A Visit to Brownstone 22
Before I launch into a review of a lovely restaurant called Brownstone 22, please allow me to reminisce a bit, as the location of Brownstone 22 has quite a history.
The building in which Brownstone 22 restaurant is located is a beautiful – yes, brownstone – building at 22 East 100 South in downtown Salt Lake City that was built back in 1888 and was home to the historic Utah Commercial and Savings Bank. Also known as the Village Brownstone Building, it is a Richardsonian Romanesque style building.
I was not around when the historic building was a bank. But I was around to witness the opening and sadly, the closing of some great restaurants in that space, then located right across the street from the ZCMI Center Mall (ah, memories…). Back in the mid-1990s Francis Fecteau opened Cafe dell’ Arte serving dishes like pan-seared tuna with tequila-grapefruit salsa, yummy rolls from Curtell’s (remember them?), spicy black bean soup, a chanterelle and hedgehog mushroom crostini with gorgonzola and roasted pecans, and other innovative dishes that were, unfortunately, ahead of their time. Francis is now proprietor of Libation Inc., a fine boutique wine and spirits brokerage based in Salt Lake City.
Following Cafe Dell Arte’s closing, The Pub Restaurant group opened Martine in the brownstone space and for years I enjoyed the inviting ambiance and the killer cuisine from Chef Tom Grant. Sadly, Martine closed in 2020 following years of endless construction downtown that adversely affected business, not to mention a worldwide pandemic.
On a happier note, earlier this year Richard Romney and Travis Herbert – who operate one of SLC’s best bars in Felt Bar & Eatery – a place that really raised the bar for bar food. It’s one of my favorite “restaurants” – albeit for those 21 and over – and I’m certainly not alone.
Romney and Herbert left the bones of the historic building intact, while creating a distinctly new downtown dining destination. There are three dining areas: a main dining room on the ground floor, a lounge-bar area, and tables upstairs in the mezzanine, accessed via a new metal staircase. The original bank vault upstairs has been repurposed as a wine storage area.
Mezzanine tables upstairs offer a quieter, more intimate space to dine while also affording diners the opportunity to spy on guests dining below from up above. Gary Vlasic and his V. Project was the main force behind the eyepopping redesign which features new lighting including some very unique chandeliers, beautifully upholstered booths, banquettes, and chairs, lounge seating with smaller tables for 2 or 3, and much more. If Gary’s name sounds familiar it may be because he’s behind the design of some of Utah’s most attractive restaurants, including Felt, Scelto, Post Office Place, Saola, 3 Cups Coffee, Pago on Main and more.
While Romney gave my wife and I a tour of Brownstone 22, he spoke admiringly of the well-known artist – Jessalyn Brooks – who painted the Picassoesque murals throughout the restaurant.
The L.A. based artist flew into town for a week to paint murals for Romney and Herbert, finished ahead of schedule, and lent her talents to other visual aspects of the eatery, including a stunning wall of handpainted dinner plates.
As lovely as Brownstone 22 is, what draws guests to it is the food and drink. And that is where Romney and Herbert excel. Diners might choose to begin with items from the raw bar or cold bar such as Hokkaido Scallop Crudo ($22), New Zealand Salmon Belly Sashimi ($22), Jonah Crab Claws ($24), Filet Mignon Tartare ($20), Ceviche de Camarón ($18), or perhaps simple Oysters on the Half Shell with Sazerac mignonette, citrus horseradish, mini Tabasco bottle and rose vinegar ($26/half-dozen). Or, you could also go big with the Chilled Seafood Tower of lobster tail, oysters, shrimp, Jonah crab claws, shrimp ceviche and sauces ($70/half; $120/full).
Onion Au Gratin Soup
Starters at Brownstone 22 include Bread Service of housemade focaccia with caviar butter and Maldon salt ($12); Caviar Service (½ oz./$60; 1 oz./$120; Oyster Kilpatrick ($16); Charred Cabbage with lemon miso emulsion ($16), Shrimp Arancini ($16), and others. I can never resist French Onion Soup when I see it on a restaurant menu and so I opted for Onion Au Gratin Soup ($10) as my starter. It was scrumptious: melt-in-the-mouth brandy caramelized onions with gooey melted award-winning Gruyere 1655 on tallow-infused toast.
Soup of the Moment
Our terrific server at Brownstone 22, Ndeye, suggested the soup special or “Soup of the Moment” which was a delicious, summertime bowl of gazpacho with melons and cucumber. In addition to soup, there are a couple of salads on the menu, including Kale Caesar ($16) with anchovy Caesar dressing, Parmigianno-Reggiano, rosemary breadcrumbs and fried capers and a Summer Melon Salad ($18) of arugula, cherry tomatoes, goat cheese, cantaloupe, mint, sumac, and pink peppercorn vinaigrette.
Martini lovers might choose to belly up to the Brownstone bar for one of the signature martinis with names like House Filthy, Pornstar, Bill’s Perfect, Espresso Coco, and others. There is also a great selection of classic cocktails – French Pearl, Sazerac, Cosmopolitan, etc. – and Apertivi such as Calvado, Mojito Montenegro and House Highball.
Mocktail Roulette
There is also a serviceable selection of beers, cider, mocktails, and wine by the glass, carafe or bottle. The wines are all priced identically, regardless of which wine you choose: Glass/$16; Carafe/$30; Bottle/$75. The bar at Brownstone 22 also has a fun mocktail game called Mocktail Roulette ($9) where you give the server some drink likes and dislikes and the bartender creates a custom mocktail suited to your tastes. My wife and I both loved a fruity mocktail with soda.
Soft Shell Crab Po’ Boy
Main dishes at Brownstone 22 include Seared Barramundi ($44); New Zealand Elk Osso Bucco ($45); 10 oz. Dry Aged HY Strip ($60); Colorado Lamb Rack ($48); Green Curry Clams ($40); and others. We were looking to eat a little lighter and so I ordered a Soft Shell Crab Po’ Boy ($24) from the “Hand Helds” section of the menu. It was a hearty serving of tempura fried soft shell crab with Creole remoulade, jalapeños, house pickles, and cabbage slaw on really good toasted French bread with a serving of fries on the side. It was a tad messy to eat but well worth the effort.
Ravioli
Pasta dishes are another specialty at Brownstone 22 and my wife’s pasta was superb: Ravioli ($35). It was a plate of Funaro’s ravioli stuffed with crab and lobster with limoncello cream, topped with chili crisp, lemon thyme ricotta and julienned scallions. As I said, I thought the ravioli was excellent overall, although I didn’t quite think the chili crisp belonged on it. Additional pastas include Octopus And Chorizo with squid ink pasta ($38); Linguine with Lobster cream sauce ($35); Eggplant Risotto ($28), and others.The Brownstone 22 space has been home to some of my favorite SLC restaurants over the years and with Romney and Herbert at the helm, it is again. It’s quite the culinary lineage that has grown there through the years and I don’t think the cuisine has ever been better in that beautiful old building than it is now. Not getting greedy, but I am eager to see what the team of Romney and Herbert has up their sleeves next.
Bonus: As we were about to publish Utah Bites I received this note from the folks at Brownstone 22 about a special BBQ event coming up:
Following the success of their sold-out inaugural Stone Sessions dinner, Brownstone 22 is inviting guests to experience a culinary journey around the world with Stone Sessions Vol. 2: World of BBQ — a seven-course cocktail pairing dinner celebrating international barbecue traditions. The exclusive event takes place on Wednesday, August 26, 2026 at 6 p.m., with limited seating available by reservation only.
Curated by partners Richard Romney and 2026 James Beard Award finalist (Best Chef Mountain) Chef Travis Herbert, the Stone Sessions series was designed as a creative outlet to showcase innovative cuisine and beverage experiences at Brownstone 22.
“The response to our first Stone Sessions dinner, which featured cuisine from Spain’s Basque region, was incredible,” said Romney. “We’re excited to continue the series because it creates the opportunity for us to push our creativity and offer guests something they can’t experience anywhere else.”
For the second installment, the duo and their Chef de Cuisine Kayley Yearley chose a theme close to Chef Herbert’s heart. “I’m a huge barbecue fan,” Herbert said. “But what makes barbecue so fascinating is how every culture interprets it differently. We wanted to create a menu that highlights those traditions from around the world while putting our own creative spin on each dish.”
Unlike traditional wine pairing dinners, Stone Sessions pairs every course with a custom-crafted cocktail inspired by the same country’s traditions as the dish it’s paired with. The beverage program is a collaborative effort from the entire Brownstone 22 beverage team, with each bartender creating at least one featured cocktail.
Event Details:
Wednesday, August 26, 2026 at 6 p.m.
Price: $140/ plus tax & gratuity. Seating is limited. Reservations are required.
Photos by Ted Scheffler
Culinary quote of the week: “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” – Virginia Woolf
