This simple recipe is an adaptation of one of Food & Wine’s most popular recipes - one of their 40 Best. Caramelized chicken melds with Vietnamese flavors in this delicious, sweet & spicy dish that cooks in a mere matter of minutes. Ingredients: 1/2 cup dark brown sugar 1/4 cup nam pla (fish sauce) 1/4 cup water 3 Tbsp rice vinegar 1 tsp. minced … [Read more...]
Camino Alto Tempranillo
Having recently returned from vacationing in Portugal and Spain, I’ve been revisiting some of the great wines my wife and I enjoyed there, most of which were sinfully inexpensive. One such wine is Bodegas Camino Alto Tempranillo 2019, which sells here in Utah for a measly $9.99, an incredible bang for the wine buck. This beautiful Tempranillo comes from an organic estate in … [Read more...]
LET’S TALK TURKEY: Top Feasts for Thanksgiving 2022
Thanksgiving is just around the corner and many of us will be toiling in the kitchen, cooking Turkey Day dinner at home. However, if you’d prefer to let someone else do the cooking and cleanup, there are a lot of good restaurant choices for dining out on Thanksgiving, as well as a number of take-home options. Here are some restaurants that provided me with … [Read more...]
Italian Graffiti Coming to Salt Lake and more Foodie News
Blue Sky’s New Chef The Lodge at Blue Sky, Auberge Resorts Collection, the award-winning, nature-immersed retreat outside of Park City, has announced the appointment of Jason Franey as the luxury resort’s new Executive Chef. Here’s what the good folks at Blue Sky have to say about Jason. “Chef Franey, who has more than 30 years of exceptional fine dining restaurant … [Read more...]
Ma-Po Tofu Noodles
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. Ma-po tofu is typically served with white rice. However, I decided to change things up a bit and make it with noodles. Since my wife is gluten free, I used Thai rice noodles, but you could use whatever type of noodle you prefer. Ingredients: 1 package (1 … [Read more...]
Rapido Red Sangiovese
Anyone who reads this column on a regular basis knows that I love a good wine bargain. Who doesn’t? So I am happy this week to introduce you to a fun, inexpensive red wine from Italy called Rapido Red. It sells here in Utah for a mere $11.99. It was the wine bottle label - a couple riding on a red Vespa - that first got my attention at the wine store. It’s an indication of … [Read more...]
Top Spots for Locally Sourced Fare in Salt Lake and Beyond
The phrase “farm to table” gets thrown around a lot in the restaurant world and it can mean different things to different people. At its purest, a farm-to-table restaurant is literally an eatery that is located on (or at least near) a farm and the ingredients—most, anyway—that go into the restaurant’s dishes come straight from that farm. A good example is Hell’s … [Read more...]
Live Music, 3-Star Cheff, Art and Wine Events in Utah
3-Star Chef Massimo Bottura @ Deer Valley This one is special. My favorite Italian chef, Massimo Bottura, will be visiting Deer Valley Resort in December for memorable, one-of-a-kind dinners and VIP meet-and-greet reciptions. Here are the details from Deer Valley Resort. “The next course in Deer Valley Resort’s Taste of Luxury series features Michelin 3-Star Chef Massimo … [Read more...]
Sausage with White Beans
One of my most memorable meals ever was a rustic lunch at a roadside bistro in Provence, France -- a green salad with poached egg and lardons, and a main course of sausage with white beans; so simple, yet so delicious. Here is my version of the main dish. You could use any type of sausage, and just about any kind of bean, too. So, feel free to experiment with the ingredients … [Read more...]
Conceito Legítimo Red Wine
A recent visit to Portugal provided me with the opportunity to familiarize myself with a wide variety of Portuguese wines, from the ubiquitous Vinho Verde to Vintage Port, and everything in-between. One of the biggest surprises was the huge range of Portuguese wines - much more than just the two famous ones I mentioned. Conceito Legítimo Vinho Tinto 2019 is a good example … [Read more...]