So it's no surprise that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints puts significantly more effort into saving souls than feeding diners gourmet meals.

But knowing that it serves more than 120,000 visitors each year - and in some cases it's the only meal guests eat while in Utah - I expected something more uplifting from the four church-owned restaurants we visited besides bread and baked goods.

Nauvoo Cafe » This nice-looking cafeteria is the speediest of the eateries. Diners choose from a short list of items including soups, sandwiches, salads and hot entrees. The bread was the best thing about our turkey sandwich (half, $4.49; whole, $6.49), made with too much uber-sweet cranberry sauce.

The beef pot pie was barely warm with a soggy outside and gloppy inside. I have had a frozen beef pie that was better than this sad specimen ($7.49). Thank heavens for dessert. Berry pie ($3.25), bread pudding ($2.95) and carrot cake ($2.95) all were terrific.

The Lion House Pantry » Bread also reigns supreme at The Lion House. This time it was lighter-than-air white rolls that came with lukewarm entrees.

Breaded catfish ($10.95), the fish of the day, was fishy and soggy; chile verde ($8.95) lacked any depth of flavor or heat; and pureed split pea and ham soup was ho-hum.

But in the end, there was something about eating green Jell-O in the quilt room of Brigham Young's wives' home that made the experience rather quaint. By the way, you can get rolls to go.

The Garden Restaurant » Done all in white - from the dated Roman columns to the white aluminum chairs - I couldn't help thinking, "This garden could sure use a redo." Fortunately, the view from the 10th floor overlooking Temple Square was a good distraction.

The best dish of the meal at Temple Square's only restaurant with sit-down service was the shatteringly crisp deep-fried pickles ($5.99) appetizer with Thousand Island and ranch dips. The worst was the oven-roasted turkey breast entree ($13.99). The meat had been injected, overcooked and was mealy. Mushroom-sage stuffing was wet and cold and whole canned mandarin orange segments detracted from the cranberry sauce.

Better was a grilled cheese sandwich ($8.99), containing bacon, cheddar, tomato and mayo with house-made potato chips and overcooked pasta salad on the side.

Surprisingly, desserts disappointed. Crème br lée ($5.99) tasted burned and lacked that requisite hard sugar topping, while a huge chunk of chocolate cinnamon cake ($5.99) seriously overdid it on the cinnamon.

The Roof Restaurant » This "fine-dining" dinner option, sits north of the Garden Restaurant on the 10th floor and the view of Temple Square is even more splendid. The three-tiered restaurant is done smartly in grays and blues with dark wood accents. A stained-glass skylight and pianist add touches of elegance to the buffet at the restaurant's center.

The "gourmet" buffet costs $35 per person and $15 for children 11 and under. The offerings are vast and include salads, cold dishes, entrees, prime rib, baked ham, soups and, ahem, 26 desserts.

On a recent evening, notable dishes included the ravioli salad, French onion soup and pepper steak.

In a quest for fairness, my dining companion and I tasted every dessert. The carrot cake, pecan tart, berry cobbler and chocolate-coconut bar cookies made the top of our best list. Waxy, poor-quality chocolate, rubbery crepes filled with canned peaches, and overly firm whipped cream ruined several artificial tasting desserts.

I should have saved the calories and asked for another roll.

Lesli J. Neilson can be contacted at lneilson@sltrib.com. Her phone number is 801-257-8661. Send comments about this story to livingeditor@sltrib.com.

Restaurants at Temple Square

Nauvoo Café » ground floor, Joseph Smith Memorial Building, 15 E. South Temple; 801-539-3346

Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The Lion House Pantry Restaurant » 63 E. South Temple; 801-363-5466. Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The Garden Restaurant » 10th floor, Joseph Smith Memorial Building, 15 E. South Temple; 801-539-1911. Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Monday to Thursday, 5 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 5 to 10 p.m.

The Roof Restaurant » 10th floor, Joseph Smith Memorial Building, 15 E. South Temple. Reservations recommended. Call 801-539-1911. Monday to Thursday, 5 to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5 to 10 p.m

For more information » visit www.diningattemplesquare.com.