My mother, rest her soul, was not a great cook. But there were a few things in the kitchen that she excelled at. For as far back as I can remember, I loved growing up eating her homemade noodles and plump, thick dumplings. Mom made me a noodle lover for life. If you’re a noodle and pasta aficionado like me, here are a dozen favorite noodle, pasta, pho, and ramen restaurant dishes. Give ‘em a try! 

Copper Onion Wagyu Beef Stroganoff

One of the longtime staples at Ryan Lowder’s Copper Onion restaurant is the Beef Stroganoff. This isn’t just any old Stroganoff. At Copper Onion it’s Waygu Stroganoff: thick and wide homemade pappardelle pasta with Snake River Farms Wagyu beef, fresh mushrooms and a big dollop of crème fraîche. It’s an extremely satisfying Stroganoff.

BTG Butternut Squash Ravioli

A favorite pasta dish of mine is to be found at a bar. Specifically BTG Wine Bar, where the handmade butternut squash ravioli is bathed in a luscious garlic-brown butter sauce and drizzled with a balsamic reduction, then topped with grated Asiago cheese and fresh minced parsley.

Pho Saigon 2 Flank Steak Pho

I couldn’t write a roundup of favorite noodle dishes without including at least one pho fave. That takes us to Pho Saigon 2 in Murray where you’ll find some 25 or so different soups including pho, and over 25 rice and noodle items that aren’t soups or pho.There are myriad pho permutations when you start considering the possible combinations of eye of round steak, flank steak, fatty flank, fatty brisket, well-done brisket, soft tendon, tripe, beef meatballs, and chicken. There’s also a vegetable pho and extra meats and noodles can be ordered for a small surcharge. In short, there’s a multitude of ways at Pho Saigon Noodle House 2 to have pho your way.

Weller’s Bistro Spätzle

For a taste of Germany, head to Weller’s Bistro in Layton and be sure to get a side order of their delicious homemade spätzle while you’re there. Spätzle is a Central European egg noodle dish especially popular in Austria, Switzerland and Southern Germany. The noodles aren’t really noodle shaped, but rather look like tiny dumplings. Jan Weller and his talented team serve their spätzle topped with a creamy mushroom sauce called jägersoße. It’s terrific alongside the rockin’ Reuben sandwich.

Stanza Szechuan Pepper Bucatini Alla Carbonara 

I like Executive Chef Paul Cafaro’s unique take on pasta carbonara at Stanza, where he incorporates Szechuan pepper into his Bucatini Alla Carbonara. The thick Szechuan pepper-infused bucatini pasta is tossed with pancetta, peas, onions, black truffle, parmesan, and topped with a soft-boiled quail egg. 

Toro Ramen Tonkotsu

I couldn’t do a noodle article without ramen, right? Currently, my favorite spot for hearty bowls of really good ramen is Toro Ramen in Midvale. Chef/Co-Owner Sunny Tsogbadrakh and his team offer up a number of different styles of ramen and all come with a soft-boiled egg, bean sprouts, corn kernels, noodles and julienned green onion.. But my favorite is probably the most traditional: Tonkotsu is a creamy, slow-cooked pork bone broth that is heavenly, served with two generous pieces of chashu and all of the aforementioned ingredients. 

Bartolo’s Shrimp Spaghetti

There are a number of excellent pasta dishes at Bartolo’s, where the pasta is made from scratch. A favorite dish of mine is the Shrimp Spaghetti: freshly made spaghetti with tender, plump shrimp, fresh garlic and tomatoes, marinara, Calabrian chili, arugula, parmesan, lemon zest and fresh Italian parsley. 

Courchevel Bistro Crozets De Savoie

One of my favorite pasta dishes comes from Executive Chef Clement Gelas’ kitchen at Courchevel Bistro in Park City. In France, Crozets de Savoie are small buckwheat pasta squares – sort of like square buckwheat gnocchi. At Courchevel, Baked Crozets are served with a Gruyere cheese sauce, Niman Ranch pork belly and roasted wild mushrooms, topped with green peas and microgreens. I’m crazy about crozets! 

Caffe Molise Lasagne

Ever since Shelly DeProto opened the original Caffe Molise back in 1993, I’ve been of the opinion that the lasagne there – based on Shelly’s mom’s recipe – is the best in the state. I stick by that opinion now that Chef/Owner Fred Moesinger runs Caffe Molise. It’s a traditional take on lasagne, with layers of fresh pasta, seasoned beef, Italian sausage, ricotta and Asiago cheeses, smothered in Caffe Molise’s fresh pomodoro and topped with a generous amount of grated cheese and chiffonade of fresh basil.

Mom’s Kitchen Spicy Cold Noodles

One of the best Chinese restaurants in town is Mom’s Kitchen, aptly named for the two moms who operate the restaurant: Mama Chen and Mama Zhang. They are from Taiwan and Beijing, respectively. My favorite Mom’s Kitchen dish is the Sichuan-style dan dan noodles called “Mom’s Spicy Cold Noodles” on the menu: perfectly cooked noodles served cold in a spicy peanut sauce and dressed with julienned cucumber. 

Matteo Calamarata Allo Scoglio

There is so much to love at Matteo Ristorante Italiano, where Matteo Sogne’s mother makes much of the fresh pasta from scratch. One of my favorite dishes there is Calamarata allo Scoglio. This is homemade pasta rings in the shape of calamari (hence “calamarata”) with clams, mussels, shrimp, tomatoes and garlic in a lovely, light white wine sauce. Molto bene! 

Cena Ristorante Veal Bolognese & Tagliatelle

Last, but certainly not least, when I visit Park City I like to dine at Cena Ristorante, located in The Chateaux at Deer Valley. There are lots of good pasta dishes at Cena, but none that I enjoy more than the hearty Veal Bolognese & Tagliatelle. It’s a generous portion of wide, perfectly al dente tagliatelle pasta topped with a thick, rich veal Bolognese sauce with pancetta and shaved manchego cheese.

Do you have a favorite restaurant noodle dish? Please share it with us! 

Photos by Ted Scheffler
Culinary quote of the week:“Life is too short, and I’m Italian. I’d much rather eat pasta and drink wine than be a size 0.” Sophia Bush

Feature Image: Courtesy of Nusiba Ahmed on Unsplash