Located at street level of the Home 2 Suites by Hilton in Murray (4907 S. State) is a gem of an Asian eatery: Pho Saigon Noodle House 2. The “2” is indicative that this is the newer, sister restaurant to the original Pho Saigon Noodle House in West Valley, a restaurant I’ve loved for a long time. Pho 2 offers a more modern ambiance than the original location, with vibrant … [Read more...]
Tupelo Restaurant on a Roll: Park City Restaurateurs Living in the Fast Lane
Chef Matthew Harris has been on quite a roll. He and his wife Maggie Alvarez - who are co-partners as owners of Park City’s Tupelo restaurant, as well as in life - were invited to New York City in September to be part of a five-person team of chefs from Park City restaurants to present their craft at an exclusive James Beard House dinner. While he was in town, Matt also made … [Read more...]
Molise 2.0: New Digs for Venerable Caffe Molise
In the Beginning … I first reviewed downtown SLC’s Caffe Molise - named for the Molise region of Italy - back in 1994. Shelley DeProto opened the restaurant that year and it was a modest affair. The dining room was festooned with white plastic patio furniture and the menu was limited. The food, however, was excellent and I still remember how much I enjoyed Shelley’s aio e oio … [Read more...]
Park City Chefs Headed to NYC: Utah Restaurants Showcased at Historic James Beard House
The Dean of American Cookery For those who might not know of James Beard, he was a larger-than-life force of nature. Named the “Dean of American Cookery” by the New York Times in 1954, he was a chef and gourmand who laid the groundwork for much of the cuisine American chefs create today, as well as for the way that we eat. In 1955, Beard established the James Beard Cooking … [Read more...]
Do You Know Jack? Logan is Home to Jack’s Wood-Fired Oven
Will Travel for Pizza It is no secret that I will travel far and wide for great pizza. I’ve eaten amazing Neapolitan pizza in Italy, pizza topped with hard-boiled egg and linguiça in Brazil, pizzaladière in Provence, and many, many more pizzas in many, many more places. And so, it’s not really that much of a stretch for me to travel to a town like Logan for good pizza. No, … [Read more...]
State of the Union: Southwestern Sizzle at Tortilla Union
Spirit of the Southwest I can’t really say that I’m too fond of shopping centers like City Creek in SLC or Farmington’s fairly new Station Park. The commercialism of those places is smothering to me. However, I decided recently after shopping at Harmons in Station Park to bite the bullet and check out a new restaurant there. I’m glad I did. Farmington is the second location … [Read more...]
Rockin’ Ramen: Jinya’s Japanese Roots
Made in Japan I tend to shy away from writing about franchise and chain eateries, choosing normally to highlight independently-owned, truly local businesses. But now and then I come across a chain restaurant that doesn’t look or feel chain-like, and that is simply too good to ignore. Such is the case with Jinya Ramen Bar. There are currently 27 Jinya locations in the U.S. … [Read more...]
For the Birds: Sipping & Noshing at Tracy Aviary’s Eat-Drink SLC
The fourth annual Eat Drink SLC soiree took place this week, hosted as it always is by Tracy Aviary – a spectacular spot to enjoy food and drink from a bevy of local purveyors while supporting important non-profit organizations in our community. All of the proceeds from Eat Drink SLC benefit local non-profits that enhance our community and our lives, raising funds for … [Read more...]
Fireside: On Fire at Regent Street
Michael Richey’s Fireside on Regent is Hot In the past couples months, Viet Pham’s new Pretty Bird eatery has been garnering most of the foodie press in town, and deservedly so. However, there’s another excellent dining spot on Regent Street in downtown SLC - the one that owner/chef Michael Richey opened in winter of 2017, called Fireside on Regent. This downtown bistro … [Read more...]
Tasting Mexico at Alamexo Cantina
Matthew Lake has a passion for Mexican fare Matthew Lake, the owner and executive chef at Alamexo Mexican Kitchen and its newer offspring Alamexo Cantina, is passionate about Mexican cuisine. He doesn’t cut corners when it comes to sourcing ingredients, which is one of the things that separates his Mexican meals from so many others. To wit, he tasted and tested more than one … [Read more...]