This past Wednesday, October 27th, Ogden’s Own Distillery - the largest independently owned distillery in Utah - opened its doors to a brand new, on-site craft cocktail and mixology destination called Side Bar at Ogden’s Own. In discussing the new cocktail venue, the folks at Side Bar said, “Inspired by the iconic cocktail meccas across the US, Side Bar will provide locals, … [Read more...]
Archives for October 2021
Pumpkin Festival, Thanksgiving To-Go, and More Foodie News
Gateway Pumpkin Festival The Gateway is hosting their first ever community-wide Pumpkin Festival just in time for Halloween! From 6-9 PM on Friday, October 29th on the Olympic Plaza, you can admire and vote for your favorite hand-carved and painted pumpkins decorated by local artists. The Gateway will have spooky tunes, pumpkin painting stations, scary good photo-ops, games, … [Read more...]
Border Grill-Style Southwestern Chicken
Many years ago, when I was the restaurant critic for Las Vegas Life magazine, I visited Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger’s Border Grill restaurant at Mandalay Bay to write about it. The most memorable dish was grilled skirt steak with Southwestern flavorings such as cumin, jalapeños, lime juice and such. I’ve made that dish in our kitchen frequently, but recently decided to … [Read more...]
A Ghost Plays Piano in the Old Mormon Church in the Middle of Night
Graveyards are notoriously scary places, especially after dark, and the same is true of old church houses. Churches, despite being houses of God, can also attract opposing forces, making them concentrated gathering points for both good and evil. My first experience with the darker side of churches came right after high school. After taking a vocational floor covering class … [Read more...]
Haunted Museum in Fairview, Utah: Utah Ghost Hunter Registers Voices From the Other Side
There is something to be said about big old buildings, especially ones that have lived more than one life, and as in the case of the Fairview Museum of Art & History, are now filled with relics of a different era. However, being old does not automatically mean that a building is haunted. While I don’t spend every weekend running around the state investigating haunted … [Read more...]
Strange Sightings In Utah County: Don’t Walk Alone After Dark
I have spent my entire life collecting tales about the weird and mysterious elements of Utah — stories that at first seem completely unbelievable, but sometimes, just sometimes, there ends up being more of a foundation of truth than we’d like to admit. (See my article about The Giant Flying Manta Ray of Provo for evidence of this.) Since 2011, I have been documenting sightings … [Read more...]
Outlaw Distillery Distilling One of the Best Rums in America
Founder and master distiller Kirk Sedgwick and his wife Denise opened Outlaw Distillery in January 2015. The name is an ode to Butch Cassidy (born in Beaver, Utah) and Utah’s rich history surrounding the Outlaw Trail. Kirk’s prowess as a diesel mechanic allowed him to design and build all of the distillery’s equipment in Midvale by hand. Just as meticulously, they source the … [Read more...]
Hammer Spring Distillers: Utah’s First Distillery to Make Potato Vodka
JP and Vita Bernier opened Hammer Spring Distillers in April of 2017. The family-owned business is the only Utah distillery to make vodka from potatoes, says JP. “We use whole, fresh Utah potatoes for a 100% farm-to-glass product.” Alongside their signature potato vodka, Hammer Spring produces a bourbon, two gins, a coffee liqueur, and two specialty vodkas — habanero and … [Read more...]
Holystone Distilling Creating One-Of-A-Kind Spirits
One of Utah’s newest distilleries is Holystone Distilling, which, since 2019, has quickly made a name for itself with distinctive, small-batch spirits. Everything at Holystone Distillery bears a naval reference — from the name of the company to the products themselves. CEO Mike DeShazo is a former career Navy man and runs a tight ship based on the principles of persistence, … [Read more...]
Like a Rising Phoenix: A First Look Fenice Mediterranean Bistro
Just last month, I wrote in Utah Bites about Park City’s Silver Star Cafe. It’s a warm and inviting spot with excellent food, drink and live music that locals adore and visitors are lucky to learn about. Guy Fieri loved Silver Star Cafe and featured it on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. It’s the creation of longtime Park City restaurant couple Lisa and Jeff Ward. Well, now Jeff … [Read more...]