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Some activity has been spotted at the old Bayleaf Cafe spot at 159 S Main St, next to Eva Boulangerie. Mollie&Ollie is slated to open Spring 2016, and judging by the extensive construction work, they are completely gutting the place and starting from scratch.

Julie Payne is the manager of the spot, and she gave me the low-down: ordering will take place at the counter either in-person, via tablets, or through apps on your phone. The menu is being developed by Chef Ryan Lappe (formerly of Cafe Niche), and will focus on fresh and healthy (e.g. wraps, bowls, scrambles, stir fries, salads, smoothies, etc). 

Mollie&Ollie will be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, adding some evening dining options to downtown, which will seemingly work well with the new performing arts center right next door. The space will flow through all of the way back onto Regent Street, which is currently undergoing revitalization along with the 111 building and the performing arts center construction.

This is not a franchise (yet). This is the first location for this concept, and if they are successful, they plan on expanding along the Wasatch Front.

More to come as they get closer to opening! You can sign up for their mailing list by going to their site here.

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[Sponsored Post] Groupon Coupons

SLCeats is grateful to have the support of Groupon. Groupon Coupons is a new venture of Groupon which offers deals, discounts, and other promotions completely free to the consumer. Participating retailers include Macy’s, Travelocity, Canon, and many more. 

Some of the site I plan on checking out: Sur La Table, Columbia, and Gander Mountain.

Be sure to check it out (no signups or logins required), and thanks to Groupon for supporting SLCeats.

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I had the chance to try this heavenly blend of poblano peppers and pumpkin at a recent event in Salt Lake, and snagged some on the spot to play around with. A nice blend of mild pepper taste, contrasted with the robust, nutty pumpkin seeds. 

We tried the pesto along with chicken, eggs, and just as a dip for chips. 

Salsa del Diablo is a local company that sells at the various farmers’ markets, including the Wasatch Front Farmers market and the Holladay Plaza market. 

Stay up to date on where they’re selling on their Facebook page.

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This is the Sloppy Joe sandwich from Feldman’s Deli in Millcreek. When you think “sloppy joe,” get the hamburger concoction on a bun out of your head. This sandwich is the real deal and unlike anything else you’ll find in Utah.

At $14, it ain’t cheap, but this sandwich could easily feed two moderately hungry human beings. Or, take half home for dinner. Either way, if you polish this whole thing off in one sitting, I’ll be impressed. It’s $14, but it is worth every penny.

Slices of rye struggle to contain the mounds of pastrami, corned beef, cole slaw, and thousand island dressing. They mostly fail at their task (please refer to name of sandwich–you knew full well and good what you were getting yourself into), but they put forth a valiant effort to contain the heaping hordes of flavor.

Everything at Feldman’s is excellent. They make their own bagels, import their meat from one of the top delis in NYC (think Katz or Carnegie deli), and make everything fresh in house. I particularly love their fries, which are cut and prepped in-house. Try the matzo soup, make sure you get some potato pancakes along with a knish, and if you’re on the braver side of things go ahead and try the gefilte fish. Certainly not my cup of tea, but they say it sells well.

You won’t have room, but get a cheesecake to go. This is the richest cheesecake I’ve had–much denser that what you will find elsewhere. So rich that, again, you’ll want to split it or save some for later.

I have a running “last meal” list, and I’m confident saying that the sloppy joe would certainly be on it. I’m not kidding. Go try it.

Feldmans Deli
2005 E 2700 S
Salt Lake City

(801) 906-0369

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The eternal battle of carnitas vs carne asada rages on in the fair city of Salt Lake. The crunchy pork of the carnitas is hard to beat, but I tip my hat to the more flavorful asada this round. Until next time, El Toro. Until next time.

Tacos El Toro
Corner of 800 South and State St (the cart on 800 South–not State St)

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The Holy Cow banh mi from Mai Bun Mee, located at 850 South State Street.

Mai Bun Mee is owned by the same people behind the very successful Oh Mai in South Salt Lake and Cottonwood Heights. I was expecting to walk in and see the familiar array of menu items offered at Oh Mai, like the ever-popular S8 (garlic ribeye) or my personal favorite, the S12 (pho brisket), but between the different name and varied menu, it’s obvious that the owners are trying out a different concept at this location.

Rather than being a centerpiece of the menu, Pho is relegated to being listed as a “special,” and is not even printed on their regular menu. But not to worry–the pho is just as tasty as it is at Oh Mai, however at a slightly smaller portion size (no small size option, either, just the regular large size).

The banh mi also have a bit of a twist. Similar prices to Oh Mai, higher quality meat, but don’t expect to walk in and order the S12, for example, because they don’t have it here. The sandwiches here don’t translate directly from the other locations. Anna, the owner of Bun Mee and Oh Mai, explained that their sandwiches are a bit more substantial than those found at Oh Mai, with the sandwiches at Bun Mee featuring heavier sauces and ingredients, and higher quality meat. The S8 at Oh Mai roughly translates to the “Holy Cow,” and features different ingredients (seared tenderloin, romaine lettuce, chili aioli, sautéed mushrooms, cilantro, jalapeño, and house dressing). The next time I swing by, I have my sights set on The Sinner, which features pork belly, pickled carrots, and a garlic fish lime vinaigrette. Or perhaps the the Fisherman, featuring seared tilapia, mango slaw, and garlic aioli.

I guess what I’m getting at is don’t go into Mai Bun Mee and expect it to be an Oh Mai clone. But that’s certainly not a bad thing. For some reason, prior to stopping by, I had wrongly assumed it was the same stuff, different name. While not earth-shatteringly different, it is different. Anna, the owner, said they could change the name to Oh Mai and there would immediately be a crowd, but they want to try something a bit different and see how it works. Hopefully they don’t flip the switch on a concept change, though, because I’d like to see these creative sandwiches continue to have a home.

Mai Bun Mee Sandwich Shop
850 S. State Street, Salt Lake City
(801) 575-8888

maibunmee.com
Monday – Saturday 11am – 8:30pm

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Chicago dog, Johnniebeefs in Fort Union. Johnnie ships in his buns every day from his hometown. It’s a perfect blend of ingredients. Start talking with Johnnie about the Bears or Bulls and you’ll have a friend for life. Just don’t tell him that Jordan pushed off.

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Bistro 222 has changed things up, hiring a new chef and redoing the entire menu. Chef Brady Gray, formerly of Ruth’s Chris and Baci Trattoria prior to that, has taken the helm and rewrote the entire lunch and dinner menus. “Casual but elegant” is a proper description of both the bistro’s décor as well as its food. The restaurant is surrounded by towering windows looking out to downtown.

We tried various courses at a recent press tasting. Some of the dishes were an elk tenderloin carpaccio with Peri Peri sauce, a rich lobster bisque with sherry and cream, beef short ribs with a cauliflower potato mash, Chilean seabass and oxtail, King salmon, and a ribeye filet.

Bistro 222 is open for lunch and dinner on the weekdays, dinner on Saturday, and brunch on Sunday. Parking is validated at the 222 parking garage (enter near the Hotel Monaco).

www.bistro-222.com

Disclosure: I was an invited guest of the restaurant to meet the chef and try the new menu

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Light Wheat Bread

This recipe has been adapted from Luv To Cook’s wheat bread recipe. I’ve lightened it up a bit using some bleached flour to give it a bit better texture and lightness. Also, the Luv To Cook’s recipe calls for gluten, but I’ve found that as long as you use King Arthur flour, there’s no need for additional gluten as King Arthur is already very high gluten.

Also, one other recommendation: if you don’t have an instant read probe-style thermometer, I highly recommend you get one. It makes cooking much more enjoyable as it eliminates much of the guess work in cooking and baking. My favorite is the thermometer made by Thermapen. I’m not sponsored by Thermapen and I don’t have anything to do with them. I just think they’re the absolute best instant-read out there. And they’re local, which is a huge plus for me.

I have halved the recipe from the original simply because two loaves at a time is plenty for our little family. I will make two and wrap and freeze one.

Light Whole Wheat Bread

2.5 cups warm water (between 110 and 120 degrees)
2 tablespoon oil
1.5 tablespoon dough enhancer
2 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon instant yeast
3 cups King Arthur whole wheat flour
3 cups King Arthur bleached bread flour

Mix yeast and warm water until bubbles start forming on the surface. Combine in large mixing bowl with oil, dough enhancer, honey, yeast, and 3 cups of the flour (doesn’t matter if it’s the whole wheat or bread flour). Mix on low speed in a Kitchenaid or a Bosch mixer for 1 minute. Add salt and remaining flour slowly until fully incorporated. Adjust the flour so that the dough is tacky, but not too sticky. Turn mixer to high and knead for another 8 minutes. 

Divide dough in two, then shape and place in greased bread pans. Let rise until the dough has doubled in size. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees for at least 20 minutes prior to putting loaves in. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the bread is 190 degrees F. Then remove, let cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove loaves and allow to fully cool on a cooling rack.