A new restaurant on Main Street in Park City has opened, name Tupelo. I was invited to a preview dinner at the restaurant last week. You can find my photos and writeup over at The Utah Review.
Tag: utah
Look, I’ll just cut to the chase: this place was not great. Passable? Yes. More than passable? Nope.
I had no idea there was even a Magleby’s in Springville until a coworker brought me here. I knew they were up in Provo/Orem, but didn’t know they had ventured this far south. The restaurant is located in a fantastically-renovated historic building on the main drag. If I had to guess, it was an old bank building that has been freshly redone. Unfortunately, that was the most exciting part of my visit.
The interior is what I like to call Utah County Cliché. I don’t know what it is, but there seems to be a higher than normal ratio of Roman columns, stark white interiors, and painted mural ceilings in Utah County than anywhere else (except, maybe, you know, Rome). Except that in Rome, they are done well. The restaurant space is huge, and doesn’t exactly feel warm or welcoming. It just seem…..vast and strangely empty.
Our service was, again, less than great. I counted a grand total of two overworked servers working a dining room filled with over 30 people. With a ratio like that, you’re bound to have some disappointments. Drinks went unfilled and desserts (which, I believe, is one thing Magleby’s is known for) weren’t even offered for our consideration.
The food was mediocre. I had the prime rib sandwich. I’m not sure how many days the prime rib had been hanging out in the walk-in, but it was tough and flavorless. The sandwich lacked any sort of imagination or flavor, and was as boring as you get.
And then there was the pickle.
The sandwich was accompanied by the saddest, most down trodden pickle I have ever seen. It looked like it was taken straight from the jar, dropped, stepped on, then lived a life of sadness camped out begging under the highway overpass, only to then find his way home to my lunch plate.
The only redeeming part of the meal were the fries. They serve my favorite kind of fries: the ones that are straight out of the freezer, with that extra little layer of breading around them, which make for a crunchy, flavorful bite. I really liked them, despite the runny “fry sauce” they were served with.
I didn’t take any pictures. You wouldn’t have wanted to see them anyway.
So, that’s about it. I won’t be going back, and wouldn’t suggest you stop there, either.
Penny Ann’s is now open in Draper! This family-owned and operated shop has been cranking out the best breakfast on Main Street in Salt Lake for a few years now, and have now expanded to a second location at the south end of the valley.
Their food is incredible (make sure you get their “heavenly hotcakes” and try the Reuben for lunch). But what really makes this place special is that everyone there makes you feel like you’re home when you’re there. They are always so welcoming and happy to see you. Oh, and don’t forget to grab a slice of their famous pie while you’re there.
This location is much bigger and spacious than their original location, but it still has the homey feel to it.
If you want the best breakfast in the valley, stop by Penny Ann’s. Open from 7-3 during the week, serving breakfast and lunch, and 7-2 on weekends, serving breakfast only.
The new pie kitchen! (still getting set up)
The Habit Burger Grill, one of my favorite quick-service restaurants, has opened its 6th location in Utah. This new location opened in November, and is located at 508 West Antelope Drive, in Layton.
If you haven’t stopped by to check out a Habit yet, you should definitely stop by and try it out. Everything they make is outstanding, and their prices are very reasonable, with burgers starting at around $3. On a recent tour of the kitchen, franchise owner Tom Hartman made sure to point out the lack of freezers in the restaurant. Nothing is brought in frozen. Everything from their tri-tip steak to their sushi-grade albacore tuna is brought in fresh.
For a location near you, check out Habit’s website.
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
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.
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.
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.
The Wasatch Mountain Table Series at Solitude Mountain Resort is back for its second year. I was invited to check out their inaugural dinner of the season and wanted to share some photos. Before I do, let me give you some details about the series. The Mountain Table is just that–a table set up creekside at the Solitude Mountain resort.
The Mountain Table seeks to emphasize locally grown and sustainable ingredients. For anyone who knows the chef behind the series, Michael Richey (formerly of Pago), this will come as no surprise. Local farmers, ranchers, and winemakers are present to tell you about their wonderful products. For example, we had Evan Lewandowski, proprietor of local winemaker Ruth Lewandowski, present to tell us all about the exciting (and challenging) things happening in the Utah winemaking scene.
Bruschetta of truffled fava beans, oyster mushrooms, and promontory cheddar
Tempura squash blossoms with housemade ricotta, spearmint, and preserved lemon
Purple mizuna with toasted almonds, Slide Ridge honey, Timpanogos Peak (this cheese is incredible), white peaches, and creamy roasted garlic vinaigrette
Hand cut pasta with hen egg, english peas, beech mushrooms, pancetta, and charred onion butter
Wild sockeye with purple top turnip, new wasatch potato, sugar snap peas, heirloom tomato, white wine and sweet basil
Bing cherry tart with buttermilk ice cream and Bourye caramel
The series runs four more dinners for 2013:
July 13th
August 3rd
August 17th
September 7th
Cost is $75 per person/$110 per person with optional wine pairings. To make reservations, call (801) 536-5722 or email dstevenson@skisolitude.com
Be sure to bring a jacket. It goes from very warm to quite chilly in a matter of minutes once the sun sets.
Disclosure: I was an invited guest of Solitude Resort and did not pay for this meal
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
SLCeats: Highlighting the best restaurants in Salt Lake City and Park City 