SLCeats: Highlighting the best restaurants in Salt Lake City and Park City
A food blog about restaurants in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah. Ryan Kendrick's words and photos.
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.
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.
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.
Saffron Valley is a new Indian restaurant in South Jordan that is owned and run by Lavanya Mahate. Lavanya has been operating an online store called East India Pantry, which specializes in Indian spices, teas, and rice. She decided to expand her culinary offerings by starting her own “Indian street food” restaurant, named Saffron Valley.
We were greeted warmly by Lavanya upon our arrival. She is friendly, engaging, and loves to tell you all about their food.
The actual layout of the restaurant is a bit quirky, and I think that service suffers a bit since guests aren’t quite sure what we are supposed to do. You order at the walk-up counter, and they give you a number. A few of our orders were completely forgotten, and we had to remind them. We had to grab the waiter’s attention a few times to remind them to refill our water and soda.
The food at Saffron is based on Indian street food fare. It is presented in a fresh, beautiful manner. We began our meal with samosas. A perfectly dense mixture of peas and potatoes, wrapped in a light pastry pocket. Served alongside was a delicious tamarind sauce.
We also tried the Dahi Puri, which is pastry puffs that are topped with potatoes, chickpeas, and doused in a beautiful yogurt and cilantro sauce.
For the entreé, I went with the Paneer Dosa, which (I was surprised to find out) is a giant crépe that hangs over the sides of the plate, and filled with a really tasty cheese, peas, and cilantro. I loved the crispy texture of the crépe, but wish that the filling would have been a bit more moist. But the perfectly-spiced lentil dipping sauce and chutney helped make up for this.
I had a deliciously smooth, rich strawberry lasso to help cool my mouth between bites. Which reminds me: you can order any dish according to your desired spice level. If you are a baby, like me, stick with the mild or medium (if you want some extra kick). If you enjoy burning your tongue off (or aren’t a complete baby like me), go with the hot. Some guests next to us ordered some hot dishes that were so spicy my eyes practically started watering just by looking at the dishes.
On this Saturday night, the place was absolutely packed. The mixed demographics of customers dining tells me that this place is legit. Despite the horde of people dining, the kitchen was able to produce the dishes efficiently.
Due to the quirky pseudo self-serve nature of this restaurant, prices are kept lower than what you would find at a normal Indian restaurant. The dishes from the “street food” section are about $5, and are appetizer-size. Main courses range anywhere from $6 up to $11 for the curries and biryani.
Saffron also serves a lunch buffet Monday through Saturday. I can’t wait to come back and try more of the menu! Affordable Indian food at the South end of the valley! Yay!
SLCeats: Highlighting the best restaurants in Salt Lake City and Park City 