12 minute read
DINE
Dead Sexy
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The new Sugar House taqueria De Los Muertos is a must for summer dining.
It seems like every time I check in and see how Sugar House is doing, there is some great new restaurant to enjoy. My favorites of these new places are those who take advantage of the neighborhood’s walkability and its unique, vibrant culture—those that add more color to the city instead of taking it away.
During my last visit to Sugar House, I swung by the lovely new plaza near the Whole Foods on Wilmington Avenue that contains plenty of casual and patio-accessible dining options. Deciding which spot to try first was difficult, but the stylized candy skull grinning at me from above the doors of De Los Muertos (1215 Wilmington Avenue, Ste. 104, 801-869-1006) ended up winning me over.
Excellent décor aside, De Los Muertos has a lot to offer the casual wanderer of Sugar House’s main drag. A patio filled with colorful chairs and plenty of seating welcomes those looking for some summer lovin’ like birria, mole and cold cerveza with a tequila chaser. Once inside, diners can take advantage of the digital kiosk to make their orders, and then take a table marker wherever they’d like to sit. I’ve been seeing this tablet-based approach more often— thanks, COVID—but honestly, I kind of like it. My social skills have taken a pronounced nosedive over the past few years—thanks again, COVID.
Once you punch in your order, you can hang out either inside or out—though the patio is a bit more spacious than the interior. At the moment, the menu is quite a cozy affair consisting of just a few appetizers like chips with loaded queso ($10) or creamy guacamole ($11), some traditional melty tacos and a nice variety of overstuffed burritos. De Los Muertos also has a decent variety of cocktails for those in need of some stronger stuff with their traditional Mexican favorites, though the beer and tequila shot ($9) are always a safe bet.
I think the current star of the menu is the Abuela’s Smothered Chicken Mole Burrito ($12.50). It’s the dish that best reflects the ancestral respect that De Los Muertos is trying to capture with its menu, and it’s a hell of a good burrito. For those who have been bewitched by the rich flavors and colorful heritage of mole, this hits all the right notes. The shredded chicken on the inside gets a braise with the mole before being stuffed into a flour tortilla with a few slathers of refried black beans. Then it gets topped with an additional helping of mole, melted cheese and a chipotle lime crema. The plate is hot when it comes to your table, providing a nostalgic reminder of the mom-and-pop Mexican food spots that I grew up with. The burrito also comes with some pico de gallo, shredded romaine lettuce, pickled onions and sliced radishes for a fresh crunch.
De Los Muertos definitely does right by their mole. It’s a dark, luxurious brew that captures the unique balance of smoky, chocolatey and nutty that makes mole sing. I’ve had mole burritos that fail to let the sauce do all of the talking, but the mix of shredded chicken and refried black beans inside really complements the mole instead of overwhelming it. If you’re headed to De Los Muertos for the first time, this is the best way to break yourself in.
For those looking for more of a grab-andgo kind of burrito, I’d recommend the Los Muertos Carne Asada Burrito ($11.50). It’s packed with carne asada, bacon, tomatillo salsa and a hefty dose of guacamole. This is another one that showcases how talented De Los Muertos is at balancing flavors and textures. I’ve gotten plenty of dry carne asada burritos, but that tomatillo salsa and guacamole really livens the whole thing up. It’s an excellent entry for Utah’s burrito database.
I also snagged a few tacos while I was in, and they’ve got enough depth and breadth to hang with their burrito cousins. The birria taco ($5.25) is a stellar entry, with its tender beef birria coming at you with a 24hour braise and paired with oodles of melty cheese. De Los Muertos has plenty of great recipes made with Impossible ground beef, so I decided to give the El Rey Mysterio Taco ($5.25) a go. Its chipotle lime crema, shredded lettuce and pico de gallo make this one a much lighter taco option, and the well-seasoned Impossible ground beef does a great job of adding some heft to the taco. Fans of plant-based tacos and burritos are definitely in for a good time at De Los Muertos.
While I am looking forward to spending a bit more time in this Wilmington Avenue dining plaza, I am glad that I started things off with De Los Muertos. Summertime and tacos are two inseparable concepts in my mind, so having a cool taqueria with ample patio seating in the heart of Sugar House is a definite win. CW
ALEX SPRINGER
AT A GLANCE Open: Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Best bet: The carne asada burrito Can’t miss: Abuela’s Smothered Chicken Mole
Burrito
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ALL NATURAL AND HOMEMADE PRODUCTS FROM PROTEINS TO SODAS
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OUTDOOR SEATING ON THE PATIO TUESDAY TRIVIA! 7-9 PM LIVE JAZZ Thursdays 8-11 PM
1048 East 2100 South | (385) 528-3275 | HopkinsBrewingCompany.com on TAP on TAP A list of what local craft breweries and cider houses have
on tap this week
2 Row Brewing
6856 S. 300 West, Midvale 2RowBrewing.com On Tap: Feelin’ Hazy
Bewilder Brewing
445 S. 400 West, SLC BewilderBrewing.com On Tap: Orange Honey Wheat
Bohemian Brewery
94 E. Fort Union Blvd, Midvale BohemianBrewery.com
Bonneville Brewery
1641 N. Main, Tooele BonnevilleBrewery.com On Tap: Peaches and Cream Ale
Desert Edge Brewery
273 Trolley Square, SLC DesertEdgeBrewery.com On Tap: British Mild
Epic Brewing Co.
825 S. State, SLC EpicBrewing.com On Tap: Yelling At Clouds IPA
Fisher Brewing Co.
320 W. 800 South, SLC FisherBeer.com On Tap: Fisher Beer
Grid City Beer Works 333 W. 2100 South, SLC GridCityBeerWorks.com On Tap: Extra Pale Ale
Hopkins Brewing Co.
1048 E. 2100 South, SLC HopkinsBrewingCompany.com On Tap: Stonewall Sour Saison
Kiitos Brewing
608 W. 700 South, SLC KiitosBrewing.com
Level Crossing Brewing Co.
2496 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake LevelCrossingBrewing.com On Tap: Throwing Smoke Smoked Porter
Moab Brewing
686 S. Main, Moab TheMoabBrewery.com On Tap: Bougie Johnny’s Rose
Mountain West Cider
425 N. 400 West, SLC MountainWestCider.com On Tap: Pina Colada Hard Cider
Ogden River Brewing
358 Park Blvd, Ogden OgdenRiverBrewing.com On Tap: Injector Hazy IPA
Policy Kings Brewery
223 N. 100 West, Cedar City PolicyKingsBrewery.com
Proper Brewing
857 S. Main, SLC ProperBrewingCo.com On Tap: Veni Vidi BiBi- Italian Pilsner
Red Rock Brewing
Multiple Locations RedRockBrewing.com On Tap: Mango Lil Shaky IPA
RoHa Brewing Project
30 Kensington Ave, SLC RoHaBrewing.com On Tap: Blonde, Belgian Blonde
Roosters Brewing
Multiple Locations RoostersBrewingCo.com On Tap: Cosmic Autumn Rebellion
SaltFire Brewing
2199 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake SaltFireBrewing.com On Tap: Mobius Trip Sour aged on Utah Tart Cherries
Salt Flats Brewing
2020 Industrial Circle, SLC SaltFlatsBeer.com On Tap: Hazy Pale Ale 5%
Shades Brewing
154 W. Utopia Ave, South Salt Lake ShadesBrewing.beer On Tap: Tropic Like It’s Hot (Hawaiian Punch) Sour Ale
Silver Reef
4391 S. Enterprise Drive, St. George StGeorgeBev.com
Squatters
147 W. Broadway, SLC Squatters.com
Strap Tank Brewery
Multiple Locations StrapTankBrewery.com Springville On Tap: PB Rider, Peanut Butter Stout Lehi On Tap: 2-Stroke, Vanilla Mocha Porter
TF Brewing
936 S. 300 West, SLC TFBrewing.com On Tap: Edel Pils
Talisman Brewing Co.
1258 Gibson Ave, Ogden TalismanBrewingCo.com On Tap: Kingslayer
Uinta Brewing
1722 S. Fremont Drive, SLC UintaBrewing.com On Tap: Was Angeles Craft Beer
UTOG
2331 Grant Ave, Ogden UTOGBrewing.com On Tap: Love Punch Hefe (proceeds to Project Rainbow)
Vernal Brewing
55 S. 500 East, Vernal VernalBrewing.com
Wasatch
2110 S. Highland Drive, SLC WasatchBeers.com
Zion Brewery
95 Zion Park Blvd, Springdale ZionBrewery.com
Zolupez
205 W. 29th Street #2, Ogden Zolupez.com
The Summer of the Radler
The German soda/beer blend celebrates 100 years
BY MIKE RIEDEL comments@cityweekly.net @utahbeer
The term “radler” originates with a drink called Radlermass (literally “cyclist liter”). In June 1922, a pub owner by the name of Franz Kugler created a bicycle trail from Munich through the woods, which led directly to his drinking establishment. One day, after being overrun by hordes of cyclists, Kugler decided to mix his house hefeweizen with lemon soda to keep from running out of beer. It was a huge hit with the thirsty bicyclists, and the rest is history. For the 100th anniversary of the radler, Schöfferhofer now has four new versions of the popular low-alcohol beverage, just in time for the heat of summer.
Now before we get lost in the minutiae of the tasting notes, these are not really hefeweizens. Any reviews stating “it’s basically half flavoring” or complaining about how “soda-like” they are ... those criticisms are, for the most part accurate. That being said, in a world of milkshake IPAs and pasty stouts, these are really not that strange. All of these beers are brand-new to Utah, and are a 50/50 blend of hefeweizen and their individual juices.
Schöfferhofer - Passion Fruit: As expected, the liquid is super cloudy, dark yellow to light orange in hue. Pure passion fruit nose, dripping juicy sweetness to the left and right, with maybe a few yeast or lees-like notes, leading you to believe there’s some spicy or earthy elements crushed below all the citrus. It has very nice life, and lingers well. In the mouth it’s medium-bodied, has the extra zip in the carbonation to keep its legs moving on the treadmill and keep the overall experience fresh.
Schöfferhofer - Pomegranate: The second release pours very cloudy with an attractive purple hue. Pomegranate features very prominently, backed up with lighter wheat-type scents. A very sweet taste with prominent pom includes minimal to no hop bitterness, although there is a bitterness associated with the pomegranate flavor. Some tartness emerges, but it would benefit from more sour to offset the sweet. There’s also a bit of subdued banana, even lighter spice/ clove. It’s not particularly complex, but I do enjoy the quality of the fruitiness.
Schöfferhofer - Juicy Pineapple: The latest addition to the Schöfferhofer lineup debuted weeks ago. Haze is impenetrable near the top, although pastel lemon edges allow some inhibited clarity in spots. The smell is intensely fruity, and this is also the freshest-tasting radler so far. I usually go to hopped-up IPAs for my pineapple, but this smells considerably more authentically fruity. I do sense a touch of the sharp, cutting acidity of the pineapple, but more so I’m reminded of a Starburst chewy candies and Popsicles.
Schöfferhofer - Wild Cherry: I don’t think you have to like cherries to find this appealing. You do taste it, but the beer has a tart cherry flavor in the more general sense. The tartness is cutting, but only as much as it is with a cherry punch. The taste is fine, though I almost wish it left a little more aftertaste. Say what you will, but there’s nothing wrong with this beer. I can see something like this being very popular with a number of crowds, including the masses of Germans who can recognize good beer, appreciate a proper hefeweizen, but prefer it cut with less fruit syrup. This would work well as an “alcopop malternative” with the seltzer crowd.
All of these new Schöfferhofer offerings are not technically difficult to get into; they all deliver on the fruits promised. They dial in at 2.5 percent ABV, which makes them perfect for recreating. These newer brands can also be found in slim 12-ounce cans, and are at most grocery stores in the state. Also check out Schöfferhofer’s original grapefruit flavor. This is the one that put radlers back on the map in North America. As always, prost! CW
MIKE RIEDEL
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Films on Food at Farms Debut
Slow Food Utah (slowfoodutah.org), Plant Based Utah (plantbasedutah.org), Wasatch Community Gardens (wasatchgardens.org) and the Utah Film Center (utahfilmcenter.org) have teamed up to create Films on Food at Farms, a summer movie night that celebrates films, food and—you guessed it—farms. The debut event will feature an outdoor screening of Follow the Drinking Gourd, a 2019 documentary that covers the Black food justice movement. The screening takes place at the new Wasatch Community Gardens campus (629 E. 800 South), and attendees are welcome to bring picnics or order something from Spice Kitchen (spicekitchenincubator.org), which will deliver meals to the gardens.
Zulu Piri Piri Chicken Grille Expands
One of my favorite Utah County Restaurants, Zulu Piri Piri Chicken Grille (zulugrille.com), recently opened its second location in South Jordan (10709 Redwood Road, 801-913-1155). This location is still in soft opening mode, so it’s only open from 4 p.m. - 8 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. On the other hand, it does have a drive-through, and so far the team has been pretty speedy with their orders. In addition to serving up tasty chicken with fiery piri piri sauce, Zulu Grille donates a portion of every meal sold to their charitable partners in South Africa which help combat human trafficking in that area of the world.
Flourish Bakery Closes
Though Flourish Bakery (752 W. Center St., Midvale) took a lot of hits and kept standing, the past few years were enough to force this local bakery, sadly, to close up shop. Flourish was an immense force for good in Utah. It offered paid internships for people who were recently released from prison, and struggling with addiction and other substance abuse issues. These internships helped reduce recidivism and develop the professional skills among its interns and sought to put their needs above the needs of the organization until the very end. We want to thank Flourish for everything it’s done for the community over the past five years.
Quote of the Week: “Baking is done out of love, to share with family and friends, to see them smile.” –Anna Olson
HOME OF THE BEST PIZZA BENDER
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