Carnitas taco from Él Calor Taqueria. Styrofoam plates and telenovelas (aka exactly what you want).
Get the carne asada torta and the carnitas tacos.
2875 Redwood Road
Tag: food
Truth be told, I never managed to make my way into The Annex, Epic Brewing’s take on a gastropub, when they initially opened a year or so ago. I never heard reviews compelling enough to sway my meal choice in their direction.
However, Annex shifted gears this Fall, bringing in chef Craig Gerome, who cut his teeth cooking at Le Bec Fin in Philadelphia and Spruce in San Francisco. Chef Gerome completely revamped the menu, basically stripping everything from the old menu and starting fresh with his take.
I was invited as a guest of Annex to try out the new menu and to meet Craig, and all I can say is that he is doing amazing things. You can tell this guy cares about his food, crowing about the fact that his mussels are FedEx’d daily from a lady named Jan in Maine, and she only sends him her very best, biggest mussels.
We tried the grilled octopus with salsa verde, lime bean and kale brodo, Bouchot mussels with Berliner weiss, poutine with braised cheek, and deviled eggs as starters. You can’t go wrong with any of them, but I’d especially steer you to the mussels.
For the mains, we tried the herb fried chicken with fried green tomatoes and buttermilk risotto, and the stout braised pork shank. Of the two, I would definitely recommend getting the fried chicken, which was perfectly crispy, moist, and seasoned well. But other items on the menu such as the buffalo short rib pie and steak frites certainly caught my eye.
Dessert was a nice take on the traditional s’more, using house-made marshmallows and Amano chocolate, giving it extra depth and richness.
Sugarhouse continues to evolve, and the recent development occurring on and near the sugarhole continues to impress with new fantastic eateries popping up. There is a fun, electric vibe happening in this area that has been missing for quite some time.
I’m glad that Annex chose to locate here, and can’t wait to come back.
Disclaimer: I was an invited guest for dinner at The Annex by Epic Brewing.
Kale Brodo. Yes, I ate kale. And it was amazing.
Grilled octopus with salsa verde
Steamed Bouchot mussels
Poutine with braised cheek
Herb fried chicken, fried green tomatoes, buttermilk risotto
Stout braised pork shank
S’mores with Amano
Chef Craig Gerome
We have milk, white, and dark chocolate. And now, according to Valrhona, we have a new category of chocolate: blond. The genesis of Valrhona’s latest creation, Dulcey, began about eight years ago when Valrhona’s chef, Frederic Bau, accidentally left some white couveture chocolate in a bain marie overnight. Ten hours later, he discovered his error, but before throwing the caramelized, browned chocolate out, decided to give it a try. What he tasted was a chocolate with hints of caramel and shortbread unlike anything he’s tasted before. He knew he was on to something.
It took Valrhona eight long years of recipe development to be able to produce this chocolate on a large enough scale to offer it worldwide to confectioners as well as the public. But now the time has come. And Valrhona, together with Caputo’s, is hosting a fantastic event to introduce this chocolate to Utah.
Representatives will be at Caputo’s the evening of April 8th, and they are putting on a friendly competition to showcase the Dulcey chocolate. Three of Salt Lake’s top pastry chefs, Amber Billingsley (Vinto), Alexa Norlin (The Rose Est.), and Courtney McDowell (Pago, Finca) will go up against each other to see who can make the most over-the-top decadent dessert. Viet Pham (Forage), Ryan Lowder (The Copper Onion, Plum Alley), and Takashi Gibo (Takashi) will be the judges.
Caputo’s Butcher shop will be dishing out free bites of charcuterie, new kids on the block Charming Beard Coffee will be satiating your caffeine needs, and Uinta Brewing will be sampling their Spring and Summer session style beers, along with a chocolate pairing.
And to top it all off, Valrhona USA corporate pastry chef Alex Espiritu from will be on hand to sample the newest chocolate.
The event is Monday, April 8th at 7pm at Caputo’s Downtown. Admission is $20 and an additional $10 for the beverage pairing. Tickets must be purchased in advance by calling (801) 531-8669 or going to http://www.caputosdeli.com/products/special-event-battle-blond.html I wouldn’t wait too long–these Caputo’s events typically sell out quickly.
Penny Ann’s makes me happy. I won’t lie–I’m a sucker for any business that remembers my name. And Penny and her family have remembered me from day one. I walked in for lunch today, and Penny immediately says hi, followed with “I was thinking about you today!” Welcome home.
I love that their restaurant is a family business. Penny can be found up front serving guests, and her brother, Warren, is the chef. Sisters, brothers, and parents are all present, clearing tables and prepping food.
They have a large selection of items on their menu. You’re not going to see Korean tacos, lavender-infused pork belly, or anything that could be described by the word fusion. Penny Ann’s offers the epitome of comfort food. You’ll find chicken parmesan, turkey melts, meatball subs, fish and chips, and Philly cheese steaks gracing their menu.
Nine times out of ten, however, I go with the Reuben. They make their corned beef in-house, and it shows. Ever since I had a Reuben in New York (thank you Katz!), I regularly crave it. And I go to Penny Ann’s to satiate the craving, because it is a near-perfect rendition. Tender, peppery corned beef is sliced thin and partnered with sauerkraut and just the right amount of Thousand Island dressing. The bread is crisped to perfection. One of my favorite dishes in SLC.
Their fries are delicious as well, but if you’re an onion ring fan, I’d highly recommend you swap the fries for onion rings. You won’t be disappointed. They have just the right amount of breading, and they serve it along with their tasty version of fry sauce.
And don’t think you can leave Penny Ann’s without ordering a piece of pie. The pies are made by Penny’s mother, I believe. They have banana cream, coconut cream, key lime, and lemon raspberry cream in their regular rotation, among many others. My wife particularly loves a special pie they make from time to time with blueberries. I believe it’s called blueberry paradise. I never dare leave Penny Ann’s without a slice of blueberry paradise in a to-go container. A portion of their peanut butter chocolate pie usually comes home with me as well. It’s such a rich affair that even this sugar junkie can only eat about half before throwing in the towel.
I’m just going to say it: their prices are ridiculously low. I know–that makes me the kid who would remind your teacher about the assignment due that day. But it has to be said. Their reuben is $6.99, and for an additional $2.50 you can add fries or salad and a soda. I’m pretty sure they don’t have anything on their menu over $10.
They are located in a bit of a culinary No Man’s Land, with Pho Tay Ho one block north and Grove Market one block south, but not much else. Look for a big, cream-colored apartment building–their restaurant is attached to this building. They used to offer dinner service but have since changed their hours (probably so their family can get some much-deserved sleep). They are now open from 7am to 4pm, Monday through Saturday.
These guys deserve your business. Not just because they’re local or family-owned. Penny Ann’s deserves your business because their food is outstanding, their prices are exceptional, and their service is excellent. And I can guarantee you won’t leave hungry.
1810 S Main St
Salt Lake City
(801) 935-4760
(Photo courtesy Les Madeleines)
Romina Rasmussen, of Les Madeleines downtown, will be doing a live cooking demonstration at the Utah Home Show on October 13th.
She will demonstrate how to make pumpkin spice syrup, pumpkin bread, and pumpkin creme brûlée. And the best part is that you’ll be able to sample her creations at the end of the demo.
The demo is free, but keep in mind you’ll need to buy tickets to the Home Show.
More info here.
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.
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?
Just found out about a new food truck roaming the streets called Better Burger. Sounds like they just got their start today, and they’re using local baker Stoneground for their buns, local turkey, and grass-fed beef from Moab for their burgers. Their blacked-out truck looks pretty slick, too.
It’s great to see a new food truck that’s so focused on responsibly-sourced food.
Early reports from some customers on Twitter say “it was fantastic! You can taste the quality and freshness.”
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.
Que bueno! Salt Lake City is apparently getting a couple new food trucks.
Stephanie from Frida Bistro is one of the owners of the Cuban Mobile truck.
According to a tweet from the newly created @cubanmobileslut Twitter account, things are happening quickly and they should be hitting the streets within the next few weeks. Follow their Twitter account to stay on top of the news and to find their locations. This is great news, since Salt Lake is in desperate need of Cuban food.
Also, there’s a new sushi truck cruising the streets called Cruzin Sushi. Judging by their tweets, they’ve mostly been hanging out at Gallivan, RC Willey, and Ocean Beauty.
So nice to see more food trucks. Hopefully the trend continues, and hopefully Salt Lake gets something figured out regarding the trucks. Seems like the Chowtruck has been spending much more time outside of Salt Lake City proper because of the difficulty they’ve had in operating within the city.
