Tag: salt lake city

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Alamexo has recently opened in the space previously occupied by one of my favorites, ZY. In fact, Alamexo has the same owners, staff, and even the same chef: Matt Lake.

Matt moved to Utah a few years ago from New York, where he worked as chef for one of New York’s premier Mexican restaurants. After a few years operating the contemporary American restaurant, ZY, Chef Lake decided to go back to his culinary roots and switch to Mexican.

After an incredibly quick menu and restaurant decor switch (Lake didn’t want to close down for three months and have to lay off staff) which took only a few days, ZY has now transformed to Alamexo. And while I’m sad to see ZY go (Lake was adamant that we will see ZY once again in Salt Lake), Alamexo is a very welcome addition to SLC.

You won’t find any other Mexican food in Salt Lake in such a contemporary, modern environment. But don’t equate “contemporary” and “modern” to “expensive.” Entrées range from $13-$25 with sides and appetizers filling in the $3-$12 range.

Go with the guacamole, made tableside by your server in a molcajete. For $10, it’s a little on the pricey side for one avocado’s worth of guacamole, but worth the show.

My favorite side dish was the Mexican corn. Sweet, fresh corn accompanied by hints of chile, lime, and cotija. My mole poblano enchiladas were rich, complex, and the pork was cooked perfectly. Lake has always said the he doesn’t choose his signature dishes; his customers do. And I have a feeling that these will be on the menu for a while.

A dining companion’s steak dish was equally tasty and cooked spot-on.

As we went during their soft opening week, desserts were not on the menu, however, the kitchen brought out the best churros I’ve had. Don’t leave Alamexo without ordering some.

I’ve always viewed Matt Lake and ZY as a bit of a sleeper in the SLC dining community. I attribute part of this to Lake’s low-key demeanor. He is a guy that cooks because he loves to cook. He’s not in it for the fame. But if he keeps doing what he’s doing, he won’t remain a sleeper for long. Salt Lake’s lucky to have him.

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A new restaurant will be opening soon on Gallivan Avenue across from Bangkok Terrace.

From Scratch will focus on just that: fresh breads, pizzas, and baked goods made from scratch. So much so, that the owner has imported his own wooden flour mill from Austria to mill his own flour. Tables are made from old butcher blocks, art was commissioned from a NY artist, and lights are custom creations.

I really like the look of this place. It has a certain “San Francisco” styling that you don’t see much in SLC. As a downtown worker, I’m especially excited about the bar where single diners can plop down for a quick lunch.

From Scratch will be open for breakfast and lunch only to begin with. A special section of the restaurant will serve take-out items like espresso, in-house pastries, and house-made ice cream.

The owner hopes to open for dinner later in the year, and plans to pursue a liquor license.

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Cronuts/Doussantz Coming to SLC

Update #2: After trying them, I can’t recommend you spend your money on them. Too dense, too chewy, they taste like they were made the day before, and too pricey.

Update: as you can see in the comments, someone had a hard time finding them. The truck is parked in the back of the Cityhomecollective office, so the truck’s not visible from S. Temple. Hope that helps.

First it was cupcakes, then gourmet donuts, and now, the latest sugary craze to hit the streets are known as Cronuts/Kronuts/Doussantz. These delicious morsels are basically croissant dough that is then shaped into a doughnut and fried, hence the donut/croissant name mashup. There are a bunch of different names since the “inventor" of the cronut, Chef Dominique Ansel in New York, has trademarked the name “cronut,“ leaving others to get creative with their naming.

Well, the craze is slowly making its way to Salt Lake City, via a food truck named the Little Blue Bistro. The truck will be doing a trial run on 7/30, 7/31, and 8/1, to see if demand merits being on the menu full-time. Darlene Madison, the creator of the Doussantz, claims that their product is superior to those offered in NYC as hers includes both donut dough as well as croissant dough in her recipe. The two inaugural flavors offered will be Chocolate Hazelnut and Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake.

I had a chance to try a cronut at the Angel Food Bakery in Minneapolis, and I can vouch for their deliciousness. I’m excited to try Little Blue’s version to see how it stacks up.

If you want to try them out, they’ll be stationed at 645 E South Temple at 9am on the dates listed above. The price will be $5 each.

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Bambara Now Offers Brunch

One of my favorite downtown restaurants, Bambara, is now offering brunch on Sundays beginning at 8am. The restaurants will feature classic dishes such as Bambara Benedict and their classic Caesar salad, alongside new offerings like their new Chef’s Breakfast Burrito (eggs, carnitas, avocado, cheddar, tomatillo salsa, and chipotle creme fraiche), or the Grilled Chicken Club (smoky bacon, roasted tomatoes, romaine lettuce and aged white cheddar). 

Alcohol service begins at 11:30am. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling the restaurant at (801) 363-5454.

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New Downtown Hot Dog Shop

Red Hot, a new hot dog shop in downtown SLC, opened this week. It is located next to Lamb’s, and shares the same owner. Red Hot features Snake River Farms “100% American Kobe Beef” and has a varied menu including numerous dogs, banh mi, salads, creative sides, and lemonade.

New Downtown Hot Dog Shop

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Bonneville Brewery Grand Opening

Bonneville Brewery, which recently opened in Tooele, Utah, is having their Grand Opening tomorrow (April 26th) from 4pm until midnight. During this time the brew pub will be giving out free appetizers and other giveaways.

I had the chance to check out Bonneville Brewery last week, and I left impressed. Since I was an invited guest compliments of the brewery, I won’t provide a review, but would like to share some dishes that our dining group got to try.

First of all, the building is impressive. I thought it was a brand new building and was surprised to hear from the restaurant manager that the building was actually an old, sketchy run-down bar before the current owner bought it and completely gutted it and started over. The restaurant is two stories with a giant open space in the middle that gives views up to the bar balcony as well as the two large TV screens on the wall projecting various sports. Downstairs is more restaurant oriented, while the upstairs is the dedicated bar area (21 and older upstairs), but you can get food upstairs as well. I liked the casualness of the upstairs a bit better and think that I will gravitate up there in subsequent visits. 

While my dining companions tried the beer and enjoyed them, I went with one of the restaurants “mocktails.” I hate that name, but oh well. Jeffrey went with the Spicy Raspberry Lemon Cooler, which was delicious. Raspberries, simple syrup, lemon juice, and ginger beer made the perfectly sweet combination. And it is definitely sweet. I didn’t like mine as much, the Cosmo-Not, which was made with cranberry juice, lime juice, and club soda. It was a bit too tart for my liking (“It’s cranberry and lime, what were you thinking, dummy?” Yeah, I know).

We thoroughly enjoyed their appetizers. The Canadian fries (think poutine) were cheesy, salty, rich, and crunchy–everything you want in a dish like this. The friend mac and cheese balls were good, and I particularly enjoyed them with a side of house-made BBQ sauce. Bonneville also does a great job with their wings, and the favorite at the table was the green curry wings. The spicy wings definitely lived up to their name, as I couldn’t taste much for about 5 minutes after trying one. 

Burgers. This place does burgers, and they do them well. Jeffrey had the pastrami burger, and I tried a bite. We both commented on how the meat actually tasted beefy, which is a really good thing. 

I had the bizarrely-named “cheesesteak.” I saw it on the menu right next to its corresponding $18 price tag, and couldn’t figure out for the life of me how they make a cheesesteak worth $18. Well, they do it through a bit of trickery. See, it’s not a cheesesteak in traditional sense of the word. This, my friends, is a perfectly-cooked hanger steak that is rested on a pile of caramelized onions and gruyere cheese. No bread in sight. So don’t let the name fool you. It’s worth every bit of the $18.

We also tried the pot pie and fish and chips, both of which were cooked well, fresh, and tasty. 

For dessert we tried the bread pudding, apple pie pizza, and the Pavlova, which is a creamy, merengue dessert topped with various fruit and a raspberry coulis. The Pavlova was a wonderfully light way to end a heavy meal. 

The owner of the brew pub is also the owner of the nearby All Star Lanes, and while the restaurant is new, the brewery has been creating their own libations for the bowling alley for a while now. This has given their brewmaster the opportunity to really dial the brewing process in.

I don’t get out to Tooele very often, but the next time I’m passing through I’ll definitely plan a little extra time to stop by Bonneville Brewery. 

Bonneville Brewery Grand Opening
Friday, April 26th, 4pm to 12am
1641 North Main St
Tooele, Utah

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Twin brothers Rod and Roger Livingston have competed in numerous national BBQ championships such as Jack Daniels and Sam’s Club, and they have done very well. They’ve decided to open up a new BBQ shop in Salt Lake City at 600 S 300 W. I’ve been a fan of their BBQ for years now, and I highly encourage you to give them a try. They open tomorrow!

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Valrhona Chocolate Event on April 8th

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.

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Z’Tejas Celebrates National Margarita Day

Z’Tejas Southwestern Grill, located in the Gateway mall, will be celebrating National Margarita Day in style. Since it falls on 2/22, Z’Tejas has special pricing on food and drinks that day.

-The “Little Larry” margarita will be on sale for $2.22. Normally this is a $6 drink.
-Tequila chicken tacos are also $2.22
-$2.22 of every top-shelf margarita purchase will be donated to the Children’s Miracle Network.

So get out there and enjoy some cheap eats and drinks while benefitting a great charity.