Category: Uncategorized

Bold. That is the first word that came to mind when I had the chance to try Creminelli’s new Whiskey Salami. The salami is made using Park City’s High West whiskey. High West has been cranking out award-winning spirits for the past few years, and Creminelli teamed up with them for this new salami, which features High West’s new Son of Bourye whiskey. While not an imbiber myself, I can tell you that with one whiff of this salami, I knew it was going to be a bold new offering from Cristiano Creminelli. And it didn’t disappoint.

The flavor is strong, with just a little bit of kick that lingers on the back of your palate and a hint of juniper. I wouldn’t call the whiskey in this salami overpowering. While it certainly makes its presence known at first whiff and first bite, it mellows out and is the perfect complement to the wonderfully rich, well-rounded, and flavorful salami we’ve come to love from Cristiano’s shop.

High West says that the Son of Bourye whiskey is “best enjoyed around a campfire while looking at the Milky Way.” I think this statement applies equally to the bold flavors of the Creminelli Whiskey salami. I could definitely see myself snacking on this in the middle of the desert, watching the stars. This salami isn’t for the faint of heart, and it certainly won’t let you forget about it for very long.

Creminelli is currently selling the Whiskey Salami as a limited item in their Wild West Salami Gift Set. The Whiskey salami is paired with another bold salami, their Wild Boar. Creminelli is currently promoting this as a perfect gift for Father’s Day, and I couldn’t agree with them more.

Who says Kickstarter is just for techy-related stuff? Frisch Eatery is a vegan restaurant setting up shop in the old Cafe de Rico building on 800 S 500 E, and they are raising funds to upgrade plumbing and purchase cooking equipment so they can open shop.

If you haven’t heard of Kickstarter, I would encourage you to look into it. It’s a website whose aim is to help entrepreneurs raise funds for various projects from iPhone-compatible watches to, well, restaurants. People who donate funds are considered “backers” and typically receive some sort of benefit once the product is launched. If the project doesn’t raise the necessary money, it’s back to the drawing board.

If you’ve always wanted to support local businesses, now you have a new, unique way to do just that!

Check it out here.

Memories of my high school AP math class. Delicious pie. Never before have such a hated topic and such a beloved topic joined quite like they are next week at Yelp’s Pi(e) Day celebration. On 3/14 (get it? 3.14), Yelp is hosting a free (minus the cash bar) event at Pierpont Place, which I think they should temporarily rename Piepont Place, to celebrate all things pie. And what better way to celebrate than by inviting some of Salt Lake’s best pizza pie and dessert pie makers to join forces under one roof for a magical evening of calculating the area of a circle. Oh, and music and free food. And booze.

Some of my favorite local places will be slinging slices, such as Sicilia Pizza, Penny Ann’s, and Sweet Home Chicago.

RSVP’s are necessary for this party. You can request an invite by clicking here.

Pi Day Par-tay
March 14, 7-9pm
Pierpont Place, 163 W Pierpont

A while ago I spent a couple weeks travelling through Cambodia and Singapore. One adventure I was particularly excited about was the opportunity to participate in a Cambodian Cooking class in Phnom Penh, called Frizz.

I was enthralled as the chef took us to a local outdoor market where we purchased fish, lemongrass, ginger, taro root, and other ingredients. It was hot, dark, humid, and cramped as we navigated through the little vendor stands, but well worth the effort when we left with the bounty of deliciously fresh ingredients.

 
Cambodia sits directly between Thailand and Vietnam, and their cuisine definitely reflects that (although Cambodians would argue that their Khmer cuisine actually influenced Thai and Vietnamese cuisine). Soup, noodle, and curry dishes abound, although Cambodian food is generally less spicy since the Khmer cuisine didn’t incorporate chilis in to many of their dishes.

We learned how to make a curry dish (called Amok) from scratch, using ingredients such as ginger, lemongrass, galangal and lime.

The rooftop kitchen

Shredding the taro root

All of these ingredients were placed in an apparatus resembling a giant mortar and pestle, and we pounded the ingredients until they formed a smooth, creamy paste.

After steaming the Fish Amok in banana leaves for a little while, what we ended up with was sheer Khmer deliciousness. 

Although Cambodians experienced one of the worst genocides in human history (which, surprising to me, only happened 30 years ago), I was consistently impressed with their upbeat, positive attitudes. They revel in the little things in life, and cooking is one of those things. I’m not sure when (or if) I’ll ever make it back to Cambodia, but I would love to have the opportunity to spend more time with these kind-hearted people and learn more about their cuisine and culture. 

Man, these Heirloom guys are absolutely killing it down in Happy Valley. Their two breakout restaurants, Communal and Pizzeria 712 continue to be wildly successful, and now they’ve added a third restaurant to their arsenal: Mountain West Burrito.

Best of luck to Colton and crew. I’m sure they’ll knock this one out of the park like they’ve done with their other restaurants.

Here’s hoping one day they decide to venture to Salt Lake County for a future location, but until then, continue elevating the culinary scene in Utah County.

Heirloom blog post here.