Cedar City has some good casual restaurants. At the Pastry Pub (86 W. Center St., 435/867-1400, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Mon.-Sat., $6-7), you'll find pastries, good sandwiches, and coffee; it's a good place for lunch or a quick bite to eat before a play.

Stop by La Casa Don Miguel (453 S. Main St., 435/586-6855, lunch and dinner daily, $6-12) for the best Mexican food you'll find for miles around.

The Garden House Restaurant (164 South 100 West, 435/586-6110, dinner from 5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., $12-19, no alcohol) is housed in a charming cottage off the main drag with what passes for fine dining in Cedar City; food (pasta, salmon, grilled trout) is OK but not great.

East of Cedar City on Highway 14 is a dramatic desert canyon with two steak houses that share an owner and a Western ambiance. Rusty's Ranch House (2275 E. Hwy. 14, 435/586-3839, 5:30 p.m.-close Mon.-Sat., $15-28), two miles east of town, and serves good steak and seafood dinners in a dramatic canyon setting.

Two miles farther up the same road is Milt's Stage Stop (3560 E. Hwy. 14, 435/586-9344, 5-9 p.m. nightly, $15-25), serving steak, prime rib, and seafood.