Salt Lake Mag 2019 Dining Reviews

MAGAZINE OF THE MOUNTAINWEST

SALTLAKEMAGAZINE.COM

2019

w e i v e R n i d Foo

TIPS, TRENDS & TREATS

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801.438.8495 / AudiLehi.com / 3455 North Digital Drive, Lehi, UT 84043 / South of Adobe / 25 miles south of Salt Lake

The 2019 Macan We have proven that we will not be dictated to. Do not follow trends. But prefer to write our own adventure stories. Such as that of a compact SUV that inextricably combines sportiness, design and everyday practicality: the new Macan.

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Š2019 Porsche Cars North America, Inc. Porsche recommends seat belt usage and observance of traffic laws at all times.

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price. Excludes options; taxes; title; registration; delivery, processing and handling fee; dealer charges.

Our showrooms stimulate all five senses.

Six, if you include your sense of accomplishment.

Hear sizzling steak. Taste chef-made bites. See exceptional appliances. From cooking demos to product classes, you’re invited to discover the potential for your kitchen.

Salt Lake City • 1400 S. Foothill Drive, Suite 212, Salt Lake City, UT 84108 • 801-582-5552 • subzero-wolf.com /saltlakecity

EDITOR’S LETTER

Food in Review: Eating in Salt Lake City in 2019 Here's what this isn't: A complete guide to restaurants in Salt Lake City. Here's what it is: A close look at the dining landscape in Salt Lake City in 2019, complete with highs andlows, dishes both delicious and debatable, from palates of experience. Forget star ratings and online reviews from Mr. and Mrs. Anonymous. You can't sum up experiences in symbols and it's best to get the honest truth from someone you know. Like Salt Lake magazine, which has been eating and evaluating and describing food and eating in this city for 25 years. This is what Salt Lake City tastes like, right now.

There's always more to come—on to 2020!

Find our complete list of recommended restaurants in Utah at saltlakemagazine.com

MEET THE CHEF

Meat and potatoes.

And more.

Fleming’s chef Jeremiah Hester does it his way.

IF YOU GO

ADDRESS: 20 S. 400 West (at the Gateway), SLC WEB: flemingssteakhouse.com PHONE: 801-355-3704 ENTREES: $$$-$$$$

W

e all know what to expect from a chain restaurant steakhouse, whether it’s Sizzler or Ruth’s Chris: big beef, salad, potatoes. And the assurance that all the restaurants in the chain will be similar—every Sizzler has its salad bar and every Ruth’s Chris plates its steak on butter. A steakhouse kitchen usually needs a meat technician, not a chef.

FLEMING’S has restaurants in 28 states. But at Fleming’s Steakhouse and Wine Bar in Gateway, Chef Jeremiah Hester is separating from the herd.

What inspired you to make changes to Fleming’s menu?

We wanted to change the typical steak and potato idea of a steakhouse by including some chef’s creativity. More and more, guests are asking about

the source of their food—they like local—and are looking for something different.

But you still have the standards on the menu?

Yes. We have a list called Chef’s Table of seven to 10 dishes that are unique to us.

We wanted something unusual for a steakhouse, besides the same shrimp cocktail, mashed or baked potatoes, creamed spinach, wedge salad. So we change out the Chef’s Table menu every two months. (Ed note: Like Pepita Crusted Scallops with melted burrata, campari tomatoes and fig gastrique.)

What are some recent dishes featured on the Chef’s Table?

We have honey-garlic green beans and fried Szechuan cauliflower. Cauliflower is so great to work with because it’s

neutral and marries with seasonings. We’ve done it sweet and sour style, buffalo-style— lots of ways.

How do you decide what to put on the Chef’s Table?

We try to work seasonally.

This summer we made a strawberry salad, crab-corn chowder with blistered poblano salsa and peach cobbler. Now we’re serving Brussels sprouts with bacon jam. I like to go out to eat and see what other people are doing and wherever I am living I try to learn about the food.

What are some of the challenges of offering a changing, unique menu?

It’s harder to work with small and local suppliers. We’ve only been doing Chef’s Table for a few months, but we’re slowly working into that company-wide.

PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

TIP: Still want a steak?

Fleming’s serves a centercut wagyu ribeye. It’s the best meat you’ll ever eat. It has all the flavor and fat of a ribeye but cuts and eats like a tender filet.

NEWCOMER

Pretty good to go

Top: Breakfast Bowl Below: Chicken & Rice (Khao Man Gui)

IF YOU GO

ADDRESS: 222 Main St., SLC WEB: thedailyslc.com PHONE: 385-322-1270 ENTREES: $

I

f I worked at Goldman Sachs, I’d be jazzed that THE DAILY opened right next door. In fact, the two businesses (sort of) share a lobby. Given that Goldman Sachs slaves often work 14 to 16 hours a day, having a spot right down the elevator where you can grab a complete meal off the shelf, sit down and order or call ahead and pick-up a hot meal or a sandwich is ideal.

Think of the money you’ll make because you didn’t have to leave your computer for more than ten minutes!

The Daily is the latest project of Ryan Lowder and his all-star team—including baker Caroline Hargraves, and it’s very different from his previous popular restaurants (Copper Onion, Copper Kitchen, Copper Commons). There’s none of the Old World softness of the Coppers at The Daily—it’s as slick and clean and modern as it

can be. Place your order, grab a number and your meal is delivered to your table. We ordered the simplest things on the menu: tomato soup, a grilled cheese sandwich and a chicken salad sandwich. Oh, and a chocolate chip cookie. Lowder moved his whole baking operation to this space, and he’s always been particular about what comes out of his oven. I was happy to see that in addition to the lovely, soft American sandwich loaf used with the chicken salad, the bakery turns out gorgeous crusty round loaves and tall flaky biscuits. When we ate there, the chicken salad (livened up with bits of pickle) sandwich was unabashedly American, and so was the great grilled cheese sandwich with a cup of tomato soup. Wait, you might say. This isn’t the imaginative food we’re used to from Lowder.

It’s not. But it’s as flavorful as

any bone marrow dish from a Copper. As always, ingredients are paramount. You get a clue about this from the Stumptown coffee on the deli shelves.

Unfortunately, there are still pick-up problems. Our online order was five minutes late and there’s no place up front to park legally, and only one spot to hesitate, so that’s stressful— especially because Main Street is nearly unnavigable now. So is the online Daily menu. And back at the office, the food didn’t live up to expectation: the chicken salad was made of curried unrecognizable chicken bits, the chicken on the plate was flavorless. Only the loaded fried taters with cheese, bacon and sour cream and Asian-style pork belly sandwich were thoroughly satisfying. Oh, and the chocolate chip cookie.

Of course, if I worked at Goldman Sachs, none of this would be a problem.

PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

Ryan Lowder’s The Daily is a downtown oasis.

Greater Outdoors The former location’s outdoor dining was regularly named best patio in the city; many of us lamented its loss when the Molise move was announced. But Moessinger promises the new location will have a landscaped courtyard and two balconies for alfresco dining. Patrons at BTG Wine Bar downstairs also will get an outdoor seating option.

IF YOU GO

ADDRESS: 404 S. West Temple, SLC WEB: caffemolise.com PHONE: 801-364-8833 ENTREES: $$-$$$

MOVED

Molise’s Magnificent Move Food tastes better in fancier digs.

F

red Moesinger and Aimee Sterling took a giant leap backward when they were forced to move their beloved Italian restaurant, CAFFE MOLISE, and its sister bar, BTG, because of planned city construction. Instead of abandoning downtown for new construction in the burbs (and yes, I count Cottonwood and Holladay), they decided to invest in Salt Lake’s history and take over the landmark Eagle Building. That’s not the Salt Lake way—we generally prefer to tear down the old and put our money into new and shiny—and usually boring—buildings.

So hurrah for Fred and Aimee

and kudos to their craziness. The new old space is 15,000 square feet over three floors; the original Caffe Molise space was 9,000 square feet. BTG now has a whole floor with its own entrance, the top floor is a ballroom fit for Beauty & the Beast to waltz across.

Built in 1915-16 for the Fraternal Order of the Eagles, the building has a formality and a presence seldom seen in new architecture. The grand entryway staircase on West Temple leads into the dining room, which, because of tall ceilings and architectural detail, lending a sense of occasion to your meal.

Molise’s menu has remained the same, which seems weird,

because it all tasted better in the new space. It’s been proved (as much as social science can prove anything) that where people eat affects how much they enjoy what they’re eating. Caffe Molise’s arista—spice rubbed roast pork tenderloin with fig compote—has always been one of my favorites. The moist pork and the mildly sweet fruit have a naturally beautiful relationship in the mouth, but the newly elegant setting is conducive to slowing down and relishing flavors. Eggplant polpette have all the umami of meat, enhanced by tomato cream and grilled asparagus—a humble dish elevated by its surroundings.

PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

Top: Polenta Con Funghi Below: Pesce Del Giorno (Fish of the Day)

Post Office Place 16 W MARKET ST. • 385.202.7500 FOOD • JAPANESE WHISKY • COCKTAILS

WHERE CULTURES COLLIDE TAKASHI 18 W MARKET ST. • 801.519.9595 LUNCH • DINNER • COCKTAILS

French toast with winter citrus

NEWCOMER

The Day Room ABOVE: Chilaquiles BELOW: Egg rice SIDENOTE: Who knows why?

You can order a serving of gummi bears from the sides menu.

IF YOU GO

ADDRESS: 271 N. Center

St., SLC WEB: dayroomandems.

com PHONE: 801-596-0566 ENTREES: $-$$

W

hoa. Where am I? Silver Lake? The wood floors, spare but civilized décor, friendly tattooed servers, counter service and the offer of CBD oil in any beverage certainly make you feel like you’ve walked into another civilization. The appeal of Em Gassman’s popular restaurant on a hill in Marmalade has always eluded me—its undeniable neighborhood charm, the patio views in the summer, the interesting sounding menu have always, on my visits, been undermined by lackadaisical service and inconsistent execution. Now Gassman has opened The Day Room. Same location, same space, but different hours and a different chef. Milo Carrier, cooking weekday lunch, weekend brunch and daily afternoon

nibbles, is finally making the menu match the mood and Saturday brunch here was one of the most original and pleasing fast breaks I’ve had in Salt Lake City.

Order at the counter, take your tea (black assam, green Chunmee, herbal or red), coffee (drip, macchiato, cortado, latte, etc.), Solstice hot chocolate or a hot shrub and wait at your self-selected table to be served.

Look around. The place is filled with hipsters—bearded brewmaster-looking young men, young women in the requisite beanie or messy topknots. But in a pleasant deviance, no one is on their phone.

And the food, when it comes, is extraordinary.

This menu is not like any other brunch menu in town. Take the French toast: a thick slice of multi-grain bread (and not the

brick-heavy ’60s-style clunkers too often served as healthy bread), soaked in coffee cocoa-flavored cream, sauteed and topped with blood orange and red grapefruit sections and lots of little crunchy nibs—nuts, seeds, etc. You could probably leave it in a warm place and it would sprout. (But you won’t leave any of it.) Another standout—the potato waffles, crisp and more like a galette, with thick-cut bacon, fried onion, an egg and baby greens.

Empanadas can be sweet or savory, filled with goat cheese and green chile. Smaller bites are available during the week—“The Normal,” crispy potato, egg, toast and cheese; house-made bagels; breakfast tostados. The menu segues into afternoon with a selection of wine, beer and savory bites. When we were there, Chef brought us a pot pie

PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

I used to hate brunch.

SUSHI

New Fish on the Block Above: Sashimi platter Below: Kaze steak

IF YOU GO

ADDRESS: 65 E. Broadway WEB: 800-800-6768 PHONE: kazesushi.com ENTREES: $$

T

his is what food and restaurant writers have to do all the time: Eat their words. I just published a rant about a need for more diversity and imagination in the Utah restaurant population.

Don’t, I pleaded with would-be food entrepreneurs, don’t open yet another sushi restaurant.

Utah, I argued, has hundreds of Japanese restaurants already, most of them in Salt Lake City.

The last thing we need, I declared with delicious certainty, is another sushi restaurant.

So here I am, in the very next issue of Salt Lake magazine, extolling the excellence of a new Japanese restaurant.

Well, that’s the number one rule of critical writing: Never be too proud to be wrong.

Kaze, a Japanese/sushi restaurant in the middle of downtown, opened a few months ago and it is excellent.

Nevertheless, when I met co-owner Echka Nurzed and

chef Peter Dagva, the first question I asked was, why did you decide to open a sushi restaurant in Salt Lake City?

Their other restaurant is a sushi burrito place in Orem. In SLC they wanted to appeal to a “more diverse” audience. That’s the first time I’ve ever heard that particular reason for moving to Salt Lake but it makes sense, because Salt Lakers do eat a lot of sushi and tend to be more open to new tastes—compared to the population of, ahem, Orem.

Kaze, designed by Nurzed’s husband, is a great-looking place, with a giant version of Hokusai’s Wave reproduced on the back wall, a lath ceiling and blue lights under the sushi bar.

The food presentation is equally handsome—as Nurzed points out, “enjoying food is more complicated than just taste,” you want it to look good and, she adds emphatically, “it has to be absolutely fresh.”

To that end, Dagva orders in fish three times a week and uses several vendors to assure that the fish he gets is absolutely top quality. He changes the menu frequently and it will continue to evolve according to his customers’ tastes. “People here don’t just want rolls,” he says. “They want a variety, nigiri and sashimi, more kinds of bites.”

Kaze is working with sake experts to develop a sake menu as well, “We’re looking for some that aren’t served in Utah yet,” says Nurzed. He’s also got wine expert Francis Fecteau handling wine list and wine-service training for the staff. In July, the restaurant will be celebrating with a sake and sushi event—check the website for details. In the meantime, keep Kaze in mind.

It’s open until 10 p.m. on weekdays and serves food until midnight. That’s right.

Midnight.

PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

Kaze

NEWCOMER

A quiet kitchen star steps into his own spotlight.

Above: Apple, Fig and Berry Salad.

Below: Moonshine Cherry Waygu Steak

IF YOU GO

ADDRESS: 1017 S. Main St., SLC WEB: SLCEATERY.COM PHONE: 801-355-7952 ENTREES: $$

F

ood doesn’t have to be beautiful, I reminded myself.

I had ordered the fresh coriander noodles at SLCEatery, the new restaurant from chefs Logen Crew and Paul Chamberlain. It sounded beautiful—braised lamb shoulder with peanuts, bok choy and a fermented black bean sauce. It looked awful— brown meat shreds on OD green ribbons of pasta.

I closed my eyes. I took a bite.

It was beautiful again—an amazingly acute balance of flavors and textures.

Chef Logen Crew has been a quiet but unmistakably major talent in Utah kitchens for a long time—at the now-closed and much-lamented Fresco, at a series of Trios, at Log Haven, at Current Fish & Oyster. He now

has a restaurant of his own, where he can push the inventiveness once latent when he worked for another person’s vision. Try agnolotti with blue prawn and mushrooms, the pasta texture eliding with the shrimp filling; at the table a server pours a clear brown stream of bacon consomme over the pasta. Or tender calamari, the white rings tossed with mushrooms in a cilantro aioli spiked with Tajin and jalapeno and garnished with cubes of fried rice—a tour de force of textures that you don’t appreciate until after the first chew. Other entrees we tried were equally mysterious and delightful: slices of rare smoked beef with Brussels sprouts and black garlic over…grits? There are more—lots of of Asian influence from Korean-

American co-owner Paul Chamberlain. Then there’s The Cart: A dim sum cart holding the day’s small plates is rolled around the tables throughout the meal. Choose what you want—each tiny bite is an explosion of flavor.

The warm chocolate mousse surprised with Fernet-infused marshmallows, the classic bitter balancing the squishy sweet confection. SLC Eatery should bag these and sell them.

The point of the new place is to “offer an adventure.” says Crew.

“In some restaurants, if you change anything, even a salad, customers revolt. We want to change the menu as we feel inspired. But people do develop favorites.” He encourages you to call ahead if you want something you loved. Like the coriander noodles.

PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

It’s been awhile since SLC was offered a truly original menu. Chef Logen Crew has one.

SEAFOOD Above: Shrimp Cocktail Below: Raw Oyster

Rime takes seafood to new heights.

T IF YOU GO

ADDRESS: 9850 Summit View Dr. WEB: rimerawbar.com OPEN: Thurs-Sun, 11-3 ENTREES: $$

alk about counterintuitive. The rule of thumb is, the closer to the coast, the better the seafood. But in order to reach the new restaurant at Deer Valley, Rime Seafood & Raw Bar you either have to lift up and ski down, or take a gondola (tickets are available at Deer Valley and cost $20.)

In other words, go to 7,950 feet above sea level for fresh fish.

However, this silly-sounding concept is run by Matthew Harris and Maggie Alvarez, owners of Tupelo, and longtime food people in Utah. So you’re

inclined to pull on your gloves, break out your best beanie and find the time to travel to your next raw oyster. (Oyster happy hour is from 2-3 pm daily, when oysters are $2.50 apiece.)

In other words, trust them.

Billed as the world’s only slope-side raw bar, Rime is located at the Deer Crest Cabin at the top of the Jordanelle Gondola at Deer Valley Resort.

The décor and menu reference the cold waters of New England and coastal Europe, according to the pre-opening hype, defying the Pacific prejudice of most seafood in Salt Lake—oysters on

the half shell, chopped ahi tartare, shrimp cocktail, clam chowder, and daily crudo specials. Plus, Harris has brought Connecticut-style lobster rolls to the heights of Deer Valley. These rolls, served warm, eschew the dominant Maine-style. and substitute seasoned butter for the mayo.

Rime only serves seafood that is ethically fished from trusted sources, and shipments arrive fresh each morning, preserving the salty bite of the sea. A selection of craft beer and wine complements these seafood favorites.

PHOTO COURTESY OF RIME

Sorry for the pun.

FACETS OF FOOD

To Thailand and Beyond You think you know Thai, but you don’t until you’ve eaten with Anny Sooksri

I

n Salt Lake City we have dozens of Thai restaurants. But most of their dishes taste like they came out of a single commissary. I always envision a warehouse space in South Salt Lake churning out the full spectrum of curries with Thai restaurant people stopping by with their big pickle buckets to pick up their share.

Restaurateur Anny Sooksri wants to share a very different idea of Thai.

Growing up in Thailand, Sooksri learned to love all kinds of Thai food and her Salt Lake restaurant group including Tea Rose Diner, FAV Bistro, Chabaan and Siam Noodle Bar reflect different facets of Thai cooking. Visit each one to understand the breadth of this crave-worthy cuisine.

Tea Rose Diner

FAV BISTRO, 1984 E Murray Holladay Rd, Holladay, 801- 676-9300 Thai breakfast. Not the first thing we think of in the morning, but a great alternative to the usual ham & eggs repast. Several of Sooksri’s restaurants serve breakfast—Thai fried eggs, for instance, eggs mixed with vegetables and served over rice.

Or an omelet made with coconut milk and turmeric. You can also order vegan versions of these and, yes, for the timid, American breakfasts are also on the menu. But why?

CHABAAR BEYOND THAI, 87 W. 7200 South, Midvale, 801-566-5100 Curry Pot Pie is a genius cross-

cuisine hybrid that’s becoming a fixture on Thai menus in California but I’ve never seen it here: the idea is obvious, so why doesn’t every place do it? Just choose your favorite red, yellow, green or massaman curry with pork or tofu. It comes baked under a pastry crust over the top.

SIAM NOODLE BAR, 5171 Cottonwood St. #160, SLC, 801-262-1888 (Intermountain Medical Center) Many think chicken soup is the panacea for all ills. Clearly they haven’t tried the gluten-free broth and noodle soups at Siam Noodle Bar—the best hospital food ever because it would be delicious in any setting.

PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

TEA ROSE DINER, 65 E. 5th Ave, Murray, 801-685-6111 Formerly a hot dog joint, Tea Rose’s interior reflects its humble all-American origins and there are still American dishes on the menu. The usual red, green, yellow, Panang and Massaman curries are excellent. But we chose the more unusual dishes and we loved the Jungle Curry—your choice of meat with krachai—a tuber sometimes called, inaccurately, little ginger and a bunch of different vegetables: bamboo shoots, bell pepper, carrot, bell pepper, baby corn, zucchini and mushrooms. (This veg load gives you permission to eat beef tomorrow.) And we’d never seen anything like the pad Thai loosely rolled into a thin egg omelette. Which was great—we love surprises.

The Italian Way.

I T ’S A F A M I LY T H I N G . . .

We combine our passion for family with our love of food, wine, and the finer things in life. After coming to the USA in 2013, we knew 2 things...we wanted to share our culture through cuisine and we knew that we couldn’t do it alone. Our family has not only been supportive of our dream but many have joined our crusade, relocating from Italy to help bring authentic Italian flavors to Utah.

5 locations in the Salt Lake area | www.siciliamiautah.com

Fish of the Day-Salmon

BISTRO

One-0-Eight could be great.

Above: Chef James Dumas and Kris Dumas Below: A selection of Kris’ cookies

IF YOU GO

ADDRESS: 1709 E. 1300 South, SLC PHONE: 801-906-8101 ENTREES: $$

O

nce upon a time, being basic wasn’t bad. But language changes.

Words that were once commonly used fall into disfavor. Or change their meaning. Now, basic isn’t bad exactly. But the Urban Dictionary defines its current meaning as “devoid of defining characteristics that might make a person interesting, extraordinary, or just simply worth devoting time or attention to.” The word describes a lot of Utah food.

I recently went to New York City and Los Angeles with a group of Utah chefs and bartenders who are living proof that not all Utah fare is basic.

They cooked for food writers and publicists who are looking for anything but the basic and this group impressed them. But the baseline here is still basic.

The place formerly known as Sea Salt is now One-O-Eight.

The space is as cool as ever—

colorless but full of light from two walls of windows looking out and on one side opening onto a flagged patio, the interior holds a mix of booths and tables, hi-tops and barstools.

This is definitely one of the best patios in town—a wonderful place to linger, sip, nibble and watch the fortunate neighborhood denizens walk their dogs or stroll to Emigration Market with their kids. It’s all enough to make you believe America is the peaceful place you grew up believing in.

And some of the food here demands a visit: the Frog Bench salad, a simple toss of greens from the urban farm a few miles away. Surely these greens were picked only hours before being tossed in a light vinaigrette— you could taste the individual flavor of each leaf. Rarely does a salad leave this strong a taste memory. But the Baby Wedge did, too: the heart of a head of

infant Iceberg lettuce, scattered with crispy pancetta and crumbles of blue cheese, garnished with a few olives and a ripe tomato half slipping from its skin. The pizza’s crisp bubbled crust wasn’t overweighed with toppings.

But other dishes were bland—chicken schnitzel, a a stiffly breaded pounded breast, needed more than a drizzle to offset the dry fry. Cacio y pepe had no taste of pepper. I was confused by the gnocchi, firm and tender, bathed in sagescented ghee, but surrounded by marinara unmentioned on the menu.

I’ll go back—the place is so pleasant But I wish Chef Dumas had brought a little more panache to his own place—I miss the fearless flavors he put on the plate at High West. Given his talent, One-O-Eight could be a bit less basic.

PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

As Maxwell Smart used to say, it missed by that much.

FAST CASUAL

Ginger Street

Tyler Stokes

C

Above: Steamed Dumplings Below: Green Papaya Salad

IF YOU GO

ADDRESS: 324 S. State Street, SLC WEB: gingerstreet.com PHONE: 385-477-4975 ENTREES: $-$$

hef Tyler Stokes made his Provisions restaurant a destination from the time it opened. Everything in the American melting-pot cuisine was in his culinary vision, from fried chicken to carpaccio to udon. But lots of dishes had a Southeast Asian flair— carpaccio came with yuzu koshu aioli and fried chicken was sided with green papaya salad. And one of Provisions kitchen’s greatest hits is the crispy duck spring rolls—duck confit twice-wrapped in a fried and a soft rice paper roll. Yum. In July, Stokes opened Ginger Street, to take his Southeast Asian ideas further.

“About 12 years ago I took over as executive chef of a high-end Southeast Asian restaurant in Sun Valley called Globus and I loved it,” says Stokes. “We took modern

American techniques and applied them to Southeast Asian cuisine. I wanted to bring my version of that cuisine to Salt Lake City. I love those fresh, spicy vibrant flavors.”

Stokes is aiming for authenticity but unlike many hole-in-the-wall or mom-andpop Thai and Vietnamese cafes, he is trying to source ingredients locally and regionally. “We use as many local and organic greens and vegetables as possible and we go to never-ever programs for beef, chicken and pork,” he says. (Never-ever refers to farms and ranches who raise their animals sustainably, never using growth implants or antibiotics or animal byproducts in their feed.) Using quality ingredients is more expensive and customers will see that reflected in prices.

Stokes says he’s already getting push-back from diners who question $9 for bao or $10 for lettuce wraps, but he’s hoping that will change as people realize the implications of choosing sustainably raised ingredients. An example of the Ginger Street difference: Orange chicken is usually a fried chunk of chicken meat coated with a cornstarchthickened sticky-sweet sauce so you don’t taste a lot of chicken or orange. Stokes brines all-natural chicken overnight, fries it in a tempura batter made with sparkling water for extra-light crispiness, makes the orange sauce with

marmalade and garnishes it with togarashi and scallions.

Stokes also wanted to serve food in a more casual setting, he says. “I wanted to create food that people could enjoy more casually and spontaneously.”

In the biz, this is called ‘fast-casual’ and it’s a service style that is taking over. Fast food has earned a bad name and it’s common knowledge that young people eschew white tablecloth dining. Fast-casual dining, where you place your own order then have your food brought by a server, is becoming the norm. It doesn’t always work—at Ginger Street, Stokes found the system caused a traffic jam and confusion in the evenings with multiple food and drink orders, so he’s switched to what he calls “casual full-service” at night.

That just means you’re seated and a server waits on you.

The ultimate goal is the Stokes approach to fast-casual Southeast Asian food will catch on to be implemented in the restaurants to follow—yes, more Ginger Streets are being planned. You can tell by looking that this is a template but if there were any doubt, Stokes’ partner in this venture is Michael McHenry—think Costa Vida, Blue Lemon and other fast casual multi-unit restaurants.

“We’re already looking at Draper, Sandy, Boise—maybe Colorado,” says Stokes, soon to be not only a chef but a restaurateur. Keep your eye out for a Ginger Street in your town.

PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

Talking with Chef Tyler Stokes

NEWCOMER

Tacos, Utah-style Barrio crosses the border.

Above: Shrimp tacos and wagyu beef tacos

IF YOU GO

ADDRESS: 282 E. 900 South, SLC WEB: barrioslc.com PHONE: 801-613-2251 ENTREES: $

C

ultural appropriation.

It’s a concept I have mixed feelings about and I’ll probably get flack for even mentioning it. I understand the rules, sort of: It’s not okay for a dominant culture to adopt elements from another, mainly from a minority or disadvantaged culture.

Except when it is.

It’s not okay for Katie Perry to wear a kimono and geisha-style hairdo, but it is okay for chefs to put cream cheese in sushi rolls.

It’s not okay for Burning Man girls to wear bindis, but it is okay

for Indian restaurants to serve beef curry.

So you’re getting the picture.

Food seems to be exempt from the notion of cultural appropriation. Good thing, because American cuisine is nothing but dishes and ideas borrowed from other cultures.

These are the thoughts that ran through my head when I ate at Barrio, a newish taco place. Clean, simple lines, order at the counter from the posted menu, take a number, choose your table and they’ll deliver your order on a tray.

Can I express just a little

fatigue at this format? With the exception of a drive-through window, this is as impersonal as food service gets. It pretty much erases the hospitality aspect of dining out—the welcome, the face-to-face encounter with a server or host, the short-term relationship that in the past has defined the best restaurant service. But I’m probably in a minority. Most diners prefer speed to grace and confine their conversations to their phone or friends. Talking to strangers, even ones waiting on you, is a waste of breath.

The tacos are good—the menu doesn’t take any chances and you know the choices: beef, chicken, pork or vegetarian. But looking past the names, you see care taken with these tacos. The beef in the arachera tacos may be the skirt steak implied by the name, but it’s sustainably raised wagyu from Snake River Farms.

The pollo asado, marinated and grilled chicken, is thigh meat, more flavorful and moist than the white meat usually preferred by Americans; the other chicken option is with mole negro.

Cochinita Pibil brings a Yucatan twist—the meat seasoned with sour orange, achiote, cinnamon, a touch of clove and cooked in banana leaves. Calabacitas—zucchini squash, corn and onion, and garlic shrimp round out the taco menu. We did try the street corn; it had lots of cotija and lime aioli, but the kernels weren’t roasted.

The food was fresh and clean, not a drop of grease, but lacking in spice and seasoning. Still, sometimes, you just need a taco, whatever your culture. This culture is Utah; Barrio is closed on Sundays.

NEW SPOT

Comfort food that goes big

I

Above: Root Vegetable Terrine Below: Curry Fried Lamb Shank

IF YOU GO

ADDRESS: 368 E. 100 South, SLC WEB: oquirrhslc.com PHONE: 801-359-0426 ENTREES: $$

’ve been muttering about the recent “plateau-ing” of the Salt Lake food scene.

With a California chain (Curry Up) replacing locally owned long-time Middle Eastern restaurant Cedars of Lebanon, the clone creep in Sugar House and local group Sicilia Mia taking the place of Paris Bistro and Aristo’s, it seemed like our local options were being bought up, that uniqueness was being replaced by imports and proven formulas.

But, like SLC Eatery, Oquirrh encouraged me on all fronts.

Chef Drew Fuller did stints at Copper Onion, HSL and Pago; where he met his wife, Angelena, who works the front of the house.

I like the name—where else are you going to find a restaurant called Oquirrh? It’s strictly local and even the locals can’t spell it.

And I loved my food. The imagination behind it, the presentation and the taste. I liked carrots, a riff on the popular perpendicular presentation at Pago. Carrots of several colors

were roasted, cured in miso or braised, then planted vertically in a ground of carrot-top pesto with a brown rice chip to add back in some crispness.

Other plates were equally whimsical—it was a nice change to smile as we were served. So many plates look pretentiously serious these days. Food is supposed to be fun.

The chicken confit pot pie arrived with one leg sticking out through the golden-brown crust—it looked like the bird had taken a dive. The pastry covered the filling—a lovely, justthickened broth with lots of seasonal mushrooms—and lined the ramekin. An entire leg of lamb was crusted with a curry mixture and deep-fried, apparently after being braised, because the meat fell from the bone in tender chunks. The giant thing (Does anyone remember what “Brobdingnagian” means?) was accompanied by housemade naan, vegetables roasted in garam masala and eggplant relish. I can’t see one person

Chicken Confit Pot Pie

finishing this plate, but it made great leftovers. Better than cold pizza!

Maybe it was just us, but the meal was becoming fatter and fatter and our choice of pasta, thick tubes mixed with chunks of butter-poached lobster and plenty of Pecorino didn’t change the trend. The flavor of the celery leaves did what it always does to lighten the mouthfeel and add sprightliness. Milk-braised potatoes were the meal’s Cinderella; few things could sound so humble and taste so spectacular. The milk cooks into beautiful curds These dreamy potatoes are quintessential comfort food, sweet and tender with the umami from the cooked milk lending the richness of cheese.

Oquirrh’s space is almost too small and when it’s full (as it often is, because of all the lauding) it’s loud. Those who think conversation is an essential part of a good meal complain about it but evidently it’s better to be chic than heard.

PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

Oquirrh

Above: Cheek + Belly Right: Alaskan Halibut

REVISIT

Back to Bambara

*The usual fishy confusion rules here. Hamachi is called Japanese amberjack. It’s also called yellowtail,sometimes yellowtail tuna (though it’s a whole different fish family) and it’s a favorite winter sushi fish in Japan. **Saba is grape must (crushed grapes with seeds and stems) cooked over fire, reduced and filtered. It has a unique, intensely fruity flavor with a touch of acid and a lot of complexity. Cooking grape must is the first step in making balsamic vinegar.

IF YOU GO

ADDRESS: 202 S. Main St., SLC WEB: bambaraslc.com PHONE: 801-363-5151 ENTREES: $$-$$$

O

ne of the hardest things to do as a restaurant writer is to circle back. There are so many new places that it’s hard to check in with restaurants you’ve already visited. But it’s necessary, because a restaurant is always a moving target—chefs come and go, owners come and go, concepts come and go.

Usually (not always; hello, George!) the name remains the same. So I was happy to be invited to taste Chef Nathan Powers’ new menu at Bambara.

A decade or so ago, Bambara had a swinging door for chefs— they came and went with dizzying regularity. But Powers has been there a decade or more and now he and the restaurant seem synonymous. Remember, Powers has worked for some of the best in big markets. He’s a savvy restaurateur and an

accomplished chef—a rare combination.

And our taste was a feast.

Of course, the blue cheese potato chips and the silky corn bisque with Jonah crab are still available. “Every chef learns there are some things you can never cycle off the menu,” says Powers. But a good chef’s menu changes with the seasons.

And a good chef gets bored.

New items on Bambara’s winter menu include seared rare hamachi* a rich fish cooked like tuna and served over asparagus puree with lemon curd and scallion oil. Grilled quail cuddled around a blob of soft burrata. Watercress gave the dish some bite and dots of saba** syrup, a savory sweetness.

“Elk is always one of the best-sellers on the menu,” Powers says. “So I try to keep it there and change the

preparation according to the season. In the version we tasted, rare rounds of loin were lent creamy-rich mouthfeel by a sweet corn “risotto,” then brightened with barely bitter baby kale while a Luxardo cherry barbecue sauce lent some sweetness. The whole plate was topped with spears of tempurafried asparagus. So good. The halibut in a saffron-tinged tomato bath was also a new preparation. Chorizo and clams provided textural contrast.

You’re seeing a pattern here—the plates are carefully balanced, but with some separation of ingredients so how you eat it determines the flavor.

Our server, Chrit, has been at Bambara for years. He steered us towards a bottle of Joseph Phelps to bridge the elk and the halibut: perfection.

PHOTOS COURTESY BAMBARA

Chef Powers keeps up the delicious work.

Perfect pairing

Award-winning restaurants and world-class skiing Find it here > www.ParkCityRestaurants.com Your complete guide to Park City area dining.

Photos: Eric Schramm, Heidi Larsen, Ghidottis, Chimayo, Zoom

on the table

Chef Paul Morello

NEWCOMER

ADDRESS: 90 S. Rio Grande St., SLC, WEB: thestoreutah.com PHONE: 385-213-7900 ENTREES: $-$$

Beef and vegetables with red wine sauce

The Store is smaller than the average grocery, but it’s got what you need.

T

he best trend in grocery stores is not a coffee bar, or a kombucha bar or mochi. The best trend in grocery stores is small. The Store at Gateway is 9,000 square feet.

The typical Smith’s store is 170,000 square feet.

Evidently, you can fit everything I need in in 9,000 square feet.

The Store has a kombucha and coffee bar. It has a chef-prepared hot buffet and a whole menu of chef-prepared meals to go. It sells artisanal bread. And square American white bread. The Store sells a nice selection of local cheeses.

And The Store sells Velveeta.

The first Store opened in 1968 in Holladay. Owner Paul

Niederhauser honed its selection and purpose for The Store to become what had become nearly extinct: a neighborhood, all-purpose, family-owned grocery store. Turns out that is what everyone had been longing for, because supermarkets, what?

Aren’t that super after all. Now Niederhauser’s son Scotty has opened The Store at Gateway, an area that’s been without a good grocery store forever until now.

About the eclectic selection, Scotty says, “We don’t want to tell people what they should want. We just try to have what they want.”

It turns out that a store this size and this open-minded is perfect for launching new foods from smaller companies: Laurie’s Chips started at The Store. Salsa

del Diablo and Rico’s have always had a strong presence. Cakes de Fleur sells retail cakes at The Store. And local companies like V Chocolates, June Pie, Cutler’s Cookies and Publik Coffee are on the shelves.

“The food will evolve according to our customers,” says The Store Chef Paul Morello. Morello’s past is in fine dining and the food at the store shows that panache.

Four-cheese mac and cheese, Payard’s recipe for apple rum cake, braised beef in merlot, as well as fried chicken, meatballs, sauces and pulled pork are some of Morello’s customer favorites now. “We have a hot soup bar and a sushi bar planned,” he says. And I’ll be baking breads in French wood pans.”

PHOTOS ADAM FINKLE

IF YOU GO

You can always get what you want.

Dessert

by Franck Peissel

OLD MEETS NEW

Mountain Food at Courchevel Above: Slow roasted rack of pork, potato farcement, mesclun greens, juniper berry sauce; Smoked trout market Salad with frisee

IF YOU GO

ADDRESS: 201 Heber Ave., Park city WEB: courchevelbistro.com PHONE: 435-572-4398 ENTREES: $$-$$$

W

hat ensures a successful restaurant?

“Location, location, location,” is the usual answer. But you can hardly find a better location than the space that has been Sky Lodge, Main & Sky, Coal & Lumber, etc. Who knows why none of them lasted? Now the space is occupied by Courcheval Bistro, a Talisker property. The downstairs space is for members only, but Courcheval, with its prime people-viewing patio looking right over the pedestrian traffic, is open to all. Longtime Talisker chef Clement Gelas is in the kitchen and right at home.

Courchevel is the name of Park City’s sister city in the Savoie region of France. And Savoie is Chef Gelas’ home turf. He worked with Red Bicycle Bakery to make the authentic Savoyarde

bread—gorgeous, crisp-crusted but with a fine crumbit comes with cultured butter. And he suggested a bottle of Schiste Domaine des Ardoisiere, a biodynamic wine from the Savoie probably never before served in Utah.

Even now, Americans seem to forget that there are lots of regional cuisines in France. The food of Savoie is distinct and Gelas is having fun showing it off with an elegant spin.

Courchevel is as ritzy as skiing gets; the Mont BlancChamonix snow is world-famous.

But the food of the region has deep peasant roots that can still be tasted—even with the sophisticated turn this kitchen gives them, ingredients like cheese, potatoes and buckwheat have earthiness and heft.

Take risotto de crozote. Not

really a risotto at all, this dish is more like mac and cheese, only the mac role is played by crozette, traditional small, square buckwheat pasta, the cheese is Gruyere and the (actually rather unattractive) dish is flecked with thick bits of bacon and decorated with pea tendrils. This is real stick-to-your-ribs stuff, making no health claims, delivering nothing but solid satisfaction.

Likewise the bratwurst in brioche, the spicy sausage encased in a crisp crust and resting on a bed of white beans.

Somehow, this all turns out to be hearty, but not heavy, food.

Entrees include an unusual presentation of coq au vin served with carrot puree with potato matafan, potato pancake, crusted in grated potato. Desserts and chocolates are made by Franck Peissel. (Yes, that Franck.)

PHOTOS ADAM FINKLE

Talisker brings the Alps to Park City.

OLD MEETS NEW

Angels Landing Above: Herb seared Rainbow Trout, Orzo Pilaf

IF YOU GO

ADDRESS: 131 Main St., SLC WEB: thetinangel.com PHONE: 801-328-4155 ENTREES: $$-$$$

I

ssues with a landlord closed a door and the city sort of opened a window for Kestrel and Jerry Liedtke, owners of beloved restaurant Tin Angel.

“People used to walk in our old location, across the street from Pioneer Park, and say “ This doesn’t feel like Salt Lake,” and Jerry and I would look at each other and say, “We nailed it!” says Kestrel Liedtke.

When the couple opened Tin Angel, Salt Lakers had not seen anything like it before: Upscale, inventive food served in a thoroughly bohemian setting —the Angel was a total pushback against the conventional style and vibe of most restaurants. But disputes with the building’s owner and aspirations piled up—as happens in downtown restaurants. So when the city sent out an RFP for restaurants

interested in replacing the former bistro in the lobby of the Eccles Theater, the Liedtke’s jumped. Cautiously. Because there were (are) lots of challenges with this location.

Food service was surely an afterthought for the Eccles designers because the cafe space is at the front of the building and the kitchen is at the back. Tricky, because diners are always on a deadline—either the show is starting or the intermission bell is ringing.

Basically, says Kestrel: “Service and speed is essential.” Another catch: The Eccles is a flame-free building: Food has to be cooked in an oven or panini-maker or other appliance. Kestrel was undaunted. Her reaction? “I thought it sounded fun!”

In a 30-page proposal, she outlined plans for everything from décor to hours of

operation. (Tin Angel at The Eccles is open for both lunch and dinner—remember that when you’re shopping or looking at holiday lights.)

Meanwhile, everything had to be approved by the Eccles’ design committee. That’s a big change from the former free-wheeling Tin Angel. The architects are hugely committed to the big, open, starkly white lobby space—a shock for anyone who ever dined at the original Angel.

Soft green banquettes and warm wood soften the space and, more importantly, the food and drink menu and the staff (some of whom have worked at the Angel for seven or nine years) have moved to the new space too.

And they’ve brought with them the familiar sense of coziness and welcome.

PHOTOS ADAM FINKLE

Tin Angel at the Eccles downtown is wide open.

Once upon a time, Paolo Celeste and his friend Marco Gabrielli moved to Salt Lake City and opened an Italian restaurant in Sugar House called Michelangelo’s. A decade later, they sold the restaurant and moved back to Italy, to Versilia where Paolo was born, to open a restaurant there.

But Paolo missed the U.S. so he moved back to glamorous Los Angeles, where he worked for Ago Grand group. Perhaps you’ve heard of it? Tired, we assume, of glamour, Paolo moved back to Salt Lake City in 2017 and opened Celeste.

IF YOU GO

ADDRESS: Oakwood Village Shopping Center, 5468 S. 900 East, Murray WEB: celesteristorante.com PHONE: 801-290-2913 ENTREES: $$-$$$

Tagliata Alla Rucola e Parmigiano

ITALIAN EXCELLENCE

Looks aren’t everything Just close your eyes and eat.

G

ot to admit I groaned a bit when we pulled into the parking lot at Celeste. It’s in a Murray strip mall and only a few buildings can look less promising than a standard beige strip mall.

There’s not much of a chance for charm in such a setting and certainly you don’t have high hopes for. Inside, same.

The floor is astonishingly beautiful turquoise-swirled polished concrete but the rest of the dining room is pretty strip mall-y.

Open the menu, though, and your spirits rise. Though there are a lot of familiar faces, there are some descriptions, even of dishes you know, that give you a hint these won’t be the same over-cheesed versions Salt Lakers seem to love.

For example, ravioli incavolati—the menu emphasizes “fresh” and “homemade”—is a plate of delicate half-moons, the ricotta-kale filling showing through the sheer pasta, whole fresh sage leaves scattered on top, a butter bath and a shower of parmigiana—a radical change from the doughy pockets usually served. Every food writer in the Valley and then some has raved about this dish and rightfully so.

Porchetta, rolled stuffed pork loin in a light sage sauce with spinach and roasted potatoes, also caught our eye. Why don’t more restaurants serve this dish? And when they do, why don’t they make a nice reduction sauce instead of a thick gravy?

We dined at Celeste midweek and the place was far from full.

Our server seemed to warm to us after he caught on that we had met a lot of these dishes elsewhere and he kept an eye out for the empty water glass, apologizing (unnecessarily) for the ice cube that accidentally plopped into my glass after I requested no ice. Cinghiale, another traditional Tuscan dish, is a hearty boar stew, slightly hefty for the outside temperatures, but with a deep brown flavor. A slightly heavy panna cotta and a beautiful crostata—another classic that I wish would replace tiramisu— finished the meal. Too bad the wine list is meh but worse is the fact that local and out of state changes occupy so much of the best restaurant real estate in town. Celeste should be front and center.

PHOTOS ADAM FINKLE

CELESTE AND SALT LAKE: THE TALE OF THE PERIPATETIC CHEF

Shake Shack Fine food for the masses

IF YOU GO

ADDRESS: 11020 S. State St., Sandy WEB: shakeshack.com PHONE: 385-276-3190 ENTREES: $

N

o place loves a new chain restaurant like Utah. We have lots of good home-grown eats, but we love it when we are noticed by the guys who made it big on the coasts. The thing is, chain restaurants have changed.

Americans have moved on from looking for the cheapest and fastest. We’re still eschewing formality, but quality is a must.

Remember when In ’N’ Out moved here? That line of cars jamming up the parking lot to get through the drive-thru lane?

Our thrill over the West Coast Burger Invasion has waned.

PHOTOS ADAM FINKLEE

BURGER NEWS

Now, the East Coast Burger Invasion has begun: Shake Shack, the much bally-hooed burger place dreamed up by restaurant... magnate? Guru? Danny Meyer has opened in Sandy. There’s not a drive-thru window but the line of people standing outside to for a burger, fries and frozen custard shake is long.

But go ahead—gut it up and get in line.

Shake Shack is housed in part of the old Valley high school—the original brick walls are still visible and the indentations that used to hold chalkboards now hold menu boards listing burgers, hotdogs and—recently introduced!—chicken nuggets. As well as flavors of shakes and concretes.

The day we visited, the special shake of the day was black sesame seed. See? It really is a restaurant rooted in Brooklyn.

The burgers are good—made from three cuts of beef and sourced as locally as possible, according to spec. No antibiotics, no hormones, etc. Fries are crinkle-cut—I personally prefer skin-on hand-cut skinny fries, but these are good and an attempted switch to hand-cut fries was “one of the worst mistakes we made,” said the manager. People love the nostalgia of crinkle-cut and Meyer is a smart guy—he listens.

In nice weather, the big garage doors on the east side open and there’s a shuffleboard court outside. Corn hole is also available and the concrete space is considered a playground. There’s also a stack of board games—remember how to play Sorry!—if you want to linger over your burger meal. Right now, the dining area, when all 143 seats are taken, sounds like a school cafeteria; it’s a little hard to imagine lingering. But, again according to the manager, Shake Shack isn’t a fast food restaurant, although the kitchen aims for an eight-minute serve time. It’s a genre called fine casual—“We have our roots in fine dining.”

Shimmy on down to Shake Shack. And rest assured, more are on the way.

Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah • www.LaCaille.com • 801-942-1751

SALTLAKEMAGAZINE.COM

TREND

Best Biscuits

The country staple is having a bright lights moment.

B

read fads come and go (baguettes, croissants, bagels) but you can tell when something has peaked when they make a sandwich with it. Judging by that, the biscuit has hit the top.

Southerners have a proprietary feeling

about biscuits, but basically, any biscuit is made with fat (lard or butter), flour, baking powder, salt and a little milk or buttermilk. (Originally, Southern biscuits were made with a softer wheat, meaning it had less gluten, so the biscuits were more tender.) There is a thing called a “beaten”

biscuit that leaves out the leavening and instead requires a half-hour of beating (literally) to loosen the gluten so the biscuit will rise, but it’s a labor-intensive rarity. Everyone except me loves biscuits smothered in sausage gravy—I’m a born-Southerner, but I prefer butter.

At any rate, you can’t go to many restaurants these days without tripping over a biscuit.

Here are a half-dozen-plus-one of the best biscuits in Utah:

54 W. 1700 South, SLC, 801-953-1978

Slightly strange bedmates— limeade is in no way a traditional accompaniment to biscuits—but each of this restaurant’s specialties are terrific. Originally a stand at the Farmers Market, now Sweet Lake serves seated biscuit-oriented meals until midday—try the biscuit sandwich with grilled asparagus, bacon, arugula and an egg.

2. THE DAILY, 222 Main St., SLC, 385-322-1270

I get into more detail about Ryan Lowder’s new downtown endeavor on p.

108, but this is about the biscuits, which are fantastic. Lowder has made this space the bakery for all his restaurants and head baker Caroline Hargraves is turning out sandwich bread, as well as these tall, flaky, ever-soslightly sweet biscuits. Sausage gravy? No. But perfect for strawberries and whipped cream.

3. WOODLAND BISCUIT COMPANY, 2734 E. State Rd. 35, Woodland, 435-783-4202

Open only on the weekends and you’ll need your GPS to help you find it, but Woodland Biscuit Company is worth finding.

So I hear—I haven’t found it yet. But I have it on the highest trusted authority that the biscuits here rule, so a field trip is forthcoming. For breakfast or lunch. Almost every dish is biscuit-based.

Even the burger.

BONUS: How to make sausage gravy: Crumble 1 ½ lbs. breakfast sausage in an iron skillet or something similar. When the fat starts to render, add a few tablespoons of chopped onion. Stir in 1 ½ Tbsp. flour to make a roux, then slowly add 2 cups of milk and cook until thickened. Season with salt, pepper, rosemary, whatever. Ladle over biscuits. This will look gross, but taste good.

4. RUTH’S DINER,

5. PENNY ANN’S CAFE,

6. PIG & A JELLY JAR,

4160 Emigration Canyon Road,

1810 S. Main St., SLC, 801-9354760; 280 E. 12300 South, Draper, 801-6620009; 1856 5400 South, Draper, 801-613-9702

401 E. 900 South, SLC, 385-202-7366; 227 25th St., Ogden, 801-6058400; 1968 E. Murray Holladay Rd., Holladay, 385-695-5148

801-582-5807

Probably the most famous biscuit in the state, Ruth’s “Mile High Biscuits” are enormous. Like, enormous.

They’re a little bit doughy and less flaky than other biscuits on the list, but they come with every breakfast entree.

So if your banana walnut french toast doesn’t provide enough carbohydrates, you’ve got a major biscuit to fall back on.

Most famous for their “heavenly hotcakes,” Penny Ann’s makes a mean biscuit too. Like many biscuits, this one is hidden on the menu under sausage gravy, but you can get a single biscuit and slather it with butter if you prefer. Like I said, I do.

7. TUPELO,

Biscuits play a supporting role in this Southern-tinged cafe—dig through the spare rib, eggs, beans and kale or the smoked ham, tomatoes and eggs or the double-battered fried chicken and you’ll find a biscuit. Or you can have them with the inevitable Southern gravy.

508 Main St., Park City, 435-615-7700

I have been at a dinner where guests literally fought for these biscuits. Granted, it was a fingertip fight, polite, but there was a primal intent to snag the last of these buttermilk beauties (generally, NOT served with sausage gravy but as the side bread with honey butter).

Sweet Lake Biscuits

PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

1. SWEET LAKE BISCUITS & LIMEADE,

Asia Palace 2

IN THE BOWL

Favorite Pho

A local broth aficionado names his fave phos.

R

amen and pho are the soupes du jour—the go-to broths for millennials, with a growing fan base among, well, everyone else. Since moving to Utah, Texan Adrian Duran, whose day job is working with Mexican food at Rico’s, has been systematically sampling pho across Salt Lake City and beyond.

“My number one criterion is the broth,” he says. “It has to be deep, with a resonance in the mouth that only comes from long cooking. I think oxtail adds a lot to the body of a broth.”

Second to that priority for Duran is the noodles (they should be house-made) and the garnishes (the spicy fresh counterpoint to the deep broth). Ideally, the meat should be cooked by the broth just so it’s still pink.

PHO 28, 428 E. 900 South, SLC, 801-364-9918 This family-run spot offers six versions of pho, including chicken, with the special including beef eye of round, beef balls, brisket, tendon and tripe.

Slightly limited in the choice of sauces.

LA-CAI NOODLE HOUSE, 961 S. State St., SLC, 801-322-3590.

Duran thinks the broth here is the best. Besides beef variations, La-Cai makes a vegetarian pho.

ASIA PALACE 2, 1446 State St., SLC, 801-485-1646 Preferred to Asia Palace 1 and right across the street from Tosh’s Ramen if you want to do a soup comparison. The menu here is a little more Americanized, but the selections are bounteous.

PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

Top: Pho 28 Below: La-Cai Noodle House

HONEY

Queen Keeping

“W Hollow Tree Honey gives away a packet of wildflower seeds with their honey.

IF YOU GO

ADDRESS: Available at Harmons WEB: hollowtreehoney.com PHONE: 385-355-4233

hat do you want to be when you grow up?” At some point every child is asked this question.

Very few of them ended up in the professional life they wished for when they were 5 or 6.

Tom Bench, owner of Hollow Tree Honey, always wanted to be a beekeeper.

“Like a lot of kids, I spent a lot of time running around catching bees in a Mason jar. I was fascinated by them and loved looking at them up close,” he says. “But I really wanted to taste honey from my own bees.”

Now he looks at thousands of bees every day. And tastes their honey.

Bench majored in Environmental and Sustainability studies at The University of Utah and became interested in local food systems and their effect on local economies. Afterwards, he went to USU to specifically study his

favorite arthropods. He learned how vital bees are to our food system—many foods we eat are pollinated by and wouldn’t exist without bees, almonds for example. There are more than 16,000 kinds of bees. What Bench is interested in is apis, the Western honeybees brought to the east coast of America in 1622; it was 231 years before they reached the west coast.

With professor Amy Sibul, who had studied bees at USU, and Salt Lake County Bee Inspector Chris Rodesch, Bench began work on a project to establish a bee colony at the U. “It took 50 or 60 hours of writing proposals to get the first two hives,” Bench says.

“Now there are 20.”

Bench worked with the U program for several years before going out on his own. He and a partner, Adam Maxwell, each got two hives.

Bench’s bees live mostly in the foothills of Davis County in

an orchard at an altitude of more than 8,000 feet. He packages the honey from each location separately.

“The quantity fluctuates from season to season, but usually we harvest 10,000 to 15,000 pounds of honey a year. We’ll never be a really big operation,” says Bench. “Because we still harvest the old-school way— unheated and unfiltered.”

The company started by selling at farmers markets; now Hollow Tree Honey is sold in many local stores including Harmons. And Bench spends most of his time tending hives.

“That means opening up the hive and checking for overcrowding, mites and foulbrood, but mainly, you’re making sure there’s a healthy queen. You don’t see the queen herself but you do see the eggs—that’s the sign of a healthy hive.”

As the saying goes: If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF HOLLOW TREE HONEY

Hollow Tree makes happy honey.

IN THE HIVE

Bee Here Now Salt Lake Hilton goes hyper-local.

Above: Chef Sebastian Lowery

IF YOU GO

ADDRESS: The Hilton, 155 S. West Temple PHONE: 801-328-2000

I

t used to be that Americans demanded, above all, consistency. Our mobile society, as it moved around the country, wanted the security of knowing they could get the same Big Mac in Maine that they could get in Arizona.

We were brand loyal to gas stations, automobiles and hotels. That was then.

“Now people want differentiation,” says Abby Murtagh, general manager of Hilton Hotel Salt Lake City Center.

Turns out, travelers are demanding to know where they are. Cookie-cutter businesses have less appeal than unique ones. So the challenge is, how to change from one philosophy to another? How do you make a hotel that’s based its image on reliable sameness to one that is different from any other? How do you make a national brand into a local one?

Salt Lake Hilton’s Spencers for Steaks and Chops Executive Chef Sebastian Lowery decided the change should start in the kitchen. That’s why we are standing on the 3rd floor of Salt Lake’s downtown hotel watching the honeybees’ busyness around their hives— there are four of them flourishing on the roof outside the plate glass window. How did this come about?

“I wanted to start growing herbs and vegetables in the boxes around our patio,” says Lowery. “After I got corporate approval, I called Bug Farms to see if they could help me get started and help me with maintenance. They steered me to Sarah Duke—she takes care of our gardens now—and she introduced me to Craig Huntzinger of Bees Brothers.

Together we came up with the plan to put hives on the roof. I don’t have time to run a hotel

kitchen, tend a garden and keep bees, but with this team, it’s possible.”

And that means local will soon be on the plate at Spencers Steaks and Chops, in the cocktails at the bar and that VIP guests will be presented with Bees Brothers’ honey and bee-based products, like 3-oz. jars (acceptable to TSA) of honey from the Hilton.

As an example of how his kitchen will be using their new honey, Chef presents me with a honey-cinnamon ice cream cone. It’s delicious—perfectly creamy with all the complex sweetness of honey.

Lowery and Murtagh have more than local on their mind, though.

“The next generation is looking for businesses to be more globally responsible,” says Murtagh. “The Salt Lake Valley and the world needs bees,” says Lowery.

GRILLING

The taste of technology Above: Traeger Grills use wood pellets instead of logs, chunks or charcoal and WiFire tech.

IF YOU GO

ADDRESS: 1215 E. Wilmington Ave. WEB: traegergrills.com PHONE: 801-701-7180

M

an + fire + food. It was the simplest cooking equation of all. Cooked food may have begun accidentally, with a prehistoric person dropping food into flames and discovering deliciousness, albeit probably on the welldone side. However it happened, cooked food was the key to human civilization. It gave us immediate access to nutrients which allowed early humans to do more than forage for food all day. We could grow our brains bigger, paint on the walls and invent things like the wheel, more efficient sharp, pointy sticks and computers and monster trucks.

And, now, that big brain has come up with the new equation: man + fire + food + technology.

The Traeger Grill is the first computerized grill, words that didn’t make sense to me, a

lifelong traditional cook, until I toured Traeger HQ in SugarHouse. I could tell right away from the space that I was in a tech hive—the sleek design, open spaces, the obvious emphasis on company community, the people buzzing around on hoverboards.

Definitely digital space. And as Michael Colston, veep of product development put it, “We are a technology company that produces hard goods.”

The brilliance of Traeger grilling, before we get to the computerized part, is the use of extruded wood pellets instead of chunks of wood as fuel. They look like dog food and lack the soul of a hand-hewn log, they are, Colston explained, way better. A better, sharp, pointy stick, basically.

“We make these from sawdust of previously usedwood,” he explains. “We are

using something that would otherwise be thrown away. The pellets are still pure wood— alder, oak, mesquite and fruitwood—sourced from places where those trees are native and naturally used—and they are much more energy-efficient and produce fewer particulate matter than conventional wood.

Plus, they still impart the flavors from the original wood.”

So you can use fuels appropriate to the food, like Northwest alder for fish, or Texas mesquite for beef.

But the jaw-dropping feature of Traeger grills is that they have an app. The Traeger app, cheekily called “WiFire” (Tinder was taken) lets you preset the desired temperature and cooking time. Meanwhile, the grill knows how many pellets to feed in and controls the fans to keep the cooking temperature precisely consistent.

PHOTO CROURTESY TRAEGER

Traeger reinvents the most ancient equation.

CRAFTING the PERFECT

PRIVATE EVENT

contact our event manager for pricing and availability 801-363-2739

party@squatters.com

WE CAN MAKE IT

HAPPEN.

call today for more details |

801-783-1127 | party@wasatchbeers.com

PATIO

It’s Official

Stanza Italian Bistro

We’re in love with al fresco.

T

he warm season flirted with us a long time this year, but at this point we’re in a committed relationship. That means we can eat in the best dining room of all, the great outdoors.

THE CLASSICS

Ruth’s Diner

The dining car that was the original Ruth’s is almost indiscernible under all the re-remodels of this Salt Lake classic. You can now order a drink to ease the inevitable wait for a table, which is great but the best part of Ruth’s is the tree-shaded patio out back and it’s bigger than ever. The laid-back vibe and a cold beer—or malt—makes you feel like you’re always on vacation.

2100 Emigration Canyon, SLC, 801-582-5807, ruthsdiner.com

Gracie’s

The sizeable upstairs and downstairs patios are the reason to go to this downtown bar-cum-eatery. The menu ranges from wings and nachos up into the headier areas of halibut and steak.

The upstairs patio has a great view of downtown, and catches a breeze even on warm summer nights. (Gracie’s is open until 2 a.m.) 326 W. Temple, SLC, 801-819-7565, graciesslc.com

Tuscany/Franck’s

These sister restaurants share a shady, secluded flagstone patio with lots of little nooks that shield you from the city and somehow create a

timeless atmosphere that is rare in Utah. Tuscany, 2832 E. 6200 South, SLC, 801-277-9919, tuscanyslc.com.

Franck’s, 6263 S. Holladay Blvd., SLC, 801-274-6264, francksfood.com

Painted Pony, St. George

The star of St. George dining takes advantage of its southern clime with an outdoor dining patio. Here you can enjoy the restaurant’s white tablecloth service and the tree-shaded ambiance of Ancestor Square at the same time. 2 W. St. George Blvd., St. George, 435-634-1700, painted-pony.com

Silver Fork Lodge, Brighton

The back deck at this rustic lodge looks directly out on the Wasatch Mountains. It’s one of the originals— part of the log building dates back to old mining camp days and the menu claims that the sourdough starter used for the breakfast pancakes dates back 50 years. The second level of the deck almost overwhelms the space, but we’re counting on them sparing the golden goose.

11332 E. Big Cottonwood Canyon, Brighton, 888-649-9551, silverforklodge.com

Log Haven

This lovely hideaway has gorgeous forest views, a (real) waterfall and a seriously romantic vibe. The playful menu changes with the seasons, just like the views. The wine list is epic, but knowledgeable servers make selection painless. 6451 E. Millcreek Canyon Road, SLC, 801-272-8255., log-havenslc.com

Stoneground Italian Kitchen

One of the most brilliant aspects of this downtown space is the upstairs deck, a lovely place to linger and an ingenious design for an upstairs urban restaurant with no street frontage and a parking lot in back.

Somehow, this adds up to charm. 249 E. 400 South, SLC, 801-364-1368, stonegrounditaalian.com

Stanza Italian Bistro

The patio at this contemporary Italian restaurant is shielded from the street and the driveway; the tables also have umbrellas if (when) the day heats up.

Linger over an extraordinary dessert.

454 E. 300 South, SLC, 801-746-4441, stanzaslc.com

It’s Greek to you.

KOKKINA AVGA for Easter

BY MARY BROWN MALOUF

F

orget those pretty pastels. At Easter, their most important religious holiday, Greeks dye eggs as red as Mrs. Trump’s Christmas trees. Red eggs are called kokkina avga; and the sizeable Greek community in Utah will be dying them by the dozen on Easter. (This year on April 21.) Traditionally, they were dyed with onion skins, according to Harmons chef Leslie Nielsen, which results in a reddish-brownish egg, but as journalist Anne Wilson recalls, “my mother in law always used red food coloring to make them really dark.”

Wine broker Peri Ermidis uses Ritt

scarlet dye to achieve a brighter color and the color is important because, as Mary Caputo says, “the red symbolizes the blood of Christ shed for our salvation.” Despite the solemn symbolism, the eggs are used to play a game called tsougrisma—here’s how to play: Each player holds an egg, and one taps the end of her or his egg lightly against the end of the other player’s egg. When one egg’s end is cracked, the person with the clean egg uses the same end of the egg to try to crack the other end of the opponent’s egg. The player who successfully cracks both ends of their opponent’s egg is

Nicole Mouskondis recalls her first Greek Easter when she became part of the Mouskondis family (owners of Nicholas & Co.) “I can remember the first Greek Easter I spent with my soon-to-be mother and father-in-law (Elyce and Bill Mouskondis). As we were gathered around the dinner table, Bill announced it was time to play the game, and he reminded everyone that he was the champion for many years running and couldn’t be beaten. One by one, as his egg tapped someone else’s egg, he remained victorious. I watched in amazement—how could one egg be so strong and withstand tapping that many other eggs without being cracked? Later that evening, Bill had left his egg out and we all realized the reason he was the champion for so many years: He had found a marble egg, dyed perfectly to match all of the other eggs…so of course he was victorious! When he was called out, all he could do was smile with his sheepish grin, still reveling in how he got away with that trick for so many years!

PHOTO (PORTRAIT) ADAM FINKLE

The Story of the Good Egg

GLOBAL FOOD

On top of a meatball

The home cook’s standby can be a star.

CAFE MOLISE: Polpette di melanzane: Vegetarian eggplant “meatballs” in a shallot and tomato cream with grilled fresh asparagus and polenta.

404 S. West Temple, SLC, 801-364-8833

MANOLI’S: Keftethes: pork and beef meatballs, cinnamon tomato sauce, kefalograviera.

402 E. Harvey Milk Blvd., 801-532-3760

TRIO: The classic Italian-American meatball, braised in tomato sauce.

680 S. 900 East, SLC, 801-533-8746

PULP: Cacci with turkey meatballs, spaghetti squash.

439 E. 900 South, SLC, 385-267-1092

MOOCHIES MEATBALLS & MORE: They say “and more” but it’s pretty much meatballs on and in everything.

232 E.800 South, SLC, 801-596-1350

PHOTOS ADAM FINKLE

E

very cuisine has its meatball. They are just such an obvious solution to leftover and second-hand cuts of meat, to stretching a scant quantity of meat into enough.

We think of Italian red sauce first, but most of us have a Swedish meatball recipe our mother gave us and chicken, turkey, lamb and vegetarian meatballs are delicious and as easy to make.

Still—don’t want to roll your own? Here are some of Salt Lake’s top meatballs.

SUNCHOKES

Q: What is that ugly thing?

A: That’s a Sunchoke, son.

Sunchokes are also called Jerusalem artichokes.

Why? While they are actually native to America but unrelated to artichokes, they are related to sunflowers. The French word for sunflower is girasole and if you don’t know French, girasole, when pronouced correctly, sounds like Jerusalem.

A

fter the recent gilding of the Brussels sprout, the food world is always looking for the “next Brussels sprout.” Or cauliflower.

The unexpected popularity of a previously underused (and generally inexpensive) vegetable has become every chef’s quest. So now... sunchokes.

Confession: I had never encountered a sunchoke face-to-face until I tried the “Tuscarora” pizza at Fireside on Regent which is covered with a pile of apparent potato chips that turn out to be sunchoke chips.

Over the last couple of years, sunchokes are increasingly common on menus. Chefs seem to be dazzled by sunchokes. Why? These tubers have a mild flavor (often described as nutty, but not like artichokes). They cook quickly without too much fuss about prep, they are a low-calorie, high fiber, low-carb potato stand-in (great for diabetics) with iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium.

And, like potatoes, they make great chips.

They’re naturally in season late fall to early spring—in Utah, that translates to May. The downside? Because they’re high in inulin (Google it) they have a reputation of causing flatulence if not cooked correctly. Then again, so do broccoli, artichokes (no relation,) Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and lentils. The easy solution? Cook them with lemon juice.

HERE’S HOW LOCAL CHEFS ARE USING SUNCHOKES: PAGO, 878 S. 900 East, SLC, 801-532-0777 Sunchoke poutine: smoked onion, mushroom gravy, cheddar curds, pickled chiles PROVISIONS, 3364 S. 2300 East, SLC, 801-410-4046 Prime steak tartare with shaved chestnuts, smoked cheddar, lemon, sunchoke chips and a bit of horseradish.

GARDEN CAFE AT GRAND AMERICA, 555 S. Main St., SLC, 801-258-6708 Braised Boneless Short Rib with celeriac puree, carrots, onions, sunchokes, celery and natural jus.

FIRESIDE ON REGENT, 126 S. Regent Street, SLC, 801-359-4011 The Tuscarora, a white pizza topped with sunchoke chips, fingerling potato, pancetta, ricotta and mozzarella, wood-fired in the beautiful Italian pizza oven.

GLITRETIND, STEIN ERICKSEN LODGE, 7700 Stein Way, PC, 435- 645-6455 Freekeh & winter vegetables rutabaga puree featuring sunchokes, turnips, petite greens and freekeh (green wheat, a grain poised to be “the next quinoa”).

INGREDIENTS

Nature’s Easter Eggs

Homegrown Tips from Wasatch Community Gardens’ AMBER NICHOLS: Try different varieties for a span of colors and varied spiciness. With so many options, like “French Breakfast”, “White Icicle,” “Cherry Belle” or the stunning multicolored “Watermelon,” you’re sure to find something that you fancy.

Don’t go crazy with planting a ton at once.

Planting 10-20 every week or two (we call this “succession planting”) will keep you flush in radishes without being overwhelmed, or leaving them in the ground too long to harvest and getting a woody texture.

Spring’s first harvest

G

reen, pink, red, candy-striped, round, oblong, big or little—name a descriptor and you’ll find a radish to match. In America supermarkets, though, you’ll usually only find the little round red ones. But they’re easy to grow and can be replanted several times during a season, so if you like to dig in the dirt, you can taste all kinds of radishes, from mild to peppery in a single season.

The question is, what do you do with your harvest? Most of us have encountered them, washed and trimmed, on a relish tray where they make a tasty contrast with the carrot and celery sticks and little pickles. But there are lots of other ways to eat a radish.

1

Slice radishes onto thinsliced french bread and spread thickly with excellent sea salt.

2

Toss halved radishes in olive oil and thyme; roast on a baking sheet until tender but firm.

3

Don’t toss the greens— wash them well, chop them (discarding any really tough stems). Quarter some radishes, sauté some chopped bacon and garlic and add the radishes. Cook until almost tender, then add the greens and cook until wilted.

PRESERVE THE HARVEST

For more information, go to extension.usu.edu

How ’bout them apples?

Making the most of what you pick

BY JEN HILL

T

he satisfying pop that comes from breaking the seal of can of preserved tomatoes signals a smell that takes you back to summer. A gardener enjoys it even more because she did all the work to make this happen. Now, with modern food conveniences that would make our ancestors heads spin, urban gardening has become more a luxury or a hobby than a necessity. Nevertheless, urban gardening and supporting local agriculture via CSAs (community supported agriculture), farmers and local marketplaces in SLC is on the rise. Now and through mid October, we harvest, before the first frosts hit—and sometimes later with the help of a row cover—even up until November.

1. CAN IT

2. CELLAR IT

3. DRY IT

And by can we mean jar. The old-fashioned Mason jar symbolizes more than just thrift. Add sustainability, work, delayed gratification, not to mention good taste. If canning sounds like a long, hot process, you haven’t kept up.

Once you have the basics down, mixing up a homemade brine made with vinegar, salt and pickling spices then pouring into a jar of filled with freshly sliced cucumbers—voila! you’ve made refrigerator pickles. Or—stirring together the prescribed ratio of sugar, pectin and some fresh fruit, and you’ve got something sweet and lovely to spread on your toast.

Before refrigeration was a standard, root cellars were a part of most homesteads. A root cellar utilized the naturally cooler, more temperate underground environment. Some produce, like carrots, can be stored after removing greens into a bin filled with sawdust, while others, like apples, can be stored in barrels of straw. In the Salt Lake foothills and around the valley, many older backyards are dotted with fruit trees planted by former homeowners who valued the harvest.

Utah’s high elevation and dry climate means dehydration as a form of preservation is easy—many of the crops (such as apples, apricots, tomatoes and chiles) that grow well here are additionally the perfect staples in your kitchen cupboard. Last summer an abundance of cayenne chiles from my garden were strung to dry in a sunny window. In exchange for this, all winter dried chiles were crushed and thrown in pasta sauces, chili and Indian style lentil dal, lending a smoky, bright heat to each dish.

PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

USU’s Extension Office offers master preservation classes, teaching the basics of many food safety and preservation. Class instructor Melanie Jewkes, who has been with the program for more than 12 years says, “In a series, you will learn the basics of canning—equipment, how to use that equipment, how to prepare and fill jars and where to go for safe, research-tested recipes and procedures.” Each session is about 3-4 hours of lecture and kitchen time.

The Master Preservation full six-session series is $130 (with day or half-day options) and includes manuals, aprons—and all food students preserve, they take home.

A TASTE OF SUMMER

Pop Goes the Popsicle Rethinking a childhood treat

Y ANGELITOS MEXICAN RESTAURANT & PALETERIA ADDRESS: 1625 W..700 North, SLC PHONE: 801-410-8140 ENTREES: $

CULINARY CRAFTS, ADDRESS: 357 W. 200 South, SLC WEB: culinarycrafts.com PHONE: 801-906-8294 ENTREES: $$A

ou might think this time of year is the last gasp for popsicles.

Think again.

Fun, fruity, low-fat and delicious, popsicles are finding their way onto menus year-round.

First, forget the fakeflavorings and garishly colored delights that came on the truck during your childhood summers. Think of freezing that sweet memory into a sophisticated surprise Popsicles, called paletas in Spanish, are a Mexican tradition—to get a true taste, stop by Angelitos in Rose Park.

Half the space of the little cafe is taken up by a freezer case packed with a colorful

popsicles, the glassine wrappers making them a pastel rainbow. The range of flavors puts Baskin-Robbins to shame: The strawberry one tastes just like a frozen berry; arroz tastes like frozen rice pudding. Try the mango; jamaica; coconut; nut; cajeta; guyaba; pineapple; tamarind—all vividly freshtasting. Or check out the mango-chile pop, rosy red and studded with yellow chunks of mango. The pineapple popsicle is all juice and shredded fruit.

Shake a little tajine over it.

These would make a great fall dessert or intermezzo and, as Chef Ryan Crafts of Culinary Crafts catering says, “They’re “ve-e-ery easy to make.” He

uses popsicles as a way to preserve the taste of summer fruit. “They’re a taste-echo of warm times. That way we can use local produce all year round,” says Ryan. “Utahns love ice cream and all kinds of frozen desserts. We serve them as a pre-dinner taste, or an interlude between courses.

Guests love them—who doesn’t want to be a kid again?”

Chef Ryan has several serving ideas for putting a sophisticaed polish on his popsicles. *Prop it into a brandy snifter with some champagne, apple cider or dessert wine. *Dip popsicles in melted white or dark chocolate. Roll in

1. OASIS CAFE: Brie on toasted cranberry walnut bread or grilled white Vermont cheddar and orange cheddar with roasted tomato fennel soup. 151 S. 500 East, SLC, 801-3220404, oasiscafeslc.com 2. LUCKY 13: Loaded Grilled Cheese: Tomato, onion, lettuce—I know, sounds a little salad-heavy for a sandwich normally relying on butterfat for flavor, but the rabbit food does add nice juicy crunch.

135 W. 1300 South, 801-487-4418, lucky13slc.com

WORDS FROM THE CHEESE WHIZ Andy Fitzgerrell is a Certified Cheese Expert who works with Kehe Distributors, a national fine food distributor. He has some advice about what to put in a grilled cheese sandwich.

“First of all, there are real non-processed American cheeses that will melt well. There are certain factors that mean a cheese won’t melt well—aged cheeses, low Ph, and therefore high acidity, for example. And by-and-large, artisanal cheeses don’t melt well.” The Swiss are known for melty cheese, says Fitzgerrell—“think Gruyere, Appenzeller and other alpine cheeses.”

Other choices are Monterey Jack, provolone and young cheddar.

“It’s the elasticity—the amount of water helps in meltability,” he says. He also encourages people to think outside the wheel when making a grilled cheese sandwich. “I still dream about one made with Camembert and fresh Palisade peaches.”

3. ROOTS CAFE: Grilled Cheese of the Day. You never know. 3474 S. 2300 East , Mlillcreek, 801-277-6499 rootscafeslc.com

The Great Grilled Cheese Six CLASSIC AMERICANS, with no American cheese

BY MARY BROWN MALOUF

M

elted cheese is the ultimate comfort food and the American grilled cheese sandwich reigns supreme.

Most of us grew up with pre-cut American cheese on spongy American white bread, but local chefs have taken it a few steps further—including the ultra-old school Alta Club, which serves a different grilled cheese sandwich every day.

4. GOOD GRAMMAR: Toasted Cheese & Artichokes. Provolone, white cheddar, artichokes, pepperoncini melted together on sourdough with a pesto spread.

Again, you can add chicken or bacon if you must have animal protein. 69 E. Gallivan Ave., SLC, 385-415-5002, goodgrammar.bar 5. LES MADELEINES: Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup. Grilled Beehive Promontory Cheddar and fresh curd cheese sandwich with a cup of house-made tomato soup. 216 E. 500 South, SLC, 801- 355-2294, lesmadeleines.com 6. STATION 22: Golden Griller Mozzarella, Swiss, and cheddar with tomato, avocado and pesto mayo on Texas Toast. You can add grilled chicken or bacon, but you’re messing with the basic formula then. 22 W. Center Street, Provo, 801-607-1803, station22cafe.com

Grilled cheese, hold the bread.

Juustoleipä, Finnish Farmstead Bread Cheese is made

by Heber Valley Artisan Cheese. Grill it directly in the pan or put it in the oven. 920 River Rd., Midway, 435654-0291, hebervalleyartisancheese.com

TURKEY ROAST BEEF PASTRAMI HAM SALAMI CORNED BEEF BOLOGNA

All the Meat The BIG JOHN at Grove’s Market Deli

G 1905 N. Main St., SLC, 801-467-8860. grovemarketdeli.com

rove Deli was carved (see what I did there) out of the familyowned specialty food market founded by Greek immigrant, Pete Savas, in 1947. The original business idea was for a neighborhood grocery/produce store which Pete’s children could learn to manage as they grew. Pete died in 1953, his family took over the store as he had dreamed and still run it. In the early 1970s, the family decided to add services to the neighborhood corner-store. A deli was constructed within the building by friends and family, which has since proved to become one of the most wellknown little secrets in Salt Lake City.

It’s all about the sandwiches. The Big John is the famous one. Few people remember the term “Dagwood” (go ahead, Google it) but the Big John is a version of that.

Seven deli meats stacked with Swiss and American cheese, all the trimmings: mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomato, pickle, Swiss, American, or Provolone Cheese, and peperocini peppers (on the side). Hass avocado may be added to any sandwich for a surcharge; red onion and jalapenos at no charge. Add bacon for $1.50 and your choice of breads: specialty large “Ambassador Rolls” in rye, French, sourdough or wheat.

PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

BY MARY BROWN MALOUF

Beware Belgians bearing mitraillettes The sandwich as LETHAL WEAPON

BY MARY BROWN MALOUF

VOSEN’S TOASTED BAGUETTE

FRESH CUT FRIES

BELGIAN ANDALOUSE SAUCE

MORGAN VALLEY LAMB SAUSAGE PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

A

ctually, just the thought of a mitraillette is intimidating.

Never mind that its name means “machine gun.” Thick links of spicy merguez sausage (a traditional Moroccan sausage made in this case by local meat maven Frody Volgger) are topped with a pile of perfectly twice-fried Belgian frites on a baguette.

(If you’re a Pittsburgher, this may remind you of Primati’s famous sandwich.) The Belgian Andalouse sauce, which you can think of as Belgian fry sauce with some zip to it, ties it all together like the Dude’s rug. In Belgium, a craving for a mitraillette is typical after a night of drinking.

Sort of like hitting the Village Inn or Taco Bell in Salt Lake terms.

Here it’s served at Bruges, the Belgian waffles and frites shops, a business that native Belgian Pierre Van Damme started from a food stand at the Downtown Farmers Market. Now you

Medal-worthy Banh Mi An OLYMPIAN Sandwich

I

f there were a Between-the-Bread Olympics, some classic contenders would certainly take gold. The American Grilled Cheese. The French Dip. The Reuben. The BLT. The Hoagie. Note that most of these come from the Western half of the world. I’m just guessing, but maybe this is because the Eastern half is less bread-centric. And a sandwich without bread isn’t one.

There is however, a notable exception.

(Probably more than one, but I’m spitballing here.) The Banh Mi. In Salt Lake City, get one at Oh Mai. A banh mi is constructed on a baguette, itself a legacy of the French occupation of Southeast Asia. With much of the crumb hollowed out, leaving mostly crisp crust, the filling is a layering of Vietnamese culinary history and may include pate, pork head

cheese, cilantro, fish sauce, pickled daikon, bean thread, jalapeno, ham, mayo, basil, sriracha…it’s up to you. Somehow all these disparate elements combine in the mouth to make one spicy, salty, sweet, hot, umami, crunchy, fresh flavor. Just another example of how world diplomacy could take a lesson from world cuisine.

There are several Oh Mai locations; this was the original. 850 S. State St., SLC,

PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

BY MARY BROWN MALOUF

Bocata Porchetta Sandwich Slow Food FAST

HOUSE-BAKED BREAD

ROASTED PEPPERS

BY MARY BROWN MALOUF

and seasoning pork for their version of porchetta: a pork shoulder rubbed with toasted fennel seeds, coriander seeds, white pepper and sea salt, roasted with carrots, celery, chopped fennel and garlic. Sliced thin and served with a salsa verde made of garlic, Italian parsley, capers and anchovy—you end up with a sandwich that is definitely not fast food. “We call it slow food, fast,” says Brooks.

Bocata, City Creek, 28 State St., SLC, 801-355-3538

SALSA VERDE ITALIAN ROASTED PORK

PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

I

t’s early in the morning; stores in City Creek mall aren’t even open yet. The food court, usually a noisy bustling maelstrom of shoppers and kids, is silent. Most of the restaurants don’t open until 10 when employees show up, roll up the doors and start heating up the food. But over in Bocata, a unique restaurant in Salt Lake City (there are no other locations), cooks are at work, baking bread, roasting chicken and lamb,

Avenues Bistro on Third

NEW, UNDISCOVERED OR OVERLOOKED

When Caffe Molise left downtown, we all mourned the loss of the best dining patio in town. But the new location in the gorgeous old Eagle building has an equally gracious outdoor setting.

404 S. West Temple, SLC, 801-3648833, caffemolise.com

Trofi at the Hilton

Most of us, when we think of dining at the downtown Hilton, think of Spencer’s, an excellent, clubby room based on beef. But there’s also a beautiful patio, with lushly planted beds, water features and sensitive lighting where you probably never have been. Plans are set to change that—wine tastings, tasting menus comfy chairs that make the place more like an outdoor living room than a hotel lobby. 255 S. West Temple, SLC, 801-328-2000, 3.hilton.com

Em’s

Em’s big side deck has always been one of the best things about this Capitol Hill favorite; it’s even better now that the menu has been revamped and they’ve added The Day Room, one of the best and most original

breakfast/brunch menus in town. Plus, they consider 1.5 oz of rye a brunch drink and you can add CBD to any beverage for $3.27 1 Center St. W., SLC, 801-596-0566, dayroomandems.com

Avenues Bistro on Third

The cozy reused cottage is charming all year round, but when the patio opens, it doubles the seating capacity and the charm. At night, when the lights are twinkling, the champagne is sparkling and the lobster beignets are piping … well. It’s hard to find something better. 564 E. 3rd Ave., SLC, 801-831-5409

Eva’s

Walk right through the restaurant, all the way to the back and out the door.

Sipping in the tiny, high-walled patio behind Eva’s has a distinctly urban feel—away from the street but sophisticated in a big city way that suits the imaginative cuisine. 317 S. Main, SLC, 801-359-8447, evaslc.com

Harbor Seafood & Steak Company

We love the interior of Harbor—it’s friendly and shipshape—but once the

vines start covering the outdoor deck, that is the place to be while you eat your pristinely fresh fish. Or wagyu. Or sip one of their craft cocktails. Or, what the heck. All three. 2302 Parley’s Way, SLC, 801-466-9827, harborslc.com

Roots Cafe

The perfect patio for the modern ladies—I mean women—who lunch, who is planting tomatoes instead of buying hats and eating organic chicken salad with a side of baked kale and a glass of coconut water. 3474 S. 2300 East, East Millcreek, 801-2776499, rootscafeslc.com

The Garage on Beck

The outside deck is really the raison d’etre for the Garage. It’s fun and cozy inside on cold nights, but on a summer night with the power plant lights twinkling all around and a wannabe band on stage and a lackadaisical game of cornhole going on, the true experience of leisure creeps into your bones and you know that the meaning of life lies in the next beer. 1199 Beck St., SLC, 801-5213904, garageonbeck.com

PHOTO COURTESY AVENUES BISTRO ON THIRD

Caffe Molise, Salt Lake City

See all

Dining Award Winners from 2019 Tap the image to review

71

Dining

THE 2019

Awards SECRE T INGREDIENTS C hefs’ se c rets that ma ke g reat food g reate r

BY MARY BROWN MALOUF PHOTOS BY ADAM FINKLE

People, prices and politics all play a role in the differences diners are seeing in old favorites and new entries. Remember, “This is a bar, not a restaurant; This is a restaurant, not a bar?” Remember “Where’s the beef?” Remember the buzzword “fusion?” Now many restaurants do double duty as restaurant and bar. Now restaurants must include vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free options on their menus.

Most notably, chefs are using ingredients and techniques from ever-more exotic places. However, you feel about globalization, the world is now one big pantry.

Salt Lake magazine Dining Award winners pull flavors, ingredients and techniques from cuisines all over the world, becoming ever more particular in the source of their ingredients. Take a peek into the pantries of Utah’s best restaurants.

M A R / A P R 2 0 1 9 | S A LT L A K E M A G A Z I N E . C O M

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