Uncategorized

Upcoming Chocolate Classes

Ruth Kendrick (my mom) of Chocolot Artisan Confections is teaching a couple classes this month. On September 17th she will teach a class on holiday candy at the Logan Kitchen Kneads-Love To Cook. The class will include instruction on making caramels, candied almonds, peanut brittle and fondant.

Then, on September 24th she will teach a class on chocolate tempering and ganaches at Baker’s. For those of you who have worked with chocolate, you know that tempering chocolate is the trickiest part of the entire process. Now’s your chance to learn from one of the best.

Uncategorized

7th Annual Feast of Five Senses

Some of Utah’s hottest chefs are getting together to prepare an amazing meal for Slow Food Utah’s Feast of Five Senses, held on Sunday September 18th. Chef Ryan Lowder (Copper Onion), Nathan Powers (Bambara), Letty Flatt (Deer Valley Resort), Michael Richey (Pago), Amber Billingsley (Vinto) and more will prepare meals featuring locally-sourced ingredients.

$120 per person (or $85 without wine).

Funds from this dinner, as well as the accompanying silent auction, go towards funding Slow Food Utah’s micro grant program, which promotes local agriculture.

More info on the dinner can be found here. 

Uncategorized

Vintage Mixer at Vinto

Although it’s only been open for two years, Vinto Pizzeria has made a big splash in the Salt Lake City dining scene. The restaurant has recently won two Best of State awards–one for their pizza, and one for their gelato. I recently had the opportunity to attend a Vintage Mixer dinner at Vinto.

The first thing you’ll notice as you walk in the door is the amazingly warm, welcoming interior of the restaurant. Warm wood tones, exposed brick, and a multitude of wine bottles instantly welcome you to this modern retreat. This is one of the best designed restaurants in Salt Lake City. And they’ve won several national design awards to back that up.

The employees are very gracious and happy to see you. I have yet to dine at Vinto and been less than extremely impressed by their service. You’ll notice they take all orders through an electronic device, which is then transmitted to the kitchen. This allows the waitstaff to remain on the dining room floor instead of running back to the kitchen to place orders. They also process your credit card and print your receipt tableside.

I’ve only had the pizza from Vinto before, so I was excited to be able to try more of the menu.

Soup made with sorrel, potato and cream. Sorrel is similar to spinach, but with a strong lemon flavor. This soup was well balanced and creamy.

The caprese salad was delicious. Since local heirloom tomatoes aren’t quite in season, the chef roasts San Marzano tomatoes for this salad. The result is absolute deliciousness. Roasting the San Marzanos brings out their natural sweetness, which complements the basil and mozzarella perfectly.

Grilled artichoke with arugula and shallot vinaigrette. Probably my favorite dish of the night. The nutty artichoke was the perfect savory companion to the spicy arugula.

Housemade meatballs in tomato sauce. Really nice dish. Reminded me of my mother’s home cooking.

Italiana chopped salad. This salad has romaine, arugula, chicken, and pancetta mixed together with a really tasty red wine vinaigrette. The savoriness of the pancetta and fontina was cut nicely by the vinaigrette. Oh, and the breadsticks. Made in house, and delicious.

Verdura chopped salad. Mixed greens, quinoa, beets, squash, and many other garden vegetables. It was named the best salad in last year’s Salt Lake Magazine Best of the Beehive awards.

Fettucine Arancione. This is a fettucine dish mixed with prosciutto and coated in an orange citrus sauce. My wife loved this dish, polishing off her entire plate! They only offer this as a special on certain days of the week, so be sure to ask if they’re offering it.

The pizzas were all delicious. My favorite is also the simplest: the Margherita. The Tuttabella and Patate were also very tasty, although I could have done without the truffle oil on the Patate. I find that it almost always overpowers the rest of the dish when it’s added. But the caramelized onion on the Tuttabella added a sweet richness that was wonderful, and a very nice counterpoint to the spicy housemade sausage.

Patate

Tuttabella

I was especially impressed with the desserts, and you can tell they’re definitely not an afterthought. Vinto is famous for their award-winning gelato, and it’s obvious why. My two favorite flavors are the orange honey and basil. This is seriously some unreal gelato. Pastry chef Amber Billingsley hit these flavors right on the head.

Applewood for the pizza oven.

The next time you’re looking for a casual, relaxed dining experience, check out Vinto Pizzeria. And a special thanks to Becky at the Vintage Mixer for organizing the event, and thanks to Vinto for hosting us.

Vinto on Urbanspoon

Uncategorized

Metropolitan/Travelzoo Deal

The Metropolitan has partnered up with Travelzoo to offer an amazing deal. For $49, you get either a seven or four course meal prepared by Chef Shifflett.

The seven course meal is offered on July 25th and the four course meal is offered on July 30th.

Go here for more details.

Uncategorized

Yelp Eats

Salt Lakers have the opportunity to try delicious food from some of the best Salt Lake restaurants for about 50% off regular menu price, without the need of coupons.

From July 11th through the 17th stop by any participating restaurant and you’ll be given a special “Yelp Eats” menu with deeply discounted meals.

And these aren’t deals at Bob’s Burger Shak. We’re talking Atlantic Café, Bohemian Brewery, Cucina Vanina, Faustina, Meditrina, Metropolitan, Stoneground, and The Wild Grape. If you haven’t tried these restaurants, now’s your chance for minimal cash.

I already have my meal at The Wild Grape planned:
Lobster Risotto $6.50
Wagyu tenderloin with mushroom polenta $12.25
Vanilla Bean creme brulee with fresh berries $3.25

I’ll be out the door (excluding tip of course) for $22!

For more information on Yelp Eats, go here.

Uncategorized

Chabaar

For all of the fans of the amazing Tea Rose Diner in Murray, you’re in for a treat. They have opened a second restaurant in Midvale at 87 W 7200 S. The building used to house an old, dingy breakfast place, and they have torn everything out and turned it into a beautiful new restaurant.

For those unfamiliar with Tea Rose, they serve quite an unusual menu. They serve some American dishes and make a nice American breakfast, but their specialty is of course their Thai food. They make the spicy level of each dish to order, so be prepared to tell them a number, 1 through 10. But a word to the wise: unless you’re a masochist, don’t order past a two or maybe a three. It is really spicy. It’s also my favorite Thai food in Utah. They do things right here.

Stop by and support their new location. They are currently doing a soft opening and their grand opening will be July 11th.

Chabaar on Urbanspoon

Uncategorized

Gourmandise – The Bakery

Step into Gourmandise – The Bakery, and you’re immediately brought home. The welcoming, relaxed interior envelopes you in the aromas of freshly baked bread, rich pastries, and delicious soup simmering slowly on the stove.

Gourmandise’s executive chef and general manager is Jean-Jacques Grossi. Jean-Jacques began his baking career as a 13 year-old boy in France. After moving to Salt Lake City, he worked at various Salt Lake bakeries, including Bakers de Normandie and Brumbies, and eventually settled down at The Bakery, where he worked his way up from baker to executive chef.

The Bakery is owned by Pete and Wanda Hanssen, who immigrated from South Africa and purchased Gourmandise in 2006. It’s all about the family at Gourmandise, where several generations all work together.

The layout of the bakery is European inspired, which can lead to confusion for some. I remember my first time at the bakery, I walked in and didn’t know whether I should sit down at the table or order at the counter. Our host Becky gave us a tip: if you plan on staying to eat, sit down at a table and a server will come over to take your order. If you are looking for something to carry out, go right up to the counter to order and pay. If the weather is nice, I would recommend sitting out in their covered patio.

This unique layout causes service to be a bit sporadic at times, especially during the busy times. Water glasses can go unfilled as the servers try to handle their tables.

I have never left from Gourmandise disappointed with my meal. The Bakery has recently reinvented their quiches from ground up. They are made completely in-house from scratch using delicious ingredients such as creme fraiche and gruyere. Each day offers a different quiche. The Saturday quiche is roasted red pepper, goat cheese, and basil. If you have to make a special trip to The Bakery in order to try the Saturday quiche, do it. It’s that good. The goat cheese isn’t too overpowering, and the quiche was perfectly cooked. 

The cup of French Onion soup that came with the quiche had the perfect blend of sweet onions, salty broth, and gooey cheese. It’s their house special and it’s obvious why.

Other recommendations from Becky: for the vegetarians, the Chickpea Smash, which can either be had as a sandwich or a salad. The Smash consists of smashed chickpeas, olives, red onions and fresh Italian parsley. Another hit is the Portobello Panini. Grilled portobellos, red peppers, muenster, hummus, and basil aioli. I think I’m going to have to try that one next time. The Curry Chicken Salad is another Gourmandise classic. Think of a delicious chicken salad kicked up a notch with a rich curry dressing.

Another reason why I love Gourmandise: they’re open late. They’re the only bakery in Salt Lake that does so, staying open until 10 pm Monday through Thursday, and open until 11 pm Friday and Saturday. One thing that had us wondering is why they are closed on Sunday. I guess we can give them one day off, right?

If you’re looking for a place to relax with friends, bring a business acquaintance, or for some late night eats, make sure to put Gourmandise – The Bakery, on your list. I guarantee you’ll find a sweet treat you’ll love in their gigantic display cases.

Croissant Pudding

For a chance to win a $25 gift card to Gourmandise, leave a comment telling us what your favorite Gourmandise dish is, or what you’d like to try when you go. Or tweet @Broswhobrunch and tell us there!

Gourmandise – The Bakery
250 South 300 East
Salt Lake City

http://gourmandisethebakery.com

Gourmandise (the Bakery) on Urbanspoon

Uncategorized

New BBQ Place

I spotted a new BBQ place called Firehouse the other day on 21st South and had to pop in and check it out. Their building is one of the more interesting setups I’ve seen, sharing half the building with a hardwood floor sales office, and their smoker is right out next to the sidewalk.

Firehouse was started by three guys with various experience in the BBQ world. “Tornado T” Tom moonlights at Hog Wallow, and Mark and Robert were associated with the old Bubba’s and Firehouse BBQ on 4300 S 900 E (currently Stella’s).

These guys are serious about their Southern Texas Style BBQ. They are in the process of installing “Salt Lake’s only” open BBQ pit, according to Mark. They have only been open a week, so naturally they are working out the kinks with seating and service, but if these guys can iron those issues out, they’ve got something really good going on here.

They take great pride in all of their food. Their pickles are house-cured and are very unique, having a sweet and spicy kick that I haven’t had before. I sampled a few of their very tasty meats. And the sauce. Wow. I’m a big Heinz 57 sauce fan, and this is Heinz times 1000. I could drink it by the gallon

Again, don’t show up expecting a sit-down meal. As of right now, it’s limited to carry-out orders while they finish the interior of their shop. Once it’s completed they’ll have a few tables to sit down.

Their prices are right on target. When I stopped by, they were offering their rib sandwich for $5. Ribs are $3 each. The menu is dead simple, offering three entrees and two options for sides. Try their “Shawn’s Slaw,” an asian-inspired cole slaw with mangos and peanuts.

Open Monday through Saturday 11 am to 7 pm. Cash only.

Firehouse BBQ Grill
565 E 2100 S
Salt Lake City, UT
(801) 268-3374
www.firehousebbqfood.com 
Facebook page 

Firehouse BBQ on Urbanspoon