When I first reviewed Takashi restaurant back upon its opening in May of 2004, I was very enthusiastic about Takashi Gibo’s namesake restaurant. In fact, I recall arguing that the food there was every bit as worthy of the accolades that Nobu in Las Vegas - which I’d also recently visited - tended to receive. I had first met Takashi when he was a sushi chef at Shogun restaurant … [Read more...]
Grilled Cinco de Mayo Steak Recipe
Many years ago, when I was restaurant critic for Las Vegas Life magazine, I visited Mary Sue Milliken’s and Susan Feniger’s Border Grill restaurant in Vegas. The most memorable dish of that day was grilled skirt steak with Southwestern flavorings such as cumin, jalapeños, lime juice and such. Here is my take on that delicious dish. It’s really simple. Most of the work comes … [Read more...]
The Good Word @ White Horse Spirits & Kitchen
On a surprisingly blustery recent “spring” day, my wife and I popped into White Horse bar for a Bently Spiced Toddy to help warm up the missus. The Bently cocktail is made with Cognac, Aperol, spiced simple syrup, lemon juice, Peychaud and Angostura bitters. It did the trick. Meanwhile, my eyes and palate were drawn to a White Horse cocktail named The Good Word. … [Read more...]
Tom+Chee: Everyone Loves a Great Grilled Cheese
The ultimate comfort food I have met exactly one person in my life who didn’t like cheese. And although there are those who avoid cheese for health or dietary reasons, I mean - c’mon - who doesn’t love a good grilled cheese sandwich? For some of us, it’s a touchstone comfort food and a throwback to our childhoods. The folks at Tom+Chee know this, and they have, with a … [Read more...]
Tasty Ma-Po Tofu: Do It Yourself
Ma-po (or ma po or mapo) tofu is a signature dish of Chinese Sichuan cuisine, but it’s quite easy to make at home. Food historians say that “ma-po” means something like “crater-faced old women,” referring to the creator of the dish, a Chengdu woman who suffered from smallpox as a child. Whatever it’s origins, ma-po tofu is one of the most delicious dishes you’ll ever … [Read more...]
Tosh’s Ramen Comes to Holladay
A Second Tosh’s Blooms Although the North American ramen craze has mostly subsided and other eats have become more trendy with foodies (think: Korean BBQ and Nashville hot chicken), here in Utah ramen is still rocking. To wit, even four years after it opened Tosh’s Ramen on South State Street still frequently has a queue for tables, not to mention jockeying for the valuable … [Read more...]
Simple Arugula Salad Recipe
I look forward to each spring in part because it brings an abundance of arugula to our garden. I really like the nutty, slightly peppery taste of fresh arugula - also called “rocket” - and I try, when using it in a salad, not to bury the flavor of the arugula with too many ingredients. A very lightly dressed salad of arugula, avocado, parmesan cheese and a couple other … [Read more...]
Two Moms, One Kitchen: Authentic Chinese Cuisine from Mom’s Kitchen Salt Lake City
One sure-fire way to find great Asian cooking is to go to the places where Asians eat. Such is the case with Mom’s Kitchen, an unassuming little restaurant dishing up the bold, authentic flavors of China. Mom’s Kitchen is thusly named for the two moms who run the place: Mama Chen and Mama Zhang, who hail from Taiwan and Beijing, respectively. The cuisine at Mom’s Kitchen … [Read more...]
Cajun-Creole Dirty Rice Easy Recipe
One of my favorite side dishes is a Cajun-Creole concoction called “Dirty Rice.” It begins with the holy trinity of Louisiana cooking - celery, onion & green pepper - and the rice gets its “dirty” color from being cooked in broth with chicken, beef, pork, or whatever protein you choose. I like to make my dirty rice with a combination of chicken livers and ground pork. … [Read more...]
‘Que for You: R&R BBQ Comes to Farmington
I’ve been singing the praises of R&R BBQ since brothers Roger and Rod (R&R) Livingston opened their first brick-and-mortar operation in the spring of 2013, in downtown SLC. Prior to that, the boys had scored a bevy of awards at local and national barbecue competitions, including an invitation to strut their stuff at the Jack Daniels World Championship Invitational … [Read more...]