Salt Lake City Restaurants

[molto e]

Doc,

I do not think that Mexican food is that picturesque, but your shots are very nice. You really did the GTM of Salt Lake City and the food scence seems to have come a long way from the last time I was there (when a certain #23 hit a last shot oh those were the days).

Molto E

[Malaclypse]

well..after seeing the photos one thing becomes clear to me. I'm having dinner at Red Iguana. I love that place. Another kinda off the beaten path place to try is a place called Mamma's Southern Plantation. I love this place more then almost any other place in Utah. Guess you can take the boy out of the country but nothing can take away the love of soul food.

[BryanZ]

Nice report on Utah, Doc. I've spent a lot of time there as a kid over the holidays, eating just about everywhere. You missed Crown Burger; I think you would've like it.

[Nargi]

Alright, well it seems this thread has somewhat died, but hopefully I can revive it.

So, I'm going to be in SLC April 18-20 for an ACF-sponsored national food knowledge competition (I had to throw that in there and make sure everyone knows how special I am. ). Anyway, Although during the morning/day I'll probably be busy competing, I know I'll definitely have time at night to check out some of the culinary offerings. When I first heard I was competing in Utah, I wasn't all that excited about the prospect (the last competition was in Vegas), but this thread has given me new hope.

Any updates? New restaurants? I still see a lot of the aforementioned restaurants still on current restaurant lists online (metropolitan, takashi, new yorker).

[robert40]

Alright, well it seems this thread has somewhat died, but hopefully I can revive it.

So, I'm going to be in SLC April 18-20 for an ACF-sponsored national food knowledge competition (I had to throw that in there and make sure everyone knows how special I am. ). Anyway, Although during the morning/day I'll probably be busy competing, I know I'll definitely have time at night to check out some of the culinary offerings. When I first heard I was competing in Utah, I wasn't all that excited about the prospect (the last competition was in Vegas), but this thread has given me new hope.

Any updates? New restaurants? I still see a lot of the aforementioned restaurants still on current restaurant lists online (metropolitan, takashi, new yorker).

←

Hopefully good timing as by chance while Googling the other day I found this restaurant. Pizzeria Seven Twelve in Orem, UT. Which someone can correct me if wrong, but I believe it's a suburb of SLC.

By all indications it appears to be one of those small personal, farm to table type places opening up across the country lately by talented young chefs.

Below I have linked a positive review from a local paper. Plus the web site and blog in which the owners detail the restaurants opening.

If interested and your willing to take one for the team I for one would enjoy hearing your thoughts.

http://www.sltrib.com/food/ci_8539967

http://www.pizzeria712.com/

http://pizzeria712.blogspot.com/

[Catherine Iino]

My husband and I will be in SLC this coming weekend. Does anyone have any comments on the places mentioned several years ago--still good? I'd particularly like to know whether the Red Iguana is still worth a visit--it sounded great, especially to a Mexican-food deprived Northeasterner.

[heyjb]

I would like to bump this thread to see if there are some current recommendations for Salt Lake City. Thanks in advance for any help.

JB

[Othafa9]

To recommend another pizzeria, try "Settebello". One of only a few pizzerias in america doing authentic Neapolitan pizza.

Edited February 5, 2009 by Othafa9 (log)

[lemniscate]

I was in SLC for business in January. I was not having a great visit but the highlight of my trip was an accidental right turn into the parking lot of the Wild Grape Bistro. Just east of downtown on Temple. Very comfortably hip place with what I thought was great food. I unfortunately was not in a foodie mood that night and played it safe with a local sourced lamb burger on focaccia and their cauliflower bisque. Had a glass of a nice pinot. The menu looks very nice, changes daily I'm told. Highly recommended by me. I believe it's quite new to the SLC restaurant scene.

The Wild Grape Bistro website

[BryanZ]

Spent a long weekend in Salt Lake City and Park City for a family reunion. Though I'm East Coast born and raised, my father's family hails from SLC, so, as I mentioned upthread, I've spent a good of time in the area, usually over the holidays.

We had one night and one half-day in Salt Lake. Excessive consumption was surely in order. We hit all our mainstays. In Park City, we mainly cooked but managed one rather tasty, highly unlikely meal in Kamas, a small town at the foot of the Uintah range.

Perhaps SLC's most famous restaurant is Red Iguana. Most everyone goes here, locals and tourists alike. I was also amused to find that it's kind of transformed into a hipster hangout. The restaurant is known for its mole sauces, all of which I find quite delicious. I've not traveled extensively through Mexico so I can't judge their true authenticity, but I've repeatedly found these mole to be better than anything I've had in the States.

We headed here immediately after landing and picking up our truly tragic looking Chevy HHR. At 9 pm on a Wednesday night we waited just over 30 minutes. In SLC that's, like, ridiculous.

We ordered an appetizer of jalapeno peppers stuffed with shrimp, deep-fried, then topped with a red sauce and cheese. Surprisingly light given the heavy description. No picture, though.

Mole pictures abound, however.

Mole negro with turkey

The most complex of the bunch. Totally delicious.

Stuffed pork loin with mole de alemendras

That's mole with almonds for you gringos. I think.

Mole verde with chicken

So fresh-tasting for a mole. You could totally taste the green squash, avocado, and herbs.

Carnitas

A very good rendition but not as memorable as the mole. At any other Mexican restaurant I'd be thrilled to receive a plate of pork this good.

The spread

Yeah, we're pigs. There was also a little cup of red pipian sauce. You could really taste the pumpkin here.

This place is seriously, seriously delicious. Service is brisk, the restaurant is kind of a shithole, but it all works.

Day two would start off with my braising pork for 20 at my aunt's house. Then it was off on a whirlwind tour of eating.

Our first stop was Lone Star Taqueria, another famous SLC eatery. They specialize in grilled fish tacos here, not the fried rendition I often found along the Riviera Maya on the Yucatan Peninsula. Again, these tacos and burritos are seriously delicious. I've loved this place for years and this visit didn't disappoint. Because they rotate their fish offerings here I was perhaps a little disappointed that we arrived on a cod day (a bland fish) as opposed to perhaps salmon day (more strongly flavored).

Sitting out on the patio is great, basking in the warm sun, drinking Mexican beer, and watching the clouds roll over the mountains.

Fish tacos

They're known for their sauces as much as the tacos proper.

Fish burrito

Rather large, but surprisingly light given its imposing stature.

Fish burrito, split

Immediately after our brunch at Lone Star we headed to Iceberg Drive Inn. Not sure what the "inn" refers to, but getting shakes and malts here is pretty much a tradition. To be honest they're less shakes than they are hand-mixed loose soft serve with your choice of flavorings/mix-ins.

I opt for a berry combo of black raspberry (I'm guessing this is blackberry), blueberry, and boysenberry. It's quite refreshing, as far as things like this go.

My father, however, opts for a malted shake with chocolate fudge, chocolate chips, and banana.

I find this combination unbearably cloying and rich. But that's me.

After a brief stroll down memory lane for my parents at the UofU we continued eating. Another SLC favorite of mine is Crown Burgers.

Get ready for some gratuitous burger shots.

A Crown Burger, Jr. Crown Burger, onion rings, fry sauce, soda

My mother and sister shared the Jr. I ate the full-size myself. Natch.

Closer

The Money Shot

Boom!

I personally think this is one of the all-time great fast food hamburgers. Arctic Circle also does a version of the corned beef-fast food burger and while it's a noble try it lacks the excess of a Crown Burger.

And in about three hours we've all consumed vast quantities of food and feel borderline ill. A great half-day if you ask me.

Edited June 23, 2009 by BryanZ (log)

[BryanZ]

The drive from SLC to Park City is a pleasant one. This year the lower reaches of the mountains were particularly green.

In Park City I cooked pork braised in a charred tomatillo salsa, also a few bo ssam. Lots of pork. What else is new? Might I also note that Park City might be among the whitest places on earth? Between Blue Hill @ Stone Barns and Park City, it's really a toss up.

But I digress.

Within about an hour's drive of Park City is the Uintah range. At the base of the mountains is the town of Kamas. In Kamas is the rather idiosyncratic Hi Mountain Drug.

Hi Mountain Drug

Grill, Sporting Goods, BOOKS, ICE CREAM. What more could you possibly want?

Root beer float, strawberry ice cream soda, limeade

These offerings were totally awesome. Great ice cream from a local creamery. The ice cream soda was like a carbonated shake. The limeade was, mercifully, not too sweet by any means.

The place is known for its burgers. We obliged.

Burgers

The burgers were good, not great. The place on the whole, however, was truly memorable.

Beyond Kamas you drive past gorges and summits and stop at every possible turnout because your father is feeling nostalgic. And see views like this.

A beautiful part of the country and actually quite tasty, too.

[sandra]

Anything to add or change for 2010?

We'll be there in January - skiing during the day, but eating at night!

Any new suggestions or updates would be great!

Thanks

[Bruce Earls]

I will be in SLC on business next week, and am wondering if there are any decent dining experiences in the Cottonwood Heights area. I am considering taking a taxi to the places listed below for my four dinners and would appreciate more local recommendations if there are equivalents closer to the Cottonwood Heights region. The last time I was in SLC, I hated almost every meal I had, excluding the doughnuts which I am pretty sure came from Banbury Cross and lunches from a hamburger joint and a taco truck. That is why I am planning to go further afield. I am looking for dinner meals, and am willing to pay for quality, but expect reasonable quality for money. For the below restaurants, do they deliver on the promise of their websites, are they accessible to the single diner, and are they still a good overall dinner? Are there better options, either closer to Cottonwood Heights, or just better overall?

Copper Onion

The Tin Angel Cafe

Mazza

New Yorker

Takashi

[Blues_Cookin]

I had the wonderful opportunity to move to the Provo area for a great job opportunity two years ago, but I didn't realize it was such a challenging food opportunity. However, I have a few suggestions for those who find themselves as they say here "south of the point of the mountain", which basically means 45 min south of Salt Lake City. I have put together a google map of foodie spots HERE

Highlights in Utah County are:

Communal - Modernist American cuisine, plenty of sous vide and other great techniques, aggressive menu and 50% communal dining, 50% not. One of the really interesting things here is that the kitchen is out in the middle of the dining area, so you can see the chef's practice their art. They are humble foodies and great to talk to.

Piizzaria 712 Same ownership as the Communal, really creative pizza and Calzone dishes, and again, foodies in a land of the great american franchise, these guys love to talk food.

Smoking Apple Pretty decent BBQ (high praise coming from a BBQ snob), and the sides are excellent, especially the beans.

There have been other posts about Bombay House, pretty decent Indian.

Check out the Google Map link above for other places - the green ones are 'approved" yellow are ones I am planning on investigating soon.

Enjoy!

Edited January 25, 2012 by Blues_Cookin (log)

[gfron1]

Any updates on SLC?  I'm looking for unpretentious, quality restaurants in the area.

[djyee100]

Any updates on SLC?  I'm looking for unpretentious, quality restaurants in the area.

 

I did a search on roadfood.com for the cities you've requested on your recent EGullet posts. SLC, Tulsa, Cheyenne came up negative at first, then suddenly the website changed its mind and popped out a map of good restaurants for the Rockies. I tried to do an additional search for Reno, but the website decided it had done enough for me today.

 

Here's the map. Hope it's still there for you.

http://www.roadfood.com/Restaurants/SearchResults.aspx?st=latlong&latlongid=390&ob=LatLon

 

Roadfood.com is the brainchild of food writers Jane and Michael Stern. I only know of them from their contributions to Saveur mag. I suggest you play with the website yourself. It may decide it knows a few restaurants in Reno after all.

[Smithy]

I've been to Bombay House in Provo a few times and loved it.  The 'chain' is a family owned and operated set of restaurants from recent immigrants; I think they told me that Papa started the first one and his sons have opened the offshoots. The Provo place was busy but comfortable, with excellent food to my taste.  I don't think it was very expensive.  I haven't been to their Salt Lake City restaurant, but if you like Indian food I'd recommend checking it out.

[gfweb]

Any updates on SLC?  I'm looking for unpretentious, quality restaurants in the area.

You get up to Park City?  Some nice ones there

[Maison Rustique]

My stepdaughter has a good friend who lives in SLC. She asked him to make some recommendations for us. Here is his list:

 

Eva

Copper Onion

Em's

Avenues Proper

Frida Bistro

Takashi

New Yorker

Mazza

Cucina Toscana

Market St. Grill

Oyster Bar

Red Iguana II

Forage

Mariposa

Pago

Finca

Fresco

Paris Bistro

Cafe Niche

Log Haven

Vinto

 

Am sure we'll only make it to a fraction of the list, as we won't be there that long.

[Maison Rustique]

We'll be making the usual trip to SLC in September. Any interesting places that have opened in the past year?