salt lake city – Page 11 – SLCeats: Highlighting the best restaurants in Salt Lake City and Park City

Habit Burger Grill Opening Early 2013

Habit Burger Grill will be opening their first store in Utah in early 2013 to satisfy the seemingly never-ending need in Utah for burgers, to Utahns just begging for more California chains. Don’t mind me–I’m just a grumpy guy tired of paying $10 for a combo meal at some of these fast-casual burger chains.

To be fair, though, one thing that Habit Burgers differentiates themselves on is their prices. A straight up “charburger” (seriously?) only runs $2.95 and a charburger combo comes in around $6. I’ve never eaten at Habit Burgers, but judging by the prices it sounds like they’re gunning for In-N-Out’s market. Let’s all say a prayer for better fries than In-N-Out’s cardboard sticks.

Habit is a sister-company to Cafe Rio, so if that’s any indication, they’ll do quite well here. I’m glad to see them opening near the old Granite Furniture building. With the recent addition of Bruges, the eventual–maybe–opening of Caterina nearby, and the future trolley stop, it sounds like that area’s going to see its fair share of development pretty soon.

Full press release below:

THE HABIT BURGER GRILL OPENS FIRST UTAH LOCATION IN 2013

Popular California-based burger company opens The Habit Burger Grill in Sugarhouse on

January 10^th, 2013

Salt Lake City, Utah – The Habit Burger Grill is opening its first Utah location on Thursday, January 10^th in the Sugarhouse/2100 South neighborhood development within the Granite Furniture block.

The Habit is best known for made-to-order “Charburgers” grilled over an open flame and consistent, friendly service. The Habit’s commitment to fresh, quality ingredients along with reasonable prices has made the fast-casual restaurant hugely successful with families in the Western United States of California and Arizona where there are currently 68 Habit Burger Grill locations.

“The Habit is a truly unique brand that offers customers an overall eating experience not found anywhere else,” says Russ Bendel, President and CEO of Habit Restaurants, LLC. “We are extremely excited about bringing our famous Charburgers and friendly service to the people of Utah, and specifically to this new development in Sugarhouse,” he adds.

The Habit is a sister company to Café Rio, another well-known, successful, family oriented, fast casual restaurant in Utah. Following the opening of the Sugarhouse location, The Habit has plans to open two additional Utah locations within the year.

In addition to burgers starting at just $2.95, The Habit’s menu includes sandwiches made from grilled, marinated chicken and tri-tip along with fresh, line-caught Albacore tuna. Diners can also choose from freshly prepared specialty salads tossed to order, onion rings, sweet potato fries and a variety of hand-blended shakes and malts made from real ice cream. Customers at The Habit Burger Grill will also notice the reasonable prices that are less expensive than casual dining or other “gourmet burger” establishments.

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Winter Menu at Pallet

On the western end of Pierpont Avenue, at 237 South 400 West, sits an old building which was built in the early 1900’s and used as a loading dock for a creamery. The owners of Pallet, Drew Eastman and Rocky Derrick, worked tirelessly to preserve as much of the original building as possible, and they did a fantastic job. Drew told me of the many days it took to painstakingly strip the paint off the ceiling of the restaurant in order to bring it back to original condition.

Quite simply, this restaurant is designed like no other restaurant in Salt Lake City, and you owe it to yourself to check it out and get a unique perspective on refreshingly bold restaurant design. Old-time lightbulbs, rough-hewn wood floors, exposed brick, and original doors preserve the charm. I was especially excited to learn that the majority of the design work was done by one of my favorite people in Salt Lake – Cody Derrick of City Home Collective. Cody has an eye for style and design that is becoming more and more rare in a world of beige walls and white vinyl fences.

Pallet invited some local food bloggers to stop in and try out their new Winter menu. There were some definite hits and one unfortunate miss.

The seared scallops dish was very well done. The (huge!) scallops were perfectly cooked and served on top of delicious lentils (the new farro?) and the thick cut, house-smoked bacon was the cherry on top of this dish, so to speak as the savoriness of the bacon acted as a perfect counterpoint to the sweet scallops.

I was able to grab a bite from my dining companion’s plate to try the “Ocean Pasta” dish. Squid ink pasta was accompanied by a menagerie of seafood and rounded out with a lovely curry sauce that really added a unique aspect to this dish. Most people agreed that this was the favorite plate of the night.

The bison osso bucco was the dish I was most excited about. Bison is such a lean meat that I figured that preparing it as osso bucco would help boost the moisture and tenderness that is naturally lacking in this meat. But, unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. I wrote it off as “first night of the new menu” jitters in the kitchen, but I’ve recently heard reports from others that they also found it a bit dry. Perhaps cooking too long at too high of a heat? I hope they can dial this one in because the flavors of the dish, and the polenta it was served on, were spot-on.

We were able to try quite a few of their desserts, and I was very impressed with their warm oatmeal almond shortbread, which was rich and full of chocolate. Our server mentioned that it is their best-selling dessert, and I’m not surprised why. It was fantastic.

Eastman mentioned to me that in a prior life, he traveled extensively for work, and loved it when he found a unique space offering exceptional food in whatever city he happened to be in. When the opportunity presented itself to Eastman to make something similar in Salt Lake City, he jumped at the chance. I admire his passion, and can’t wait for my next opportunity to spend more time in this lovely space.

Disclosure: I was treated to this meal by the restaurant

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Per Noi Trattoria

Italian dining in SLC seems to only have two gears: cheap, low-end chains, and ultra-expensive, yet tasty establishments. There aren’t too many Italian restaurants in SLC that serve high quality food at the lower price point. Then I heard about a new trattoria that opened in the old Z Pizzeria space on Stratford Avenue in Sugarhouse, and that the prices were very reasonable. It’s been on my “need to try” list for a while now.

Per Noi is located in an older building with a few other businesses next to it. Parking is limited (look in the back for some additional spaces), but this corner oozes character. More than likely, when you enter the restaurant you’ll be greeted by the ever-ebullient owner of Per Noi, Francesco Montino. Francesco is very proud of his little space, and it shows. White tablecloths top the limited number of tables in the trattoria. The space is small, but doesn’t feel cramped. Servers are decked out in all black, and are very professional, milling about as Francesco greets every guest that walks through the door.

After being seated, we were given a basket of delicious house-made bread, which was light and had a nutty, perfect crust. The balsamic was nice and fruity, and the olive oil had a strong peppery taste. We started our meal with the Arancini – a ball of rice, peas, and mozzarella perfectly fried and served along with a lovely tomato sauce. About $6. Don’t let this picture fool you–it’s about the size of a baseball. For the entree I chose the Spaghetti Pescatore (Francesco later told me it is his favorite dish), and true to his word, it was fantastic. Spaghetti is cooked with a deliciously complex, nutty tomato sauce, mussels, scallops, calamari, and shrimp. The shrimp were a tad overcooked and a bit on the rubbery side, but it wasn’t a deal breaker due to the exceptional flavors. This is one of those dishes that will make it difficult to order any other entree during future visits, because I’m confident it will be hard to beat. The dish was around $13. Melissa went with the Pollo Marsala, which is chicken served in a marsala wine sauce and topped with mushrooms. I wouldn’t get this dish again. The chicken was a bit on the tough and dry side, and the sauce wasn’t anything that I would order again. The dish was beautifully presented, but it just didn’t get along with my taste buds.

I’m not sure what their corkage fee is, but we did see a couple bring in their own wine. It seems they’ve raised their prices about 20% since they opened, but it is still very reasonable.

I remarked to Mel during our meal that this place reminds me of a small neighborhood trattoria that you would find in NYC or Italy. Small, family-run, with an owner who is extremely proud of the food coming out of his kitchen. And he has good reason to be proud of Per Noi.

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Dinner at ZY

Well, I didn’t get around to many restaurants for the Dine O Round, but I knew there was one I couldn’t miss: ZY. ZY serves upscale, yet approachable modern American cuisine. Luckily they extended their Dine O Round deal an additional week, which gave me time to wrangle a group of buddies together to check it out.

They changed the interior around slightly, mainly by adding some walls made out of wood slats. Miles, the general manager, explained that the redesign was partially due to the Zion Curtain laws, and partially because they were ready to change things up. I can’t say I’m a huge fan of the new walls–I’ve always though of ZY as having a modern, hip atmosphere, and adding walls made out of rough-hewn timber didn’t exactly fit, in my opinion.

On to the food. Chef Lake treated us to an amuse-bouche that was really fun. He wouldn’t reveal much about the dish, so when we all dug in and half of us said “pear” and the other half said “potato,” we began to seriously doubt each others’ sanity. Turn out this dish had two potato balls and two pear balls sitting atop a delicious pumpkin sauce. It was a really nice, well-executed dish.

For the appetizer, I went with the buttermilk fried oysters. After trying oysters on the half-shell in the Ferry Building, I swore them off for good (gotta try things at least once, right?). However, the allure of cooked oysters was too much to resist. These oysters were indeed tasty, with just a hint of spice and a nice crunchy texture on the outside. I was really pleased with this dish.

On to the main course. Beef short ribs served with grits and collared greens. One thing that’s always impressed me about ZY is that Chef Lake understands the value of presentation. The short ribs were presented in a very fun, if not a bit over-the-top manner, with the servers carrying the dish out, topped with a glass container. As they lift the container off the dish, you immediately smell the beautiful scent of smoked wood, which lightly carries through the dining room.

The short ribs were cooked to perfection, fork tender and deliciously moist. The sauce which topped the ribs is a sweet and tangy BBQ sauce that brings the whole dish together. This one is a winner. I asked Chef Lake if he’d be willing to share the recipe, and he said “of course.”

I went with the lemon cake and huckleberries for dessert. The cake had a lovely consistency, almost shortcake-like, and the tart berries were a nice counter to the sweet cake and sauce.

Chef Lake surprised us with a fun drink at the end of the meal. It was simply hot apple juice with a bit of honey, grilled grape, and rosemary. Four things I would never think of to make a drink out of. But it really worked well. The rosemary would waft into your nostrils as you sipped the drink, creating a sweet, yet savory experience.

Service was excellent as usual. Brady, our server, was very knowledgeable about the menu. The pace of the meal was steady, and it seemed he always stepped in at just the right time throughout the evening.

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Yelp’s Thirst Quencher

Yelp is at it again, coordinating what sounds like another fun event the week of October 15th-20th.

This event is all about the beverages, with various local businesses hosting the events. CO2 Cafe, Tea Grotto, Squatters, and Rubio’s are all participating. I’m hoping to go to the CO2 event.

You need to RSVP for the event by going here. If you don’t have a Yelp account set up, you’ll need to do that prior to RSVP’ing.

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Penny Ann’s Café

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

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Dine O’Round

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.

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8th Annual Feast of Five Senses

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.

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Finca

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?

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Caputo’s Butcher Shop

If I had to pick just one local shop that has done more to elevate Salt Lake City’s tastes regarding food and the culture that surrounds it, I’d have to pick Caputo’s. I remember watching Tony do his cooking spot on TV when I was younger, and then be in awe when I saw him energetically working behind the deli counter between shooting his TV spots in the back of their old shop right on the corner of 3rd W and Broadway. I remember walking through their shop, admiring the gorgeous, multi-colored bottles of imported water, olive oil, and vinegar. They cared (and still do) about their food and ingredients, and they remain one of my favorite haunts in Salt Lake City.

Caputo’s has evolved over the years. What was once a tiny deli and sandwich shop is now a shop that offers an olive oil and vinegar tasting bar, a gorgeous and huge selection of fine chocolates from around the world, a wonderful deli meat counter, a wide selection of some of the world’s best cheeses, salumi, pasta, sauces, jams, beverages, cheese cave, and educational classes to help us expand our palates and knowledge.

And now they’ve taken the next step in their evolution by opening Caputo’s Butcher Shop. The shop will only sell Heritage meats–animals that have been humanely raised and pasture-fed by ranchers that understand that there’s more to it than just making money. The shop will sell Christiansen Family Farms pork, Snowy Mountain lamb, and Pleasant Creek Ranch beef. Goat and chicken will be coming soon.

Frody Volgger, formerly of Vienna Bistro, is the in-house butcher. Frody closed down his vaunted Vienna Bistro a few years ago when he was battling cancer and he realized he needed to focus on his treatment. Now, in his recovery period, he found himself curing meats and giving them away to friends and family. He said that during the last holiday season he cured over 1,000 pounds of meat for friends and family. So it was a rather fortuitous meeting between Matt and Frody that ended up with them deciding to open a butcher shop at Caputo’s.

Frody is more than happy to do special cuts or take special orders for meat. So if you’re in the need of a special cut of meat, chances are he’ll be able to do it for you. And he’ll happily share recipe ideas as well.

In addition to butchering, Frody is also preparing a special line of their preservative-free, house-cured meats. Everything from ham, chorizo, and other sausages will be featured in the butcher case. We tried a wide variety of their offerings and they are indeed tasty.

The next time you’re in Caputo’s swing around the corner, walk past the balsamic vinegars and olive oil, and check out their butcher case. Say hi to Frody. Ask him to tell you about the meat. He’ll be glad you did.

You can find more photos on Flickr

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