Aw, yeah. YHO’s favorite super snooper Madame P.I. is back, and continuing her search for the area’s best snow cone treat. Here’s her latest report:

Assignment: City’s Best Snowcone
Stop No. 4: African Ice
Location: 3500 E. 7800 South (Smith’s parking lot)

Madame P.I., the delinquent sleuth, reporting for duty once again. It’s been nearly a year since I’ve been scouting about, and boy did I miss y’all. I missed the shave ice too. So I figured, what better place to start than where we left off?

I think I’ve found a place that makes me feel good about my shave ice addiction. It’s called African Ice. When one consumes such copious amounts of flavored ice, I figure it might as well be for good reason. That’s why this place is the cure for what ails me. I get adequately-sugared, finely-shave ice (and the cream is free!) and African Ice gets funds to help finance lines of micro credit for African villagers.

Not only does African Ice have a shack-load of flavors, they’ve also got sugar-free syrups flavored with agave nectar. I’m not one to take a liking to anything but the pure stuff, but whoo-wee, those sugar-free syrups are tasty. If you have a hard time choosing, they have plenty of flavor-combo and local favorite suggestions.

And did I mention that you can pay 50 cents extra for a topping like caramel, chocolate, or best, ice cream? Well, there you have it. Not only is African Ice making the world a better place one shave ice at a time, they’ve made my world a better place too.

With so many locations, there’s no excuse not to check this place out: 7800 S. 700 East; 9400 S. 200 East; 4500 S. Highland Drive; 2100 S. 2100 East and 3800 E. 7800 South.

They say it takes two to tango. For Argentine-turned-Utahn Leo Patrone, all it takes is a pack of film and a solid camera … or maybe some Super 8, just for fun (and we’re not talkin’ about a motel, here). The rest is history, saved on film.

Leo moved to Utah from Mar del Plata at the ripe old age of 14. After borrowing his friend’s Canon AE1 on a trip to So Cal, he became addicted to photography—film photography, in particular. Citing lighting, color and composition as his most treasured photographic factors, Leo now travels across country shooting weddings and family portraits each year. He also shoots, develops and scans his own film for quality control. And who doesn’t like a perfectionist in their photographer?

Aside from the technicalities, here’s what we love about Leo’s photos: they’re teeming with style. Just look at them—it’s as if he packs a stylist in his camera bag. And we all know that getting a well-styled photo is sometimes half the battle. What we’ve dubbed “The Fair Shoot” pretty much says it all.

Nowadays, this self-taught favorite is booking for bridals, weddings, family portraits, couples’ shoots, and he squeezes some personal work in on the side. Check it out at the Leo Patrone blog. We think you’ll like what you see.

{Picture That}

Leo Patrone Photography
(801) 360-7786
www.leopatronephotography.com
www.leopatronephotography.blogspot.com

{Doorprize!} Who wants another go-round with their engagement pics? Or, who needs some engagement pics in the first place? These sessions are some of Leo’s favorites (as you can see), so he’s decided to gift one YHO reader with a free engagement/couple session and he’s throwing in a free 8×10, too. If you want in on this $485 value, leave just one comment on this post before midnight on Friday, July 18.

This one’s a little bit country, but still sweet and sexy. If you want to make it a little more rock and roll, trade out your brown leather for black. Maybe even black skinnies, if you’ve got them on-hand.

links:

blouse
belt
jeans
pumps

Felizidades to YHO reader Kirsten P., winner of our Sonora Grill giveaway, who said, “Can’t wait to try it out!” We hope many of you feel the same way … especially after seeing that guacamole.

Kirsten, send an e-mail to ali@yourheartout.com to learn how to collect your gift card.

Thanks, Sonora Grill!

Friday’s one of our favorite days of the week thanks to you creative types. (Not to mention Saturday is around the corner). But really, it’s fun to see what you’re up to. Here are some of our favorites we spied this week:

Hear ye, hear ye: The deadline’s on Monday. If you’re interested in perchance becoming part of the YHO team, send us an e-mail with all the necessary info on Monday at the latest.

Thanks to those of you who have already done so; we’re aiming to get back to you within the week. And happy weekend to you, too.

It’s July and it’s hot hot hot. What better to wear than the problem-solving, outfit-all-in-one summer dress? Here are a few of our picks, covering enough to beat the UV rays but seamless enough to withstand the temps, too. Just grab your sandals and some SPF and you’re good to go.

links (right to left, top to bottom):

Dawn Shirtdress / $39 / Delia’s
Ombre Plaid Dress / $54.50 / Alloy
Abigail Shift Dress / $29.80 / Forever 21

Mossimo Empire Dress / $19.99 / Target
Striped Cotton-Slub Shift Dress / $54.99 / Gap
Isaac Mizrahi Striped Scoop-Neck Dress / $29.99 / Target

Cap-Sleeve Apron Dress / $29.50 / Old Navy
Paisley Kimono-Sleeve Dress / $110 / Banana Republic
S/S Shirt Dress / $40.50 / Alloy

There’s waaay too much to tell you about this week. And because of that, we’ll just cut to the chase:

Loco for Locals: Model Citizen is not only a cool place to shop locally, it’s also awesome for supporting so many local designers. Now they’re adding you to the equation. Spend $50 at Model Citizen’s SLC Locals Sale featuring locally-designed stuffs and you’ll get a $20 gift card, good through the end of July. Cha-ching!

For the Epicurious: Put on your hoighty toighty and your favorite heels and head to Park City for delicacies plus wine at its Food and Wine Classic, beginning today and lasting through Sunday. Details over here.

Feelin’ Jazzy?: Step out of your house and into the Salt Lake City Jazz Festival at Washington Square this weekend. More quartets and quintets than you can wrap your head around, which means plenty of music for your ears. More here.

Sundancing Outdoor: The Sundance Outdoor Film Festival starts Monday night at the Gallivan Center with the Coen Brothers’ classic-of-classics: “Raising Arizona” (and Nic Cage and Holly Hunter at their very best). See it outside at 9 p.m. More info here.

Young Film Love: The Salt Lake Film Society is offering a lineup of timeless “35mm Films” this summer like “Pulp Fiction,” “JAWS,” “The Good The Bad and the Ugly,” and “Goonies” at the Tower Theatre. Also check out new-to-us films like “Priceless,” “When Did You Last See Your Father?” and our pick, “Still Life.” Showtimes and more here.

What else what else what else: It’s hot down south but don’t forget to plan your trip to the Shakespearean Festival now or later. Check out filmed-in-Utah indie film “Big Dreams Little Tokyo” when it comes to DVD on July 22. And lastly but not leastly, help kids’ dreams come true with the Childrens’ Miracle Network’s July magazine drive. (People included.)

And … we’re done. Unless you’re up for some SLC rodeo. Or a free Slurpee at 7:11 p.m. Or Journey and Heart together at last.

There’s no excuse for missing any of July’s music—especially when it’s FREE. (Thank you Twilight Concert Series!) The following should give you the motivation to get out and enjoy live music during these best summer nights.

First up: Mr. Andrew Bird himself. Bird’s wrap-sheet for his dynamic sound is quite lengthy. His music can be described as jazzy, gypsy, alternative, folk and rock. But the combination blends quite nicely.

Listen here. Suggested track: “Fiery Crash”

Bird will be playing with Idaho-born Josh Ritter. The pairing makes for an inspired evening. If you haven’t listened to Ritter, do yourself a favor and tune into “The Animal Years” where you can hear some Dylan influence. (Oh yeah, and did I mention this show is free?) See the duo together on July 17 at the Gallivan Center.

Listen here. Suggested track: “To The Dogs or Whoever”

This next artist randomly showed up on my favorite iTunes radio station, and it was love at first listen. Sera Cahoone, who was once the drummer for Band of Horses, recently released “Only as the Day is Long” on Sub Pop Records. Check out her beautiful-yet-sullen, Cat Power-esque sound on July 20 at Kilby Court.

Listen here. Suggested track: “Baker Lake”

Newbies Fleet Foxes have gotten a response to their self-titled album that most bands can only hope for. Critics are embracing their harmonic beat, making them thee band of Summer ’08. If you enjoy My Morning Jacket or Iron and Wine, you’ll want to see this fleet sing. They’ll be opening for Wilco in August but you can also see them headline on July 23 at Kilby Court.

Listen here. Suggested track: “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song”

If you’d like to support a local-ish Joshua James, see him at In the Venue on August 1. The alt-country crooner is promoting his latest release, “The Sun is Always Brighter.”

Listen here. Suggested track: “Custom Concern”

And if you don’t want to miss everyone’s favorite indie darling Feist at Deer Valley, better get your tickets now. Show’s on July 17. Tickets here.

Also pencil in:

• Nada Surf on August 7 (free!)
• Broken Social Scene on August 21 (free!)
• Neko Case on August 28 (free!)
• Sigur Ros on September 28 (tickets here)

Here’s what else is going on:

Our friends at Kaleidoscope (and some of our favorite folks, might we add) are closing their doors as soon as August 16 to embark on new adventures. To improve on the bad news, they’re first bidding us a bittersweet farewell with a So Long of a Song Sale now through closing, which includes 75% off many items. And if you don’t know what Kaleidoscope has in-store, then you need to see this post. They had us at Faryl Robin.

Kaleidoscope crew, thank you for being such a fabulous support to Your Heart Out. We know that wherever your adventures take you, you’ll be looking good.

{Miss Them But Don’t Miss Out}

Kaleidoscope Boutique
So Long of a Song Sale
Now through August 16
4801 N. University Ave. #350
Provo, Utah
(801) 225-1352

It’s not every day you’d find us making the jaunt from Salt Lake to Ogden to sample the local fare. But when the crew from three-month-old Sonora Grill gave us the challenge, we happily obliged … after perusing the menu, of course.

Sonora Grill is an authentic Mexican restaurant shacking up in Ogden that aims to put a contemporary twist on old-time favorites like chilaquiles and doraditos. (Yes, it’s true there’s more to the south-of-the-border menu than just burritos and tacos.)

For starters, Sonora Grill is all about the starters. Begin with an agua fresca—-a perfect-for-summer drink that blends exotic fruit juices like grapefruit and ginger. Ours was guava lemonade and we could have downed five. Then try a healthy portion of guacamole mixed right before your eyes, and any number of three salsas to dip your chips in: red from smoked morita chiles, green from tomatillos, or habanero for the very brave. The tomatillo salsa was some of the best we’ve laid tastebuds on.

The same goes for the ceviche—which we like to think of as the Mexican version of sushi, and couldn’t get enough of. We got a trio sampler (a good deal at $15.95) and opted for the ahi tuna (thinly-sliced tuna in ginger-lime and habanero chile sauces); coconut scallops (whole bay scallops in coconut milk and lime); and a chef’s special: marlin with cucumbers and pickled poblano peppers.

You could stop there: just head to the Grill for really good drinks, fresh guacamole, savory salsas, and awesome ceviche for a quick bite with friends. But you should try more. The menu was drawn up on a trip to Mexico and the executive chef has an impressive resume, after all. And if that wasn’t enough, the presentation alone is worth seeing.

We took it easy with a taco sampler (one coconut shrimp, one salmon, one carne asada and one al pastor.) We then moved on to the chilaquiles with grilled chicken, which consists of tortillas, Mexican cheeses, tomatillo salsa, and chayote-jicama salad. Both got an “Aaaamen.”

But you could also try the grilled corn on the cob or fresh fruit salsa. Obviously, we can’t say enough so you’ll have to try it for yourself. Start with the agua fresca and a glance through the menu. We’ll be headed back to this Ogden eatery, with our families in-tow, eager to show off this latest discovery.

{Hot From the Grill}

Sonora Grill
2310 S. Kiesel Avenue
Ogden, Utah
(801) 393-1999
Open Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
www.thesonoragrill.com

{Doorprize!} Sonora Grill isn’t going to wait for you to show them some love. They’re beating you to it by gifting one oh-so-lucky YHO reader with a $50 gift card. So, what are you waiting for? Leave a comment already, and you’ll be the one gushing over the savory ceviche.

Leave just one comment before 10 p.m. on Friday, July 11. Muchas gracias, Sonora Grill!

Assignment: City’s Best Snowcone
Stop No. 3: Pace’s Dairy Ann
Location: 1180 S. 500 West, Woods Cross

Madame, P.I. Reports:

I headed up north to Woods Cross to check out Pace’s Dairy Ann. It’s an old-timey hamburger joint with loads of fun treats. Not to be deterred by the abundant menu, I stayed focused and went straight for the kill: the Rainbow. With a slush-like consistency, power-packed flavor (I tried peach—the same peach that made Pace’s popsicles famous) and a swirl of soft-serve to boot, it’s easy to see why this frosty delight warms hearts over with ease.

True, it’s not your classic snowcone. Hence the “sort of.” But seriously, what’s not to love about a truly tasty alternative? (Or a place with “Dairy Ann” in the name?) Especially this time of year, when it’s slim-pickings for us snowcone lovers. Pace’s is open year-round.

Read the entire story here.

Sampled: Six-inch lemon cake by Cakes de Fleur

Where: The Store (2050 E. 6200 South and 4695 S. Holladay Blvd., Holladay)

High & Low: Not over-frosted nor over-flavored, this cake’s consistency and quality are tops. Unfortunately, the price is a little on the high side too.

How Much: $10.99 apiece

Like many of you, we’re out celebrating our independence. Hikes. Picnics. Barbecues. Bike rides. Fireworks. All these things are keeping us too busy to blog.

Now, off you go. You should be doing the same. We’ll see you on Monday.

Stroll It Out: Due to Friday’s holiday, the Provo Gallery Stroll will be taking place one night early … tonight. Hit the streets of downtown Provo to see Ike Bushman at Coal Umbrella or a group show called “Night Music” at Mode Boutique. Get more info at the new Gallery Stroll blog, right here.

Virtually SLC: Curious about what all that mess they call Downtown Rising might look like once it’s all said and done? Check out this video that gives you a tour and a taste of what’s to come. Click here.

Four and ’47: Wondering which town to view the fireworks in? You might appreciate this list of goings-on around Utah, courtesy of the Deseret News. See it here. Or if you’re looking forward to the month-long ’47 festivities, there’s a calendar just for you. Click here.

Tea Time: The crew behind the Art Market at Sugarhouse Garden Center is hosting their first-ever Jewelry Show and Afternoon Tea on Wednesday. We definitely take our tea with some trinkets and treasures. Reservations necessary for tea. Learn more here.

Happy holiday to you. Get ready to pull out your listenin’ ears on: The Twilight Concert Series is right around the corner with The Roots kicking things off next Thursday.

The Fourth of July is about to pop, and we nearly forgot to remind you about these fun flags, perfect for hamburger bun-, cupcake-, or jello mold-topping. Bring these to the party, and you’re sure to win the popularity contest.

All you’ll need is a printer, paper, scissors, a little glue and some toothpicks, and maybe a barbecue or two.

Get the party started by downloading the pattern right here.

Admit it. You’ve always wanted to design your own party invitations. To erase the unwelcome blemish out of your portrait. To capture your kids in action. In 2008, the skills best tucked in your back pocket (if you want to survive as master blogger, master mom or just everyday functioning person) include graphic design, photo editing and photography itself.

And what better time to learn than with a little summer school? Here’s what you can learn this summer at Nicole’s school in Orem. Note the all-in-one-day classes that make commuting much more attractive. PLUS: Mention yours truly (YHO) and you’ll get $10 off classes beginning July 9 and 10.

Illustrator 101 taught by Alma Loveland

July: Wednesdays from 6:30 – 8 p.m. or 8 – 9:30 p.m. (Classes begin July 9)
One-time Class: All day on Saturday, July 26
August: Wednesdays from 6:30 – 8 p.m.19
More info here

Photoshop 101 taught by Mike Loveland

July: Thursdays from 6:30 – 8 p.m. or 8 – 9:30 p.m. (Classes begin July 10)
August: Thursdays from 6:30 – 8 p.m. or 8 – 9:30 p.m.
One-time Class: All day on Saturday, August 30
More info here

Photo 101 taught by Nicole Hill

August: Tuesdays from 6 – 7:30 p.m. or 7:30 – 9 p.m. with lighting demo on Sat., August 19
More info here

Let’s hear it for local lady Nicole LaRue, who made her very first showing at art-and-design mecca Surtex and the National Stationery Show this year, and to hot reviews. Also the mastermind behind “101 Hip Handmade Gifts” (and they really are hip)—Nicole applies her illustrations and designs to T-shirts, fabrics, children’s books and her very own line of stationery.

Nicole’s stuff is never fussy but filled with color and originality. Quippy one-liners like “Does this hat make my butt look big?” complement her greeting cards. Combined with her sometimes-pretty, sometimes-cool creations, you can’t help but wish you were friends with her.

Check out more of Nicole’s work here.

Sampled: Big ol’ snickerdoodle cookie mashed with strawberry- and honey-flavored ice creams.

Where: Scoopology (7710 S. Union Park Avenue, Midvale)

High & Low: Perfectly-blended ice creams in tasty flavors pair really well with a not-quite-gooey cookie in this “Cookie Crumbler.” Where we come from $4.60 is a bit steep for a small, but lucky for you, it’ll feed two.

How Much: $4.60 for small