I love the taste of cardamom, which is very complex with citrus, herbal, floral and spicy notes. It’s delicious in an easy-to-prepare dish like this one: roasted chicken with a cardamom coating. Ingredients: 2 bone-in chicken leg & thigh quarters or 4 chicken leg or thigh pieces 1 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil Ground cardamom Salt ¼ tsp. … [Read more...]
Best of Park City Wine Festival 2022
Last week’s Park City Wine Festival 2022 was chock full of great wines, spirits, ciders, beers, and more. One of my favorite stops during the Fest was to sample great wines and chat with representatives from California’s Daou Vineyards, a family-owned winery based in California’s Adelaida District in Paso Robles. The Daou story is a very interesting one, covering … [Read more...]
BODACIOUS BAR BITES: A Dozen Delicious Dishes That Raise the Bar
There was a time when eating at a bar pretty much meant a choice between corn nuts, pretzels, pork rinds, or maybe a pickled egg from that gigantic jar behind the bar. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But thankfully, times have changed and those looking to dine a little more creatively or healthy in bars can now do so. Here are a dozen of my favorite bar … [Read more...]
Crispy Air Fryer Cod
It’s that time again, time for my monthly air fryer recipe installment. This month we’re tackling air fryer fish. The key to any “fried” fish is to give it a crispy, crusty coating, so we’re going to use both flour and panko bread crumbs to achieve that goal. I find that cutting the fish into smaller “tenders” - as opposed to cooking whole fillets - helps to keep the fish … [Read more...]
Weingut Messmer Pinot Noir at Weller’s Bistro
When you think of Pinot Noir, you probably think of Burgundy in France, or maybe Oregon, Washington, or California in this country. Maybe New Zealand? But Germany probably doesn’t spring to mind. It didn’t to me, at least. But last week my wife and I were enjoying yet another excellent dinner at Weller’s Bistro in Layton when Jan Weller, the owner, turned us onto a really … [Read more...]
Remembering Valter Nassi, SLC’s Beloved Restaurateur
So Long, Valter I and many other foodies and restaurateurs were saddened to hear of Valter Nassi’s passing last week. I met Valter in the mid-90s and we quickly hit it off, both of us being recent transplants from New York City, albeit by way of Italy in Valter’s case. Valter, a former NYC restaurateur, would open Il Sansovino here in SLC and eventually operate Cucina … [Read more...]
THE CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS A Delectable Visit to Current Fish & Oyster
With all of the shiny new restaurants popping up in and around SLC, it’s easy to forget about the tried and true ones - those that helped pave the way for the new kids on the block. One such dining destination is Current Fish and Oyster. Not that Current is one of the more ancient eateries around; it was opened in the spring of 2015 by Joes LaSalle and Mikel Trapp. But it’s one … [Read more...]
Frida Fiesta and Beer Dinner in Salt Lake and Sushi Sundays in Park City
Gateway Frida Fiesta This Saturday, September 24th, The Gateway will host a celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month with its first ever Frida Fiesta, named for the iconic Mexican painter, Frida Kahlo. The Fiesta will be held at The Gateway’s Olympic Plaza from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Hispanic cuisine, margaritas, and food trucks will highlight the event along with music, mariachi … [Read more...]
Pasta with Tomato-Cream Sauce
Here is a very simple recipe for pasta with a rich tasting creamy tomato sauce. You can use any of your favorite pastas for this, but I like a thick pasta such as rigatoni or pappardelle to soak up the sauce. Ingredients: 4 Tbsp unsalted butter 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and minced 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled plum tomatoes, crushed by hand and juices … [Read more...]
Tenuta Sant’Antonio Wine Dinner at BTG in Salt Lake City
Lovers of Italian wines will want to mark Thursday, October 27, 2022 on your calendars. That is the date that BTG Wine Bar will host a special wine pairing dinner featuring the wines of Tenuta Sant’Antonio, an excellent winery based in Veneto, Italy. One of the winery owners, Armando Castagnedi, will be on hand to talk to guests about the wines being offered during the … [Read more...]