Good News/Bad News

BY JOSH JONES

Ramen Bar has closed (It was recently voted as the 5th best ramen in Salt Lake County. If you’re hankering, Ramen 930 is also on the same list at 45 East Broadway). The good news: LOS TAPATIOS TACO GRILL has signed a lease for the space, between London Belle and Whiskey Street, and will bring their tasty birria-style taco to a block that brims with the beefy stew, including Santo Taco, and Monarca. Word is that Los Tapatios will be open late to satiate the boozy bar patrons on that block.

I’m BAACK!

After an extensive reno, BAMBARA at Hotel Monaco reopens this week. The restaurant is once again comfortable and gorgeous, and Chef Patrick LeBeau‘s new modern bistro menu is filled with local flavors and ingredients. Bambara has always been a trendsetter, and with this reopening, a new era begins. In the fall, the bar will reopen, expanded, and with a dedicated entrance on 200 South.

Power Lunch is Back

Up the block, AQUA TERRA has comfortably warmed into their new and stylish home inside City Creek Center. Ascend Hospitality is the Washington-state restaurant group that also owns Famous Dave’s BBQ. This is their fifth high-end concept and their first in Utah. We’ve been asking them to open for lunch, and … tada … today we got word that it has happened. Highlights include SLC Steak Frites with bison tips, chimichurri sauce, and pickled vegetables; and Rocky Mountain Melt: a bison patty with caramelized onions, roasted mushrooms, and swiss cheese on marbled rye. YUM! Check out the full menu.

CLAYPOTS CARIBBEAN GRILL (a business incubated at the Downtown Farmers Market) has opened a brick-andmortar shop in one of the most unique spaces downtown. Walk through the door at 268 S. Main Street… nope, don’t go to Vape On Main downstairs. Don’t enter the People’s Bar upstairs… head through the tiny bodega Market on Main. Up the ramp in the back, you’ll find Chef Michelle and her two kids serving simple island fare at down-to-earth prices. You’ll be pleased by the food … and the experience.

We’ve been interested in what is happening in the former Ginger Street space at State and Broadway. Rumors of something truly unique for SLC have been swirling. Today, Gastronomic has more details: SAYONARA , from the owner of Tradition by Liberty Park, wants to replicate the feel of a back alley Tokyo bar with a highly themed restaurant and lounge … intriguing.

Kelly Howard has signed a lease for the Bourbon House space, in the basement of the Walker Center. Howard owns Prohibition in Murray and plans to call this location REPEAL . A full remodel is in the works for a kitchen-focused concept. Wanting to spend less time at the bar, and more time at the barre? THE GYM AT CITY CREEK is moving into the newly renovated 175 building on West Temple. It’s easy to overlook this building, but with ample onsite parking and City Creek Dental onsite (our fav), we think downtown residents are going to get to know the corner well.