the middle of town.
Coffee: Escalante Outfitters
Best coffee in S Utah. Should have tried dinner here. And there's a store. Oh, and they have lodging, too. Even if you're just passing by, you gotta stop in. It has a lively vibe which can be hard to come by elsewhere in Escalante. Ask Steve to explain the first-class art on the walls.
Torrey
Food: Cafe Diablo
I love food with thought behind it. I also love me some Mexican. So this place is heaven, even if the logo has a pointy little pitchfork. They easily make the jump from good food to a wonderful meal. Worth going out of your way for.
Sleep: Austin’s Chuck Wagon Motel
We splurged at $70 for this one. Eh. Not bad, but where's that microwave? But my goodness, they have good water -- fill up everything you have. Really.
Coffee: Robber's Roost
OK
Boulder
Food: Hell's Backbone Grill
Now this is the place. When the restaurant has its own cookbook, that's one thing. But when the author is there to sign it -- well, my freind, that's another. Probably my favorite restaurant for 2 reasons -- the thoughtful food, the welcoming host. We go to places around DC & Arlington for years and no one greets us. We were here twice in 3 years and Blake (host & author) recognizes us and warmly welcomes us on one of their busiest nights ever. I could prattle on -- suffice to say if you are within a 5 hour drive you must go.
Sleep: Pole's Place
We got a decent room for the $70. But next time I'll spring the extra Jackson for the Boulder Mountain Lodge.
Las Vegas, NV
This is your bonus listing. For flight & convention-attending purposes, we stayed in LV for a couple of nights. I don't gamble and I have a distaste for corporate experiences, so the time I enjoy in LV usually involves getting the rental car & leaving. Two standouts this time, both off the Strip.
The Atomic Testing Museum
The best museums aren't the catch-all warehouses like Nat'l History or the Met that you can spend all day viewing. They're the small, focused ones that you can do in the length of a movie. This museum is new and very well done -- plenty of artifacts and plenty of interactivity. You enter thinking, "How can they have an entire museum of this stuff?" But you leave thinking, "I never knew there was that much to know." Quite recommended.
Lotus of Siam
I'd have to agree with all the write-ups saying this is the best Thai restaurant in the country. Easily the best Thai I've had (nudging out Thai Luang in Herndon). Located in a seedy strip-mall (like only LV could have), the food is stunning. Get the nua dad deaw (beef jerky Issan style) for an appetizer, and order the entrees from their northern Thai menu. Better than any of the corporate food you can find on the Strip.
