A food blog about restaurants in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah. Ryan Kendrick's words and photos.
I was excited to read that Twigs Bistro, from Spokane, Washington, will be opening a restaurant in Farmington. My wife is from Spokane and we had dinner at Twigs this Summer. Beautiful restaurant and solid food. Can’t wait for them to get here.
Via Kathy Stephenson
Like many people, I grew up in a town with a Wonder Bread factory. I used to love when we drove through the neighborhood near the factory, because the air was thick with the comforting smell of baking bread. If you’ve never experienced this, go hang out at Gilgal Gardens behind the Salt Lake Wonder Bread bakery and you’ll instantly know what I’m talking about.
The Bennie. There’s a waffle under there, somewhere.
The Mount Olympus
One of my favorite events of the year is the Downtown Alliance’s annual Dine O’Round. There are so many incredible restaurants in Salt Lake, and this event gives me an excuse to get out and try some places I haven’t tried yet as well as revisit some of my favorites. And at a really good price.
This year, over 40 restaurants are participating in the event. Some offer lunches for $5 or $10. Many others are offering dinner for either $15 or $30.
Some new restaurants I’d like to try this year are: CO2, Pallet, and Nordstrom’s Sixth & Pine. I’m sure I won’t get to all of these, but I’m going to make a valiant effort. Other tried-and-true restaurants that I would encourage you to check out are Stoneground, Copper Onion, Plum Alley, Bambara, Dojo, Fleming’s, Martine, Takashi and the Naked Fish. Phew.
One that I definitely won’t miss is ZY. While many of these restaurants trim down their menu or offer a special Dine o’Round menu, Chef Matt Lake opens up his entire menu for the event. His approach is that he wants people to have the full ZY experience, and if it costs him a bit more, it’s worth it because it’ll give customers a memorable introduction to his restaurant. Last year I had the scallops appetizer (one of my favorite dishes in the city), flatiron steak, and dessert for $30. The fact that I still remember what I had a year ago should be a positive sign.
If you are planning to visit one restaurant during the event, I’d highly suggest ZY. Chef Lake is doing some great things in the SLC culinary scene, and you should check out his innovative approach to American cuisine.
You don’t need to buy passes or pre-register to participate in the event. Merely show up at a participating restaurant between September 14th and September 30th, and tell them you’re there for the Dine o’Round. They’ll take good care of you.
You can find the full list of participating restaurants here. Also, like the Downtown Alliance Facebook page and enter in their contest to win dinner for a year.
The September 14th episode of Eden Grinshpan’s Cooking Channel show, Eden Eats, will be all about the variety of global cuisine found right here in Salt Lake City.
The show will feature fish and chips, Kenyan, and Pakistani food. Also, dishes from Tibet, Congo and Argentina will be featured.
The show airs 9/14 at 10pm ET on the Cooking Channel.
Congratulations to Matt Caputo and Troy Peterson of Caputo’s Deli.
They passed a rigorous certification test by the American Cheese Society and are now recognized as Certified Cheese Professionals (think sommeliers of cheese). This is the first year this certification has been offered, and only 121 people in the nation received the designation–Caputo and Peterson being the only two in Utah.
Matt mentioned that he has a few new cheese projects on the horizon. Can’t wait to hear what he has planned.
Utah’s Own, one of my favorite organizations, is putting on their annual Taste of Utah event at the Utah State Fairpark on September 6th.
Over 50 of Utah food producers will be in attendance, passing out samples of their delicious creations. Last year I was particularly impressed with Cheese Bread Mania, and they’ll be back this year.
Also, if you haven’t had a chance to try the Honey Wine Vinegar from Slide Ridge Honey, now’s your chance. They’ll be passing out samples of the delicious vinegar.
The event will take place on September 6th and run from 12-8pm. You get admission with the purchase of a regular all-day fair pass, which is $5.
Find more info here.
Slow Food Utah is an organization dedicated to promoting local, slow food as a counterpoint to our busy, fast-paced (and often fast-food-filled) lives. It is a nonprofit that extends grants to people interested in building their own small farms or urban gardens.
Every year they put on the Feast of Five Senses, which is their annual fundraiser. This year, they have quite the all-star cast providing delicious bites at the event:
Greg Neville of Lugano
Brian Edwards of Alta Club
Nathan Powers of Bambara
Kassie Little of Liberty Heights Fresh
Amber Billingsley of Vinto
Phelix Gardner of Finca
Romina Rasmussen of Les Madeleines
Ethan Lappe of Caffe Niche
Wine by Frances Fecteau of Libation LLC
Beer by Uinta Brewing
The event will be held on Sunday, September 16th at 5:30pm, located at the Alta Club, 100 E South Temple. Cost is $120/person, or if you opt for the food-only option without wine it’s $85.
You can find more info on their website.
Finca has been garnering a lot of attention lately, and with good reason. It is the second venture of Scott Evans, the creator of the wildly successful restaurant, Pago.
Scott decided to open a Spanish tapas restaurant, and recruited the help of executive chef Phelix Gardner, who spent his childhood in Spain and went on to work at The Grand America and Wild Grape.
Tapas are gaining popularity in SLC, helped along by tapas pioneers Cafe Madrid, Pipa, Meditrina, and Eva (oh, and I forgot about Martine! Thanks for the reminder, Zach). These little three-bite dishes are perfectly tailored for a group of adventurous individuals to try a bunch of different flavors.
Finca is located in a brand-new building located on the corner of 1300 S 1100 E, directly to the east of Liberty Heights Fresh. The space is bright and cheery, with huge southwest-facing windows that bring in tons of natural light. Initially Finca got a bad rap for being extremely loud. They’ve managed to solve some of that issue by adding acoustic panels throughout the cieling. But during our visit we still found it to be a bit too loud to carry on a comfortable conversation. Decoration is minimal, and it’s a shame that they had to hide the bar behind a Zion curtain. Although well-designed, the Zion curtain still looks odd.
We had a large group (9 of us), and one of our more daring dining companions decided to order the entire tapas menu. There were some definite hits.
My favorites
Boquerones-crostada topped with chevre and anchovy
Tortilla Espanola-wonderfully eggy with a lovely romesco sauce
Croquettas-creamy and fried to perfection
Albondigas-really nice, unique flavor to these meatballs
Mejillones-perfectly tender mussels in a deliciously salty broth
Pork Belly-this was our last plate, and it was the perfect way to finish off. Tender, rich, and topped with a nice BBQ-like sauce
Papas y Aioli-perfectly cooked and crispy, these aoili-topped morsels hit the spot for a hearty dish
The shishito peppers dish was simply prepared and presented, and had just the slightest amount of kick
There was also a flatbread/pizza-style dish that I really liked
The olive plate was a hit as well, providing us with a selection of three different olives
We had a cheese plate, which gave us a small, but varied selection of local cheeses (Snowy Mountain), blue cheese that I can’t remember the name of, champagne grapes, and membrillo. Do yourself a favor and put a slice of the membrillo on a crostada and top it will some blue cheese. It was amazing. But for the $13 or $15 that we paid for it, I would probably suggest passing this one up.
There were a number of salads–none of them too memorable except the strawberry and beet salad that everyone seemed to enjoy.
I apologize for the lack of photos. It was dark in there, and I dislike posting blurry, grainy photos of food as much as you dislike looking at them. I guess that means I have a good excuse to go back during the day.
Finca is delicious. I’m glad I finally had a chance to check it out. While it will definitely fall into my “special occasion” restaurant category (with water to drink, plus tip I paid $30 for myself), I can’t wait to find an occasion to celebrate.
Friday night counts as an occasion, right?
I’m a recipe guy, which if you have ever met me for more than two minutes, you would know that about my personality. By the book. Follow the directions. Play it safe. In more areas of my life than just cooking.
As I continue to push myself culinarily, I feel one major thing that’s holding me back is my insistence on sticking to recipes. I think it comes back to my thought that until I develop a solid foundation based on the wisdom and experience of others, I shouldn’t try to branch out and do my own thing. I’m currently trying to break that thought process, slowly but surely.
Today I made Coho Salmon fish tacos, and didn’t follow a recipe. I know, big deal, right? But for me it’s a big step. Time to play around with some things.
I bought the salmon on special at Harmon’s (great deal at $6.99/lb). I figured the salmon would need a bit of a kick. So I decided to marinate it in some olive oil, lemon juice, cayenne, chili powder, cumin, and a bit of oregano. The marinade was a success.
I thought I’d experiment with various slaws. I made a “fake-oli” by mixing Mirin with some Mayo. Turned out ok. I made another simple fake-oli by mixing some cumin, lemon juice, and mayo. That one turned out pretty good. I probably should have added some cayenne for a bit more kick. Mixed both of those with cabbage to top the tacos.
I also did a light pickling of some red onion in some apple cider vinegar. I would have preferred using red wine vinegar, but didn’t have any, so plan B. These turned out really good. I pickled some cabbage in a mixture of rice vinegar, soy sauce, and some sugar for a tangy/sweet taste.
Salmon was cooked in my cast iron skillet in the oven (cooked it for a bit too long so it dried out). I made a guacamole with cut up avocado, some finely diced red onion, tomatoes, salt, and lime juice.
All-in-all, it turned out to be a tasty dish, and I’ll continue to push myself to make my own creations rather than just follow others’. Maybe one day I’ll even graduate from the color-by-number coloring books. Here’s hoping.
If you asked me to list my five favorite dishes in Salt Lake, ZY Restaurant’s scallops dish would certainly be on the list. Chef Matt said today that he strives to make dishes that diners regularly crave, and this dish fits the bill. Perfectly cooked scallops resting on a bed of almond romesco and drizzled with a red wine reduction and curry-infused oil. I haven’t forgotten this dish since I first had it last year.
Craving would be an apt description.
I was thrilled to hear that ZY was putting on a lunchtime class where Chef Matt would demonstrate how to make their signature dishes. Matt explained that there are only two dishes that have remained on the menu throughout their entire first year of being open: the scallops and tender pecan pork. When he first opened he had a lot of people ask him what his signature dishes are. He said he couldn’t answer that–the customers decide what the signature dishes are–and these two have remained extremely popular.
Attend a class that unlocks the secret to these dishes, and then be treated to lunch afterwards? Sign me up!
General Manager Miles Broadhead and Chef Matt Lake
I’ll share some tips that Chef Matt shared with us.
-Whenever possible, get “dry” scallops instead of “wet” scallops. Wet scallops have been treated with a chemical (sodium tripolyphosphate) to help them retain their moisture. Wet scallops are extremely difficult to sear due to the high water content–and a good sear is key with this dish. Talk to your local fish guy and ask them if they sell dry scallops. Chef Matt said that Whole Foods and Harmon’s does, but they might not be found in other grocery stores. Of course, Aquarius downtown would be an excellent source as well.
-Don’t overcook your scallops. They should be warmed throughout, but not overcooked. Put them in a very hot pan and by the time the scallops have a good sear on both sides, they’re ready to go.
-Whenever possible, use Kosher salt in your cooking. Sea salt is a great finishing salt, but doesn’t dissolve well, and iodized salt is, well, iodized salt. Matt uses Kosher mainly because it dissolves so well during the cooking process.
-Never, ever use bottled lemon juice. Lemons are cheap and plentiful, and fresh juice makes a huge difference in the overall taste of your dish.
-For the red wine reduction, use a red wine that you would drink (meaning not too crummy), but it doesn’t have to be top-shelf, either.
-You can make the red wine reduction ahead of time and then seal it in an airtight container and keep in the fridge. It can last up to a month if sealed properly and makes for a great finishing sauce.
-You can use a high-quality curry powder from the store, but Matt also likes to go to the Indian markets where you can make your own special curry powder blend. Don’t be afraid to experiment and play around with the ingredients.
-Chef Matt also shared a unique way to make infused oils. Fill a sterilized mason jar with oil, and then put whatever spices you want to infuse the oil with in with it (curry, rosemary, thyme, etc). Seal, and place outside in direct sunlight. On a hot day the sun will gently heat the oil to around 120 degrees and will begin to be infused with the spices. Once infused (taste to know when), filter the oil through cheesecloth and store the oil in a cool, dry place. It’s the fancy-pants take on sun tea.
Matt was a great instructor and even sent us home with the recipes! The scallops recipe is posted below, with permission.
Oh, also, Miles, the general manager, said that they plan to hold these classes quarterly, with the next class on December 1st. If you want to be put on their newsletter to be sure you don’t miss a class, call the restaurant at (801) 779-4730. You can also find ZY on Facebook and Twitter.
Scallops with Almond Romesco, Curry Oil, and Red Wine Reduction
Tender Pecan Pork (I’ll be posting this recipe later)
ZY Scallops
Scallops with almond, curry, and red wine reduction.
Yield 4 portions
Scallops
12 ea. U12 dry sea scallops
Kosher salt
Fresh black pepper, ground
Almond Romesco
2 cups blanched, slivered almonds (don’t use roasted)
1 bunch flat leaf parsley
1 clove peeled garlic
Juice of one lemon
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
Bread crumbs (approx 1 cup–don’t use panko)
In a food processor combine the nuts, garlic, and parsley. Blend till coarse ground and add the lemon juice. Slowly add in the olive oil and puree to a loose pesto consistency. Remove the mixture from the bowl and place in a clean mixing bowl. Slowly stir in the bread crumbs to lightly bind the mixture. Season with salt and set aside. May be made up to two days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Bring up to room temperature before serving.
Red Wine Reduction
3 cups red wine of medium body
¼ cup raw sugar
Place the wine and sugar in a small sauce pan. Reduce until light syrup consistency (when reduced about 2/3 of initial volume).
Curry Oil
1 tbsp yellow curry powder
2 cups grape seed oil
Combine the curry powder and oil in a small sauce pan. Heat on low heat until aroma from the curry develops (or use the “sun tea” method above)
To Assemble
Sear the scallops in a hot pan with a little oil until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper, flip, and repeat. When the scallops are just warmed through, remove from heat. Place the almond romesco in the middle of the plate, top with the scallops, drizzle a little of the curry oil and red wine reduction around the scallops. Serve.
