Lavanya Mahate | Saffron Circle
Lavanya Mahate, the owner and mastermind behind the Saffron Valley group of restaurants, opened the group’s newest establishment in Riverton in August. Saffron Circle delivers Mahate’s modern take on Indian cuisine from the open craft kitchen concept in a romantic setting themed around an Indian love story.
“Saffron Circle provides top-notch Indian food and a unique dining experience to people in the south end of the valley,” explains Mahate.
Diners familiar with Saffron Valley locations in South Jordan, the Avenues, and Sugar House, will continue to see authentic, made-from-scratch Indian food that reflects the flavors of Mahate’s ancestry and the culture that shaped her childhood. But with each location, guests can enjoy one-of-a-kind offerings that highlight various takes on Indian cuisine. From Indian comfort food at the original location, now rebranded as Saffron Canteen, to classic Indian favorites served family-style at Saffron Colonial, each restaurant now has its own focus and feel to the menu and atmosphere.
The new Saffron Circle serves Saffron Valley’s signature dosas and hearty biryanis but also tandoor baked treats like juicy lamb chops and tangy chicken tikka. Don’t miss the Chettinad prawns coated with a spicy pepper garlic sauce found on the small plates menu. Customers should also explore the curry pot section of the menu for traditional favorites such as korma, saag or vindaloo.
The only location to offer a full bar menu including wine, beer and spirits, Saffron Circle is the perfect respite to enjoy a refreshing mango lassi daiquiri or the Mumbai mule with dinner on the patio.
Mahate will be featured in Food Network Magazine this year in the “women cooking for good” series.
Saffron Circle
4594 W Partridgehill Lane, #140
Riverton, UT 84096
Todd Gardiner | Taqueria 27
Taqueria 27 owners and husband and wife team, Chef Todd and Kristin Gardiner, have never been ones to sit still. With the fifth location of their popular taqueria in operation for just over a year, the Gardiners set their sights on a different opening in 2019—that of their own tequila bottles.
Recently, Taqueria 27’s exclusive single-barrel reposado arrived from Casa Noble in the form of 60 cases holding six bottles each. All locations offer the selection.
The Gardiners hand-selected their barrel-aged tequila during a tasting in February. The choice was made for the specific flavors of vanilla, caramel, and freshly cooked agave. Prepared by the master distiller at Casa Noble, the Taqueria 27 selection is barrel #1423. The contents were bottled, complete with Taqueria 27’s logo medallion on the bottle.
Gardiner explains that there will never be another batch like this one due to the uniqueness of the barrel, time spent aging, and seasonality of the harvest.
“This tequila is produced by the same company and aged the same way as all their other reposados,” Gardiner says. “To our palate, it tasted completely different than the reposados they sell everywhere else. That is one of the reasons we chose it. It isn’t blended to create their standard flavor profile.”
Custom-designed margaritas and other drink specials using the new reposado are available on all Taqueria 27 menus until the product has been sold.
Nick Watts | Chedda Burger
Chedda Burger chef and founder Nick Watts is driven by his love of all types of cuisine. Watts introduced Utah to The Chedda Truck in 2012 and garnered the attention of burger aficionados across the Wasatch Front. Today, three storefront locations support Chedda addicts in Foothill, Lehi, and the newest downtown location in the Gateway—which replaced the original 600 South location in July.
All locations feature the same boundary-pushing menu items Watts has developed over the years. Some are originals on the Chedda Burger lineup like The Mother Hen; Turnpike Love, drizzled with housemade Chedda whiz; or The Green Mile, where green chile and mustard drip down your arm as you gobble the bacon and mac & cheese-topped monster.
New to the always-bold options is La Tula; a south-of-the-border inspired mouthful of chicharrones-crusted guacamole sprinkled with cotija cheese, topped with pickled red onions and a dollop of jalapeno mayo for an extra kick.
Other recent additions, like The Schwinn, boast a more refined feel with white cheddar, roasted tomatoes, mushrooms, fresh arugula and crispy onions supported by a garlic mayo spread.
Whatever you’re craving, don’t miss the namesake Chedda tots. Hand-rolled and stuffed with cheddar cheese that stays melted, but not to the point of oozing, the ratio of potato to cheese is perfection. They are served with a cilantro chipotle dipping sauce that’s spicy yet cooling at the same time.
It’s all perfectly paired with a thick ice cream shake or local beer to make a meal complete.
