Salt Lake Magazine Jan-Feb 2022 by Salt Lake Magazine

CALIFORNIA DREAMING P.60 // SKIING ON A SHOESTRING P.38 MAGAZINE OF THE MOUNTAINWEST

UTAH’S N SQUEAK Y CLEA

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COMEDY NE SCE 2 5 P.

NEVER

TOLD

ON FEBRUARY 6, 2021, AN AVALANCHE ABOVE SALT LAKE CITY KILLED FOUR PEOPLE. ONE YEAR LATER, A SURVIVOR SHARES HIS STORY AND THE STORIES OF LIVES LOST. P.68

February 2022

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Timeless flies. 55 years after its debut, the 911 is still ahead of the fleeting moment. Now with a new generation of engines that are more powerful and efficient than ever. A sleek update of its iconic profile. And a cockpit loaded with technology that you’d expect in a sports car designed by German engineers. It’s a thrilling reintroduction to a clock-stopping icon, every time you fire up the engine.

Experience the 911.

Porsche Lehi 3425 North Digital Drive Lehi, Utah 84043 Tel. 801.852.5400 www.PorscheLehi.com 25 miles south of Salt Lake

©2021 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.

Electric has gone Audi. The 2022 e-tron® As the first electric SUV built with Audi DNA, the e-tron® offers ample interior space for everyday trips, long-range capability, and quattro® all-wheel drive performance.

Closer than you think; better than you’re used to. 801.438.8495 / AudiLehi.com / 3455 North Digital Drive, Lehi, UT 84043 / South of Adobe / 25 miles south of Salt Lake

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Coralie and Bruce Alder Haley and Ryan Aller Cheryl and Ryan Allman Kristin and Jeremy Andrus Kathleen Murray and Ronald Apfelbaum Kiki and Chad Ariss Cindy and Greg Bailey Amber Ballinger Karey and Brian Barker Caroline and Scott Bates Kristin and Rich Bauter Joan Baxter David Benson Karen Bettilyon Linda and Gerald Bisbee Karen and Gary Black Juli and James Blanch Megan and Brad Bonham Don Bonnema H. Roger Boyer Katy Welkie and Audrey Bramwell Lori and Mark Briesacher Lollie and Tony Broadbent Kim Brown Melissa Paschal and Jeffrey Brownawell Angi and Jeff Butler Jan and Doug Cardon Elizabeth and Michael Chardack Amanda and Kavish Choudhary Jenny and Mike Cohen Barbara and Gus Colessides Mark Coolidge Carla and Chuck Coonradt Carrie Romano and Anthony Cordova Matthew Cox Jamie and Michael Cragg Emily and David Cutt Brent Daines Meredith Kaley and Jerry Deal Judy Daly and Joel Deaton Candace and Tim Dee Nicole Deforge Cathy and Robert Dern Bonnie Donohue William Drury Chris Earl Paul Erickson Gayle and Chip Everest Jessica and Robert Fink Alice and John Finley Carol and John Firmage Mikelle Moore and Kevin Flamm Aira and Joe Flanagan Karen and David Flood Tammy and Kraig Florquist Molly, Amanda and Adam Ford Diane Freeman Larry Fusselman Scott and Alison Flynn Gaffney Donald Gamble Ashley and Anthony Gardner Carolyn and Kem Gardner Dee and Colin Gardner Mary Emmie and Arnold Gardner May Bradley and Tom Gerke Jill and Rich Gillette Jessica Hintze and Mark Gines Tiffany and Robert Glasgow Annette Gaiotti and Don Goldberg Carrie and Chet Goodwin Lara and Matthew Gordon Kathleen and Dan Granderath Mary Tolan and Ed Grzelakowski Kerri and Ryan Hacking Pamela and Scott Hale Karren and Douglas Hammer Annmarie and Duggan Hannon Brittany and Aleksander Hansen Krystal and TJ Harnden Kimberly and Mark Haroldsen

Extraordinary People Ronald McDonald House Charities® 2021 Grand Givers Cornerstones of Love Grand Givers are extraordinary individuals who make a personal direct donation of $1,000 or greater providing the most critical core operating support to Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Intermountain Area (RMHC). RMHC is facing extraordinary challenges this year which have been helped by the generosity of this group. On behalf of the pediatric patient families served by RMHC, Thank You Cornerstones of Love Grand Givers for your extraordinary support and generosity! For information on how to become a Grand Giver, email vickie@rmhslc.org or scan the QR Code below.

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Charla and Don Harris Monica Whalen and Dan Hinckley Jenay Hodges Katherina and Todd Holzhauser Phil and Lori Teske Hudson Elizabeth and Steven Huebner Kendall Hyatt Annette and Steve Isrealsen Noriene and Kenneth Jee Cynthia and James Jeffs Becky and Craig Johns Ann and Greg Johnson Peter M. and Paula Green Johnson Ann and Brad Johnston Nixon Johnston Cindy and David Jones Sarah Brown and Dave Jones Heather Kahlert Jody Heximer and Tracy Karp Sharon and Chris Kassity Kyleen, Kelly and Kim Kelsey Warren King Cindy and Dirk Van Klaveren Chalaine and Beat Koszinowski Conny Kramer Alice and Donald Lappe Angelina Tsu and Kurt Larsen Carol and Jim Laub Linda Leckman Laura and Chris Lewon Sue and Donald Lewon Mike Liddle Marti and Derik Lolli Marissa and Mike Luedy Theresa and Thomas Luedy Morgan and Jan Lynch Marnie Nuttall and Troy Martinez Kellie and Greg Matis Thomas K. and Mary Schubach McCarthey Suzelle and Bill McCullough Neal McFarlane Colleen and David Merrill Therese and Frederick Milad Deanna Combs and Jeff Miller Kathie and Mark Miller Kara and Joel Monson Linda and Rock Morphis Vickie and Bob Moschetti Ishrat and Habib Nasirullah Raoul Nelson Patrick O’Neal Jaye and Eric Olafson Ashley and Mark Parrish Judy and Dave Parrish Jennifer and Damien Patton Angela and Bill Peterson Justin Peterson Michelle and Scott Peyree Shannon and Mike Phillips Jonathan Poll Sterling Poulson Roxanne and Marc Probst Sandra and Keith Proctor Sean Radcliffe Susannah and R. Lor Randall Amy and Scott Reams Hadley and Alan Regal Samantha Larsen Richardson Aomi and Todd Richter Susan and Victor Rickman Barbara and Jim Roberts Dr. Danielle Roussel and Bert Roberts Shelli and Trevor Roberts Char and Bob Roetzel Bridget and Richard Romano Sonya and James Ruelle Kathryn and Tim Ryan Linda and Bill Sailer Nancy Gregovich and Robert Sampson Jerry Seaman

Kim and Brad Seim Stacey and Allyn Shaw Sarah and Michael Sherer Joye and Brian Shiozawa Annabelle and Dennis Shrieve Rebecca Sims Barbara Sluder Katie Smith Ashley and Matthew Smith Susan and David Smith Virginia and Miner Smith Jan and Chuck Sparrer Nancy and Rob Sparrer Mark and Chris Sparrer-Baer Deborah and Tom Spicer Barbara Stringham Laura and Brent Stringham Katie and BJ Stringham Sue and Bart Stringham Renee and Jim Swayze Marsha and Robert Tadje Yvette and Dr. Lloyd Tani Amanda and Kito Temkin Anna and Noam Temkin Eleta Tidwell Pam and Jeff Tiede Shari and Darrell Troester Trisha and Blake Troester Jim Turnbull Cindy and Dirk Van Klaveren Lynn and Charles Van Over Yolanda Versteeg and Beatrix Versteeg Laurie and Joe Vervaecke Margaret and Joseph Viland Amber and Cory Watson Lauren and Melvin Watson Penny and Allen Watson Nicole and David Weiss Tey and Scott West Blake Westwood Karen and Bill Whitaker Laura Whooley Terry and Chip Williams Katina Curtis and Skyler Wilson Chris Yoakam Jenise and Christopher Young Lisa and Chris Young Lynnie and Bert Zimmerli Tina and Daniel Zvonek

helping through Extraordinary Times

S E L L I N G U TA H ’ S M O S T

DI S T I N C T I V E PROPERTIES Recently Sold

6 BD | 3 BA | 4,686 SF | $750,000 Laurel Simmons 801.718.4681 5116 S Germania Place Murray, Utah

7 BD | 10 BA | 17,493 SF | $48,000,000 Spacious Home in a Great Location

Kerry Oman 801.369.2507 533 N Left Fork Hobble Creek Canyon Springville, Utah

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6 BD | 13 BA | 50,738 SF | $21,000,000 Kerry Oman 801.369.2507 8272 E Left Fork Hobble Creek Road Springville, Utah

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7 BD | 6 BA | 9,709 SF | $2,500,000 Dave Maltby 801.735.8378 925 Woodland Hills Drive Woodland Hills, Utah

Woodland Hills Wonderland

6 BD | 6 BA | 6,706 SF | Call for Price Onie Bolduc 435.631.1615 Croft Cabins, Waholi South of Echo State Park, Utah

Community. Heritage. Tradition.

7 BD | 7 BA | 8,111 SF | $1,750,000 Robbins / Johnson 801.209.1120 10157 South 940 West South Jordan, Utah

6 BD | 8 BA | 8,061 SF | $5,690,000 Custom Two Story Luxury Home

5 BD | 5 BA | 4,495 SF | $2,400,000 Nichole Gunther 801.652.1547 5575 Merlyn Circle Salt Lake City, Utah

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Kelly Horn 505.907.4215 4196 Aspen Camp Loop Park City, Utah

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5 BD | 6 BA | 6,016 SF | $3,950,000 Leanne Parry 435.640.8960 2310 Appaloosa Lane Park City, Utah

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13 BD | 14 BA | 14,884 SF | $11,000,000 Brett Sellick 801.502.9955 9267 N Mile 23 Sundance, Utah

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4 BD | 6 BA | 5,750 SF | $6,300,000 Kelly Horn 505.907.4215 3499 Wapiti Canyon Road Park City, Utah

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5 BD | 7 BA | 6,223 SF | $6,450,000 Michael Swan 435.659.1433 2586 Julia Court Park City, Utah

5,274 SF | 0.30 AC | $2,000,000 Mastain / Finlinson 435.513.0696 24 South 600 East Salt Lake City, Utah

5 BD | 7 BA | 8,132 SF | $3,200,000 Commercial Investment near Downtown

8 BD | 7 BA | 7,053 SF | $1,750,000 Exquisite Family Estate in Palisades

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This material is based upon information that we consider reliable, but because it has been supplied by third parties, we cannot represent that it is accurate or complete, including price, or withdrawal without notice; square footage is an estimate only. ©MMXXII Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Sotheby’s International Realty® is a licensed trademark to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates, Inc. An Equal Opportunity Company. Each Office Is Independently Owned And Operated. Copyright© Summit Sotheby’s International Realty 2022.

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10939 LAKE ISLAND DRIVE | SOUTH JORDAN 3 BD | 3 BA | 4,200 SF | $950,000 JOHN BAQUE (801) 810-9459

4505 S ROGER DRIVE | SALT LAKE CITY 4 BD | 4 BA | 3,013 SF | $1,075,000 STEPHANIE POULOS-ARRASI (801) 703-8780

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2217 W KENSINGTON PARK | WEST JORDAN 6 BD | 5 BA | 4,520 SF | $780,000 MAURA POWERS (801) 259-5490

357 CHARITY COVE | SALT LAKE CITY | 7 BD | 7 BA | 11,163 SF | .98 ACRE LOT | $3,495,000 Amenities: pool/spa, movie theater, indoor racquetball/basketball court, steam room and dry sauna JOEL PACK (801) 358-7911 SOLD

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3228 W. BLUE HEELER WAY | RIVERTON 5 BD | 4 BA | 4,687 SF | $995,000 MAURA POWERS (801) 259-5490

WASATCH FRONT 801.990.0400 • WASATCH BACK 435.649.7171 • LOGAN 435.512.3064 • ST. GEORGE 435.525.2501 • MOAB 435.259.0150 © 2022 BHH Affiliates, LLC. An independently owned and operated franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of Columbia Insurance Company, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate. Equal Housing Opportunity. Information not verified or guaranteed.

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MID-CENTURY MODERN ESTATE 550 NORTH 160 WEST CIRCLE ST. GEORGE UTAH

4 Bed 5 Bath 5,145 Sq Ft 5.87 Acres $3,295,000

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Nestled in between the iconic red rocks of Southern Utah with breathtaking views of St. George, this unique property includes water rights and easy access to awe-inspiring adventures.

Eddy Ortiz 435.625.1725, eddy.ortiz@sothebysrealty.com This material is based upon information that we consider reliable, but because it has been supplied by third parties, we cannot represent that it is accurate or complete, including price, or withdrawal without notice; square footage is an estimate only. ©MMXXI Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Sotheby’s International Realty® is a licensed trademark to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates, Inc. An Equal Opportunity Company. Each Office Is Independently Owned And Operated. Copyright© Summit Sotheby’s International Realty 2022.

contents

JANUARY/ FEBRUARY 2022

FEATURES

52 G-RATED COMEDY BY JEREMY PUGH & CHRISTIE PORTER

Garnering national attention, a squeaky clean brand of comedy has become Utah County’s main cultural export. Local comedians, performers and content creators reveal the secret of the Utah comedy scene’s success. And, never fear, these jokes have been rated “G” for general audiences.

60 ROAD TRIP:

CALIFORNIA BY JEREMY PUGH & TONY GILL

Let’s go cruising in the 409 to a oncegreat beach town, now great again. Oceanside is just the start of our California road trip. Here’s your guide to finding that California Feelin’.

68 NEVER TOLD BY TONY GILL

ON THE COVER

Photo by Marc Muench / Tandem Stills + Motion

The Millcreek Canyon avalanche shook the Utah ski community. Since, many have honored the memory of those lost, but endless stories about the people involved remain untold. This is one of those stories.

February 6, marks the one-year anniversary of a fatal avlanche in Millcreek Canyon. Writer Tony Gill tells the story of one couple whose lives were altered forever that day.

J ANUAR Y /F EB R UAR Y 2022

SALTLAKEMAGAZINE.COM

contents

23 the hive BY SALT L AKE STAFF

New Year, new you! And a new way to think about our fitness resolutions. Prepare for winter with the perfect soup to warm your belly when you hit the slopes after learning to ski on a dime! Plus, Petersen Art Center has been helping people find their inner artist for decades.

43 park city BY TONY GILL

Park City gets a new mayor and a new noodle joint, but an old problem is getting worse. Sky-high housing costs give rise to fractional home ownership.

75 75

on the table BY SALT L AKE STAFF

Pago opens a snazzy new downtown location and why you won’t find Utah’s finest wines in the state liquor store.

100 bar fly 24

BY AVREY EVANS

The latest cocktail craze is all dry—totally free from alcohol.

104 last page BY JEREMY PUGH

How did Utah’s love affair with fry sauce begin?

volume 33 number 1 Salt Lake magazine (ISSN# 1524-7538) is published bimonthly (February, April, June, August, October and December) by Utah Partners Publishing, Ltd. Editorial, advertising and administrative offices: 515 S. 700 East, Suite 3i, SLC, UT 84102. Telephone 801-485-5100; fax 801-485-5133. Subscriptions: One year ($24.95); for shipping outside the U.S. add $45. Toll-free subscription number: 877-553-5363. Periodicals Postage Paid at Salt Lake City, Utah, and additional mailing offices. Copyright 2022, JES Publishing Corp. No whole or part of the contents may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission of Salt Lake magazine, excepting individually copyrighted articles and photographs. Manuscripts accompanied by SASE are accepted, but no responsibility will be assumed for unsolicited contributions. POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to Salt Lake magazine, PO Box 820, Boca Raton, FL 33429.

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BREAKFAST I LUNCH I DINNER Overlook offers a locally inspired new American cuisine with multicultural influences.

SIGNATURE COCKTAILS I SMALL BITES I LIVE MUSIC On The Rocks offers an overriding sense that you are in the exact right place at the exact right time.

JUST MINUTES FROM PARK CITY & DEER VALLEY BlackRockMountainResort.com 909 W. PEACE TREE TRAIL

HEBER CITY, UT 84032

THE MAGAZINE FOR UTAH PR E SIDEN T & PU BLISHER

A S S I S TA N T A R T D I R E C T O R

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Scott Peterson PHOTOGR APH Y

E X ECU TI V E EDITOR

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D I G I TA L C O N T E N T E D I T O R

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PA R K C I T Y L I F E E D I T O R

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EDITOR’S LETTER

The Mortal Line Gill tells the story of one couple involved in the deadly avalanche in Millcreek Canyon on Feb. 6, 2021 (“Never Told,” page 68). The avalanche, which occurred in Wilson Glades, a backcountry skiing area, killed four people and its proximity, in the popular Millcreek Canyon, caught the city’s attention. In 1993, Jon Krakauer wrote an article in Outside magazine about Christopher McCandless, a passionate vagabond adventurer who met a tragic end. The article was turned into a book and film called Into the Wild. The original article generated more reader feedback from Outside readers than ever before. The comments (back then, we called them “Letters to the Editor”) were from two camps. The first, readers who praised McCandless’ passion and wandering spirit and a second group who wagged their fingers at the lack of preparedness and naivete that eventually led to his death in the Alaskan Wilderness. It was with McCandless and Krakauer in mind that we set out to tell the story of the people who lived and died that day in Millcreek Canyon. This is a hard story to tell, and believe

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2 0 2 2

me, Tony wrestled with it. A backcountry skier and avalanche educator, he understands high mountain experiences come with risk—frankly less risk than anyone commuting down I-15 accepts every day. But unlike mundane risks that we accept without thought, venturing into places where avalanches are possible is purposeful. Some would say those who do so are brave and daring while others would call them foolhardy and reckless. The truth lies somewhere in the middle. As one of the survivors we talked to says, “We can rationalize our mortality, but there’s a finality I didn’t appreciate. Inherently, we knew what could happen, but we never thought it would. Otherwise, why would we do it?” Our story doesn’t have an answer and so we introduce you to the bright, adventurous spirits whose lives were forever changed that day. And maybe that’s enough.

Jeremy Pugh

PHOTO CHRIS PEARSON/SKI UTAH

I N T H I S I S S U E , W R I T E R Tony

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LUCIE + GRAY PRODUCTIONS, INC. © It’s time to meet THE dynamic duo of Salt Lake City, Utah, Surae Chinn and McCall Gray. These two best friends are enthusiastic, talented and magnetic. On a whim they created a business, in the midst of the global pandemic of 2020, to use their expertise to help others. They make up the heart and soul of Lucie + Gray Productions Inc. © (L + G).

MEET L + G If the name Surae Chinn sounds familiar, you’re spot on and will recognize her on ABC4’s live, lifestyle TV show, ‘Good Things Utah’ (GTU). Surae is the first minority and Asian to be a co-host of the show that has been on the air for nearly 20 years! Bringing and representing diversity for the past two and a half years is what she is most proud of on Utah’s first lifestyle show. Surae is also a children’s book author of ‘When Clouds Come Out To Play’ published by their company. The board book was just released a few months ago.Behind the scenes of GTU you’ll find her best friend, Senior Producer, McCall Gray. McCall has been the backbone of GTU for more than six years and is one of its longest running producers. In September

2020, the show expanded to two hours, from its original one hour, daily broadcast. She created a brand new second hour from the ground up and developed it into the #1 hour of lifestyle TV in the state of Utah! McCall is meticulous when it comes to putting the highest quality, creative and informational segments on the air. Notable shows include live on location, highlighting every corner of Utah. Knowing Surae and McCall’s background, it only made sense to join forces and bring their talents together to create Lucie + Gray Productions Inc. ©. Their knowledge in front of and behind the cameras with a combined 15+ years in the industry, make them a unique pair with the skill set to bring clients an elevated finished product.

THEIR STORY People often ask the two, ‘how did you become best friends?’ ‘How did Lucie + Gray Productions Inc. © come to be?’ Well, get close, we’re letting you in on their story! Surae and McCall became fast friends while working at the ABC4 station shortly after Surae moved to Utah from D.C. to become the 4pm news anchor more than 5 years ago. Despite working in different departments, they didn’t miss a day without seeing the other and quickly knew on a soul-deep level, they were best friends. On a girls trip a few years ago, one of their friends asked ‘why don’t you start a blog?’ Apparently, the two are good entertainment! They scoffed at the idea initially, but it was destiny. As quickly as they dismissed it, it wasn’t such a silly idea after all. You could say, that was the moment Lucie + Gray was born. Surae and McCall began blogging about beauty trends, events and energy healing. That led to the Lucie + Gray lifestyle podcast on ABC4. People began asking them to influence on social media and they learned there was a need in the community. Locals and beyond were yearning to get their business, events and

messages across and promoted on social media. Lucie + Gray became an outlet to execute those things beautifully. In the summer of 2020, the time and need had come to officially make their platform a fully incorporated business, Lucie + Gray Productions, Inc. © . Surae and McCall created an unboxing series called ‘What’s In The Mail?’ (#WiTM) where they showcase different products people literally send them by mail! Anything from skincare, apparel and accessories, to Keto and mood enhancing coffee and paper towel holders. Whatever it may be, they are products they believe in. Good for you, good energy, good mission and often women owned. When they’re not unboxing you can find them out and about in the community, promoting local events. You can also catch them traveling! Visiting hot spots, restaurants, hotels, even Mexico! Giving insight into travel hacks and things to do, try and see. ‘People are finding a voice through our social media, getting their products and events out there, and we want to propel their business. We want other businesses, who align with our mission, to succeed,’ Surae said.

THEIR MISSION It’s not just a business. It’s a passion that emerged organically through the talents and love of two best friends. It’s the care of small businesses, and the desire to spotlight people’s talents in their communities. It’s that home town feel, real connections and authentic collaborations. ‘I believe in us and what we do as Lucie + Gray. How lucky am I to get to work with and have something as special as this, with my best friend. I couldn’t imagine doing any of it alongside anyone else,’ said McCall. Visit lucieandgray.com to learn more and see how Lucie + Gray Productions, Inc. © can effectively promote your business, products, and events. Catch their adventures and local events around town on Instagram and Facebook: @lucieandgray. The two end each podcasts and keep this sentiment in mind and heart, ’always be humble and kind.’ Thanks Tim McGraw!

Love, light and laughter, Lucie + Gray

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A POT FOR EVERY PLANT

R O M H E R S M A L L H O M E S T U D I O in Salt Lake City, artist

Sydney Phetmisay creates softly pigmented concrete planters and flower pots in an array of shapes and colors, invoking their namesakes, like dried apricot, desert cactus and prickly pear. Phetmisay sells her creations under the moniker The Moody Cactus, inspired by her love of house plants and the need to create colorful homes for them. Even in the dreariest of winter months, a potted indoor plant is a way to invite vibrant nature into your home. themoodycactus.com

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ST Y LE

STAY GOLD NOT COLD Cozy knits in golds and winter-white hues will warm you up this chilly season

8 7 1. Roberto Coin Oro Classic Bracelet in 18K Gold, $4,700, O.C. Tanner Jewelers, SLC 2. T-Neck Sweater, $84, Amy Boutique, Holladay 3. Women’s Long Sleeve Knit Dress, $104, The Children’s Hour, SLC 4. Gucci Black Bag, $900, Name Droppers, SLC 5. Beatrice Sweater Cape, $295, The Stockist, SLC 6. The Hoff Brand Buckingham Sneaker, $149, Mary Jane’s, Park City 7. Tan Beanie, Gigi Pip, gigipip.com 8. Folded Circle Earrings in 14K Gold, $715, Sharpe Werks, sharpewerks.com 9. Rag & Bone Sloane Boot, $550, Cake, Park City 10. Anine Bing Sydney Sweater, $299, Cake, Park City

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FOOD

THROW IT A BONE Remember when a can of Swanson’s beef broth was all we had? We’re way beyond that now. BY MARY BROWN MALOUF

COUPLE OF YE ARS AGO,

the news was full of the alleged near-miraculous health benefits of “bone broth.” And suddenly those cans of basic broth got shoved aside to make room for the new (old, really) kid on the block. I read article after article and recipe after recipe for “bone broth,” but I couldn’t really see the difference between it and the beef/ veal stock Julia Child taught me how to make in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, except you cook stock about 5 hours and you cook bone broth up to twice that long. The longer cooking time extracts more collagen that converts to gelatin, which makes wrinkles and aches caused by aging to disappear. Not really. But having long-simmered beef stock/ bone broth on hand is the foundation of making delicious food quickly. It adds depth of flavor, protein, umami and, yes, collagen if you want it, to all kinds of dishes.

STEP ONE: Befriend your butcher. STEP TWO: Simmer bones and veggies in a stockpot. STEP THREE: Use the flavorful broth as a base for some of your most mouthwatering wintertime dishes. It’s just that simple.

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BASIC BEEF STOCK RECIPE 3-4 pounds of meaty beef bones (veal bones, if you want a more delicate veal stock) 3 carrots, washed and broken in pieces 2 medium onions, peeled and cut in chunks 3 stalks celery with leaves, washed & broken in pieces 2 leeks, cleaned and cut into chunks 1 sprig thyme 2 bay leaves 2 cloves garlic 8 peppercorns Place the bones on a baking sheet, sprinkle them with 1 tsp. sugar and brown them in a 450-degree oven, turning them several times, until they are really brown. Put the bones and scrapings from baking sheet (deglazed with water) in a stockpot, and cover with cold water. Bring to a simmer—not a boil—and skim the scum for about 5-10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients to the pot and put in cold water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring to a simmer, not a boil, and skim as needed. Partially cover the pot, turn heat to low and simmer for 4-5 hours. If water gets too low, add more to the pot. Turn off the heat and let the stock come to room temperature. Strain the broth, discard the solids and put the stock in the refrigerator until the fat solidifies and rises to the top. Skim and discard the fat. Note that the recipe does not call for salt. Stock is one ingredient; salt is another. You’ll add seasoning in the final soup, sauce, stew or whatever you’re preparing with the stock.

SOUP’S ON Quick if-you-have-stock soup recipes, based on four cups of stock. (If your stock is frozen, first bring it to a simmer and season it with salt and pepper.)

INVESTING IN STOCK

Broth and bones, locally sourced and savored. TOP BROTHS

Mushroom (clear or creamed)

Vegetable Soup Cut into small dice: 1 large carrot, 1 medium red potato, 1 celery stalk, ½ medium onion, 1 medium potato; saute in olive oil with 2 minced garlic cloves until barely tender. Add them to the stock, as well as a third cup each of frozen corn and peas. Simmer together for a few minutes for flavors to meld.

PHOTO (PORTRAIT) ADAM FINKLE

LIQUID ASSET • Cook pasta, rice or other grains in stock instead of water. • Use stock as the braising liquid when making stew or pot roast. • Cook potatoes in stock instead of water before mashing.

Saute 8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms, 2 tablespoons chopped onions and 1 minced garlic clove in 2 tablespoons butter until onion softens. Stir into broth, season with salt and pepper and garnish with thyme sprigs. For creamed version, blend 1 tablespoon flour into the sauteed onion mixture, then stir in warm stock and continue stirring until soup thickens, then add a cup of cream. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Skip the Bouillon Cubes

Tomato Soup 1 can peeled and diced tomatoes, ½ onion, diced and sauteed with a clove of minced garlic and ½ teaspoon cumin, 1 cup corn kernels (optional). Add to stock and let simmer 20 minutes.

Whole Foods, 544 S. 700 East, SLC, 801-924-9060. Everyday Organic 365 Beef Broth. Beltex Meats, 511 E. Harvey Milk Blvd. (900 South), 801532-2641. Sells housemade bone broth.

BEST BONES Get ’Em Here

Snider Brothers Meats, 6245 S. Highland Dr. SLC, 801-272-6469. Offers allnatural beef femur bones (no hormones or antibiotics). Harmon’s, City Creek, 135 E. 100 South, SLC, 801-4280366. Organic beef marrow femurs and pork bones.

Beef Barley Soup 1 cup pearl barley, 1 ½ cups diced carrots, celery and onion combined and sauteed until crisp-tender, sprig or teaspoon of thyme. Add to stock and let simmer 30 minutes.

Whole Foods Market, Trolley Square, 544 S. 700 East, SLC, 801-924-9060. No antibiotics and no hormones and often from grass-fed beef.

The best kind of beef bones for stock are the knuckles—beef knuckle bones—which are really like the joints. They just have a lot of marrow in them and are best used after roasting to really draw out their flavor.” —Philip Grubisa, Beltex Meats

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HEA LTH

FITNESS FORWARD Find a new way to think about your New Year’s resolutions BY BL AKELY PAGE

F Y O U ’ R E L I K E M E , your norm on the first day of the year is writing seventeen bulleted lists detailing how this year will be different. You’re thinking about finances and trips, but more than that, you’re thinking about your body and overall health and, alas, another chance to start over. I don’t know about you, but this year, I am done starting over. The challenge in adapting the starting over mentality is that it allows room for us to give up. Fitness isn’t about conforming to outdated stereotypes, it’s about movement. Movement keeps us healthy, reduces pain and stress, helps us sleep better and manage our mental wellbeing, boosts confidence, and even helps us make new friends. Kellie Van Dyke, owner of Align Fitness Studio in SLC, is helping to change the conversation around distorted fitness idealization. The natural lighting and meditative color palate of Align’s intimate space greet visitors with a welcoming presence, making it easy for people to get to know each other.

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As Van Dyke states, the hardest part for most people is just walking in the door, “It’s super intimidating if you think about it. You walk into a gym and all eyes are on you at a time when you might not feel as strong or have the same level of confidence as you would when you’re consistent.” If you’ve been wanting to give a gym a try but feel intimidated, try a smaller studio where instructors take the time to get to know each of their clients personally to help them get moving and start to feel better. “The advantage of coming to a smaller studio like Align is that our instructors are trained to work with each client on an individual basis. They work with you no matter what level of fitness you’re at and each ALIGN FITNESS class is designed for students of all levels.” STUDIO offers The benefit of group fitness is that you’re in it barre, dance, together and you help each other get through. cardio and yoga. And, the important thing is, we’re actually For more informoving. “After COVID, we realized mation about we all need creative connection the studio reach and movement for our mental out to them at health and not just for our 801-869-2752, physical bodies. Any kind of or stop by at 450 movement any day, even if it’s just a E. 900 South, walk, can make us feel mentally and SLC. physically stronger.”

PHOTOS COURTESY ALIGN FITNESS STUDIO

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STATEWATCH

HERE WE GO AGAIN What to expect when you’re expecting the 2022 Utah Legislative Session BY CHRISTIE PORTER

HE UTAH LEGISL ATIVE SESSION begins January

18, and, for 45 days, lawmakers will swarm capitol hill and buzz around, debating issues that matter and, inevitably, a few issues that do not. While there isn’t a script to the session, once you’ve seen enough of them, patterns start to emerge. There are big-issue bills that return, in some form or another, year after year, but never seem to see the polish of the Governor’s desk. There are non-issue bills that we hope to never see or hear from again, but they insist on coming back from the dead. There are bills that emerge that have more to do with the national discourse than anything actually going on in the Beehive State. But, in the end, where legislators decide to put the money during the budget approval process shows what their priorities really are.

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SALT LAKE CITY

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find the home and agent of your dreams at winutah.com Buyer to verify all info.

MAYBE THIS YEAR WILL BE DIFFERENT

FOLLOW THE MONEY

You might have noticed that, like the bad air, Utah’s affordable housing crisis hasn’t solved itself, either. Every year, affordable housing advocates push for the legislature to invest more money in new housing. And in previous years, the legislature has ignored those requests or invested less than what advocates say is actually needed. This year (or maybe next), advocates are hoping to get some of the unused federal COVID funds earmarked for affordable housing projects. In fact, there’s a lot of unclaimed money sitting around this session. In addition to unspent federal relief money, Utah has a lot of extra revenue to spend going into the 2022 legislative session, and everyone wants a piece of it. One idea floated out there is an old favorite— tax cuts. But some want to put a twist on the old idea. “From the low-income advocacy side, rather than —STEVE ERICKSON a flat tax cut that benefits wealthy people more than the middle class, we would like to see an end to the sales tax on Cullimore (R-Sandy) already announced food,” says Erickson. legislation that could cut emissions in Another place some of that money Utah by 50% by 2030. What they’re could go? Education. Advocates are calling Prosperity 2030 would create a always asking the legislature to increase program to help low-income Utahns afthe weighted pupil unit (how they calcuford to buy cleaner vehicles and make it more expensive to register high-polluting late public education funding), of which cars. The legislation would also make Utah has some of the lowest per-pupil businesses do their part to clean the air spending of any state in the union. by implementing a cap-and-trade system Another persistent problem for the that would set a limit on emissions but let state is that pesky drought. We’ve already companies buy the ability to pollute more seen a deluge of water use proposals and from companies that are polluting less presentations leading up to the general than the state limit. That might be a hard session, and expect that to persist as well. sell to some lawmakers, but it likely won’t There is more than one way to deal with be the only piece of air quality legislation a drought, but Erickson has reservations on the hill this year. about how some of the money allocated to water might be used. “There’s $100 At the top of the “for real, we mean it this year” list is an issue that many Utahns say they care more about than any other: air quality. “Sometimes it takes a few years for good legislation to pass,” says Steve Erickson, a lobbyist and policy guy for a swath of non-profit organizations that deal with housing and homelessness, poverty, the environment and water conservation. “We’d really like to see some major effort in improving air quality in the legislature. That’s just not been happening.” But 2022 could be the year! Sen. Kirk

SOMETIMES IT TAKES A FEW YEARS FOR GOOD LEGISLATION TO PASS

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million set aside for water purposes that has not been designated,” he says. “There’s a concern that money might go to back the Lake Powell Pipeline, or Bear River Development, rather than water conservation efforts.”

BACK FROM THE DEAD Last year, we saw a wave of antitransgender legislation that particularly targeted gender dysphoria treatments for minors and trans student athletes. The discussion emerged again in committee hearings prior to the general session, and we could see the corresponding bills rise from their graves. On the other side of the transgender-related discussion, an attempt to make uniform the process to change the gender marker on legal identification could also make a comeback.

WAIT…WHAT? This legislative session, expect Critical Race Theory (something that isn’t taught in Utah public school curriculum) to lead to discussions about school curriculum transparency legislation. Meanwhile, Utah educators will continue to fight for a living wage for teachers. As election security is a hot topic nationally right now, we’re definitely going to see attempts to change the way we cast our votes, including vote by mail, although that is something that Utah does very well, compared to most states. Even though legislative sessions start to blend together after a while, there are topics that come up for discussion that could change the quality of and how we live our lives. The thing that might set this year apart is ordinary citizens showing up on the hill and letting their voices be heard at public hearings, even if it is only to say, “here we go again.”

You know the feeling in your gut when a salesperson tells you the cost of something is “complicated?”

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A RT

CAPTURING HUMANITY THROUGH CREATIVITY Petersen Art Center teaches anyone can be an artist

I N C E T H E E A R LY N I N E T I E S , the storefronts

along the Sugar House shopping district have been refaced, rebuilt, repurposed and retired. Each vitrified with thousands of memories, yet few have impacted as many lives as Petersen Art Center, founded by watercolor artist Harold “Pete” Petersen and ceramicist Mark Petersen in 1993. The father-and-son pair have frequently collaborated through the years, but their culminating endeavor happened during a phase of life when most people start to slow down. After a thirty-year career as a Highland High art teacher, Pete and his wife Lucretia took a trip to Europe to kick off his “retirement” and started planning what they’d like to do with their free time. Opting to build an A-frame home upon their return, Pete created an art studio on the upper level and opened his home to artists eager to learn from him. “There was barely any room in that space to move around. It was elbow to elbow, no social distancing back then,” Mark recalls with a chuckle, “Turns out he had around 350 students waiting to take a class.” Coming from a corporate and marketing background, Mark identified the potential and started looking for a building. Early ’90s Sugar House bears little resemblance to the now developed neighborhood. Still, once they spotted the vacant building just above 1000 East on 2100 South, they sensed its specialness and made an offer. It had no weight-bearing interior walls, and they were able to modify the space to match their vision. “Today, we could never do what we were able to do back then. This building even came with a parking lot, which is nearly impossible to

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find nowadays. We opened the doors with a small business loan for an art center.” It’s something Mark has been told set a unique precedent for art centers across the country. The ground level of the center is home to Dick Blick, a tenant the Petersens feel extremely fortunate to partner with due to the high quality of their art materials. It’s a great location for the community and students can walk right downstairs to purchase materials. Although the space that Blick occupies has evolved since the doors first opened, walking through the hallways of the top-level art center transports you to a time when things felt less chaotic; the center feels lived-in and loved. Artwork and old news article clippings create a time capsule wallpaper with notes of encouragement, proclaiming that anyone can be an artist. Mark attributes their success to the fact that they’ve done things differently. They wanted to create a space for more than a quick class; they wanted a space to encourage creativity. “What we’ve done here is to allow people to discover a wonderful part of their humanity. That’s what creativity is. It’s our humanity. Creativity and creating are the most important parts of a fulfilling life. One thing I love to share with my students is the idea of lineage, of being able to pass something down to each generation. As they scribe their initials and date on the bottom of the cup they just made, I say to them, ‘now imagine your great-great-granddaughter holding this cup 100 years from now.’” Both Mark and Pete have encountered endless students claiming they aren’t creative. Pete doesn’t buy it. He likes to tell his students, some of which have been taking lessons from him for

PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

BY BL AKELY PAGE

Father-son artists and teachers Harold “Pete” Petersen and Mark Petersen of Petersen Art Center

more than 30 years, “If you weren’t creative, you wouldn’t have come here. The fact that you even looked into it tells me you’re creative. A lot of people feel like they might want to take an art class sometime, but that feeling drifts into eternity, getting them nowhere. If you’ve had an inkling or something in the back of your mind that’s telling you to do it, give us a try. It’s never too late.” At age 91, Pete ought to know. At Petersen Art Center, there is a true sense of camaraderie not always encountered within the walls of a shared art studio, and students of all levels appear in every class. The artists take ownership of the space, following the motto to leave it in better condition than you found it. The instructors are passionate and skilled, but they don’t hover unless you want them to, and there’s always someone around to ask for help. More than 18,000 students have taken a class at the art center and it has no signs of slowing down, even during the pandemic. “It was interesting to me how willing people were to wear a mask and follow all the guidelines just to have access to our space.” says Mark. “There was very little pushback from the community, and we were surprised at the lengths to which people were willing to go to keep creating.”

For more information about classes, visit petersenartcenter.com, 1025 E. 2100 South, SLC

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Billy Schenck, The Last Sunset, 2016

BILLY SCHENCK SCHENCK’S UTAH: A LAND LESS TRAVELED | JANUARY 21 - MARCH 11, 2022

MODERNWESTFINEART.COM

412 S 700 W, SLC, UT 84104

OU TDOORS

Eagle Point

SKIING ON A DIME Experience the ‘Greatest Snow On Earth’ without breaking the bank BY MALIA ROBINSON

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H E R E I S N O B E T T E R W AY to experience Utah winter than on a pair of skis. But, let’s be real, it can be so expensive—a few hundred dollars for ski clothes, another few hundred for skis, and—oh yeah—another few hundred for a ski pass. As a college student with $30 allotted to groceries each week, the thought of dropping that much money on a new hobby made me feel insane. So, I talked to Alison Palmintere from Ski Utah to get a few tips and tricks to cut back on the costs without sacrificing comfort or safety.

PHOTOS CHRIS PEARSON, COURTESY SKI UTAH

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SHOP SECONDHAND Thrifting is a fantastic way to keep your costs down when starting to ski. Utah has an abundance of secondhand and discount stores where you can get clothing and gear on a budget. Some secondhand and outlet ski shops: LEVEL NINE SPORTS, multiple locations, levelninesports.com SKI TRUCKS, 1260 W. North Temple, SLC (not an actual truck anymore), skitrucks.com PLAY IT AGAIN SPORTS, 6910 Highland Dr. #3, SLC, playitagainsports.com SKI ‘N SEE, multiple locations, skinsee.com RECREATION OUTLET, multiple locations, recreationoutlet.com

RENT If you aren’t ready to invest in your own ski gear yet—rent! Most ski resorts have rentals available for skis, boots, helmets and poles. Some ski resorts even have coats, pants and gloves to choose from. After picking your ski resort, check out their website to see what rentals they have available. Where to rent: UTAH SKI AND GOLF, multiple locations, utahskigolf.com WASATCH SKI AND SNOWBOARD RENTAL, 6755 S. Wasatch Blvd., SLC, wasatchskiandsnowboardrental.com U OF U RENTALS, campusrec.utah.edu BYU OUTDOORS UNLIMITED RENTALS, outdoors.byu.edu OUT N BACK, 418 N. State St., Orem, outnback.com BREEZE SKI RENTALS, 1284 Lowell Ave., Park City, skirentals.com

CONSIDER SMALLER SKI RESORTS If you are just wanting to ski for a day to see how you like the sport, consider purchasing a day pass at a smaller ski resort. The slopes are perfect for learning and the cost will be significantly cheaper. Many of these resorts offer great deals if you purchase ahead of time online: BRIAN HEAD brianhead.com CHERRY PEAK skicpr.com EAGLE POINT eaglepointresort.com NORDIC VALLEY nordicvalley.ski POWDER MOUNTAIN powdermountain.com PEBBLE CREEK pebblecreekskiarea.com

ALPINE SPORTS, 1165 Patterson St., Ogden, alpinesportsutah.com

Eagle Point

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OU TDOORS

TRY MULTI-RESORT PASSES

GET YOURSELF A TEACHER

“If you’re committed to getting into skiing for a season, I recommend taking advantage of the multi-resort passes,” says Palmintere. Multi-resort passes let you explore different mountains and resorts without buying an individual day pass at each one. Ski Utah can hook you up with one of these passes on their website, but beware that some have waitlists:

Many resorts offer killer ski school deals. (Some even include rentals.) If the whole family is getting into skiing this year, there’s Ski Utah’s 5th and 6th Grade Passport. For $45, fifth graders can get three days at each resort and sixth graders can get one day at each resort. They also offer deals for an adult companion pass. And some resorts, such as Snowbasin, offer deals that give you three lift tickets, three lessons, and season-long equipment and a season pass for the remainder of the season upon completion of their ski-school program. You can also search deals on the Ski Utah website (skiutah.com). Once you have your outfit, gear, ski pass and a plan to learn, you are all set. When asked for her final advice, Palmintere says to “come prepared with a snack and a big meal in your belly” and to “try to go into skiing with an open mind. Don’t let more experienced skiers and snowboarders intimidate you. Everybody learns at their own pace. And the goal is just to get out there and work, try something new and have fun.” See you on the slopes!

EPIC: Access to Park City Mountain and seven days at Snowbasin IKON: Unlimited access to Solitude Mountain Resort, limited access to Brighton, Deer Valley, Alta and Snowbird INDY: Access to Beaver Mountain, Powder Mountain and Eagle Point POWER: Unlimited access to Brian Head and Nordic Valley SKI CITY SUPER PASS: Access to Alta, Brighton, Snowbird and Solitude SKI UTAH GOLD & SILVER PASSES: Unlimited access to 15 Utah ski resorts YETI: Good for one lift ticket at every Utah ski and snowboard resort

The Sheen Family at Alta

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WHAT TO WEAR When it comes to skiing, if you layer your clothing correctly, you can stay dry and warm even in sub-freezing temperatures. You want to make sure that you have a good base layer. Stay away from cotton, as it will soak up moisture like a sponge. You want something that is going to allow mobility, dry quickly and keep you warm. Opt for a synthetic-wool base layer to wick away moisture. You can also add a fleece or sweater over your base layer before putting on your coat. When picking out your coat, it should be completely waterproof to keep your other layers dry. A longer coat that covers your waistline will keep snow from falling down your pants all day. Speaking of pants, usually a synthetic pair of leggings under waterproof snow pants will keep you warm all day.

PHOTO CHRIS PEARSON, COURTESY SKI UTAH

THE HIVE

PARK CITY

PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

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Maggie Alvasez and Chef Matt Harris were still putting Tupelo together last October, Rushing to open before ski season.

A RETURN AS SWEET AS TUPELO HONEY BY TONY GILL

PA R K C I T Y FAV O R I T E I S R E S U R R E C T E D . Tupelo has re-

opened its doors off Main Street in a new location near Prospector. Partners Maggie Alvarez and Chef Matt Harris are thrilled to once again offer their award-winning creative fare and cocktails—Tupelo won the highly competitive Park City Cocktail Contest a few years back—to the Park City community, even as the pair maintained an area presence with their other restaurants (RIME at the St. Regis Deer Valley and Afterword in downtown Heber). The cuisine at Tupelo is inspired by Harris’ travel and experiences with sustainable, artisanal food producers, and supported by his Midway microfarm, which cultivates seed-grown heirloom varietals of tomatoes, squash, Swiss Chard, arugula, spinach, cucumbers and rhubarb found throughout the restaurant’s menu. 1500 Kearns Blvd, tupeloparkcity.com

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PARK CITY

WHICH WAY FROM HERE? Sweeping change may only preserve the status quo BY TONY GILL

simplicity of the quote, attributed to renowned political theorist Garth Algar of “Wayne’s World,” is unmatched among analysis by most observers of modern civilization. In Park City this may seem an odd thesis to apply on the heels of an election in which voters chose to clean house of incumbent officials, but the change in names atop municipal government doesn’t necessarily portend change in the community. Voters may have chosen stasis as a unifying theory. To quickly recap the 2021 municipal election in Park City, Mayor Andy Beerman, the one-term incumbent, was soundly defeated by two-term councilmember Nann Worel. In the race for two council seats, two political newcomers, Tana Toly and Jeremy Rubell, won seats filling one vacancy and ousting Councilor Tim Henny, who was seeking a third term. The newly elected officials each bring unique qualifications and perspective to the job, Worel as an experienced official, Toly as fifth generation Parkite who co-owns the oldest family run business on Main Street (The Red Banjo) and Rubell as a relative newcomer with “global business experience,” for what that’s worth. But good luck discerning details on what any of these new officials are actually planning to do.

SUMMIT COUNTY OPENS WALLET FOR OPEN SPACES Summit County voters overwhelmingly supported, by more than a two-to-one margin, a proposal for $50 million to protect open space on the east side of the county in the Kamas Valley and Weber River corridor. It’s another in a long string of decisions by county residents to accept additional tax burden in the hopes of curtailing development wherever possible.

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E F E A R C H A N G E .” The elegant

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Campaign discourse was derailed by bickering about the Black Lives Matter painted on Main Street in the summer of 2020, impassioned conversation surrounding “toxic” soil storage that strained credulity, and endless allusions to the relative transparency and opacity of processes championed by candidates. It was all a little light on the details. Voters, however, delivered a clear message, stomping the brakes on change. Issues are manifold: increased traffic, skyrocketing housing costs, employment shortages and imminent development. Voters don’t like any of those things, but in ousting officials who were aggressively pursuing solutions which were, let’s say, inconsistently popular, they might just be putting the blinders on. The genie is out of the bottle. Development rights were secured decades ago. Transit and traffic problems can’t be fixed without enormous cost and impact to certain residential areas where people won’t be happy about it. Real estate prices aren’t going to selfcorrect, but affordable housing is tough to come by when people don’t want it nearby. Parkites want a return to or a preservation of some version of the mountain town that is unlikely to persist if it ever existed in the first place. It’s time to get proactive, but if all every election cycle offers is a retreat, we’re merely kicking the can. Good luck, newly elected officials.

PARK CITY

NEW NOODS New ramen bar is a warm welcome on a cold day BY TONY GILL

E N D N O O D S ,” S AY S T H E S I G N O U T F R O N T. It’s the kind of thing you’d see on some novelty socks, but still, it’s clever enough to elicit a chuckle from me. The glowing blue sign and a white decal with the word “ramen” on the glass door were all it took to convince me to go inside. Sleet was pelting me as the temperature soggily hovered around freezing. Happiness is hot soup on a cold day. Hana Ramen Bar’s location is the epitome of nondescript. It’s tucked in a one-story office park, strip mall amalgam across the parking lot from a Taco Bell and adjacent to something called Resolute Diligence Solutions, which I couldn’t ascertain the purpose of

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once my eyes glazed over after reading it was a subsidiary of some other “solutions” based company. The interior is unpretentious. A chalkboard menu, a big-screen television playing looped snowboard movies, and Corona beer branded tables, vestiges from the previous restaurant to inhabit the space. So why, exactly, is this unfrilly establishment the most exciting restaurant in Park City at the moment? Because Hana Ramen Bar isn’t about décor or some manufactured resort town atmosphere. The focus is on the food, which to put it simply, is outstanding. The foundation of any good ramen is the broth, and Hana’s is a labor of love. 140 pounds of bones simmer for between three and five days depending on the recipe, to which fresh noodles and various other toppings are added. My personal favorite is the spicy tonkotsu. Pork bone broth is topped with chashu, tender Japanese braised pork belly, some scallions, seaweed, and a perfectly soft-boiled egg. Rayu chili oil adds just enough heat to the broth to make you notice without overwhelming the flavors. Standards include a classic shoyu ramen with a chicken and dashi broth and a vegan miso ramen, so whatever your palate or dietary needs dictate there’s a delectable bowl of freshly-made, steaming hot ramen for you. The menu also features expanding offerings of Japanese curries, rice bowls and rotating specials. Dine in for a warm, rejuvenating après scene after a day on the hill, or order takeout online. The standard Park City price hike applies—spicy tonkotsu with an egg added runs $18—but for the money you get an easygoing dining experience with authentic scratch-made ramen. Like I said before, happiness is hot soup on a cold day. 6546 N. Landmark Dr., 435-962-9188, hanaramenbar.com

PARK CITY

Fractional ownership model raises questions about cost, inventory and community BY TONY GILL

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Empire Ave. The large, exposed timbers and vaulted ceilings looked a lot more upscale mountain contemporary than early 20th century surrealist. Just a block from where I once lived in a charmingly dilapidated attic apartment with three people for $950 a month—a recession preceded the current real estate arms race—1/8 shares of the luxury home were being sold for $685,000. The Empire home is a Pacaso, which is not to say priceless. Indeed, there is a very specific price, $685,000 for a 1/8 of the pot. Pacaso, the owner, is a company which buys houses, creates an LLC with eight ownership stakes and sells them to residents who can stay in the home for up to 44 days per year. Just don’t call it a timeshare. The LLC model of home purchasing isn’t unique. 29 percent of homes in Park City are owned by an LLC, but that’s typically done for privacy or opaque tax benefit reasons. What makes Pacaso’s method innovative is it allows the company to skirt rules prohibiting timeshares or other fractional ownership restrictions in residential areas, thus enabling an entry into desirable luxury markets. It’s proven popular enough that the company reached unicorn status —a valuation of $1 billion—faster than any company in history.

PHOTOS COURTESY PACASO HOMES

WHEN SHARING TIME ISN’T A TIMESHARE

T D I D N ’ T A P P E A R C U B I S T, the home on

The meteoric rise is outshined perhaps only by the preposterous ambitiousness baked in the company’s name. “[Picasso] is credited with co-creating Cubism, which brings together individual elements to create a new and innovative whole,” the company’s website says of the Spanish Artist. “We decided on Pacaso to honor Picasso’s legacy of innovation.” The cringe-inducing homage somehow isn’t the main source of controversy for Pacaso. Some contend Pacaso’s methods will overcook an already hot market. Such was the case in Napa, California, where local pushback led the company to selling one Pacaso home to a whole home buyer and implementing a $2 million price floor to avoid pricing out families. Amy Musser, Pacaso’s Director of Communications, believes the company has the opposite effect. “We help affordability for second homeowners. If we can put five to eight families into a single luxury Pacaso listing, that’s five to eight mid-tier priced homes that are available to full time residents,” Musser says. “And Pacaso homes are utilized 90% of the year, which benefits local communities and economies.” It’s compelling reasoning, but it hasn’t satisfied every criticism. At the time of this writing, Pacaso owned a single home in Park City, but lists many “prospects” on their website. One listing was for a home in Promontory Club, a private community. When reached for comment, Nucole Fuca, Real Estate Assistant at Promontory club replied via email, “We had no idea that the listing was on the website. It has since been taken down from the website since we did not agree to list the home in that manner and had our lawyer reach out to them to stop marketing it as such. It seems as though Pacaso is taking listings they do not own and falsely representing the ability to sell them for 1/8 ownership.” The listing agent for the property, Michael Swan, said via email, “We don’t sell/allow fraction usage of homes within

Promontory Club. We are working to get this obvious scam taken down.” Both declined to elaborate further. When asked about the listing, Musser said it’s not dissimilar to other properties on the multiple listing service (MLS), even if the purchase model is different. “I can’t speak directly to that listing, but we clearly delineate between Pacaso prospects and owned homes. If there’s significant interest, we may buy it and turn it into a Pacaso.” Whether you fancy Pacaso a clever disruption in real estate that maximizes inventory and fights NIMBYISM or a bloated tech-based parasite profiting off the community is likely a matter of perspective. Park City appears a ripe market for the company, but thus far city officials have little to say on the topic. “We do not have enough information to speak to fractional ownership at this time,” says Rebecca Ward, Assistant Planning Director for Park City. Neighbors likely won’t be so circumspect.

Pacaso’s Park City Empire home.

HOW DOES A PACASO SHARE COMPARE? The median home price in Park City—including unincorporated Snyderville Basin where a majority of the population lives—was a shade over $1.3 million dollars in 2021. That’s according to Zillow’s Home Value Index, which includes the middle tier of homes and shows an increase of 29.8 percent over the past year. Pacaso shares are selling for roughly half the cost of a mid-tier home, expanding access to at least a portion of the skyrocketing market for an increased number of second home buyers.

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M O R M O N , A C AT H O L I C A N D A N AT H E I S T walk into a comedy

club…and the Diet Cokes they order are the dirtiest punchlines in this story because this club is in Utah County. Ask anyone who has made their final exodus from Utah County and they’ll tell you the culture of Happy Valley leaves much to be desired, but the strange milieu of prevalent cultural influences were the perfect conditions to create a petri dish in which the bacteria of a burgeoning comedy scene can grow. A squeaky clean comedy scene, the germs of which have become Utah County’s main cultural export, partially thanks to the viral nature of social media. We endeavored to discover the secret of the scene’s evolution and laud the success of the comedians, performers and content creators at its core.

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Comedian Natalie Madsen is a co-founder and performer at JK! Studios and on the comedy web series Freelancers.

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ow did Tanner Rahlf get into stand-up? He needed friends. His first lonely year at BYUIdaho, Rahlf found his way to open mic nights in Rexburg where he found his birds of a feather. “There is something wrong with every comedian,” he says. “When I started doing comedy in Rexburg, the college had started a club for people with depression and we all joked that there was already a club for people with depression. It was everyone doing stand-up at open mic nights.” From there he moved on to BYU in Provo and once again, not knowing a soul, found his way in the then flourishing stand-up, sketch comedy and improv scenes. With friends he met at Improv Broadway, Rahlf co-founded a sketch comedy group called The Darned. And, as the name implies, mostly works clean. “Sure, offensive humor can be very clever,” he says and often works blue, but he understands the culture that creates an audience for clean comedy. “I grew up Mormon having to censor myself, and so I know there are people who won’t like a certain kind of joke and I can work within those parameters.” But, like all of the comedians we talked to, he doesn’t think clean comedy is lesser than other types of humor. “I kind of love and hate Jim Gaffigan fans,” he says of the famous comedian known for his all-audiences brand of humor. “They’re like ‘he’s just so clean’ but I watch what he does as a comedian myself. He’s not good because he plays clean. He’s good because he’s a great comedian.”

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IMPROV BROADWAY 496 N. 900 East, Provo, 909-260-2509, improvbroadway.com

These days, he hosts the standup nights at Improv Broadway and believes that just as sketch and improv comedy in Utah County have blown up, stand-up is the next big thing. “You can feel it in Provo,” he says. “There’s something about to burst. I’m

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seeing some of the funniest stuff at the open mics that I’ve ever seen. It’s palpable. Audiences are craving more standup. There is a joy and a rush for the audience and the comedians. Like we’re all in on the same joke together.” —JP

aomi Winders came up through what is now an establishted channel. The writer, actor and comedian is in her second season on Studio C, a wildly popular show on BYU TV that is considered the gold standard of clean sketch comedy. She got her start in Divine Comedy, a student-run BYU campus group that is often scouted by Studio C producers. “Not everyone who is in Divine Comedy goes on to appear on Studio C,” she says. “But the Studio C producers often look at Divine Comedy actors when they are casting because they know we perform clean comedy at BYU.” Winders hasn’t ever played blue. All of her comedy has been in the family-friendly realm. “I work with a lot of people from Los Angeles and New York that have struggled to transfer to clean comedy,” she says. “But that’s the only kind of comedy I’ve done. It’s not a lesser form of comedy. It actually opens up even more topics. Raunchy humor falls into cliche easily. Jokes tend to be about sex, drugs, drinking. In the clean comedy realm, we’re mining other subjects and looking for the absurdity of everyday life.” A lot of the appeal for clean comedy audiences is that the whole family can enjoy it together, but that doesn’t mean it’s “little kid” humor. “You see the type of jokes that are being fed to kids on Disney or Nickelodeon,” she says. “They’re not very clever. It’s like they think the things that adults think are funny kids won’t. But kids are smarter than you think and creating a comedy show that doesn’t rely on raunchy humor creates a universal type of comedy that anyone can relate to.” —JP

Season 14 of STUDIO C airs Mondays at 5 p.m. on BYU TV and is available streaming at byutv.org.

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f you are a parent of young children, the dilemma that brothers Peter and Tyler McKellar faced will feel familiar. “We both have kids and realized that there was something missing from our lives,” Peter says. “Parents often get stuck watching kid shows and, as adults, it’s mostly painful. We wanted to make something that would make both kids and parents laugh.” The McKellars dabble in stand-up and improv but their day job work is in advertising. They had been producing commercials that involved puppets. That’s right. Puppets. A light bulb went on. “We set out to make something for parents like us,” Peter says. “Something with puppets.” That something was Nine Years to Neptune on BYU TV, a show with a cast of 11 puppets and two humans who set out on an expedition to Neptune. Sort of. “The space thing is really just a way for us to confine a number of characters in one space,” Tyler says. “It’s a workplace comedy that throws together a bunch of strangers who have zero experience or qualifications for being in space. It’s basically a mash-up of Gilligan’s Island and The Office.” The tradition of creating universal humor through the universal silliness of puppetry goes back to Sesame Street and the Muppet Show, says Dallin Blankenship, Nine Years to Neptune’s puppet captain (yes, that’s an actual job title). Blankenship studied under Micheal Earl, the Muppeteer (also a job title) who you would only recognize as the front half of Snuff lafagus. (Snuffy requires two Muppeteers.) “I learned from Earl that there are two kinds of Muppets, order and chaos. Neptune offers this juxtaposition between humans and puppets, Blankenship says. “The humans are creating order and the puppets are creating chaos.” And, that battle between chaos and order, Blankenship says, is something we can all laugh at. —JP

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NINE YEARS TO NEPTUNE airs Mondays at 5:30 pm on BYU TV and is available streaming at byutv.org.

hris Miller is the preeminent historian of the clean comedy scene in Utah, although he prefers to call it “G-Rated Comedy.” In his early 20s, Miller was making his career as a voice and TV and film actor. Lincoln Hoppe, a writer and performer in BYU’s first comedy company, Garren’s Comedy Troupe (which performed from 1993 to 2001), invited him down to Provo to teach and coach the students. “What ended up happening was they taught me improv,” Miller says. “They put me on stage and threw me into the deep end. Apologies to anyone who saw those early shows but things took off. That was 33 years ago, and I was there for all of it.” Miller moved around the scene and eventually landed at ComedySportz, a franchise with locations in LA, Chicago and, surprise, Provo. Provo’s ComedySportz was full to the rafters,” Miller says. “I’d guess I’d call that the tipping point. We had this critical mass of audiences who understood what we were doing and a format that keeps things moving. We had full houses of these enthusiastic audiences who knew why they were there.” Miller thinks that the appeal of clean comedy is that comics and writers are meeting audiences where they are and not trying to push them into places that they don’t want to go. “It’s like serving tea,” he says. “If you offer them tea and they say, ‘no thank you,’ you don’t pour it down their throats and insist they will like it. We practice consensual comedy.”—JP

COMEDYSPORTZ 36 W. Center St., Provo, 801-377-9700, comedysportzutah.com

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Dry Humor

@DRY BAR COMEDY CLUB If you share the wrong thing with the wrong person online, you can get into trouble. That was one of the modern pitfalls Dry Bar Comedy was trying to avoid when it started bringing shareable, comedic content to social media. Dry Bar produces onehour, “clean” stand-up comedy specials at their club (also dry) in Provo, takes their top comics on tour around the country, and in August launched a streaming app (Dry Bar Comedy+) where you can watch them all. Keith Stubbs is the person responsible for booking the slew of comedians necessary to support the release of three new specials each week. Stubbs is a stand-up himself—with his own Dry Bar special— and owns the Utah comedy institution Wise Guys, which he’s run for a couple of decades now. It’s that experience that tells Stubbs when a comic has what it takes. “I book Dry Bar comedians that honed their craft at places like Wise Guys open mic nights,” says Stubbs. You get just three minutes to make an audience laugh at their open mic nights. “It sounds like nothing until you’re up there, then it feels like forever,” says Stubbs. “It takes a lot of work to become a good comic. And a lot of rejection. After they’ve worked hard and had some success, Dry Bar gets the comedians that take off.” While Wise Guys takes all kinds, including some big-name, potty-mouthed headliners, Dry Bar deals exclusively in the clean stuff. But for Stubbs, himself a “funny for everyone” kind of comic, it’s not about dirty or clean, “It’s just funny. That’s the idea.” After 10 seasons, Stubbs says Dry Bar is looking to expand into other projects beyond stand-up specials, like scripted, sketch and improv comedy.

Dry Bar Comedy 295 W. Center St., Provo, drybarcomedy.com

Wise Guys Salt Lake City, Ogden, West Jordan and Las Vegas locations, wiseguyscomedy.com

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hen Natalie Madsen arrived at Brigham Young University as a freshman in 2007, she says there wasn’t much of a comedy scene back then. “That was a while ago,” she says, admitting to aging herself. (She and I are the same age, so at least she didn’t call herself ‘old.’) “There was ComedySportz, but there wasn’t a lot else…There were certainly no comedy shows on BYU TV.” “When I first started, it was kind of small, and to watch it grow throughout the years has been rewarding,” she says. Rewarding because Madsen is one of the founding members of the group that, arguably, got the proverbial ball rolling. Along with her compatriots in BYU’s sketch group, Divine Comedy, Madsen helped create the BYU TV show that would become a clean comedy juggernaut: Studio C. “At the risk of sounding conceited, I think Studio C has helped the comedy scene in the area grow,” says Madsen. “If this would have been the scene when I first came, I would have been surprised. Divine Comedy was so fun, but we never thought we could get paid to do it.” After eight years on the air as part of Studio C, Madsen and some of her other castmates are still getting paid to do it. They went on to create JK! Studios and the comedy web series Freelancers. Because of Madsen and company’s family-friendly jokes, they’ve attracted an army of devoted young followers. “We’ve always had the philosophy that we just write what we think is funny. It just so happens that kids and teens really like it. But, we never sat down and said ‘let’s write a show for 13-year-olds.’” Madsen says their young followers are highly effective fan ambassadors, proliferating the clean comedy content on social media and converting friends and family. “It’s one of the best things about doing comedy— seeing how many people we can reach.” As far as what they deem “appropriate” for their particular brand of comedy, Madsen confesses, “It’s a gut check. We were all raised in religious backgrounds, so we wanted to stay away from swearing and sexual content, and stick with things that our parents, siblings and kids could watch.”

A YOUTUBE SENSATION Studio C alum tried their hand at writing a sitcom, forming JK! Studios and making the web series Freelancers. The show follows the misadventures of the eponymous freelancers just trying to follow their dreams with a video production company called “Video Production Company.” The first season (2019) racked up 2 million views on YouTube, inspiring a crowdfunded second season, which premiered on Nov. 4, 2021. See what else these crazy kids are getting up to over at jkstudios.com.

Still, no matter how squeaky clean your comedy is, there’s always someone who wants it to be even more sanitized. “We did a sketch with a homeschooled character, and we got opposite reactions from people who had been homeschooled. Some said ‘Oh gosh, this is hilarious and dead-on,’ but others were offended that we were perpetuating a stereotype.” When Studio C did, arguably, their biggest sketch—Scott Sterling hit in the face with the soc-

cer ball—people complained about that, too. “They told us, ‘this is too bloody, this is too realistic,’ but we were really proud of it,” says Madsen. Madsen’s philosophy? “If we get feedback from people who are offended, I just kind of forget. Don’t paint yourself into a corner. Everyone has different standards. If we catered to our audience’s standards, we wouldn’t even be able to make a show.”—CP

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ROA D TRIP TIME FOR THE SUNSHINE STATE TO SHINE PHOTO CREDIT TK

BY JEREMY PUGH AND TONY GILL

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E ’ R E I N T H AT PA R T O F T H E Y E A R

that makes every Utahn think of the same restorative option: let’s go to the beach. A quick flight via SLC to SAN is the ticket. But don’t stop there. Take the train one hour north to Oceanside, a once-great, becoming-great-again beach town that still maintains an off-the-radar charm that its over-polished cousins—like Carlsbad, Malibu, Newport or Laguna— nostalgically wish they had. In addition, three luxury beachfront hotels, long longed for by town planners, now welcome guests with high-end amenities and ocean views. And you don’t even need to rent a car. How’s that for California Dreamin?

PHOTO CREDIT TK

GET YOUR ART, HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURE ON

Torrey Pines State Beach, San Diego

In the days before Southern California was connected with its vast network of four-lane concrete arteries (now clogged), there was one road—Highway One. Early car travelers ventured south from Los Angeles, often headed to Mexico for liquor during Prohibition. To make the trip, they would cross the large un-serviced Rancho Santa Margarita before arriving in Oceanside. The little town became an ideal spot to stop and stay in one of the nation’s first “travelers hotels,” aka motels. When WWII broke out, the U.S. Department of the Navy commandeered the rancho to build Camp Pendleton. Thousands of raw Marine recruits arrived in town along with builders and their families who followed the work to carve out Pendleton. Oceanside boomed. It had schools and hospitals, churches, movie palaces and department stores. The post-war ascendance of the automobile made Oceanside a destination for car buyers and the town’s new car dealerships became the place for Greatest Generation to buy its shiny Cadillacs, Buicks, Oldsmobiles and Fords. But then, bust. California sprawl and cheaper land elsewhere saw the big dealers move closer to the metro areas, leaving the husks of giant showrooms behind. These shells were occupied by down-market used car dealers. Meanwhile, the rise of malls and megaplexes in the ’60s and ’70s gutted Oceanside’s once-bustling town center.

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It also didn’t help that one of the state’s largest railroad switchyards, built during the war, was a giant eyesore in the middle of town, impeding beach access. (The switchyard was moved in the ’90s onto Camp Pendleton, much to town boosters’ relief.) But these downsides would ultimately be upsides, says Oceanside historian Kristi Hawthorne. “We were largely overlooked, and while everyone else was tearing down old buildings, neighborhoods and architectural treasures, we were left alone.” Hawthorne and her colleagues at the Oceanside Historical Society lead free two-hour walking tours (305 N. Nevada St., 760-722-4786, visitoceanside.org) that highlight this “lucky” preservation. She points to neighborhoods filled with charming, stick-built bungalows including, famously, the “Top Gun House,” where Tom Cruise’s Maverick famously bedded Kelly McGillis’ Charlie Blackwood in the 1986 film. So too preserved were palatial movie theaters featuring beautifully garish neon signs in the Googie style. For example, the Star Theatre (402 N. Coast Hwy., 760-721-9983, startheatreco. com) with its space-age-fab marquee, now bills musical theater performances from the local company. Even some of the unwieldy old car showrooms are gutted out and finding new life as restaurants and craft breweries, like the Bagby Beer Company (601 S. Coast Hwy., 760270-9075, bagbybeer.com). The works of architect Irving Gill are also a point of town pride. The minimalist modern architect who designed with subtle North African flair built four edifices in Oceanside—The Americanization School (1210 Division St.), the still operational

Fire Station No. 1 (714 Pier View Way), The Blade Tribune Building (401 Seagaze Dr.) and the original City Hall (300 N. Coast Hwy.). In 1990, when the City Hall was expanded and renovated into a Civic Center and Public Library, the effort preserved Gill’s original structures and project architect Charles Moore matched Gill’s signature simple, unadorned style. At its heart, though, Oceanside is a beach town and thus is home of the California Surf Museum (312 Pier View Way, 760-721-6876, surfmuseum.org) perfect for any ponytailed surfer dad. The highlight is the sharkbit surfboard and the accompanying story of pro surfer Bethany Hamilton, who lost her arm but ultimately survived an encounter with a tiger shark off the coast of Kauai.

family-owned shop Surf Ride (1909 S. Coast Hwy., 760-433-4020, surfride. com) offers lessons three times a week as well as gear rental. If you want to stay dry, rent a rod and reel from the pier’s bait shop and cast a line or rent a bike or four-person surrey contraption and cruise the strand. The northern end of the beachfront connects to the 10-mile (one way) San Luis Rey River Trail inland that passes by the Mission San Luis Rey (4050 Mission Ave., 760-757-3651, sanluisrey.org). Known as the “King of the Missions,” the site is a prime example of Spanish Colonial architecture with Moorish influences. The Mission offers a glimpse into California’s Spanish past through its interpretive museum, self-guided tours, educational lectures and retreat stays.

PLAY

BRING IT HOME

Oceanside’s beachfront is a wide, perfectly sandy stretch, marked midway by the state’s longest wooden pier (home of an irascible pelican named Charlie). On either side of the pier, the reliable break brings a daily lineup of surfers waiting for sets. It’s a pretty serious surfing crowd, so before you paddle out on your own, consider a lesson. The

Children running near Oceanside Pier

Located between Pier View Way and Mission Ave., Artist Alley is a collection of independent galleries and shops anchored on either end by two of the town’s 30 murals. The Alley’s top shop is Gypsy Den Boutique (1931 S. Coast Hwy., 760-512-1205, gypsydenboutique.com), a flowy-fabrics-“OneWinged-Girl” type of spot. The Alley also features an escape room and a virtual reality activity center, if that’s your bag.

Surf towns require breakfast and Oceanside’s go-to is Petite Madeline (223 N. Coast Hwy., 760-231-7300, petitemadelinebakery.com), with housemade pastries and hearty options for the most important meal of the day. But then there is toast. How good can toast be? Find out at Camp Coffee (101 N. Cleveland St., 442-266-2504, campcoffeecompany.com) where cutesy coffee drinks (think s’mores mocha) are served with hearty slices of “camp toast,” a panini-style hunk of wonder. Start a night out with a flight of wine from Coomber Craft Wines (611 Mission Ave., 760-231-8022, coomberwines.com) with a selection of wines from the Santa Barbara winemakers.

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PHOTO COURTESY VISIT OCEANSIDE

DINE

PALM SPRINGS

PHOTOS COURTESY VISIT OCEANSIDE

The Palm Springs area also offers a great escape from the snow. Although there are no beaches, the austere desert landscape invites serene reflection. Tahquitz Canyon (500 W. Mesquite Ave., Palm Springs, 760416-7044, tahquitzcanyon. com) features beautiful views and perfect for families with a sense of adventure. The Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve (29200 Thousand Palms Canyon Rd., Thousand Palms, 760, 343-1234, cnlm. org) is a true desert Oasis experience. Find yourself in a wonderland of towering palms and bubbling creeks. In the heart of downtown Palm Springs, the Palm Springs Art Museum (101 N. Museum Dr, Palm Springs, 760-322-4800, psmuseum.org) tops our list of must-try arts experiences with its permanent collection of more than 12,000 objects.

The spa at The Seabird Resort

The pool at Mission Pacific Hotel

Up the block is Mission Ave Bar and Grill (711 Mission Ave., 760-637-2222, missionavebarandgrill.com), a whiskeyforward joint (more than 200 tipples in the library) with a meticulously blended Eternal Pour bottle behind the bar. The “phrase let’s go out for Balinese” is not a thing yet. But Dija Mara (232 S. Coast Hwy., 760-231-5376, dijamara. com) is well on its way to making it so. This popping joint on the Coast Highway feels like a town center cum happy hour. California servers, presciently aware of every food preference, expertly work the tables passing out small plates of delightfully fresh Balinese cuisine. For the big meal of your trip, try Masters Kitchen & Cocktail (208 S. Coast Hwy., 760231-6278, mastersoceanside.com) where 28-year-old wunderkind Chef Andre Clark has unstuffified the menu. Clark got his start here working on the line, left for apprenticeships in some of San Diego’s finest kitchens and has returned with whiz-bang energy. For starters, he’s got a thing for albacore. Yes, Ahi’s canned cousin, which Clark points out is caught locally.

STAY

While Oceanside’s old traveler hotels were cutting edge when they opened in the 1920s, they were still bathroom-downthe-hall situations. Part of the town’s rejuvenation has been the renovation of these hotels, which always had good bones. The latest example is The Fin Boutique Hotel (133 S. Coast Hwy., 760-231-1897,

thefinhoteloceanside.com). Originally opened as the Keisker Hotel in 1927, The Fin preserves the meticulous mosaic tile flooring in the lobby, the original grand wooden-rail staircase and the Tiffany windows. The Oceanside Springhill Suites (110 N. Myers St., 760-722-1003, marriott.com) boasts a rooftop pool with ocean views and is steps from the waterfront. Slated to open in early 2022, The Brick Hotel (408 Pier View Way, 760-5197163, thebrickhotel.com) has reimagined a historic 1888 downtown building into a modern boutique hotel with peak ocean views that is located near museums, theaters, restaurants and the popular Thursday night Sunset Market. Mission Pacific Hotel, (201 N. Myers St., 855-3655078, missionpacifichotel.com) is the first of two hotels that complete Oceanside’s long-awaited beach resort development fronting the picturesque historic pier and beach. Mission Pacific offers guests a laidback and bohemian-chic vibe with 161 guest rooms, a rooftop pool and bar, and a permanent art collection sourced by the Oceanside Museum of Art. (The project preserved the “Top Gun House” and is restoring the famous spot where a young Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis “took our breath away.” ) Near the Mission Pacific, The Seabird Resort (101 Mission Ave., 855-413-7573, theseabirdresort.com) boasts a relaxed, estate-by-the-beach vibe with 226 guest rooms—many with balconies and ocean views—an expansive pool with an indoor/outdoor living room, and a rejuvenating spa.

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(TOP TO BOTTOM): FunkZone; Hearst Castle; Huntington Pier

ROAD TRIP 1

Riding the One Start: San Diego // End: Monterey The spectacular coastal Highway One is perhaps the most famous road in the country. With stunning views and plenty of incredible stops to enjoy along the way, the drive alone is better than most destinations.

2. HUNTINGTON BEACH With a classic beach town surf vibe highlighted by the landmark Huntington Pier, Huntington Beach is a must-see for any waterman. Those who aren’t surfers

can head to Pacific City for boutique shops and restaurants and explore the outdoors by horseback riding in Huntington Central Park or bird-watching in Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve. 3. SANTA BARBARA Next stop, the “American Riviera,” with a mellow Mediterranean climate perfect for outdoor fun and numerous wine vintages. Mix the old by visiting the Old Mission Santa Barbara and the new by seeing the Funk Zone with its

urban wine tasting rooms and artist studios. 4. SANTA YNEZ VALLEY WINE COUNTRY Heading north, wine lovers will find remarkably diverse grapes. Coastal fog and cool air are perfect for chardonnay and pinot noir, while the sunny, warm inland temps are ideal for Bordeaux, cab franc and merlot. No wonder this place was made famous in the 2004 film Sideways. 5. SAN LUIS OBISPO Come to this central coast college town for all the bars, art and music you can handle. Stay for art after dark, when the SLO galleries open their doors in the evenings for wine tastings from numerous local winemakers. 6. HEARST CASTLE IN SAN SIMEON Tour a grand European-style castle on the Pacific coastline. Designed by Julia Morgan, the 80,000 square foot Hearst Castle has 165 rooms, 123 acres of gardens and innumerable pieces of priceless art and antiques. It’s one-of-a-kind.

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7. BIG SUR Take a trip to an incredible 90-mile expanse of redwood and fog-lined waterfront. Visit McWay Falls, plummeting 70 feet to the beach at Julia Pfeiffer State Park. Then check out Overlook Trail, where you can see endangered California condors, ocean swells and migrating whales. 8. MONTEREY BAY Set along its picturesque namesake bay, Monterey is home to a gorgeous historic district where the remnants of old cannery buildings mingle with luxury hotels near Old Fisherman’s Wharf. The famous aquarium is one of the world’s best, getting visitors up close and personal with the marine wildlife. Oh, and golf fans can check out a little place called Pebble Beach. ROAD TRIP 2

Movie Magic Start: Griffith Observatory // End: Mammoth Mountain California is synonymous with film. Take a tour through these

PHOTOS: (HEARST CASTLE) ADOBE STOCK, (FUNK ZONE) KARNA HUGHES COURTESY OF VISIT SANTA BARBARA, (HUNTINGTON BEACH) VISIT CALIFORNIA/HUB

1. SAN DIEGO Where better to start than the amazing sunny paradise of San Diego? On top of checking out famed beaches with tasty waves like Mission and Ocean, visitors can enjoy a booming craft beer and culinary culture. Make sure to try the carne asada fries at Lolita’s.

(TOP TO BOTTOM): McWay Falls; Pioneertown; Angels Flight funicular in downtown Los Angeles

together Tonto and Ranger Reid and has since been featured in Iron Man as Afghanistan and in Gladiator when Russell Crowe rode through the Spanish countryside.

famous locations and see for yourself why they graced the big screen.

PHOTOS: ADOBE STOCK

1. GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY IN LOS ANGELES High atop Mount Hollywood, the world-class facility and surrounding green space are not only a great place to take in the stars, but they’ve also graced the silver screen. An appearance in Terminator featured a certain future governor, and the site hosted an iconic knife fight in Rebel Without a Cause. 2. ANGELS FLIGHT IN LOS ANGELES The 117-year-old railway up Bunker Hill between Hill and Olive Streets holds the odd

distinction of being the world’s shortest, but it doesn’t lack in stature. The funicular was the setting for a famous smooch between Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling in La La Land. 3. PALM SPRINGS Palm Springs is a Hollywood favorite filming location. Tom Cruise dodged wind turbine blades in San Gorgonio Mountain Pass as Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible III. Bradley Cooper played to a packed house in A Star is Born at the Palm Springs Convention Center, and the famed Palm Springs Aerial Tramway was prominently featured in the unfortunately named Skyway to Death.

4. PIONEERTOWN Just 20 minutes from Joshua Tree National Park, Pioneertown is populated with structures that appear to be from the 1800s but were actually built in as a film set in 1946. They now serve as a tourist attraction and even funky western-style lodges. 5. MUSEUM OF WESTERN FILM HISTORY Sandwiched between Sequoia National Park and Death Valley, Lone Pine has been a backdrop to more than 400 films. The Museum of Western Film History features memorabilia from movies shot there, including Samson and Delilah, Gunga Din and Django Unchained. 6. LONE RANGER CANYON The geologically impressive landmark on Movie Road brought

7. MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN The laid-back ski town below the namesake peak gets around 30 feet of snow each winter. It’s a great place to ski powder or to stage a Himalayan adventure, as was done in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. ROAD TRIP 3

Hidden Wine Country Start: Escondido // End: Plymouth Golden State wines are so revered that France outlawed bringing those California grapes overseas. While Napa soaks up the headlines, there are troves of undiscovered vines throughout the region. 1. ESCONDIDO The state’s oldest wine making tradition reaches down near the Mexican border in Escondido. Grapes grown in scenic boulderstrewn valleys make for wonderful vintages at places like Hungry Hawk Vineyards and Winery.

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5. HOT CREEK GEOLOGICAL SITE IN MAMMOTH LAKES This geothermal hot spot (pun intended) is a place full of natural marvels. Water heated by magma three miles below the surface tops 200 degrees, making for boiling geysers, fumaroles and natural hot springs all within a rockstrewn gorge.

(TOP TO BOTTOM): Chandelier Tree; a California vineyard view; foggy morning at Bodega Bay

2. TEMECULA VALLEY Hop on the De Portola Wine Trail. The flavors of Italy thrive here with more than 30 wineries, such as the Robert Renzoni Vineyards. Scores of cozy bed and breakfasts make Temecula Valley an ideal place to spend the night. 3. CUCAMONGA VALLEY Since the early 1900s, this hot spot has been known for Zinfandel and warm weather varietals. The wine is so good at Joseph Filippi Winery and Vineyards it inspired the Grateful Dead song “Pride of Cucamonga.” 4. TEHACHAPI At an elevation of over 4,000 feet, the area is best known for apple orchards between Antelope Valley and Bakersfield. But it’s also celebrated for Zinfandel and Syrah from winemakers including Triassic Vineyards.

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Seeing the poppies bloom in the spring tops it all off. 5. MADERA The Madera Wine Trail travels from the Central Valley into the Sierra Nevada foothills. The rich wine making heritage in the area traces back to Armenian, French and Italian settlers in the late 1800s, who brought Old World traditions to modern winemakers like Ficklin Vineyards and Idle Hour Winery. ROAD TRIP 4

Wilds and Views Start: Leggett // End: Malibu With gorgeous sandy beaches, redwood-covered landscapes and high alpine mountains in the Sierras, California’s natural scenery is every bit as star-studded as the neighborhoods of the Hollywood Hills.

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2. RUSSIAN GULCH BRIDGE IN MENDOCINO The dramatic ocean bluff overlooking the Pacific from Mendocino is home to saltbox cottages straight out of New England. The 527-foot-long Russian Gulch Bridge was a New Deal project that now serves as the perfect vantage point to see it all. 3. BODEGA BAY The Sonoma Coast State Park is a 17-mile string of rocky beaches and grassy headlands running north to the Russian River. Take in the Pacific scenery and try the area’s renowned seafood at stops like The Birds Café, the Fishetarian Fish Market or the Spud Point Crab Company. 4. SHAVER LAKE Head inland to Shaver Lake. With sapphire water surrounded by towering sequoias, Jeffrey pines and the granite spires of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, calling it scenic is an understatement.

7. MALIBU Wrap up with a visit to a 30-mile stretch of picture-perfect Southern California coast in Malibu. Walk along Surfrider Beach and the famous Malibu Pier, enjoy the sand at Zuma Beach and tour ancient Greek and Roman art at Getty Villa. It’s no wonder Hollywood stars and famous athletes populate the oceanside homes here. For more trip ideas, head to visitcalifornia.com Red Rock Canyon State Park

PHOTOS: (CHANDELIER TREE) ADOBE STOCK, (VINEYARD) JAY SINCLAIR/COURTESY OF VISIT SANTA BARBARA, (BODEGA BAY) ADOBE STOCK, (RED ROCK CANYON STATE PARK) ADOBE STOCK

1. CHANDELIER TREE IN LEGGETT The famed, 315-foot-tall, 2,400-year-old tree had a six-foot-wide tunnel carved through it way back in 1937. Cars have been driving through it ever since. Sure, it’s kitschy, but it’s fun and a great gateway to seeing the famous California Redwoods.

6. RED ROCK CANYON STATE PARK IN CANTIL Eroded badlands east of Bakersfield rise out of the earth forming intricately sculpted shapes of multi-hued sandstone. See the petroglyphs carved by the Kawaiisu Indians who called the area home, and stay for the night at the Ricardo Campground to enjoy dark sky stargazing.

THE BEST KIND OF

COMMUTE COOL TIMES, WARM MEMORIES

VisitIdaho.org

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PHOTO ALESSIO SOGGETTI

n avalanche accident in the Millcreek Canyon backcountry on Feb. 26, 2021 shook the Utah ski community to its core. Thousands of words devoted to the details, causes and aftermath of the accident have already been written, but endless stories about the people involved remain untold. This is but a single one of those stories, honoring the memory of those lost and seeking to chart a path forward. Chris Gmitro shot awake at midnight. An idea took root in his head, the kind that brings sudden lucidity even at the end of a REM cycle. Three hours remained until the alarm was set to kick off what was to be a massive day in the mountains, but the iron was hot. It was late March 2019. Quietly, Chris got out of bed and began to pack a climbing kit— ropes, cams, nuts and carabiners—alongside the backcountry ski gear already lined out. An hour later, he woke his partner Sarah Moughamian to consider the amended plan. It was a ladies’ choice day, and Sarah had laid out an ambitious itinerary that ticked off all three skiable aspects of Lone Peak, the towering 11,260-foot monument southeast of Salt Lake City. Chris wanted to add a fourth slope. The Center Thumb, a stout 550-foot alpine climb on a west aspect that would complete the Compass Rose. Or, they could sleep for an additional two hours. Without a moment’s hesitation, Sarah was up.

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ruthless efficiency hewn from hundreds of days in the mountains together. Details were second nature, turning what would for most be a staggeringly large objective covering more than 10,000 vertical feet into just another day. The Lone Peak 4X4, as Chris and Sarah coined it, was a distillation of the process and ambition at the center of their lives together. One adventure of many, with a mountain at its core.

Still hours from sunrise, Chris and Sarah left their car and began to climb. Every step upward yielded that snowy squeak underfoot that’s always louder in the predawn cold, part of the oddly rhythmic symphony that accompanies ski touring. The pair moved in tandem on skis up the flanks towards the Northeast Couloir where they would bootpack—laboriously stepping into snow—towards the summit of the mountain where they had first met in 2016. It was summer then. Chris descended alone through the forested trails after climbing the granite walls of the Lone Peak Cirque. He’d come to Utah in 2006 after college in Flagstaff, camping in church parking lots and doing generally whatever he could to facilitate climbing and skiing. Sarah climbed the same trail that day on her way to scale those same looming towers. Raised in a small town, Idaho City, she hadn’t let a stint in Virginia for college or a bona fide professional job as a market analyst derail a life shaped by the mountains. “I was immediately intimidated. Didn’t even make eye contact,” Chris says. “When I turned to look, she was already looking my way and smiling. That was it.” A few days later Sarah came into the Gear Room, the outdoor shop Chris opened with his brother Kevin in 2014. She was there to buy some gear, but it was as much pretense for an introduction as anything. You can get cams in a lot of places in the valley. Three years later, the pair expertly dissected the terrain on Lone Peak, following the sun. First was soft cold snow on the direct East Face. Then, perfect corn snow on the South Face as it warmed. The ski kit was left on top, replaced by a climbing kit for the west-facing Center Thumb. Finally, back on skis, they exited north into Big Willow. It was a 15-hour push with

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THE COUPLE HAD STRIKINGLY COMPATIBLE GOALS, AND THEY OUTMATCHED CASUAL INVITES.” Still, the idea of a more relaxed day in the mountains was refreshing. Joining Sarah and Chris that Saturday were Louis, Thomas and Steve. (Editor’s note: To respect the privacy of people involved, we will use primarily first names, as contemporaneous reports did.) Louis, a regular at the Gear Room, had been working at the shop for about a year and a half. A remarkably fit cyclist with a relentlessly energetic personality, he had long, curly hair, pulled over a buzzed side of his head. He wore a pink spandex suit for the ski tour. “He didn’t need your attention, but he commanded it,” Chris says. Thomas, a frequent ski partner of Louis, had ski mountaineering race experience and was a prototypically fit and strong athlete. Steve had come through the Gear Room a year earlier. A strong climber with California roots and plenty of experience in Joshua Tree, this was one of his first backcountry ski tours. Chris recalls, “He held great value for

PHOTOS COURTESY CHRIS GMITRO

Chris and Sarah sharing a summit overlooking the Salt Lake Valley. The two, each possessing an indomitable will and love of the mountains, stood atop countless peaks together.

Feb. 6, 2021, was a different type of day. No middle-of-thenight packing sessions breathtakingly early starts or lofty tick lists. This day was to be just a casual backcountry ski tour alongside friends. It was a special occasion only in that Chris and Sarah rarely skied with others. The couple had strikingly compatible goals and they outmatched casual invites. Some of their objectives were enormous—The Evolution Traverse in the Sierras and the WURL, a 36-mile, 18,000-vertical-foot ridge linkup in the Wasatch, for example—and frankly out of reach for most. Even an “average” day—which, for these two, was considered a mere training day—was itself outside most people’s comfort zone. Written in Sarah’s journals from before she’d met Chris were three lifetime mountaineering objectives. Two of them, The Cirque of the Unclimbables in Canada’s Northwest Territories and Cassin Ridge on Denali, were also in Chris’ top three most sought-after objectives. This couple had very high aspirations.

the mountains. We’d helped him with his kit in the shop, and I wanted to fill the void as a mentor for him.” The day’s objective was Wilson Glade, a northeast-facing slope that descends into Millcreek Canyon from Wilson Peak just shy of 10,000 feet. The group began around 7 a.m. from the Butler Fork trailhead in Big Cottonwood Canyon. Using climbing skins, they moved methodically up the steep-sided, pine-rimmed gulley toward a ridge between Soldier peak and Wilson. The weather was mild and partly clear, and two storms that week had dropped 21 inches of snow at nearby Solitude Mountain Resort. Amid a lackluster winter, skiing conditions were finally optimal. Avalanche conditions, as they had been for much of the season, were anything but. The skin track to the summit ridge meanders through a tightly packed, south-facing aspen forest. It’s a pleasant and still atmosphere, below the saddle separating the two canyons. Replete with views and a notable absence of sound, it was the ideal environment for backcountry skiers to feel at peace, in their element, hidden from the scale of nature. Not until nearly reaching Wilson’s summit, 3,000 feet above the car, do the more imposing aspects of the mountains emerge. The Wilson Chutes. Perfect, nearly symmetrical barrels running almost eastward from the peak. With mid to upper 30-degree slopes blanketed by wind deposited snow, the Wilson Chutes are what powder dreams are made of. They’re also obvious avalanche terrain, devoid of vegetation often with cornices at the top and recent debris at the bottom. Today, they held an ominous sign. Natural avalanches had stripped the snow to the ground, leaving barren rocky scars in their wake.

Sarah rapelling high on an alpine wall. A typical ski day for Chris and Sarah often involved diverse and technical mountaineering skills.

Uninviting, and a clear reflection of the day’s forecasted avalanche hazard, which the Utah Avalanche Center (UAC) rated as high for persistent slab avalanches on all terrain above 9,500 feet on the eastern half of the compass. Wilson Glade is avalanche terrain—generally understood to be any terrain 30-degrees or greater in steepness—within the high-danger parameters regarding aspect, elevation and slope angle on Feb. 6. But backcountry skiing is rarely a cut-anddried affair, with much of the activity taking place on the margins of safety. Wilson Glade is a place where sliding scales of risk tolerance and probabilities frequently overlap. It’s avalanche terrain to be certain, but compared to surrounding areas it appears almost innocuous. Below a steep, short headwall of pine is an open meadow. It touches the 30-degree threshold, but only just, and for only a couple hundred vertical feet. Large avalanches here are comparatively rare, and all these factors can contribute to a false sense of security. I, myself, have frequented Wilson Glade on days when considerable avalanche risk was forecast thinking, as the group on February 6 did, if there were any slides they would be pockety and manageable through a combination of careful terrain choice and travel protocol. I say this without judgment and acknowledge a baked-in complacency around certain terrain and behaviors that have permeated parts of the backcountry community. Denial is the religion of the insecure.

Thirty-seven people died in avalanches in the United States during the 2020-21 season according to data compiled by the UAC. Seven of those deaths occurred in Utah. These numbers are simultaneously astonishing and pedestrian. We humans have a strange relationship with risk assessment. A single shark attack fatality and a handful of encounters off the coast of Cape Cod since 2012 have people scrambling from the waves like characters in Jaws. Meanwhile, hundreds of people are killed and thousands are injured annually on Utah roadways, but there isn’t much panic-driven discourse surrounding people driving on snowy mountain roads. Backcountry skiing is caught somewhere in the middle, more dangerous than great whites, less so than cars. But the risks are gaining wider attention. Last year was among the most dangerous on record for backcountry users, but not by a stunning margin. There were 34 fatalities in both 2007 and 2010. Still, anecdotal judgments about the cause of accidents abound. It’s new, inexperienced users because of the pandemic. It’s overcrowding on the safer slopes because of the sport’s popularity, pressuring people to push boundaries. It’s social media hype and available information on the internet getting people in over their heads. And on it goes. Every avalanche accident is a result of cascading factors. Yes, the aforementioned concerns do contribute to some incidents. But the numbers suggest on a per-user-day basis, backcountry skiing is likely becoming safer, not more dangerous.

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In Wilson Glade, Chris, Sarah, Louis, Thomas and Steve were greeted with cold powder. One by one, they made arcing turns down the open meadow for several hundred feet before a few more turns where the slope angle lessened and the trees got tighter. Afterward, they put skins on and climbed back up, spacing out one at a time to cross the steepest, most exposed portion of the slope. The skin track on the slope’s east side was commonly used and their travel protocol was sound for many days in Wilson Glade when persistent slab danger is lower. Upon reaching the ridge after the second lap, Steve decided he would rest up top while the other four took a final lap. The four skiers dropped in once more, scrawling the last of the 14 tracks they made on the slope before beginning to ascend as they had twice already.

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Meanwhile, a second group of skiers was heading up to ski Wilson Glade. Stephanie, Nate and Ethan started from Millcreek Canyon around 8:30 a.m. They skinned up the plowed road until reaching the Alexander Basin trailhead, where they headed southeast towards Wilson Glade. Nate and Ethan, slightly ahead of Stephanie, waited near the bottom of Wilson Glade to regroup and discuss travel and conditions before entering steeper terrain. Unbeknownst to them, Chris and Sarah’s group was ascending just above. They, likewise, were unaware of the group below. That’s when the mountain, suddenly, roared to terrible life. An avalanche 1,000 feet wide, between 3- and 4-feet deep, tore from the slope. It’s impossible to know exactly what triggered the slide. Chris lunged for a tree, miraculously holding on as the snow engulfed and swept past him. The very ground beneath his feet was gone, leaving him clinging to the tree above the bed surface as the torrent came to rest. Steve, on the ridge above, was safe. The other six skiers were buried, and it was silent once again. A rescue, equal parts heroic and tragic, unfolded. Chris dropped from the tree and turned his avalanche transceiver to search as Steve skied down to assist. Chris acquired a signal, struck a person with his probe and with the help of Steve dug out the victim who was unconscious but breathing. It was Nate, who they neither recognized nor knew was on the slope. A stranger to them. Chris made a call to 911. It was 11:40 a.m.,

PHOTOS: (LEFT) COURTESY CHRIS GMITRO; (RIGHT) BRUCE TREMPER

Backcountry travel numbers are difficult to accurately count, but total UAC contacts (page views, forecast hotline calls, mobile app sessions and forecast emails delivered) peaked at around 2.25 million in 2007 and reached nearly 4.75 million in 2021. Though vague on specifics, this indicates a huge influx of backcountry users with only a mild uptick in total accidents during a year with a particularly complicated snowpack. “A common theme across the west last season was early snow in November followed by sustained dry periods in December, almost the entire month,” says UAC forecaster Nikki Champion. “In the Wasatch, that created faceted grains and a weak persistent layer all over the range. In Utah, it’s common to deal with faceted grains on north-facing aspects, but we’re less familiar with seeing a persistent weak layer that lasts for so long. Storms weren’t deep enough to bury the weak layer and cause it to go dormant until almost the end of the season, a problem that plagued the entire west.” Persistent weak layers are named for a reason, they persist. Faceted snow grains, which create an unstable layer, can form quickly, in hours to days, but they take a long time, sometimes months, to heal. Because facets often exist deep in the snowpack, they are widely distributed across terrain beneath thick slabs of snow. When avalanches occur on failures in persistent weak layers, the slides are often deep, well connected across entire slopes and very dangerous. Such avalanches are also less predictable than avalanches that occur in new snow, creating an ever-present threat that lasts throughout a season. “Last year’s persistent weak layer led to issues with decision making,” Champion says. “There was user fatigue and forecasting fatigue communicating the same problem from day to day. When people are avoiding the persistent weak layer and aren’t getting negative feedback, complacency builds and it’s more difficult to respect how dangerous it still is. There’s a large range of outcomes with snowpack structure and stability, and as weather patterns change, we need to become more comfortable with them in the Wasatch.”

BELOW: Sarah enjoying the granite of Little Cottonwood Canyon in summer. RIGHT: The aftermath of the avalanche in Wilson Glade. The crown of the avalanche shown in the photo is nearly four feet deep in places. The slide broke nearly 1,000 feet wide and ran more than 400 vertical feet. The failure occurred on a persistent weak layer of faceted grains near the ground.

roughly 10 minutes after the avalanche. Just feet away, Chris and Steve had located and began to uncover another skier. Nate had regained consciousness and assisted in shoveling. It was Ethan, another member of Nate’s downslope group. Ethan was unconscious but breathing. Chris acquired another transceiver signal and the three rescuers located Sarah about 150 feet away. She was not breathing and didn’t have a pulse. Chris began CPR on Sarah while Steve and Nate continued searching for victims, finding Louis just downhill. He was not breathing and didn’t have a pulse. At this point, Chris ceased resuscitation efforts and rejoined the search for victims. The group located and uncovered Thomas, and then 100 feet downhill, Stephanie. Neither was breathing nor had a pulse. By 1:40 p.m., rescue personnel were lowered onto the scene via helicopter, after which Chris, Steve, Nate and Ethan were taken from the area in a Life Flight air ambulance. Four people, Sarah Moughamian, 29, Louis Holian, 26, Thomas Steinbrecher, 23, and Stephanie Hopkins, 23, had lost their lives. The remarkable rescue effort by the surviving skiers had saved two lives. Nobody could have achieved a better outcome under such circumstances. Spend enough time in the mountains, and it’s likely you’ll be touched by tragedy. It’s a cruel bargain. Between our conversations, last fall, a friend of Chris and a pillar of the climbing community, Mason Boos, was killed while climbing in Little Cottonwood Canyon. A loose block of granite had fallen. It was a callously random and blameless accident. Mason was 25.

Chris speaks with a poised self-awareness about life in the mountains. Utterly sincere without a trace of glibness. He has a clear-eyed understanding not only of what hindsight says about the accident that changed his life but also of the inherent paradoxes that bring people to the places where life and death can intersect. “There are entire books and professions devoted to understanding risk, but there are no great answers,” Chris says. “We talked about our expectations and how dangerous our lifestyle could be. It’s a beautiful gift to have had those conversations with Sarah. We can rationalize our mortality, but there’s a finality I didn’t appreciate. Inherently we knew what could happen, but we never thought it would. Otherwise, why would we do it? The answer is always a dead end.” Concrete details are evident. A persistent weak layer of faceted snow formed during cold, dry periods in December. At some point on February 6, a large, though not unprecedented, avalanche for Wilson Glade was initiated on that layer, 90 cm deep, while seven skiers were in exposed terrain, and four people were killed. A preventable tragedy with lessons to learn for every honest observer. Yet, intellectual exercise can take us only so far. Each person involved was a wonderful soul full of hope, ambition, flaws and promise. That’s what the community lost. Promise and innocence. Diagram, analyze and rationalize all you want, the only certainty is perfection isn’t possible and we will end up here again. Call it passion, desire, a sense of identity or something else entirely, but there’s a magnetism that pulls towards a mortal line. An abstract combination of randomness and fallibility determines which side oif that line any day can land on.

THE REMARKABLE RESCUE EFFORT BY THE SURVIVING SKIERS SAVED TWO LIVES.” In the fall, Chris was rehabbing an ACL injury sustained while skiing a month after the accident. He had no plans to give up skiing and climbing. Steve, likewise, remains embedded in the mountain community, working part-time at the Gear Room. As Chris reflects, he returns again to that day in 2019, a moment of tandem purpose and dreams liberated from the tragedy of February 6, 2021. Atop Lone Peak, Chris and Sarah shivered, huddling in their warmest layers waiting for the sunrise to wash the summit in pink light. The first climb of the day was over. The reward, indefinable but endlessly imaginable, is still ahead. It is a brief respite from endless motion. Little to do but wait and find peace in thinking of nothing particular at all. “Sarah never wanted notoriety or recognition,” Chris says. “She found such joy in the purity of pursuit and the process. The most amazing stories are the ones that are never heard.

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ON THE TABLE F O O D

T R E N D S

D I N I N G

PAGO ON MAIN

PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

C O T T E VA N S S H O O K U P his restaurant

portfolio last year to scale down but couldn’t resist scaling up when the former J. Dawgs spot on Main Street opened up. (Why so much space for hot dogs?) The menu by Chef Phelix Gardner is a more casual version of the flagship Pago and was originally designed for an airport location that fell through. See next page.

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ON THE TABLE

PAGO 2.0 Scott Evans gets back to basics BY JEREMY PUGH

IF YOU GO Pago 878 S. 900 East, SLC, 801-532-0777, pagoslc.com Pago on Main 341 S. Main St., SLC, 801-441-2955, pagoslc.com Finca (Formerly Trestle Tavern) 1513 S. 1500 East, SLC, 801-532-3372, fincaslc.com Casote (opening in Spring 2022) 1512 S. 1500 East, SLC

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PHOTOS ADAM FINKLE

Scott Evans

ago at Ninth and Ninth was at the forefront of a new era of restaurants and food in SLC. Scott Evans, with his partners in the Pago Group, grew that success into many more restaurants and a much larger endeavor than the group’s original nookish namesake restaurant and Pago Group became a key player in the SLC dining scene. But then, of course, pandemic. Owning and operating hospitality businesses without any business threatened to bring the whole enterprise down. “We had seven closed restaurants with no idea how long we’d have to stay closed,” Evans says. “It was a matter of finding a way to survive.” So the band broke up, in a sense. Together the partners decided to split up and sell off the holdings. “We were trying to buy time,” Evans says. “We figured if we could reduce the risk to the whole group we’d add stability for everyone.” George, East Liberty Tap House and the ill-fated Birdhouse were sold off. Hub and Spoke went to a partner and Evans assumed full ownership of Pago (the original) and Trestle Tavern. It was a painful and frantic time, Evans recalls. But through pain comes understanding, and Evans says he learned a lot. “It was the first time in 15 years that I’d actually been able to stop and reflect on life and business,” he says. Now, Evans says he is able to focus on smaller spaces, less administration and supporting his staff. All this self-work, of course, didn’t stop him from opening a second, more casual version of Pago on Main Street, reopening Trestle Tavern on 15th and 15th as his beloved Finca and, gasp, preparing to open a small “wine-forward” neighborhood bar, called Casote, also at 15th and 15th. Evans is not exactly a “sit-still” kind of person, after all.

WHERE TO EAT A select list of the best restaurants in Utah, curated and edited by

SALT LAKE CITY & THE WASATCH FRONT American Fine Dining ARLO 271 N. Center St., SLC, 385-266-8845. arlorestaurant.com

Chef Milo Carrier has created a destination in a small, charming house at the top of the Marmalade neighborhood. A fresh approach and locally sourced ingredients are the root of a menu that bridges fine and casual dining, at once sophisticated and homey.

BAMBARA 202 S. Main St., SLC, 801-363-5454. bambara-slc.com

Chef Nathan Powers makes decisions about food based on sustainability and the belief that good food should be available to everybody. Using a Burgundian imagination, he turns out dishes with a sophisticated heartiness three times a day.

THE CHARLESTON 1229 E. Pioneer Rd., Draper, 801-550-9348. thecharlestondraper.com

Offering gracious dining in Draper, Chef Marco Silva draws from many culinary traditions to compose his classic but exciting menu—artichoke souffle, braised halibut, ratatouille. The setting, in an old house surrounded by gardens, is lovely and we love his high standards: No kids under 11 Friday and Saturday evenings and an indoor dress code.

GRAND AMERICA

HAofLL

555 S. Main St., SLC, 801-258-6708. grandamerica.com

LOG HAVEN

FA M E 6451 E. Millcreek Canyon Road, SLC,

Grand America Hotel’s Garden Cafe is one of the dinner stars of the city, and the kitchen makes sure other meals here are up to the same standard. The setting here is traditionally elegant but don’t be intimidated. The food shows sophisticated invention, but you can also get a great sandwich or burger.

HSL

801-272-8255. log-haven.com

Certainly Salt Lake’s most picturesque restaurant, the old log cabin is pretty in every season. Chef Dave Jones has a sure hand with American vernacular and is not afraid of frying although he also has a way with healthy, lowcalorie, high-energy food. And he’s an expert with local and foraged foods.

PAGO

418 E. 200 South, SLC, 801-539-9999. hslrestaurant.com

878 S. 900 East, SLC, 801-532-0777. pagoslc.com

The initials stand for “Handle Salt Lake”— Chef Briar Handly made his name with his Park city restaurant, Handle, and now he’s opened a second restaurant down the hill. The place splits the difference between “fine” and “casual” dining; the innovative food is excellent and the atmosphere is casually convivial. The menu is unique—just trust this chef. It’s all excellent.

341 S. Main St., SLC, 801-441-2955. pagoslc.com

Tiny, dynamic and food-driven, Pago’s ingredients are locally sourced and reimagined regularly. That’s why it’s often so crowded and that’s what makes it one of the best restaurants in the state. The list of wines by the glass is great, but the artisanal cocktails are also a treat.

PROVISIONS 3364 S. 2300 East, SLC, 801-410-4046. slcprovisions.com

LA CAILLE 9565 Wasatch Blvd., Sandy, 801-942-1751. lacaille.com

Utah’s original glamour girl has regained her luster. The grounds are as beautiful as ever; additions are functional, like a greenhouse, grapevines and vegetable gardens, all supplying the kitchen and cellar. The interior has been refreshed and the menu by Chef Billy Sotelo has today’s tastes in mind. Treat yourself.

This selective guide has no relationship to any advertising in the magazine. Review visits are anonymous, and all expenses are paid by Salt Lake magazine.

Listings

Salt Lake magazine

With Chef Tyler Stokes’ bright, fresh approach to American craft cuisine (and a bright, fresh atmosphere to eat it in), Provision strives for handmade and local ideals executed with style and a little humor.

SLC EATERY 1017 S. Main St., SLC, 801-355-7952. slceatery.com

The SLC Eatery offers culinary adventure. Expect equally mysterious and delightful entrees and exciting takes on traditional dishes.

HAofLL

FA M E

Dining Award Hall Of Fame Winner

Quintessential Utah

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ON THE TABLE

Downtown Ogden’s Table 25 wants to be your new neighborhood favorite BY JOSH PETERSEN

t was always Ogden.” For Jaimie and Justin Buehler, the journey to opening their new restaurant Table 25 was always destined to end in Justin’s hometown. The restaurant opens as Ogden grows its reputation as a place that nurtures artists, restaurants, small businesses—basically anything that makes a city great. Their space on Historic 25th Street, with refreshed interiors that are modern but not stuffy, is at the heart of Ogden’s eclectic downtown. Just a couple of blocks away is Ogden’s new Nine Rails District, a hub for artists and creatives supported by the city. (Meanwhile, your neighborhood in SLC is probably getting…more luxury condos.) Years before opening Table 25 in 2021, the couple met in Newport Beach, Calif., began dating and bonded over their shared passion for food. “As soon as we met, we started talking

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about our ideas and aspirations of opening something of our own,” he says. They then moved to Utah and spent seven years working together at The Copper Onion, all the while searching for the right location and time to open their own place. They finally found the perfect spot right on 25th Street. Even as the pandemic and an unprecedented labor shortage made it a brutal time for new restaurants, Jaimie and Justin couldn’t pass up the opportunity. After growing their careers at one of SLC’s buzziest restaurants, the couple hopes to make a dining destination of their own up north. Table 25’s menu is globally-inspired American cuisine with an emphasis on local produce, and Executive Chef Baleigh Snoke will adjust dishes seasonally with certain staples anchoring the menu year-round. Mussels and frites, already a favorite of Table

PHOTOS COURTESY TABLE 25, PAIGE SMITH AND FERNANDO NEVAREZ

25 ON 25TH

25 regulars, is one of those mainstays. The highlight of Snoke’s interpretation of this classic Belgian dish finds inspiration elsewhere in Europe—a flavorpacked Spanish broth with chorizo, tomato and beurre blanc. The Buehlers aimed to build a menu both elevated enough for a special occasion and casual enough for an everyday lunch. The couple’s favorite dishes illustrate this balance—Jaimie’s is a sesame-crusted ahi with seared snap peas, pickled carrots and spicy mayo, while Justin prefers the cheeseburger made with smoked cheddar from Utah-based Beehive Cheese. For both Jaimie and Justin, support from the local community confirms that they made the right choice coming to Ogden. Longtime restauranters in the area, like Kim Buttschardt of Roosters Brewing and Steve Ballard of The Sonora Grill, offered feedback and support. The city council worked to ensure Table 25 could serve alcohol on their patio. And most customers have been Ogden locals, which now includes the Buehlers—they live in a condo above the restaurant with their young twins, who can walk downstairs and hang out in the kitchen with their mom and dad. For Justin, it’s a long-awaited homecoming, and the small city has even won over the West Coaster. “I told [Jaimie] that if she didn’t like it we could go back to California,” Justin says. “We’re still here.”

IF YOU GO

Justin and Jaimie Buehler

Table 25 195 25th St., Ste. 4, Ogden table25ogden.com 385-244-1825

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ON THE TABLE

WHERE’S THE WINE? Despite a growing Utah wine industry, you probably won’t find the best Utah juice at the liquor store. Here’s why.

ased on what you don’t see on the shelves of Utah state liquor stores, you might think there is no such thing as a Utah wine industry. That probably syncs up with your vision of Utah: a state run by teetotallers in the legislature who don’t want anyone else to have any fun. But that’s just half the story. The number of wineries and vineyards in Utah has actually grown in the last few years, and Utah wineries are growing, making and selling wines with distinct terroir that can compete on a national stage. Doug McCombs is the owner of IG Winery (59 W. Center St., Cedar City, 435-TOP-WINE, igwinery.com) and the founder of the Utah Wine Festival. He’s out to dispel

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the myth that Utah’s wine industry is nonexistent. “You’ll still get a giggle sometimes when you talk about Utah wine,” he says. “But the wines being produced here are really good. At tastings and festivals, they are consistently surprising people at how good the quality is.”

ALL ABOUT THAT GRAPE That doesn’t mean Utah vintners don’t have their growing pains. “There are six wineries in Southern Utah. Some of them have vineyards…but if you slice that six ways, there’s not a lot of grapes to go around,” says McCombs. New vineyards would help, but, “when you plant vine, it takes at least five years before you get fruit,” McCombs says.

PHOTOS COURTESY IG WINERY AND LA CAILLE

IG Winery Tasting Room

BY CHRISTIE PORTER

TABLE X 1457 E. 3350 South, SLC, 385-528-3712. tablexrestaurant.com

A trio of chefs collaborate on a forwardthinking thoroughly artisanal menu—vegetables are treated as creatively as proteins (smoked sunchoke, chile-cured pumpkin, barbecued cannelini beans) bread and butter are made in-house and ingredients are the best (Solstice chocolate cake.) Expect surprises.

American Casual BLUE LEMON 55 W. South Temple, SLC, 801-328-2583. bluelemon.com

Blue Lemon’s sleek interior and high-concept food have city style. Informal but chic, manyflavored but healthy, Blue Lemon’s unique take on food is a happy change from downtown’s food-as-usual.

CAFE NICHE 779 E. 300 South, SLC, 801-433-3380. caffeniche.com

The food comes from farms all over northern Utah, and the patio is a local favorite when the weather is fine.

CITRIS GRILL 3977 S. Wasatch Blvd., SLC, 801-466-1202. citrisgrill.com

Most dishes come in either “hearty” or “petite” portion sizes. This means you can enjoy a smoked salmon pizzetta or fried rock shrimp appetizer and then a petite order of fireroasted pork chops with adobo rub and black bean-corn salsa. Expect crowds.

COPPER KITCHEN 4640 S. 2300 East, Holladay, 385-237-3159. copperkitchenslc.com

A welcome addition to Holladay, Ryan Lowder’s Copper Kitchen reprises his downtown Copper Onion and Copper Common success with variations. The menu is different, but the heartiness is the same; the interior is different but the easy, hip atmosphere is the same, and the decibel levels are very similar.

COPPER ONION 111 E. Broadway, SLC, 801-355-3282. thecopperonion.com

An instant hit when it opened, constant crowds attest to the continuing popularity of Ryan Lowder’s Copper Onion. Though the hearty, flavorful menu changes regularly, some favorites never leave: the mussels, the burger, the ricotta dumplings. Bank on the specials.

CUCINA 1026 E. 2nd Ave., SLC, 801-322-3055. cucinaslc.com

LITTLE AMERICA COFFEE SHOP 500 S. Main St., SLC, 801-596-5704. saltlake.littleamerica.com

Little America has been the favorite gathering place for generations of native Salt Lakers. Weekdays, you’ll find the city power players breakfasting in the coffee shop.

LONDON BELLE SUPPER CLUB

Cucina has added fine restaurant to its list of descriptors—good for lunch or a leisurely dinner. The menu has recently expanded to include small plates and substantial beer and wine-by-the-glass lists.

321 S. Main St., SLC, 801-363-8888. londonbelleslc.com

It’s a combo deal—restaurant and bar. That means you have to be over 21 to enter but it also means that you can stay in one place all evening. Their kitchen serves up everything from duck confit nachos to their signature 12-ounce Niman Ranch ribeye.

THE DODO 1355 E. 2100 South, SLC, 801-486-2473. thedodorestaurant.com

It’s hard even to update the review of this venerable bistro. So much stays the same. But, like I always say, it’s nice to know where to get quiche. And our raspberry crepes were great. Yes, I said crepes.

MOOCHIE’S MEATBALLS 232 E. 800 South, SLC, 801-596-1350; 2121 S. State St., South Salt Lake, 801-487-2121; 7725 S. State St., Midvale, 801-562-1500. moochiesmeatballs.com

This itty-bitty eatery/take-out joint is the place to go for authentic cheesesteaks made with thinly sliced steak and griddled onions glued together with good ol’ American cheese and wrapped in a big, soft so-called French roll.

EPICURE 707 E. Fort Union Blvd., Midvale, 801-748-1300. epicureslc.com

American food here borrows from other cuisines. Save room for pineapple sorbet with stewed fresh pineapple.

NOMAD EAST 1675 E. 1300 South, SLC, 801-883-9791. nomad-east.com

HUB & SPOKE DINER 1291 S. 1100 East, SLC, 801-487-0698. hubandspokediner.com

This contemporary diner serves the traditional three a day with an untraditional inventiveness applied to traditional recipes. Like, artisanal grilled cheese with spiked milkshakes. And mac and cheese made with spaetzle. Breakfast is king here—expect a line.

Nomad East is cousin to the original, nowclosed Nomad Eatery. It’s in the charmed location on 1300 South where Eggs in the City used to be. Everything here is cooked in a pizza oven, even the roasted chicken (a must-have.) Chef Justin is a salad wizard. Fun and excellence combined.

OASIS CAFE 151 S. 500 East, SLC, 801-322-0404. oasiscafeslc.com

LEFT FORK GRILL 68 W. 3900 South, SLC, 801-266-4322. leftforkgrill.ipower.com

Every booth comes with its own dedicated pie shelf. Because no matter what you’re eating— liver and onions, raspberry pancakes, meatloaf or a reuben—you’ll want to save room for pie. Tip: Order your favorite pie first, in case they run out. Now serving beer and wine.

Oasis has a New Age vibe, but the food’s only agenda is taste. Lots of veg options, but meat, too. The German pancakes are wonderful, but its evening menu suits the space—being both imaginative and refreshing.

ONE-0-EIGHT 1709 E. 1300 South, 801-906-8101. one-0-eight.com

One of the most delightful venues in town, especially in nice weather. Salads and vegetables

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ON THE TABLE

Utah’s wine industry is growing, but it doesn’t have the existing infrastructure or support from the state that they need to grow at the speed they would like. Just like grapevines, these things take time, and Utah wineries are literally having to do it from the ground up and often in the face of bureaucratic resistance. Selling wine in Utah is a little tricky, thanks to legal restrictions and growing pains aren’t limited to the wineries in Southern Utah. Chateau La Caille (9565 Wasatch Blvd., Sandy, 801-942-1751, chateaulacaille.com) has a vineyard at the base of Little Cottonwood Canyon. “We’re farmers at heart,” says La Caille winemaker Mike Marron, and as proud as he is of their own grapes, you can only get so much of them from three acres of vines. Without enough local grapes, winemakers need to look elsewhere to supplement their stock, which raises the question: can you call it a Utah wine if all of the grapes in the bottle aren’t grown here? “As long as it’s produced, bottled here in Utah, it’s a Utah wine,” says McCombs. “We have to make a unique blend for Utah, regardless of where the grapes come from.” IG Winery does manage to sell a wine that is made from 100% Utah grapes— McCombs’ Utah Cabernet Sauvignon retails for $100 per bottle. “It’s highly unusual to be able to get that kind of money for your wine,” says McCombs. “We don’t sell any of it for less than $60 a bottle, and it flies off the shelves.” Likewise, La Caille makes wine both from grapes grown in their own vineyard and grapes sourced elsewhere (most of their wines retail $45-$75). Grapes from their vineyard make the Enchanté Estate Seyval Blanc (Utah Wine Festival 2021 Gold Medal Winner) and the Estate Rosé, a blend of the Seyval Blanc and Dornfelder grapes. Marron is likewise fastidious and particular about his wine, regardless of where the grapes are from. Of all of the grapes he samples for his wines, he estimates he only ends up ordering 5% that pass muster to use in his wine. “The best quality we can find, we get,” Marron says simply. Despite the demand, you likely won’t see La Caille’s wines or IG Winery’s Utah Cabernet Sauvignon in Utah’s liquor stores. La Caille sells most of their wine, about 70%, through the restaurant, even as they’ve expanded to allow for on-site bottle purchases directly from the winery. And just about the only place you can get a bottle of IG Wine is at its winery. Unless, that is, you live out of state. We’ll explain.

WHERE’S THE WINE? In addition to the cost and care of producing quality wine, by the time a bottle reaches liquor store shelves, the price markup is considerable—some might say unpalatable. At 88%, the Utah DABC markup is higher than any other state. “Distributors were the only ones making real money, in this case that’s the State,” says McCombs. And some wineries felt they had to produce cheaper wines to make selling in liquor stores an economically viable option. “They had to be able to make money while selling to the state,” says McCombs, “But that reinforced the idea that Utah wines were cheap and low quality. We tried to play that game, but it wasn’t what I

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Vineyards at La Caille

wanted to achieve. I believed that Utah could produce excellent wines that didn’t have to apologize to anyone for what they were.” Thus, IG Winery just stopped trying to sell through the state.

SO, REALLY, WHERE’S THE WINE? Without the retail power of the liquor store, there aren’t a whole lot of options for a small winemaker in Utah to legally sell their wine. Wineries can sell directly to consumers at the winery, or they can sell to the rest of the country. IG Winery has a wine club that ships customers four bottles of wine every quarter. But no company can ship alcohol of any kind directly to Utah residents. So, he’s focused on selling his wine out of state. There have been attempts to allow wine clubs to ship to Utah. In 2020, legislators compromised by allowing wine lovers to ship their club wine to a state store and pick it up, along with that hefty 88% markup. “It was a nice idea in concept, but one that hasn’t rolled out effectively,” says McCombs. “It’s not there yet.” Even without the support from the state, local winemakers are forging ahead. “We’re finding other ways around it,” says McCombs. “When we started, we were the only winery in southern Utah. It’s growing. It’s growing slowly.” Chateau La Caille is growing, too. Parts of the building the winery shares with La Caille restaurant is undergoing a remodel as they both expand, moving forward with plans to open up a new tasting room and café seating, in part for more opportunities to sell wine outside of a five-course meal. At the moment, Chateau La Caille offers tastings by appointment only. In southern Utah, McCombs is helping to put together the Utah Wine Trail, a pass that will get you into six wineries as well as a special gift after you visit all six, which he hopes to have off the ground in March. And the Utah Wine Festival has continued to grow every year, surprising locals and tourists alike with the quality of Utah wine. “It’s easier for us who have been around a while to take up the mantle of promoting Utah wines,” says McCombs. “We’re beginning to create a sort of association—a family of Utah producers—who want to get the word out about the quality of what we’re doing.”

stand out because of their extreme freshness— ingredients from Frog Bench Farms in the city. Pizza is also a standout.

OQUIRRH 368 E. 100 South, 801-359-0426. oquirrhslc.com

Little and original chef-owned bistro offers a menu of inventive and delicious dishes—whole curried lamb leg, chicken confit pot pie, milkbraised potatoes—it’s all excellent.

PIG AND A JELLY JAR

The giant biscuits come with every meal, and the chocolate pudding should.

business, sharing space with a brightly-lighted cafe and plenty of fresh pastry. Plus, gelato.

RYE

THE BAKING HIVE

239 S. 500 East, SLC, 801-364-4655. ryeslc.com

3362 S. 2300 East, SLC, 801-419-0187. bakinghive.com

The food rocks at this hip version of a diner connected to Urban Lounge. At breakfast (which lasts until 2 p.m.), the soft scrambles or the waffles with whiskey syrup are called for. Open for brunch on the weekends. Now a 21+ establishment.

BAGEL PROJECT

401 E. 900 South, SLC, 385-202-7366; 227 25th St., Ogden, 801-605-8400; 1968 E. Murray Holladay Rd., Holladay, 385-695-5148. pigandajellyjar.com

SILVER FORK LODGE

Great chicken and waffles, local eggs, and other breakfasts are served all day, with homestyle additions at lunch and supper on Thursdays through Sundays.

Silver Fork’s kitchen handles three daily meals beautifully. Try pancakes made with a 50-yearold sourdough starter. Don’t miss the smoked trout and brie appetizer.

PORCH

STELLA GRILL

11274 S. Kestrel Rise Rd., Bldg. G, South Jordan, 801679-1066. porchutah.com

4291 S. 900 East, SLC, 801-288-0051. stellagrill.com

A chef-owned restaurant in the new urban community of Daybreak, this sleek little cafe was conceived by Meditrina owner Jen Gilroy and focuses on locally-sourced cuisine with southern touches.

PORCUPINE PUB AND GRILLE 3698 E. Fort Union Blvd., SLC, 801-942-5555. porcupinepub.com

With 24 beers on tap available for only $2 every Tuesday, Porcupine has practically created its own holiday. Chicken noodle soup has homemade noodles and lots of chicken. Burgers and chile verde burritos are good, too.

ROOTS CAFÉ 3474 S. 2300 East, East Millcreek, 801-277-6499. rootscafeslc.com

A charming little daytime cafe in Millcreek with a wholesome, granola vibe.

RUTH’S DINER 4160 Emigration Canyon Rd., SLC, 801-582-5807. ruthsdiner.com

The original funky trolley car is almost buried by the beer garden in fine weather, but Ruth’s still serves up diner food in a low-key setting, and the patio is one of the best. Collegiate fare like burgers, BLTs and enchiladas rule here.

779 S. 500 East, SLC, 801-906-0698. bagelproject.com

11332 E. Big Cottonwood Canyon Rd., Brighton, 801-533-9977. silverforklodge.com

248 W. 900 South, SLC, 385-770-7024. bigodoughnuts.square.site

Vegan. Doughnuts. Need we say more? Blueberry-lavender, tofutti cream cheese, etc.

BISCOTTS BAKERY & CAFE 1098 W. Jordan Pkwy., South Jordan, 801-890-0659. biscotts.com

TIBURON 8256 S. 700 East, Sandy, 801-255-1200. tiburonfinedining.com

Servings at Tiburon are large and rich: elk tenderloin was enriched with mushrooms and demi-glace; a big, creamy wedge of St. Andre came with pork belly. In summer, tomatoes come from the garden.

501 E. 900 South, SLC, 385-202-7167. traditionslc.com

Plan your meal knowing there will be pie at the end of it. Then snack on pigs-in-blankets (sausage from artisan butcher Beltex) and funeral potatoes. Fried chicken, braised pork, chicken and dumplings are equally homey. Then, pie.

Bakeries AMOUR CAFE

“Real” bagels are the whole story here, made by a homesick East Coaster. Of course, there’s no New York water to make them with, but other than that, these are as authentic as SLC can get.

THE BIG O DOUGHNUT

A cool little arts-and-crafts-style café, Stella is balanced between trendy and tried-and-true. The careful cooking comes with moderate prices. Great for lunch.

TRADITION

Tucked behind Provisions restaurant, this homespun bakery uses real butter and cream. Classes allow kids to ice and decorate their own cakes and they offer gluten-free options, too.

An Anglo-Indian teahouse, Lavanya Mahate’s (Saffron Valley) latest eatery draws from intertwined cultures, serving tea and chai, English treats and French pastries with a hint of subcontinental spice.

CARLUCCI’S BAKERY 314 W. 300 South, SLC, 801-366-4484. carluccisbakery.com

Plus a few hot dishes make this a fave morning stop. For lunch, try the herbed goat cheese on a chewy baguette.

CITY CAKES & CAFE 1860 S. 300 West, SLC, 801-359-2239. 192 E. 12300 South, Draper, 801-572-5500. citycakescafe.com

Gluten-free that is so good you’ll never miss it. Or the dairy—City Cakes has vegan goodies, too. And epic vegan mac n’ chezah.

1329 S. 500 East, SLC, 801-467-2947. amourspreads.com

The jammin’ duo John and Casee Francis have a home for their Amour Fruit Spreads

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EVA’S BOULANGERIE

PASSION FLOUR PATISSERIE

R&R BBQ

155 S. Main St., SLC, 801-355-3942. evasbakeryslc.com

165 E. 900 South, SLC, 385-242-7040. passionflourslc.com

307 W. 600 South, SLC, 801-364-0443. Other locations. randrbbq.com

A smart French-style cafe and bakery in the heart of downtown. Different bakers are behind the patisserie and the boulangerie, meaning sweet and daily breads get the attention they deserve. Go for classics like onion soup and croque monsieur, but don’t ignore other specials and always leave with at least one loaf of bread.

A vegan-friendly cafe located in an up-andcoming neighborhood. They offer coffee and tea lattes and a variety of croissants: the crust is flaky and buttery (despite the lack of butter). They also bake up some deliciously moist custom vegan cakes for any occasion.

Owned by brothers Rod and Roger Livingston, winners on the competitive barbecue circuit. Ribs and brisket star, but fried okra steals the show.

FILLINGS & EMULSIONS 1475 S. Main St., SLC, 385-229-4228. fillingsandemulsions.com

This little West-side bakery is worth finding— its unusual pastries find their way into many of Salt Lake’s fine restaurants. Pastry Chef Adalberto Diaz combines his classical French training with the tropical flavors of his homeland. The results are startlingly good and different.

GOURMANDISE 250 S. 300 East, SLC, 801-328-3330. gourmandise.com

This downtown mainstay has cheesecakes, cannoli, napoleons, pies, cookies, muffins and flaky croissants. And don’t forget breads and rolls to take home.

LA BONNE VIE 555 S. Main St., SLC, 800-621-4505. grandamerica.com

Cuter than a cupcake, Grand America’s pastry shop has all the charm of Paris. The pretty windows alone are worth a visit.

LES MADELEINES 216 E. 500 South, SLC, 801-673-8340. lesmadeleines.com

The kouign aman still reigns supreme among Salt Lake City pastries, but with a hot breakfast menu and lunch options, Les Mad is more than a great bakery.

MRS. BACKER’S PASTRY SHOP 434 E. South Temple, SLC, 801-532-2022. mrsbackers.com

RUBY SNAP FRESH COOKIES 770 S. 300 West, SLC, 801-834-6111. rubysnap.com

The Trudy, Ruby Snap’s classic chocolate-chip cookie. But it’s just a gateway into the menu of delicious fresh cookies behind the counter at Ruby Snap’s retro-chic shop on Salt Lake’s west side.

SO CUPCAKE 4002 S. Highland Dr., SLC, 801-274-8300. socupcake.com

Choose a mini or a full cake, mix and match cakes and icings, or try a house creation, like Hanky Panky Red Velvet.

TULIE BAKERY 863 E. 700 South, SLC, 801-883-9741. tuilebakery.com

You can get a little spiritual about pastries this good on a Sunday morning, but at Tulie you can be just as uplifted by a Wednesday lunch.

VOSEN’S BREAD PARADISE

SALTLAKEMAGAZINE.COM

880 E. 2100 South, SLC, 801-463-4800. sugarhousebbq.com

This place is a winner for pulled pork, Texas brisket or Memphis ribs. Plus killer sides, like Greek potatoes.

Bar Grub & Brewpubs (Also check bar listings.)

AVENUES PROPER PUBLICK HOUSE 376 8th Ave., SLC, 385-227-8628. avenuesproper.com

It’s a restaurant and brewpub, with the emphasis on small plates and late hours. The food is inventive, the beer is good and—big plus—they serve cocktails as well as brew at this neighborhood hot spot.

BOHEMIAN BREWERY 94 E. 7200 South., Midvale, 801-566-5474. bohemianbrewery.com

This German-style bakery’s cases are full of Eifelbrot, Schwarzbrot, Krustenbrot and lots of other Brots as well as sweet pastries and fantastic Berliners.

Bohemian keeps a firm connection to its cultural history—so to go with the wonderful Czech beer, you can nosh on potato pancakes, pork chops and goulash. There’s also plenty of American beer fare.

Barbecue & Southern Food

LEVEL CROSSING BREWING CO.

328 W. 200 South, SLC, 801-322-2424. vosen.com

PAT’S BARBECUE 155 E. Commonwealth Ave., SLC, 801-484-5963. patsbbq.com

One of Salt Lake City’s best, Pat’s brisket, pork and ribs deserve the spotlight but sides are notable here, too. Don’t miss “Burnt End Fridays.”

A Salt Lake tradition, Mrs. Backer’s is a butter cream fantasy. Fantastic colors, explosions of flowers, most keyed to the current holiday created from American-style butter cream icing, fill this old-fashioned shop.

THE SUGARHOUSE BARBECUE COMPANY

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2496 S. West Temple, SLC, 385-270-5752. levelcrossingbrewing.com

Going out to grab a beer with your closest circle, your homies, in South Salt Lake. Crafted beers come with a light fare menu offering a vegan wrap, BLT or classic Italian hoagie.

DESERT EDGE BREWERY 273 S. Trolley Square, SLC, 801-521-8917. desertedgebrewery.com

Good pub fare and freshly brewed beer make this a hot spot for shoppers, the business crowd and ski bums.

RED ROCK BREWING

MILLCREEK CAFÉ & EGGWORKS

254 S. 200 West, SLC, 801-521-7446; 6227 State St., Murray, 801-262-2337. redrockbrewing.com

3084 E. 3300 South, SLC, 801-485-1134. millcreekcafeandeggworks.com

Red Rock proves the pleasure of beer on its own and as a complement to pizzas, rotisserie chicken and chile polenta. Not to mention brunch. Also in the Fashion Place Mall.

This spiffy neighborhood place is open for lunch, but breakfast is the game. Items like a chile verde-smothered breakfast wrap and the pancakes offer serious sustenance.

SQUATTERS PUB BREWERY

Burgers, Sandwiches & Delis

147 W. Broadway, SLC, 801-363-2739. squatters.com

One of the “greenest” restaurants in town, Squatters brews award-winning beers and pairs them with everything from wings to ahi tacos.

WASATCH BREWPUB

expanded brewing and burger capacity, two big shared patios. And ski-ball.

Much-needed neighborhood eatery serving burgers, dogs, chili and fries. Try the “burger bowl”—just what it sounds like and twice as messy.

Part of the same mega “boutique” group that produces Squatters and Wasatch beers and runs the pubs in Salt Lake City and Park City with those names, this extension is everything you expect a brewpub to be—hearty food, convivial atmosphere, lots of beer and a great late-ish option.

Finally, SLC has a Jewish deli worthy of the name. Stop by for your hot pastrami fix or to satisfy your latke craving or your yen for knishes.

222 S. Main St., SLC, 385-322-1270. thedailyslc.com

Chef Ryan Lowder’s only non-Copper restaurant (Onion, Commons, Kitchen) is open all day for breakfast, lunch and noshing. Call in and pick up lunch, stop in and linger over Stumptown coffee, take some pastries to go and don’t miss the biscuits.

EGGS IN THE CITY 2795 S. 2300 East, SLC, 801-581-0809. eggsinthecity.com

A familiar face in a whole new space—the favored breakfast joint has moved to Millcreek. Hip and homey, all at once.

FINN’S CAFE 1624 S. 1100 East, SLC, 801-467-4000. finnscafe.net

The Scandinavian vibe comes from the heritage of owner Finn Gurholt. At lunch, try the Nordic sandwiches, but Finn’s is most famous for breakfast (best pancakes in town), served until the doors close at 2:30 p.m.

2005 E. 2700 South, SLC, 801-906-0369. feldmansdeli.com

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

20 W. 200 South, SLC, 801-355-3891. siegfriedsdelicatessen.com

The only German deli in town is packed with customers ordering bratwurst, wiener schnitzel, sauerkraut and spaetzle.

TONYBURGERS

A biker-bar-inspired burger joint, Lucky 13 has won first place for burgers in the World Food Championships. You can choose from the regular menu of 11 burgers, ranging from the foot-tall “Big Benny” with its 28 ounces of ground chuck to the “Ring of Fire,” topped with jalapeños and habaneros to the Fungus Amongus, featuring mushrooms sauteed in red wine. With so many choices, you’re bound to find one you like. This is a 21+ establishment.

PRETTY BIRD CHICKEN 145 S. Regent St., SLC; 700 E and 2100 South, SLC prettybirdchicken.com

Chances are you’ll still have to wait in line for Chef Viet Pham’s Nashville hot chicken. There is really only one thing on the menu—spicy fried chicken on a bun or on a plate. Go early—Pretty Bird closes when the kitchen runs out of chicken.

865 S. Main St., SLC, 801-906-8604. properburgerslc.com

The national favorite has landed in Utah and surely there will be more to come. Danny Meyer’s all-American favorite serves burgers, mediocre fries and milkshakes, along with other fast food faves. Play board games and try one of their super cool shake flavors.

SIEGFRIED’S

LUCKY 13

PROPER BURGER AND PROPER BREWING

Same ownership as Publik coffee, only the Kitchen has a more extensive menu. Don’t miss the BLT, made with tomato jam.

776 N. Terminal Dr., SLC, shakeshack.com

535 N. 300 West, SLC, 801-657-7327. diversioneatery.com

FELDMAN’S DELI

THE DAILY

931 E. 900 South, SLC, 385-229-4205. publikcoffee.com

SHAKE SHACK

DIVERSION

2110 S. Highland Dr., SLC, 801-783-1127. wasatchbeers.com

Breakfast/Lunch Only

PUBLIK KITCHEN

613 E. 400 South, SLC, 801-410-0531. tonyburgers.com

This home-grown burger house serves freshground beef, toasted buns, twice-fried potatoes and milkshakes made with real scoops of ice cream.

Coffee CAFFE D’BOLLA 249 E. 400 South, SLC, 801-355-1398. caffedbolla.com

John Piquet is a coffee wizard—a cup of his specially roasted siphon brews is like no other cup of coffee in the state. His wife, Yiching, is an excellent baker.

LA BARBA 155 E. 900 South, SLC; 9 S. Rio Grande, SLC, 385-429-2401. labarbacoffee.com

Owned by locally owned coffee roasters—a favorite with many local restaurants—this little cafe off of George serves coffee, tea, chocolate and pastries.

Sibling to Avenues Proper, the new place has

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PUBLIK

BOBA WORLD

502 E. 3rd Ave., SLC, 385-229-4836; 975 S. West Temple, SLC. publikcoffee.com

512 W. 750 South, Woods Cross, 801-298-3626. bobaworld.blogspot.com

Serving the latest in great coffee; the old-school java joint made for long conversations; a neocafe where you can park with your laptop and get some solo work done.

This mom-and-pop place is short on chic, but the food on the plate provides all the ambiance you need. Try the scallion pancakes, try the Shanghai Fat Noodles, heck, try the kung pao chicken. It’s all good.

SALT LAKE ROASTING COMPANY

GINGER STREET

820 E. 400 South, SLC, 801-363-7572. roasting.com

SLC’s original coffee shop owner John Bolton buys and roasts the better-than-fairtrade beans.

Central & South American AREMPA’S 350 S. State St., SLC, 385-301-8905. arempas.com

Happy, casual Venezuelan food—arepas, tequenos, cachapas—basically everything is cornmeal filled with pulled beef, chicken or pork and fried. But—also the same fillings between slices of plantains. And a chocolate filled tequena.

BRAZA GRILL

324 S. State St., SLC., 385-477-4975. gingerstreet.com

Chef Tyler Stokes, who owns Provisions, owns Ginger Street indulging his passion for Southeast Asian food, and providing an alternative for downtown diners. The fast-casual concept offers spins of classic dishes like dan-dan noodles and dumplings.

HONG KONG TEA HOUSE & RESTAURANT 565 W. 200 South, SLC, 801-531-7010. hongkongteahouse.yolasite.com

Authentic, pristine and slightly weird is what we look for in Chinese food. Tea House does honorable renditions of favorites, but it is a rewarding place to go explore.

5927 S. State St., Murray, 801-506-7788. brazagrillutah.com

J. WONG’S BISTRO

Meat, meat and more meat is the order of the day at this Brazilian-style churrascaria buffet.

Drawing from their Thai and Chinese heritage, J. Wong’s menu allows you to choose either. Lunch—Chinese or Thai—isn’t a good deal. It’s a great deal. Don’t miss the ginger whole fish or the Gunpowder cocktail. Call ahead for authentic Peking duck.

RODIZIO GRILL 600 S. 700 East, SLC, 801-220-0500. rodiziogrill.com

The salad bar offers plenty to eat, but the best bang for the buck is the Full Rodizio, a selection of meats—turkey, chicken, beef, pork, seafood and more—plus vegetables and pineapple, brought to your table until you cry “uncle.”

Chinese & Pan-Asian ASIAN STAR 7588 S. Union Park Ave., Midvale, 801-566-8838. asianstarrestaurant.com

The menu is not frighteningly authentic or disturbingly Americanized. Dishes are chefdriven, and Chef James seems most comfortable in the melting pot.

SALTLAKEMAGAZINE.COM

163 W. 200 South, SLC, 801-350-0888. jwongs.com

French & European BRUGES WAFFLE AND FRITES 336 W. Broadway, SLC, 801-363-4444; 2314 S. Highland Dr., 801-486-9999. brugeswaffles.com

The original tiny shop turns out waffles made with pearl sugar. Plus frites, Belgian beef stew and a gargantuan sandwich called a mitraillette with merguez. Other locations have bigger menus.

CAFÉ MADRID 5244 S. Highland Dr., Holladay, 801-273-0837. cafemadrid.net

Authentic dishes like garlic soup share the menu

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with port-sauced lamb shank. Service is courteous and friendly at this family-owned spot.

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

Founding chef Franck Peissel’s influence can still be tasted—personal interpretations of continental classics. Some, like the meatloaf, are perennials, but mostly the menu changes according to season and the current chef’s whim.

MONSIEUR CREPE 1617 S. 900 East, SLC, 787-358-9930. monsieurcrepesut.com

This French-style creperie offering both savory—Brie, prosciutto, tomato—and sweet— whipped cream, fruit, chocolate—fillings. The famous Gallic pancake evolved from a food truck into a charming cafe with a very pretty patio.

Indian BOMBAY HOUSE 2731 E. Parley’s Way, SLC, 801-581-0222; 463 N. University Ave., Provo, 801-373-6677; 7726 Campus View Dr., West Jordan, 801-282-0777. bombayhouse.com

This biryani mainstay is sublimely satisfying, from the wise-cracking Sikh host to the friendly server, from the vegetarian entrees to the tandoor-grilled delights. No wonder it’s been Salt Lake’s favorite subcontinental restaurant for 20 years.

CURRY IN A HURRY 2020 S. State St., SLC, 801-467-4137. ilovecurryinahurry.com

The Nisar family’s restaurant is tiny, but fast service and fair prices make this a great takeout spot. But if you opt to dine in, there’s always a Bollywood film on the telly.

HIMALAYAN KITCHEN 360 S. State St., SLC, 801-328-2077. himalayankitchen.com

Indian-Nepalese restaurant with an everexpanding menu. Start the meal with momos, fat little dumplings like pot stickers. All the tandoor dishes are good, but Himalayan food is rare, so go for the quanty masala, a stew made of nine different beans.

KATHMANDU 3142 S. Highland Dr., SLC, 801-466-3504; 250 W. 2100 South, SLC, 801-935-4258; 863 E. 9400 South, Sandy, 801-981-8943. thekathmandu.net

Try the Nepalese specialties, including spicy pickles to set off the tandoor-roasted meats. Both goat and sami, a kibbeh-like mixture of ground lamb and lentils, are available in several styles.

ROYAL INDIA 10263 S. 1300 East, Sandy, 801-572-6123; 55 N. Main St., Bountiful, 801-292-1835. royalindiautah.com

ESTE PIZZA

Italian & Pizza

2148 S. 900 East, SLC, 801-485-3699; 156 E. 200 South, SLC, 801-363-2366. estepizzaco.com

ARELLA’S 535 W. 400 North, Bountiful, 801-294-8800. arellapizzeria.com

Chic pizza in Bountiful. Arella’s pies appeal to pizza purists, traditionalists and adventurers, with wood-fired crusts and toppings that range from pear to jalapeño.

BRICKS CORNER 1465 S. 700 East, SLC, 801-953-0636. brickscornerslc.com

Northern Indian tikka masalas and Southern Indian dosas allow diners to enjoy the full range of Indian cuisine.

Bricks is the sole purveyor of Detroit-style pizza in Salt Lake City, baked in a steel pan and smothered in cheese, some might think it resembles a lasagna more than a pizza. You’ll want to come hungry.

SAFFRON VALLEY EAST INDIA CAFE

CAFÉ TRIO

26 E. E St., SLC, 801-203-3325. saffronvalley.com

Lavanya Mahate has imported her style of Indian cooking from South Jordan to SLC. Besides terrific lunch and dinner menus, East Indian Cafe offers regular celebrations of specialties like Indian street food or kebabs. Stay tuned.

SAFFRON VALLEY

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

Pizzas from the wood-fired brick oven are wonderful. One of the city’s premier and perennial lunch spots. Be sure to check out their weekly specials.

CAFFÉ MOLISE AND CAFFÉ MOLISE BTG

1098 W. South Jordan Parkway, South Jordan, 801438-4823. saffronvalley.com

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

Highlighting South Indian street food, one of the glories of subcontinental cuisine, Lavanya Mahate’s restaurant is a cultural as well as culinary center, offering cooking classes, specialty groceries and celebration as well as great food.

The old Eagle building is a gorgeous setting for this city fave, with outdoor dining space and much more. Sibling wine bar BTG is under the same roof. Call for hours.

SAFFRON VALLEY 479 E. 2100 South, SLC, 801-203-3754. saffronvalley.com

Yet another iteration of Lavanya Mahate’s vision of her homeland, this Saffron Valley location combines the best of her other three restaurants: Indian street foods, classic Indian and the Indian-Anglo bakery.

TANDOOR INDIAN GRILL 729 E. 3300 South, SLC, 801-486-4542; 4828 S. Highland Dr., Holladay, 801-999-4243. tandoorindiangrill.com

Delicious salmon tandoori, sizzling on a plate with onions and peppers like fajitas, is mysteriously not overcooked. Friendly service.

CAPUTO’S MARKET AND DELI 314 W. 300 South, SLC, 801-531-8669; 1516 S. 1500 East, SLC, 801-486-6615; 4670 Holladay Village Plaza, Holladay, 801-272-0821. caputos.com

A great selection of olive oils, imported pastas, salamis and house-aged cheeses, and the largest selections of fine chocolate in the country. The deli menu doesn’t reflect the market, but is a reliable source for meatball sandwiches and such.

CUCINA TOSCANA 282 S. 300 West., SLC, 801-328-3463. toscanaslc.com

This longtime favorite turns out Italian classics like veal scaloppine, carbonara and a risotto of the day in a chic setting. A tiny cup of complimentary hot chocolate ends the meal.

Try the “pink” pizza, topped with ricotta and marinara. Vegan cheese is available, and there’s microbrew on tap.

NUCH’S PIZZERIA 2819 S. 2300 East, SLC, 801-484-0448. nuchspizza.com

Nuchs-pizzeria-and-restaurant.com A New York-sized eatery (meaning tiny) offers big flavor via specialty pastas and wonderful bubbly crusted pizzas. Ricotta is made in house.

OSTERIA AMORE 224 S. 1300 East, SLC, 385-270-5606. osteriaamore.com

An offshoot of the ever-growing Sicilia Mia group, the food here is not highly original —expect carpaccio, fried octopus, all kinds of pasta and pizza in the nicely redesigned space.

PER NOI TRATTORIA 3005 S. Highland Dr., SLC, 801-486-3333. pernoitrattoria.com

A little chef-owned, red sauce Italian spot catering to its neighborhood. Expect casual, your-hands-on service, hope they have enough glasses to accommodate the wine you bring, and order the spinach ravioli.

THE PIE PIZZERIA 1320 E. 200 South, SLC, 801-582-5700; 3321 S. 200 East, South Salt Lake, 801-466-5100; 7186 Union Park Ave, Midvale, 801-233-1999; 10627 Redwood Rd., South Jordan, 801-495-4095. thepie.com

Students can live, think and even thrive on a diet of pizza, beer and soft drinks, and The Pie is the quintessential college pizzeria. While the original is a University neighborhood instituion, more locations have popped up around the valley to serve more than just the collegiate crowd.

PIZZERIA LIMONE 613 E. 400 South, SLC, 801-953-0200; 1380 E. Fort Union Blvd., SLC, 801-733-9305; 11464 S. Parkway Plaza Drive, South Jordan, 801-495-4467; 42 W. 11400 South, Sandy, 801-666-8707. pizzerialimone.com

The signature pie at this local chain features thinly sliced lemons. Service is cafeteria-style, meaning fast, and the pizza, salads and gelato are remarkably good.

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PIZZA NONO 925 E. 900 South, SLC, 801-702-3580. pizzanono-slc.com

Small, kick-started pizzeria in 9th and 9th neighborhood has a limited but carefully sourced menu, a small but good list of wine and beer and an overflowing feeling of hospitality.

SALT LAKE PIZZA & PASTA 1061 E. 2100 South, SLC, 801-484-1804. saltlakepizzaandpasta.com

And sandwiches and burgers and steak and fish. The menu here has expanded far beyond its name.

SETTEBELLO PIZZERIA 260 S. 200 West, SLC, 801-322-3556. settebello.net

full-scale Italian restaurant with chef Justin Shifflet in the kitchen making authentic sauces and fresh pasta. An appealing upstairs deck and a full craft bar complete the successful transformation. Oh yeah, they still serve pizza.

TUSCANY 2832 E. 6200 South, 801-277-9919. tuscanyslc.com

This restaurant’s faux-Tuscan kitsch is mellowing into retro charm, though the glass chandelier is a bit nerve-wracking. The double-cut pork chop is classic, and so is the chocolate cake.

VALTER’S OSTERIA 173 W. Broadway, SLC, 801-521-4563. valtersosteria.com

Every Neapolitan-style pie here is hand-shaped by a pizza artisan and baked in a wood-fired oven. And they make great gelato right next door.

Valter Nassi’s restaurant overflows with his effervescent personality. The dining room is set up so Valter can be everywhere at once. Old favorites include a number of tableside dishes.

SICILIA MIA

VENETO RISTORANTE

4536 S. Highland Dr., Millcreek, 801-274-0223. siciliamiautah.com

A family-run restaurant with a huge number of fans who love the food’s hearty and approachable style, friendly service and touches of show biz—famous for its pasta carbonara, prepared in a wheel of Parmesan. The third in a trio of family-owned restaurants. They all recall Italian food of yesteryear.

SIRAGUSA’S TASTE OF ITALY 4115 Redwood Rd., SLC, 801-268-1520. siragusas.com

Another strip mall mom-and-pop find, the two dishes to look out for are sweet potato gnocchi and osso buco made with pork.

STANZA 464 E. 300 South, SLC, 801-746-4441. stanzaslc.com

Chef Jonathon LeBlanc, brings a happy flair to this Italianesque restaurant. And Amber Billingsley is making the desserts. Va tutto bene!

STONEGROUND ITALIAN KITCHEN 249 E. 400 South, SLC, 801-364-1368. stonegrounditalian.com

The longtime pizza joint has blossomed into a

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370 E. 900 South, SLC, 801-359-0708. venetoslc.com

This small place, owned by Marco and Amy Stevanoni, strives to focus on one of the many regional cuisines we lump under the word “Italian.” Hence the name; and forget what you think you know about Italian food except the word “delizioso.”

KYOTO 1080 E. 1300 South, SLC, 801-487-3525. kyotoslc.com

The service is friendly, the sushi is fresh, the tempura is amazingly light, and the prices are reasonable. Servings are occidentally large, and service is impeccable.

NOHM 165 W. 900 South, SLC, 801-917-3812. nohmslc.com

A genius Japanese restaurant specializing in robata and sushi. Chef-owner David Chon is more daring with his menu than most—this is a place for exploring. If you see something you’ve never tasted before, taste it here. Servers are happy to help.

HAofLL

TAKASHI

FA M E 18 W. Market St., SLC,

801-519-9595. takashisushi.com

Takashi Gibo earned his acclaim by buying the freshest fish and serving it in politely eye-popping style. Check the chalkboard for specials like Thai mackerel, fatty tuna or spot prawns, and expect some of the best sushi in the city.

TOSH’S RAMEN 1465 S. State St., SLC, 801-466-7000. 1963 E., Murray Holladay Rd., SLC. toshsramen.com

Japanese

Chef Tosh Sekikawa is our own ramen ranger. His long-simmered noodle-laden broths have a deservedly devoted following—meaning, go early. Now with a second location.

KAZE

TSUNAMI

65. E. Broadway, SLC, 801-800-6768. kazesushiut.com

Small and stylish, Kaze has plenty to offer besides absolutely fresh fish and inventive combinations. Food is beautifully presented and especially for a small place the variety is impressive. A sake menu is taking shape and Kaze is open until midnight.

KOBE JAPANESE RESTAURANT 3947 S. Wasatch Blvd., SLC, 802-277-2928. kobeutah.com

This is Mike’s place—Mike Fukumitsu, once at Kyoto, is the personality behind the sushi bar and the driving spirit in the restaurant. Perfectly fresh fish keeps a horde of regulars returning.

2223 S. Highland Drive, SLC, 801-467-5545; 7628 S. Union Park Ave., Sandy, 801-676-6466. tsunamiutah.com

Besides sushi, the menu offers crispy-light tempura and numerous house cocktails and sake.

YOKO RAMEN 472 E. 400 South, SLC, 801-876-5267. yokoslc.com

More ramen! Utahns can’t seem to slurp enough of the big Japanese soup—Yoko serves it up for carnivores and vegans, plus offers some kinkier stuff like a Japanese Cubano sandwich and various pig parts.

Mediterranean & Middle Eastern CAFÉ MED

eled after Chipotle, Zao and other fast-butnot-fast-food stops. The perfect downtown lunch.

420 E. 3300 South, SLC, 801-493-0100. medslc.com

SPITZ DONER KEBAB

Get the mezzes platter for some of the best falafel in town. Entrees range from pita sandwiches to gargantuan dinner platters of braised shortribs, roast chicken and pasta.

35 E. Broadway, SLC, 801-364-0286. spitz-restaurant.com

LAYLA 4751 S. Holladay Blvd., Holladay, 801-272-9111. laylagrill.com

Layla relies on family recipes. The resulting standards, like hummus and kebabs, are great, but explore some of the more unusual dishes, too.

LAZIZ KITCHEN 912 S. Jefferson St., SLC, 801-441-1228. lazizkitchen.com

There are so many reasons to love Laziz Kitchen. Some are obvious—their topnotch Lebanese-style hummus, muhammara and toum.

MAZZA 1515 S. 1500 East, SLC, 801-484-9259. mazzacafe.com

This California transplant specializes in what Utahns mostly know by their Greek name “gyros.” But that’s not the only attraction. Besides the food, Spitz has an energetic hipster vibe and a liquor license that make it an afterdark destination.

Mexican

A slick new taco bar with a slightly punk Mexican theme, Barrio offers the usual selection of tacos—everyone’s favorite food, outdoor seating on nice days, margaritas, beer and a selection of serve yourself salsas.

One of Salt Lake’s original Greek restaurants, Greek Souvlaki, has opened a contemporary version of itself. Padeli’s also serves the classic street fare, but these excellent souvlaki come in a streamlined space mod-

736 W. North Temple, SLC, 801-3221489; 866 W. South Temple, SLC, 801214-6050. rediguana.com

All locations are a blessing in this City of Salt, which still has mysteriously few good Mexican restaurants. Mole is what you want.

As bustling now as it was when it was still a train station, this is a pre-Jazz favorite and great for kids, too. Dishes overflow the plate and fill the belly.

TACO TACO 208 E. 500 South, SLC, 801-428-2704. tacotacoslc.com

BLUE IGUANA 165 S. West Temple, SLC, 801-533-8900. blueiguanarestaurant.net

CHILE TEPIN

30 E. Broadway, SLC, 801-322-1111. padelisstreetgreek.com

RED IGUANA

258 S. 1300 East, SLC, 801-364-3302. riograndecafeslc.com

282 E. 900 South, SLC, 801-613-2251. barrioslc.com

MANOLI’S

PADELI’S

HAofLL

FA M E

RIO GRANDE CAFÉ

BARRIO

Excellent. With the bright flavor that is the hallmark of Middle Eastern food and a great range of dishes, Mazza has been a go-to for fine Lebanese food in SLC before there was much fine food at all.

Manoli and Katrina Katsanevas have created a fresh modern approach to Greek food. Stylish small plates full of Greek flavors include Butternut-squash-filled tyropita, smoked feta in piquillo peppers and a stellar roast chicken.

2265 E. Fort Union Blvd., SLC, 801-944-2300. lstaq.com

Lone Star serves a burrito that’s a meal in itself, whether you choose basic bean and cheese or a special.

This colorful downtown restaurant has a charming downstairs location and patio, and has been a Salt Lake staple for decades. Enchiladas, tacos, and “jengo” nachos—piled high on a platter—are all good, as are the margaritas. A nifty addition: phone chargers on every table.

402 E. 900 South, SLC, 801-532-3760. manolison9th.com

LONE STAR TAQUERIA

A tiny, charming taqueria, perfect for pick-up and sunny days.

TAQUERIA 27 1615 S. Foothill Dr., SLC, 385-259-0712; 4670 S. Holladay Village Plaza, Holladay, 801-676-9706; 149 E. 200 South, SLC, 385-259-0940; 6154 S. Fashion Blvd. #2, Murray, 801-266-2487; 1688 W. Traverse Pkwy., Lehi, 801-331-8033. taqueria27.com

Salt Lake needs more Mexican food, and Todd Gardiner is here to provide it. Artisan tacos (try the duck confit), inventive guacamole and lots of tequila.

307 W. 200 South, SLC, 801-883-9255. chile-tepin.com

Popular for its generous servings of Mexican food, this place usually has a line on Friday nights. Heavy on the protein—the molcajete holds beef, pork and chicken—but cheese enchiladas and margaritas and other staples are good, too.

Seafood CURRENT FISH & OYSTER HOUSE 279 E. 300 South, SLC, 801-326-3474. currentfishandoyster.com

CHUNGA’S 180 S. 900 West, SLC, 801-328-4421. chungasmexican.com

These tacos al pastor are the real deal. Carved from a big pineapple-marinated hunk, the meat is folded in delicate masa tortillas with chopped pineapple, onion and cilantro.

An all-star team made this cool downtown restaurant an instant hit. Excellent and inventive seafood dishes plenty of non-fishy options.

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ON THE TABLE

HARBOR SEAFOOD & STEAK CO. 2302 E. Parleys Way, SLC, 801-466-9827. harborslc.com

A much-needed breath of sea air refreshes this restaurant, which updates their menu frequently according to the availability of wild fish. A snappy interior, a creative cocktail menu and a vine-covered patio make for a hospitable atmosphere.

KIMI’S CHOP & OYSTER HOUSE 2155 S. Highland Dr., SLC, 801-946-2079. kimishouse.com

Kimi Eklund and Chef Matt Anderson are bringing a touch of glam to Sugar House with their high-style, multi-purpose restaurant: It’s an oyster bar, it’s a steakhouse, it’s a lounge. However you use it, Kimi’s makes for a fun change from the surrounding pizza and beerscapes, with dramatic lighting, purple velvet and live music.

MARKET STREET GRILL 48 W. Market St., SLC, 801-322-4668; 2985 E. Cottonwood Pkwy., SLC, 801-942-8860; 10702 River Front Pkwy., South Jordan, 801-302-2262. marketstreetgrill.com

best Thai friend’s place. Try curried fish cakes and red-curry prawns with coconut milk and pineapple.

1984 E. Murray Holladay Rd., Holladay, 801-676-9300. favbistro.com

Cross-cultural food with a menu of fusion dishes based on Thai flavors.

SAPA SUSHI BAR & ASIAN GRILL

FAV BISTRO

INDOCHINE 230 S. 1300 East, 801-582-0896. indochinesaltlake.com

Vietnamese cuisine is under-represented in Salt Lake’s Thai-ed up dining scene, so a restaurant that offers more than noodles is welcome. Try broken rice dishes, clay pots and pho.

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

Mi La-cai’s noodles rise above the rest, and their pho is fantastic—each bowl a work of art. The beautiful setting is a pleasure. It’s even a pleasure to get the bill.

MY THAI

THE OYSTER BAR

My Thai is an unpretentious mom-and-pop operation—she’s mainly in the kitchen, and he mainly waits tables, but in a lull, she darts out from her stove to ask diners if they like the food. Yes, we do.

This is one of the best selection of fresh oysters in town: Belon, Olympia, Malpeque and Snow Creek, plus Bluepoints. Crab and shrimp are conscientiously procured.

Southeast Asian CHABAAR BEYOND THAI 87 W. 7200 South, Midvale, 801-566-5100. chabaarbeyondthai.com

One of Annie Sooksri’s parade of restaurants, this one features what the name implies: a solid menu of Thai favorites plus some inventions based on Thai flavors.

CHANON THAI CAFÉ 278 E. 900 South, SLC, 801-532-1177. chanonthai.com

1425 S. 300 West, SLC, 801-505-4999. mythaiasiancuisine.com

OH MAI 850 S. State St.,SLC, 801-575-8888; 3425 State St., SLC, 801-467-6882. ohmaisandwichkitchen.com

Fast, friendly and hugely flavorful—that sums up this little banh mi shop that’s taken SLC by storm. Pho is also good and so are full plates, but the banh mi are heaven.

PHO TAY HO 1766 S. Main St., SLC, 385-240-0309. photayho.com

One of the best Pho broths around is served out of an unassuming house on the southside of Salt Lake City. Pho Tay Ho is the real deal. The family-owned-and-operated noodle house keeps their menu small but full of flavor.

A meal here is like a casual dinner at your

SALTLAKEMAGAZINE.COM

264 S. Main St., SLC, 801-359-4544. pleikuslc.com

This stylish downtown spot serves a selection of Vietnamese dishes made from family recipes and served tapas-style. Note the pho, which is brewed for 36 hours and served in a full-bowl meal or a preprandial cup.

SLC’s fave fish restaurants: Fish is flown in daily and the breakfast is an institution.

54 W. Market St., SLC, 801-531-6044; 2985 E. Cottonwood Parkway (6590 South), SLC, 801-942-8870. marketstreetoysterbar.com

PLEIKU

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2 0 2 2

722 S. State St., SLC, 801-363-7272. sapabarandgrill.com

Charming Vietnamese stilt houses surround the courtyard. Sapa’s menu ranges from Thai curries to fusion and hot pots, but the sushi is the best bet.

SAWADEE THAI 754 E. South Temple, SLC, 801-328-8424. sawadee1.com

The menu goes far outside the usual pad thai and curry. Thai food’s appeal lies in the subtleties of difference achieved with a limited list of ingredients.

SKEWERED THAI 575 S. 700 East, SLC, 801-364-1144. skeweredthai.com

A serene setting for some of the best Thai in town—perfectly balanced curries, pristine spring rolls, intoxicating drunk noodles and a well-curated wine list.

TEA ROSE DINER 65 E. 5th Ave., Murray, 801-685-6111. trosediner.com

Annie Sooksri has a mini-empire of Thai and Asian restaurants across the valley—Tea Rose has been a favorite since 2007 and offers a menu of Thai staples and American breakfast dishes.

SOMI VIETNAMESE BISTRO 1215 E. Wilmington Ave., SLC, 385-322-1158. somislc.com

But there’s also Chinese food and a cocktail menu at this stylish Sugarhouse restaurant. Crispy branzino, pork belly sliders on bai and braised oxtail are some of the highlights to the menu, which also includes the standard spring rolls and pho.

THAI GARDEN 868 E. 900 South, SLC, 801-355-8899. thaigardenbistroslc.com

Paprika-infused pad thai, deep-fried duck and fragrant gang gra ree are all excellent choices— but there are 50-plus items on the menu. Be tempted by batter-fried bananas with coconut ice cream.

KRUA THAI 212 E. 500 South, SLC, 801-328-4401. kruathaislc.com

Curries and noodle dishes hit a precise procession on the palate—sweet, then sour, savory and hot—plus there are dishes you’ve never tried before and should: bacon and collard greens, red curry with duck, salmon with chili and coconut sauce.

THAI SIAM 1435 S. State St., SLC, 801-474-3322. siamptsaltlakecity.com

This restaurant is diminutive, but the flavors are fresh, big and bold. Never expensive, this place is even more of a bargain during lunchtime, when adventurous customers enjoy the $6.95 combination plates, a triple Thai tasting that’s one of the best deals in town.

ZAO ASIAN CAFE 639 E. 400 South, SLC, 801-595-1234; 2227 S. Highland Dr., SLC, 801-467-4113. zaoasiancafe.com

It’s hard to categorize this pan-Asian semi-fast food concept. It draws from Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese traditions, all combined with the American need for speed. Just file it under fast, fresh, flavorful food.

Steak CHRISTOPHER’S PRIME 134 W. Pierpont Ave., SLC, 801-890-6616. christophersut.com

This local branch of a national chain has a famously impressive wine list. With more than 100 available by the glass, it has selections that pair well with anything you order.

RUTH’S CHRIS STEAKHOUSE 275 S. West Temple, SLC, 801-363-2000. ruthschris.com

This former bank building has inner beauty. Stick with classics like crab cocktail, order the wedge, and ask for your butter-sizzled steak no more than medium, please. Service is excellent. Eat dessert, then linger in the cool bar.

255 S. West Temple, SLC, 801-238-4748. hilton.com/en/hotels/utah

The quality of the meat and the accuracy of the cooking are what make it great. Beef is aged on the bone, and many cuts are served on the bone— a luxurious change from the usual cuts.

BOLTCUTTER 57 E. Gallivan Ave., SLC. boltcutterslc.com So hip there’s no listed phone number.

Vegan—the boltcutters refer to setting free the animals. Mexican flavors spice up the menu of tacos filled with seitan or mushrooms and there’s a list of agave spirit drinks. The same folks own the vegan ice cream place next door, Monkeywrench.

OMAR’S RAWTOPIA 3961 S. Wasatch Blvd., SLC, 801-486-0332. rawtopia.com

Owner Omar Abou-Ismail’s Rawtopia is a destination for those seeking clean, healthy food in Salt Lake—whether you’re a vegan, vegetarian or omnivore. Desserts are amazingly indulgent—like chocolate caramel pie and berry cheesecake.

The menu is straightforward, chilled shellfish and rare steaks, with a few seafood and poultry entrees thrown in for the non-beefeaters.

VERTICAL DINER

FLEMING’S PRIME STEAKHOUSE

Vertical Diner boasts an animal-free menu of burgers, sandwiches and breakfasts. Plus organic wines and coffees.

20 S. 400 West, The Gateway, SLC, 801-355-3704. flemingssteakhouse.com

234 W. 900 South, SLC, 801- 484-8378. verticaldiner.com

275 S. 200 West, SLC, 801-433-0589. zestslc.com

Zest has sophisticated vegan cooking plus a cheerful attitude and ambience fueled by creative cocktails. Pulling flavors from many culinary traditions, the menu offers Cuban tacos, Thai curry with forbidden rice, stuffed poblano peppers as well as bar noshes and an amazing chocolate-beet torte—all vegan. The menu changes frequently. This is a 21+ establishment.

PARK CITY & THE WASATCH BACK

SPENCER’S

Vegetarian & Vegan

ZEST KITCHEN & BAR

American Fine Dining APEX 9100 Marsac Ave., Park City, 435-604-1300. montagehotels.com/deervalley

Apex at Montage exudes luxury in an understated and comfortable way. No need to tux up for pampered service; the classy lack of pretension extends to the menu—no unpronounceables, nothing scary or even too daring—just top-ofthe-line everything. Quality speaks for itself.

350 MAIN 350 Main St., Park City, 435-649-3140. 350main.com

Now run by Cortney Johanson who has worked at the restaurant for 20 years, this mainstay cafe on Main Street is seeing another high point. With Chef Matthew Safranek in the kitchen, the menu is a balanced mix of old favorites and soon-to-be favorites like Five Spice Venison Loin in Pho. Amazing.

THE FARM RESTAURANT 4000 Canyons Resort Dr., 435-615-4828. parkcityrestaurants.com/restaurants/the-farm

Food is at the forefront of the newly named Park City Mountain Resort, and the farm is the flagship featuring sustainably raised and produced food. Resort Village, Sundial Building, North of the Cabriolet.

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ON THE TABLE

FIREWOOD

ROYAL STREET CAFÉ

FLETCHER’S ON MAIN STREET

306 Main St., Park City, 435-252-9900. firewoodonmain.com

7600 Royal St., Silver Lake Village, Deer Valley Resort, Park City, 435-645-6724. deervalley.com

562 Main St., Park City, 435-649-1111. fletcherspc.com

Chef John Murcko’s place on Main Street is all about cooking with fire—his massive Inferno kitchen grill by Grillworks runs on oak, cherry and applewood, depending on what’s cooking. But each dish is layered and nuanced, with global influences. Definitely a star on Main Street.

(Open seasonally) Don’t miss the lobster chowder, but note the novelties, too. In a new take on the classic lettuce wedge salad, Royal Street’s version adds baby beets, glazed walnuts and pear tomatoes.

VIKING YURT

GLITRETIND 7700 Stein Way, Deer Valley, 435-645-6455. steinlodge.com

The service is polished, and the menu is as fun or as refined or as inventive as Chef Zane Holmquist’s mood. The appeal resonates with the jet set and local diners. The wine list is exceptional. But so is the burger.

Park City Mountain Resort, 435-615-9878. thevikingyurt.com

Arrive by sleigh and settle in for a luxurious five-course meal. Reservations and punctuality a must.

American Casual

Fletcher’s has a casual approach designed to suit any appetite, almost any time. Talented Chef Scott Boborek’s carefully sourced dishes range from burgers to Beef Wellington—with lobster mac and Utah trout.

HANDLE 136 Heber Ave., Park City, 435-602-1155. handleparkcity.com

Chef-owner Briar Handly offers a menu, mostly of small plates, with the emphasis on excellent sourcing—trout sausage and Beltex Meats prosciutto, for example. There are also full-meal plates, including the chef ’s famous fried chicken.

BLIND DOG GRILL

HEARTH AND HILL

1251 Kearns Blvd., Park City, 435-655-0800. blinddogpc.com

1153 Center Dr., (Newpark), Park City, 435-200-8840. hearth-hill.com

A jazzed up Alpine theme—elk carpaccio with pickled shallots, foie gras with cherry-prune compote and wiener schnitzel with carawayspiked carrot strings.

The kitchen offers imaginative selections even though the dark wood and cozy ambience look like an old gentlemen’s club. Don’t miss the Dreamloaf, served with Yukon gold mashed potatoes.

This all-purposse cafe serves lunch, dinner and weekend brunch, focusing on bright, approachable American dishes with a kick.

MARIPOSA AT DEER VALLEY

THE BLUE BOAR INN

7600 Royal St., Park City, 435-645-6715. deervalley.com

1235 Warm Springs Rd., Midway, 435-654-1400. theblueboarinn.com

(Open seasonally) Try the tasting menu for an overview of the kitchen’s talent. It’s white tablecloth, but nothing is formal.

The restaurant is reminiscent of the Alps, but serves fine American cuisine. Don’t miss the award-winning brunch.

MUSTANG

THE BRASS TAG

890 Main St., Park City, 435-658-3975. mustangparkcity.com

2900 Deer Valley Dr. East, Park City, 435-615-2410. deervalley.com

A duck chile relleno arrives in a maelstrom of queso and ranchero sauce. Braised lamb shank and lobster with cheese enchiladas share the menu with seasonal entrees.

In the Lodges at Deer Valley, the focal point here is a wood oven which turns out everything from pizza to fish and chops, all of the superior quality one expects from Deer Valley. Open seasonally.

GOLDENER HIRSCH 7570 Royal St. East, Park City, 435-649-7770. goldenerhirschinn.com

RIME SEAFOOD & STEAK St. Regis, Deer Valley, 435-940-5760. srdvdining.com.

Acclaimed Chef Matthew Harris heads the kitchen at this simply brilliant restaurant at the St. Regis— meticulously sourced meat and seafood from his trusted vendors, perfectly cooked.

SALTLAKEMAGAZINE.COM

EATING ESTABLISHMENT 317 Main St., Park City, 435-649-8284. theeatingestablishment.net

Claiming to be the oldest, this restaurant is one of Park City’s most versatile. On weekend mornings, locals line up for breakfasts.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2 0 2 2

HIGH WEST DISTILLERY 703 Park Ave., Park City, 435-649-8300. highwest.com

Order a flight of whiskey and taste the difference aging makes, but be sure to order plenty of food to see how magically the whiskey matches the fare. The chef takes the amber current theme throughout the food.

SAMMY’S BISTRO 1890 Bonanza Dr., Park City, 435-214-7570. sammysbistro.com

Down-to-earth food in a comfortable setting. Sounds simple, but if so, why aren’t there more Sammy’s in our world? Try the bacon-grilled shrimp or a chicken bowl with your brew.

SILVER STAR CAFE 1825 Three Kings Dr., Park City, 435-655-3456. thesilverstarcafe.com

Comfort food with an upscale sensibility and original touches, like shrimp and grits with chipotle or Niman Ranch pork cutlets with spaetzle. The location is spectacular.

SIMON’S GRILL AT THE HOMESTEAD 700 N. Homestead Dr., Midway, 888-327-7220. homesteadresort.com

The décor is formal, the fare is hearty but refined—salmon in a morel cream, or pearl onion fritters dusted with coarse salt.

SPIN CAFÉ 220 N. Main St., Heber City, 435-654-0251. spincafe.net

Housemade gelato is the big star at this family-owned café, but the food is worth your time. Try the pulled pork, the salmon BLT or the sirloin.

ZERMATT RESORT 784 W. Resort Dr., Midway, 866-643-2015. zermattresort.com

The charming, Swiss-themed resort is big on buffets—seafood, Italian and brunch.

Bakeries & Cafés PARK CITY COFFEE ROASTERS 1764 Uinta Way, Park City, 435-647-9097. pcroaster.com

The town’s fave house-roasted coffee and housemade pastries make this one of the best energy stops in town.

RIVERHORSE PROVISIONS 221 Main St., Park City, 435-649-0799, riverhorseprovisions.com

Bowls, breakfast, sandwiches, substantial snacks and picnics to go—even beer and wine—this place has pretty much everything you need whenever you need it.

WASATCH BAGEL CAFÉ 1300 Snow Creek Dr., Park City, 435-645-7778. wasatchbagelandgrill.com

Bar Grub & Brewpubs

Continental & European

BURGERS & BOURBON

CAFÉ TERIGO

9100 Marsac Ave., Park City, 435-604-1300. montagehotels.com

424 Main St., Park City, 435-645-9555. cafeterigo.com

Housed in the luxurious Montage, this casual restaurant presents the most deluxe versions of America’s favorite foods. The burgers are stupendous, there’s a great list of bourbons to back them, and the milkshakes are majorly good.

This charming café is the spot for a leisurely meal. Chicken and bacon tossed with mixed greens and grilled veggies on focaccia are cafégoers’ favorites.

COURCHEVEL BISTRO 201 Heber Ave., Park City, 435-572-4398. courchevelbistro.com

RED ROCK JUNCTION 1640 W. Redstone Center Dr., Ste. 105, Park City, 435575-0295. redrockbrewing.com

The house-brewed beers—honey wheat, amber ale or oatmeal stout, to name a few—complement a menu of burgers, brick-oven pizzas and rotisserie chicken.

Named after Park City’s sister city in the Savoie region of France, which happens to be the home turf of Chef Clement Gelas and is he having some fun with his mother cuisine. Be guided by him or your server and try some French food like you haven’t had before.

SQUATTERS ROADHOUSE

Italian & Pizza

1900 Park Ave., Park City, 435-649-9868. squatters.com

FUEGO 2001 Sidewinder Dr., Park City, 435- 645-8646. fuegopizzeria.com

Everyone loves the bourbon burger, and Utah Brewers Co-op brews are available by the bottle and on the state-of-the-art tap system. Open for breakfast daily.

Off the beaten Main Street track, this pizzeria is a family-friendly solution to a ski-hungry evening. Pastas, paninis and wood-fired pizzas are edgy, but they’re good.

WASATCH BREWPUB 240 Main St., Park City, 435-649-0900. wasatchbeers.com

GHIDOTTI’S 6030 N. Market St., Park City, 435-658-0669. ghidottis.com

This was the first brewpub in Utah, and it serves handcrafted beer and family-friendly fare without a hefty price tag. Everyone loves Polygamy Porter, and the weekend brunch is great, too.

Ghidotti’s evokes Little Italy more than Italy, and the food follows suit—think spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna and rigatoni Bolognese. Try the chicken soup.

Breakfast

GRAPPA

DEER VALLEY GROCERY & CAFE

151 Main St., Park City, 435-645-0636. grapparestaurant.com

1375 Deer Valley Dr., Park City, 435-615-2400. deervalley.com

Not just bagels, but bagels as buns, enfolding a sustaining layering of sandwich fillings like egg and bacon.

The small lakeside spot serves sandwiches and lunch specials, plus it’s a great place to stock up on deer Valley classics to take home—think classic Deer Valley turkey chili.

WINDY RIDGE BAKERY & CAFÉ

WOODLAND BISCUIT COMPANY

1250 Iron Horse Dr., Park City, 435-647-0880. windyridgebakery.com

2734 E. State Hwy. 35, Woodland, 435- 783-4202. woodlandbiscuit.com

One of Park City’s most popular noshing spots— especially on Taco Tuesdays. The bakery behind turns out desserts and pastries for Bill White’s restaurants as well as take-home entrees.

Breakfast is the real deal here so pile on the bacon and eggs but if you sleep late, not to worry—burgers, sandwiches and tacos are good too.

Dishes like osso buco and grape salad with gorgonzola, roasted walnuts and Champagne vinaigrette are sensational, and the wine list features hard-to-find Italian wines as well as flights, including sparkling.

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ON THE TABLE

Japanese/Pan-Asian SUSHI BLUE 1571 W. Redstone Center Dr. Ste. 140, Park City, 435-575-4272. sushiblueparkcity.com

Find the yin and yang of Asian-American flavors in Bill White’s sushi, excellent Korean tacos, crab sliders and other Amer-Asian food fusions, including the best hot dog in the state, topped with bacon and house-made kimchi.

WAHSO 577 Main St., Park City, 435-615-0300. wahso.com

Restaurateur Bill White is known for his eye-popping eateries. Wahso is his crown jewel, done up with lanterns and silks like a 1930s noir set. Don’t miss the jasmine teasmoked duck.

YUKI YAMA SUSHI 586 Main St., Park City, 435-649-6293. yukiyamasushi.com

Located in the heart of Old Town Park City, Yuki Yama offers both traditional japanese dishes and more modern plates. It’s all guided by the steady hands of Executive Chef Kirk Terashima.

Mediterranean REEF’S 7720 Royal St. East, Park City, 435-658-0323. reefsrestaurant.com

and taco garage,” but garage is the notable word. This is a theme restaurant with lots of cars and motorcycles on display, oil cans to hold the flatware, and a 50-seat bar made out of toolboxes. If you’ve ever dreamed of eating in a garage, you’ll be thrilled.

CHIMAYO 368 Main St., Park City, 435-649-6222. chimayorestaurant.com

Bill White’s prettiest place, this restaurant is reminiscent of Santa Fe, but the food is pure Park City. Margaritas are good, and the avocado-shrimp appetizer combines guacamole and ceviche flavors in a genius dish.

EL CHUBASCO

Southeast Asian SHABU 442 Main St., Park City, 435-645-7253. shabuparkcity.com

Cool new digs, friendly service and fun food make Shabu one of PC’s most popular spots. Make reservations. A stylish bar with prizewinning mixologists adds to the freestyle feel.

KUCHU SHABU HOUSE 1612 W. Ute Blvd., Park City, 658-435-5829. kuchushabu.com

The second shabu-style eatery in PC is less grand than the first but offers max flavor from quality ingredients.

1890 Bonanza Dr., Park City, 435-645-9114. elchubascomexicangrill.com

Steak

Regulars storm this restaurant for southof-the-border eats. Burritos fly through the kitchen like chiles too hot to handle—proving consistency matters.

BUTCHER’S CHOP HOUSE & BAR

TARAHUMARA 380 E. Main St., Midway, 435-654-34654. tarahumararestaurant.com

Some of the best Mexican food in the state can be found in this Midway cafe, now under new ownership. Don’t be fooled by the bland exterior; inside you’ll find a full-fledged cantina and an adjoining family restaurant with a soulful salsa bar.

751 Main St., Park City, 435-647-0040. butcherschophouse.com

The draws are prime rib, New York strip and pork chops—and the ladies’ night specials in the popular bar downstairs.

GRUB STEAK 2200 Sidewinder Dr., Prospector Square, Park City, 435-649-8060. grubsteakparkcity.com

Live country music, fresh salmon, lamb and chicken, and a mammoth salad bar. Order bread pudding whether you think you want it or not. You will.

Lamb chops are tender, falafel is crunchy, and the prices fall between fast food and fine dining. It’s a den of home cooking, if your home is east of the Mediterranean. Open seasonally.

Seafood 1897 Prospector Ave., Park City, 435-631-9861. freshieslobsterco.com

3000 Canyon Resort Dr., Park City, 435-655-2260. westgateresorts.com

Mexican & Southwestern

After years as everyone’s favorite summer food stop at Park Silly Market, Freshie’s has settled into a permanent location selling their shore-to-door lobster rolls all year round.

This beautifully fills the beef bill at the huge resort, and the tasting menus take you through salad, steak and dessert for $45 to $60, depending on options.

RIME SEAFOOD & RAW BAR

PRIME STEAK HOUSE

BAJA CANTINA 1284 Lowell Ave., Park City, 435-649-2252. bajaparkcity.com

The T.J. Taxi is a flour tortilla stuffed with chicken, sour cream, tomatoes, onions, cheddar-jack cheese and guacamole. Park City Resort Center.

BILLY BLANCO’S

FRESHIE’S LOBSTER CO.

9850 Summit View Dr., Park City. rimerawbar.com

Such a hit on the slopes that Chef Matt Harris took the concept inside and Rime is an anchor restaurant inside the St. Regis, Open Thurs-Sunday.

8208 Gorgoza Pines Rd., Park City, 435-575-0846. billyblancos.com

Motor City Mexican. The subtitle is “burger

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EDGE STEAKHOUSE

804 Main St., Park City, 435-655-9739. westgateresorts.com

Prime’s recipe for success is simple: Buy quality ingredients and insist on impeccable service. Enjoy the piano bar, and save room for molten chocolate cake.

Three locations, Salt Lake City, Holladay and Ogden. Open 7 days a week for dine-in, takeout and delivery through Doordash.

WB’s CBD Oil Isolated Spectrum Citrus

WB’s Eatery, we’re casual in every way; cocktails in the shaker, CBD Oil for dosing...your spot to kickback with friends, and live the lifestyle!

ON THE TABLE

NORTH SALT LAKE & BEYOND American Fine Dining THE HUNTINGTON ROOM AT EARL’S LODGE 3925 E. Snowbasin Rd., Huntsville, 888-437-547. snowbasin.com

Ski-day sustenance and fireside dinner for the après-ski set. In summer, dine at the top of the mountain.

WB’S EATERY 455 25th Street, Ogden, 385-244-1471. wbseatery.com

Part restaurant, part bar, part coffeehouse, WB’s Eatery is located inside The Monarch, a hip maker and market space for artists. A hybrid space as well, the eatery sells CBD oil, as well as serving up cocktails, bites and boards of meat and cheese.

HEARTH ON 25 195 Historic 25th St. Ste. 6 (2nd Floor), Ogden, 801-399-0088. hearth25.com

The charming upstairs dining room is a great setting for some of the best and most imaginative food in Ogden. Handmade hearth bread, espresso-rubbed yak, killer stroganoff—too many options to mention here—this is really a destination restaurant.

PRAIRIE SCHOONER

TABLE 25 195 25th St., Ste. 4, Ogden, 385-244-1825. table25ogden.com

A bright, contemporary space in Downtown Ogden has a patio right on Historic 25th Street. The elevated yet approachable menu includes Spanish mussels and frites, ahi tuna and a classic cheeseburger.

UNION GRILL Union Station, 315 24th St., Ogden, 801-621-2830. uniongrillogden.com

The cross-over cooking offers sandwiches, seafood and pastas with American, Greek, Italian or Mexican spices.

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This friendly family-owned place on Ogden’s main drag serves hearty Italian fare and housemade pastry, plus a creative bar menu and live music.

THE BEEHIVE PUB & GRILL

RAMEN HAUS

255 S. Main St., Logan, 435-753-2600. thebeehivegrill.com

Burgers, Sandwiches & Delis

2550 Washington Blvd., Ogden, 801-393-0000. ramenhaus.business.site

Sergei Oveson’s experience with ramen master Tosh and Shani Oveson’s at Naked Fish shows all over their restaurant in Ogden. Simple but stylish sums the space and terrific is the only word for the ramen. Do not leave without ordering the honey toast even if you think you don’t want dessert.

CAFFE IBIS

TONA SUSHI

52 Federal Ave., Logan, 435-753-4777. caffeibis.com

210 25th St., Ogden, 801-622-8662. tonarestaurant.com

Exchange news, enjoy sandwiches and salads and linger over a cuppa conscientiously grown coffee.

MADDOX RANCH HOUSE 1900 S. Highway 89, Perry, 435-723-8545. maddoxfinefood.com

The charming old space on Ogden’s main drag houses a meticulously top-notch sushi restaurant. Owner Tony Chen grows herbs and sprouts in the basement and the plates he presents show an artist’s touch. Ask about the secret menu.

Angus beef steaks, bison chicken-fried steak and burgers have made this an institution for more than 50 years. Eat in, drive up or take home.

Mexican

Chinese

2310 Kiesel Ave., Ogden, 801-393-1999. thesonoragrill.com

MANDARIN 348 E. 900 North, Bountiful, 801-298-2406. mandarinutah.com

The rooms are filled with red and gold dragons. Chefs recruited from San Francisco crank out a huge menu. Desserts are noteworthy. Call ahead.

SONORA GRILL A big, beautiful Mexican restaurant, the kind you see in Texas or New Mexico, Sonora serves great chips and salsa, a famous margarita, several kinds of ceviche and all the dishes you love as well as vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options.

Southeast Asian

Italian & Pizza

THAI CURRY KITCHEN

SLACKWATER PIZZA

582 25th St., Ogden, 385-333-7100. thaicurrykitchen.com.

1895 Washington Blvd., Ogden, 801-399-0637. slackwaterpizzeria.com

The pies here are as good as any food in Ogden. Selection ranges from traditional to Thai

174 E. 2500 South, Ogden, 801-394-1070. rovalis.com

Japanese

445 Park Blvd., Ogden, 801-621-5511. prairieschoonerrestaurant.com

Tables are covered wagons around a diorama featuring coyotes, cougars and cowboys—corny, but fun. The menu is standard, but kids love it.

ROVALI’S RISTORANTE

Bar Grub & Brewpubs

An indirect offshoot of Moab Brewery, the Grill focuses as much on house-brewed root beer as alcoholic suds, but the generally hefty food suits either.

American Casual

(try it), and there’s a good selection of wine and beer.

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Chic and sleek counter service offering bright from-scratch curries and salads plus locally made kombucha.

PROVO & CENTRAL UTAH American Fine Dining COMMUNAL 100 N. University Ave., Provo, 801-373-8000. communalrestaurant.com

Food is focused on the familiar with chef’s flair—like braised pork shoulder crusted in panko. Attention to detail makes this one of Utah’s best.

THE TREE ROOM Highway 92, Sundance Resort, Provo Canyon, 801-223-4200. sundanceresort.com

Sundance Resort’s flagship is known for its seasonal, straightforward menu and memorable decor, including Robert Redford’s kachina collection. Try the wild game—spice-rubbed quail and buffalo tenderloin.

American Casual CHOM BURGER 45 W. 300 North, Provo, 385-241-7499. chomburger.com

THE FOUNDRY GRILL Sundance Resort, Provo, 801-223-4220. sundanceresort.com

The café in Sundance Resort serves comfort food with western style—sandwiches, spit-roasted chickens and s teaks. Sunday brunch is a mammoth buffet.

Dine Exquisite

Colton Soelberg’s (Communal, etc.) lowkey high-end burger place has an eye towards infusing high-quality ingredients into America’s favorite sandwich. Inexpensive, innovative and delicious burgers and shakes, as we have come to expect from Soelberg who has a knack for elevating comfort food.

The St. Regis Deer Valley invites you to enjoy a relaxed yet refined dining experience at Brasserie 7452 inspired by cuisine from the French countryside. For reservations, please visit srdvdining.com or call 435 940 5760

STATION 22 22 W. Center St., Provo, 801-607-1803. station22cafe.com

Ever-hipper Provo is home to some cutting-edge food now that the cutting edge has a folksy, musical saw kind of style.

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ON THE TABLE

Station 22 is a perfect example of the Utah roots trend—a charming, funky interior, a great soundtrack and a menu with a slight Southern twang. Try the fried chicken sandwich with red cabbage on ciabatta.

Indian 463 N. University Ave., Provo, 801-373-6677; 7726 Campus View Dr., West Jordan, 801-282-0777; 2731 E. Parley’s Way, SLC, 801-581-0222. bombayhouse.com

Salt Lake’s biryani mainstay has several sister restaurants worthy to call family.

Italian PIZZERIA 712 320 S. State St., Orem, 801-623-6712. pizzeria712.com

The pizza menu reaches heights of quality that fancier restaurants only fantasize about. Not only are the blister-crusted pizzas the epitome of their genre, but braised short ribs, local mushrooms and arugula on ciabatta are equally stellar.

Vegetarian GINGER’S GARDEN CAFE 188. S. Main St., Springville, 801-489-4500. gingersgardencafe.com

Tucked inside Dr. Christopher’s Herb Shop, Ginger’s serves truly garden-fresh, brightflavored, mostly vegetarian dishes.

MOAB & SOUTHEAST UTAH American Dining HELL’S BACKBONE GRILL 20 N. Highway 12, Boulder, 435-335-7464. hellsbackbonegrill.com

Owners Blake Spalding and Jen Castle set the bar for local, organic food in Utah. Now the cafe has gained national fame. They garden, forage, raise chickens and bees, and offer breakfasts, dinners and even picnic lunches.

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91 E. Main St., Bicknell, 435-425-3701.

This pit stop is famous for its pinto bean and pickle pies. Yes, we said pickle.

Bar Grub & Brewpubs

BOMBAY HOUSE

SUNGLOW FAMILY RESTAURANT

MOAB BREWERY 686 Main St., Moab, 435-259-6333. themoabbrewery.com

A beloved watering hole for river-runners, slick-rock bikers, red-rock hikers and everyone who needs a bite and a beer, which is nearly everyone in Moab. All beer is brewed on site.

ST. GEORGE & SOUTHWEST UTAH American Fine Dining KING’S LANDING 1515 Zion Park Blvd., Ste. 50-A, Springdale, 435-772-7422. klbzion.com

In the Driftwood Inn, some of the finest food and the finest view in Utah. The kitchen is ambitious—seasonal, vegan, gluten-free are all covered. Mushroom tart involves mushrooms, caramelized onions, butternut squash and grapes with burrata and basil, but the flavors meld into harmony.

PAINTED PONY 2 W. St. George Blvd., Ste. 22, St. George, 435-634-1700. painted-pony.com

The kitchen blends culinary trends with standards like sage-smoked quail on mushroom risotto. Even “surf and turf” has a twist—tenderloin tataki with chile-dusted scallops.

SPOTTED DOG CAFÉ 428 Zion Park Blvd., Springdale, 435-772-0700. flanigans.com/dining

Relax, have some vino and enjoy your achiote-braised lamb shank with mint mashed potatoes on top of rosemary spaghetti squash.

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VERMILLION 45 210 S. 100 East, Kanab, 435-644-3300. vermillion45.com

Who would expect a fine restaurant with a French chef in Kanab. But here it is, and it’s excellent.

American Casual MOM’S CAFÉ 10 E. Main St., Salina, 435-529-3921. famousmomscafe.business.site

Mom’s has fed travelers on blue plate standards since 1928. This is the place to try a Utah “scone” with “honey butter.”

OSCAR’S CAFÉ 948 Zion Park Blvd., Springdale, 435-772-3232. oscarscafe.com

Blueberry pancakes, fresh eggs, crisp potatoes and thick bacon. We love breakfast, though Oscar’s serves equally satisfying meals at other times of day.

PEEKABOO CANYON WOOD FIRED KITCHEN 233 W. Center St., Kanab, 435- 689-1959. peekabookitchen.com

Complementing Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, this casual eatery serves vegetarian cuisine—artisanal pizza, local beer, craft cocktails and a rocking patio.

RED ROCK GRILL AT ZION LODGE Zion National Park, 435-772-7700. zionlodge.com

Try eating here on the terrace. Enjoy meltingpot American dishes like smoked trout salad with prickly pear vinaigrette. And you can’t beat the red rock ambience.

WHIPTAIL GRILL 445 Zion Park Blvd., Springdale, 435-772-0283. whiptailgrillzion.com

Tucked into an erstwhile gas station, the kitchen is little, but the f lavors are big—a goat cheese-stuffed chile relleno crusted in Panko and the chocolate-chile creme brulee.

XETAVA GARDENS CAFÉ 815 Coyote Gulch Court, Ivins, 435-656-0165. xetava.com

Blue corn pancakes for breakfast and lunch are good bets. But to truly experience Xetava, dine under the stars in eco-conscious Kayenta.

Bakeries & Cafés TWENTY-FIVE MAIN CAFÉ AND CAKE PARLOR 25 N. Main St., St. George, 435-628-7110. 25main.com

With its hip graphic design, ever-so-cool servers and a loyal cupcake following, this simple sandwich spot could be at home in Soho, but it’s in St. George.

Mexican THE BIT AND SPUR 1212 Zion Park Blvd., Springdale, 435-772-3498. bitandspur.com

The menu stars Southwestern cuisine— ribs, beef and chicken—as well as chili verde. A longtime Zion favorite, there’s almost always a wait here, but it’s almost always a pleasant one with a view and a brew in hand.

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BAR FLY DRY, NOT DULL SPEND DRY JANUARY SIPPING IN STYLE BY AVREY EVANS

h yes, Dry January is upon us once again. For many, abstaining from alcohol after the holiday season encourages a renewed sense of stability. But for others, the thought of turning down an enticing cocktail in favor of a dry version sounds plain boring. Luckily, the world of mocktails has far surpassed boring Diet Cokes and iced tea. Eateries and cocktail bars all over the city offer non-alcoholic concoctions that continue the ritual of pairing good food with enjoyable beverages. Take Ogden’s WB’s Eatery for example, where owners Amy and Viviane Wanderly-Britt find great joy in offering memorable experiences for drinkers and non-drinkers alike. Together, the couple have curated a delicious list of low-proof and zero-proof cocktails that use unique ingredients unknown to many Utahns. Seedlip (seedlipdrinks.com), a non-alcoholic distilled water, adds nuance to

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B A R S

21 & OVER BARS Forget about navigating the state’s labyrinth of liquor laws—the more than 20 bars and pubs listed here prioritize putting a drink in your hand, although most of them serve good food, too. Restricted to 21 and over. (Be prepared to show your I.D., whatever your age. This is Utah, after all.) All bars listed in the Salt Lake Bar Fly have been vetted and chosen based on quality of beverage, food, atmosphere and service. This selective guide has no relationship to any advertising in the magazine. Review visits are anonymous, and all expenses are paid by Salt Lake magazine.

PHOTOS COURTESY WB EATERY

L I B A T I O N S

COPPER COMMON

The Euro-styled hotel has a chic lobby bar and a secret menu of drinks inspired by movies filmed in Utah, like Dumb and Dumber and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Copper Common is a real bar—that means you don’t actually have to order food if you don’t want to. But on the other hand, why wouldn’t you want to? This bar has a real chef.

THE AERIE

THE COTTON BOTTOM

Floor-to-ceiling windows mean drinkers can marvel at nature’s handiwork while feasting from the sushi bar. The menu is global with live music some nights.

Remember when this was a ski bum’s town? The garlic burger and a beer is what you order.

225 W. 200 South, SLC, 385-722-9600. achotels.marriott.com

9320 Cliff Lodge Dr. #88, Snowbird Resort, 801-933-2160, snowbird.com

ALIBI BAR & PLACE

369 S. Main St., SLC, 385-259-0616. @albislc.com

Located along SLC’s bar line on Main Street, Alibi has a sleek, hip vibe and is generally filled with happy hipsters, especially when they have theme nights.

BAR X

155 E. 200 South, SLC, 801-355-2287. barzslc.com

This was the vanguard of Salt Lake’s new cocktail movement, serving classic drinks and creative inventions behind the best electric sign in the city.

BEER BAR

161 E. 200 South, SLC, 385-259-0905. beerbarslc.com

111 E. Broadway #190, SLC, 801-355-0543. coppercommon.com

2820 E. 6200 South, SLC, 801-849-8847. thecottonbottom.com

DICK N’ DIXIE’S

479 E. 300 South, SLC, 801-994-6919.

The classic corner beer bar where cronies of all kinds gather regularly to watch sports, talk politics and generally gossip about the city and nothing in particular.

EAST LIBERTY TAP HOUSE 850 E. 900 South, SLC, 801-441-2845. eastlibertytaphouse.com

Half a dozen beers on draft and 20 or more by the bottle, and the rotation changes constantly. The menu does clever takes on bar food classics.

EIGHT SETTLERS DISTILLERY

7321 Canyon Centre Pkwy., Cottonwood Heights, 385900-4315. eightsettlersdistillery.com

Ty Burrell, star of ABC’s small-screen hit Modern Family, co-owns Beer Bar, which is right next to Bar X. It’s noisy, there’s no table service, but there are 140+ brews to choose from, plus 13 kinds of wurst.

The distillery is entrenched in and inspired by the history of the Cottonwood Heights area and so are the spirits. Take home a bottle from the store or stay and enjoy a taste of the past at the themed, on-site restaurant.

THE BAYOU

GARAGE

645 S. State St., SLC, 801-961-8400. utahbayou.com

1199 N. Beck St., SLC, 801-521-3904. garageonbeck.com

This is Beervana, with 260 bottled beers and 32 on draft. The kitchen turns out artichoke pizza and deep-fried Cornish game hens.

Everyone compares it to an Austin bar. Live music, good food and the rockingest patio in town. Try the Chihuahua, a chile-heated riff on a margarita.

BEERHIVE PUB

GIBSON LOUNGE

128 S. Main St., SLC, 801-364-4268

555 S. Main St., SLC, 801-258-6778. grandamerica.com

More than 200 beers—domestic, imported and local—with a long ice rail to keep the brew cold, the way Americans like ’em, are the outstanding features of this cozy downtown pub.

Grand America’s inimitable style is translated into a cushy but unstuffy bar, the antithesis of the current hipster style. You can actually wear a cocktail dress to this cocktail bar.

BTG WINE BAR

GOOD GRAMMAR

BTG stands for “By the Glass” and though BTG serves craft cocktails, specialty beer and good food, the pièces de résistance are the more than 50 wines by the glass. Order a tasting portion or a full glass.

The crowds playing Jenga on the patio, the decor, full of pop celebs and heroes, and a soundtrack of eclectic old- and alt-rock, makes a space that bridges old and young imbibers.

404 S. West Temple, SLC, 801-359-2814. btgwinebar.com

69 E. Gallivan Ave., 385-415-5002. goodgrammar.bar

CAMPFIRE LOUNGE

GRACIE’S

The laid-back feeling of sitting around a campfire is what the owners were aiming for, with or without flames. Campfire is a relaxed neighborhood joint with affordable drinks. And s’mores.

Play pool, throw darts, listen to live music, kill beer and time on the patio and upstairs deck. Plus, Gracie’s is a gastropub.

837 E. 2100 South, 801-467-3325. campfirelounge.com

326 S. West Temple, SLC, 801-819-7563. graciesslc.com

any dry cocktail. Their three unique flavors can be combined with a variety of syrups and citrus juices. I personally reach for the Spice 94 when I’m craving a mock hot toddy. Other non-alcoholic spirit brands include Monday (drinkmonday.co) and Ritual (ritualzeroproof.com), both are showcased respectively in WB’s menu. Unlike Seedlip, which is in a category of their own making, Monday and Ritual fashion their products after flavor profiles found in whiskey, gin, rum and tequila. “Using Monday and Ritual allows us to make dry classic cocktails with authentic taste,” says Viviane. Non-alcoholic spirits are ideal for those covert nondrinkers who still want to experience the depth of an Old Fashioned, or if you just need to take a breather after making the most of happy hour. Beyond an annual participation in Dry January, mocktails have been growing in popularity for years, particularly in Salt Lake. Amy and Viviane believe this is due to the inclusivity that dry cocktails bring to the dining experience. “Offering non-alcoholic drinks as an alternative is similar to offering gluten-free and vegan items,” Amy says. “It creates a space to socialize and hangout without being called out on your choice to drink or not drink.” After all, there are many reasons one might choose not to drink. Maybe you are an athlete in training or a woman who is pregnant. You might be taking medications that shouldn’t be mixed with alcohol, or you simply want to be able to drive home without violating Utah’s severe BAC law. Whatever the reason, being presented with a dry cocktail that doesn’t skimp on flavor shows non-drinkers they aren’t an afterthought and that the bar industry still holds a place for them. In a sense, bars that offer dry cocktails become what they were always meant to be: A gathering place for all. Visit WB’s Eatery at The Monarch 455 25th Street, Ogden. You can also order non-alcoholic cocktail kits and other bar goodies on their site wbseatery.com

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BAR FLY

GREEN PIG

called Killer Queen. Drink a sling—or order a La Croix with a shot poured into the can.

WHISKEY STREET

Green Pig is a pub of a different color. The owners use eco-friendly materials and sustainable kitchen practices. The menu star is the chili verde nachos with big pork chunks and cheese.

RABBIT HOLE

This stretch of Main was once dubbed “Whiskey Street” because it was lined with so many pubs and bars. A 42-foot-long cherry wood bar encourages you to bend the elbow.

31 E. 400 South, SLC, 801-532-7441. thegreenpigpub.com

HIGH WEST SALOON

703 Park Ave., Park City, 435-649-8300. highwest.com

The bartenders at Utah’s award-winning distillery concoct different cocktail menus for every season focusing on High West’s spirits, although the bar stocks other alcohol.

7 E. 4800 S., Murray, 801-266-2127. Icehausbar.com

Ice Haus has everything you need from a neighborhood bar and a purveyor of German cuisine: a wide selection of pub fare and plenty of seating in the beer-hall inspired location. The menu has a strong number of vegan options.

LAKE EFFECT

55 W. 200 South, SLC, 801-532-2068. lakeeffectslc.com

An eclectic bar and lounge with a fine wine list and full menu. Live music many nights; open until 1 a.m.

SEABIRD BAR & VINYL ROOM

Great little locally owned bar in the Gateway with great views, a fun little patio, friendly bartenders and more style than the place can hold.

THE REST AND BODEGA

331 S. Main St., SLC, 801-532-4452. bodegaslc.com

The neon sign says “Bodega;” drink a beer in the phone booth–sized front or head downstairs to the The Rest. Order a cocktail, settle into the apparently bomb-proof book-lined library, or take a booth and sit at the bar.

THE SHOOTING STAR

7350 E. 200 South, Huntsville, 801-745-2002. shootingstar-saloon.business.site

MORTAR AND PESTLE

152 E. 200 South, SLC, 801-953-0156, curryupnow.com/ mortarandpestlebar

A small cocktail-forward bar on Edison Street that draws a big crowd on weekend nights. Best to go early.

More than a century old, this is gen-you-wine Old West. The walls are adorned with moose heads and a stuffed St. Bernard. Good luck finishing your Star Burger.

VARLEY

OYSTER BAR

63 W. 100 South, SLC, 801-203-4124. varleyslc.com

54 W. Market St., SLC, 801-531-6044. marketstreetgrill.com

The nightlife side of Market Street seafood restaurant, the Oyster Bar has an is a place to begin or end an evening, with an award-winning martini and a dozen oysters—half price on Mondays.

A craft cocktail bar and lounge situated right next to its companion restaurant The Ivy. The modern aesthetic pairs well with a classic cocktail and conversation.

THE VAULT

202 S. Main St., SLC, 801-363-5454. bambara-slc.com/the-vault

THE PINES

837 S. Main St., SLC, 801-906-8418. Instagram: @thepines.slc

From the owners of Dick N’ Dixie’s, The Pines is an elevated neighborhood bar with a cool interior and even cooler bartenders. Stop by to taste their solid range of brews, or visit the bar on a weekend for a new wave discotheque.

POST OFFICE PLACE 16 W Market St, SLC, popslc.com

Post Office offers craft cocktails, multicultural small plates and the largest selection of Japanese Whisky in the state. Ask for a “special delivery” if you’re up for a boozy adventure.

QUARTERS

5 E. 400 South, SLC, quartersslc.com

Nostalgic for all those Gen Xers and gamer geeks, Quarters features retro gaming pinball and a game

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Downstairs in Lake Effect, the gaslit Rabbit Hole takes you to a different time, especially on Wednesday nights which are devoted to jazz. The Rabbit is a real listening room—you don’t talk over or under the music. This rare respect and a top notch bar makes this a very unusual hare.

7 S. Rio Grande, The Gateway, SLC, 801-456-1223. seabird.com

ICE HAUS

102

155 W. 200 South, SLC, 801-532-2068

A quintessential hotel bar, with big windows overlooking pedestrian traffic. Special cocktails may be themed to what’s on stage across the street at Capitol Theatre.

WAKARA BAR

480 Wakara Way, SLC, 801-581-1000.

One of the few bars on the west bench, Wakara serves craft cocktails and hosts live music, trivia nights, liquor education and even, occasionally, drag queens.

WATER WITCH

163 W. 900 South, SLC, 801-462-0967. waterwitchbar.com

Three of Utah’s leading bartenders join forces in this charming tiny bar. Whether you want a classic drink, a draft or glass of wine, or a cocktail custom-designed to your taste, this is the place to belly up.

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323 S. Main St., SLC, 801-433-1371. whiskeystreet.com

WHY KIKI

69 W. 100 South, SLC, 801-641-6115. whykikibar.com

A tropical beach-themed club to getaway at with a fruity drink in a tiki glass (or bowl!) or shake it on the dance floor. Don’t miss Taco Tuesday or the drag shows regularly hosted there.

ZEST KITCHEN & BAR

275 S. 200 West, SLC, 801-433-0589. zestslc.com

Zest offers hand-crafted fresh juice cocktails with the same emphasis on local and organic ingredients as the food—try an original concoction like the Straw-bubbly Lavender Martini.

Beers & Brews SQUATTERS/WASATCH 147 W. Broadway, 801-363-2739, squatters.com, 2110 Highland Dr., 801-783-1127. wasatchbeers.com

Salt Lake’s original breweries merged to form Utah Brewers Cooperative—Squatters and Wasatch are the most popular watering holes in Salt Lake.

DESERT EDGE BREWERY 273 S. Trolley Square, SLC, 801-521-8917. desertedgebrewery.com

The constantly changing variety and Beer School set Desert Edge apart from all the others.

LEVEL CROSSING

936 S. 900 West, SLC, 385-270-5972. levelcrossing.com

Opened by home brewer and photographer Christ Detrick, Level Crossing is long on games (like darts), good food and of course good beer.

RED ROCK BREWERY

254 S. 200 West, 801-521-7446. redrockbrewing.com

A longtime favorite for tippling and tasting—The pub draws on 45 recipes for its rotating selection.

TOASTED BARREL BREWERY

412 W. 600 North, 801-657-6942. toastedbarrelbrewery.com

Look for seasonal releases of vintage aged sours and high alcohol barrel-aged beers.

UINTA BREWING COMPANY

1722 Fremont Dr., 801-467-0909. uintabrewing.com

Founder Will Hamill says, “We make beer. Period.” Uinta produces certified organic beers and beer in corked bottles.

TF BREWING

936 S. 300 West, 385-270-5972. tfbrewing.com

TF stands for Templin Family; brewmaster Kevin Templin has a long history in Salt Lake’s beer scene. Expect meticulously made German-style beer and don’t miss game night.

BOHEMIAN BREWERY

94 E. 7200 South, Midvale, 801-566-5474. bohemianbrewery.com

Enjoy the lagers beloved by Bohemian’s owners’ Czech forebears, following the ancient Reinheitsgbot or German Purity Law.

EPIC BREWING COMPANY

Epic exclusively brews high-alcohol content beer. The brewing facility moved to Colorado, but you can still buy cold beer to-go at the taproom.

SHADES OF PALE BREWING 2160 S. West Temple, 435-200-3009. shadesofpale.com

A mom-and-pop brewery supplying many local restaurants—check the website—stop by their tap room.

PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

825 S. State St., 801-906-0123. epicbrewing.com

PROPER BREWERY

THE PERFECT PEAR

From the same proper folks who brought you the Publick House, Proper Brewery and Burgers hugely expands the brewing capacity of the original.

BY AVREY EVANS

865 Main St., 801-906-8604. properbugerslc.com

FISHER BREWING COMPANY

320 W. 800 South, 801-487-2337. fisherbeer.com

Fisher takes its name from a brewery originally founded in 1884, but the brews and low-key atmosphere are strictly right now. One of the few in town that has cask ale occasionally.

ROHA

30 E. Kensington Ave., 385-227-8982. rohabrewing.com

The name comes from the owners two names: Rob Phillips and Chris Haas, former brewer for Red Rock Brewery.

KIITOS BREWING

608 W. 700 South, 801-215-9165. kiitosbrewing.com

A rising star, Kiitos brews are on several menus around town. But if you stop by the brewery to taste, you can play pinball, too.

Bring in the new year with a refreshing twist on a seasonal favorite

IF YOU’VE BEEN CHASING the winter blues with spiked hot cocoa and sickly-sweet concoctions, it’s time to switch it up. Swap out the peppermint schnapps with a refreshing cocktail to keep you warm through February. Finding inspiration in seasonal favorites, Water Witch bartender Kenzi Anderson pairs the rich flavors of cognac with a homemade cinnamon pear shrub. The vinegar-based syrup adds a touch of acidity to the cocktail while complimenting the seasonal profile. To balance the sweetness, Anderson adds Cocchi Americano, a Moscato-based aperitif with a bitter citrus profile. The combination is complex, full-bodied and equally sippable when topped with a splash of soda water.

The Tuning Fork

Make Your Own Shrub

COCKTAIL BY KENZI ANDERSON

Peel and dice 880 grams of Bartlett pears. Combine pears with 675 grams of white cane sugar and leave at room temperature overnight, then refrigerate for half a day. Combine 3 cups white distilled vinegar with 50 grams of whole cinnamon sticks in a pan and simmer for five to ten minutes. Remove from heat and let cool at room temperature for 36 hours. Strain both mixtures and combine 12 ounces of cinnamon vinegar with 21 ounces pear mixture for a delectable shrub.

What’s Inside: 1½ ounce Martell V.S. Cognac ½ ounce Lemon Juice ½ ounce Cocchi Americano ½ ounce Pear Cinnamon Shrub Shake It Up Combine all ingredients in your favorite tin and shake for about ten seconds. Add the mixture to a Collins glass and top with soda water. Garnish with dehydrated lemon wedge and enjoy.

J ANUAR Y /F EB R UAR Y 2022

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FRY SAUCE

Utah’s questionable contribution to condiment cuisine BY JEREMY PUGH

H E N W E W E R E 10 Y E A R S O L D , Robbie Willis and I used to sneak over to Dairy Queen and split a large order of fries. We were odd kids, a fact evidenced by our choice to forego Dairy Queen’s more sensational fare, like chocolate-dipped ice cream, banana splits and sundaes. In the land of sweet, my childhood chum and I sought savory. These were good fries, too, from the preout-of-the-freezer era, freshly cut and perfectly salty. But it wasn’t just the fries that drove us to eschew the sweet-toothed tendencies of our peers. It was the sauce—the fry sauce—that completed the circle. This paper cup of smooth-whipped mayonnaise and ketchup was the perfect accent to each lace of deep-fried potato. Like chocolate and peanut butter, beer and pizza, cigarettes and coffee, fry sauce and fries are a truly powerful sensory yin and yang. And, if you grew up within a day’s drive of Temple Square, it’s always been on the menu. Fry sauce’s invention is claimed by Don Carlos, the founder of Utah-based hamburger chain Arctic Circle. In 1950, Carlos’ signature burger was dressed with mayonnaise and ketchup. To save labor, he combined the two, calling the combo “pink sauce.” From this primeval goop, fry sauce emerged. The moment was as accidental and brilliant as Charles Goodyear’s discovery of vulcanized rubber. Carlos nonchalantly dipped a fry into his time-saving concoction, and the rest is history.

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Yes, it’s just ketchup and mayonnaise. But there are rules. Within the boundaries of this seemingly simple (and, yes, for some, disgusting) combination there are subtle variances. The first and simplest is your ketchup-to-mayonnaise ratio. For example, Crown Burger, an excellent purveyor of fry sauce, lands on the mayonnaise side of the argument, while Hires Big H, another quality sauce maker, leans toward the red side. Many fry sauce experts add other layers like vinegar and spices to the base, and some include pickle relish, both dill and sweet, in the mix. This latter addition walks the very fine line between fry sauce and Thousand Island dressing, however, and is discouraged. Miracle Whip? Miracle Whip is not an option. Oh yes, there are rules. Arctic Circle, which still carries its original recipe, became the host to spread the viral sauce around the Intermountain West. Even the mighty McDonald’s has served fry sauce on a limited regional basis, and 58 years after Carlos dipped a fry in his pink sauce, the fry sauce pin (along with its green Jell-O counterpart) would become the most coveted item of Olympic memorabilia for collectors during the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City. The Dutch put mayonnaise on their fries (we would never do that, gross!) and the French have their aioli (French french fry sauce?). Here in Utah, we like our fries dressed with a simple mixture of ketchup and mayo, a combo so powerful two 10-yearolds once chose it over ice cream. Believe it.

The Canyon art installation by Gordon Huether

PHASE 2 IS COMING IN 2023-24. It’s been a year since The New Salt Lake International Airport opened its doors and gates to the world. The views, the technology, the efficiencies, the space—they’ve all helped make The New SLC Airport one of the most modern and beautiful to travel through. But we’re not done yet and The New SLC is going to get even better. Work on Phase 2 (set for completion in 2023-2024) has begun, and when finished, will offer even more flights to more destinations, more shops, more restaurants, more art installations, and shorter walking distances between terminals. Get to know all about your new SLC at slcairport.com