Yes, love is in the air this week. But this is not another article about where to celebrate Valentine’s Day. I covered that in last week’s Utah Bites. Rather, this week I’m turning to a new restaurant that I’m really loving: Osteria Amore. In Italy, an osteria was traditionally an eatery serving simple, uncomplicated food and wine. Think of it as an Italian version of a … [Read more...]
Mardi Gras Dinners, Tucanos’ 20th Anniversary and Casanova di Neri Dinner in Salt Lake City
Mardi Gras Dinners @ Stanza Can’t make it to New Orleans for Mardi Gras this year? No worries. Executive Chef Jonathan LeBlanc of Stanza Italian Bistro & Wine Bar has you covered. On the evenings of Fat Tuesday, February 25 and again on Thursday, February 27, he will host 5-course Creole & Cajun Mardi Gras dinners at Stanza. With his southern roots and … [Read more...]
Brews & Chews: 5 Can’t-Miss Restaurant Food and Beer Pairings
For decades, wine snobs ruled the roost when it came to finicky food and beverage pairings. You know: Chardonnay ain’t good with steak; Cabernet is. That sort of thing. Well, with the emergence of America’s craft breweries and the idea that you can eat something besides burgers or beef jerky with your beer, focused food and beer pairings have also become “a … [Read more...]
Raising the Bar: Creative Cuisine at SLC Eatery
It’s still early in 2019, but so far the most exciting event for local food enthusiasts, IMHO, has been the opening of SLC Eatery. Don’t let the name - which is about as generic as it gets - fool you. There is nothing generic or mundane about the cuisine at SLC Eatery. The new restaurant is the love child of co-chefs and co-business partners Paul Chamberlain and Logen Crew. … [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...]
SPICE Kitchen Incubator Start-Up Adds Spice to SLC Cuisine
Spice Kitchen Incubator is allowing new immigrants from countries such as Bhutan to start businesses on a shoestring, making the American Dream come true for refugees Kamal and Geeta Niroula, owners of the Bhutan House Restaurant. Five years ago, the S.P.I.C.E. Kitchen Incubator (Supporting the Pursuit of Innovative Culinary Entrepreneurs), came out of a demand … [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...]
Spring on the Food: 5 Salt Lake City Restaurants Worth Visiting this Spring
The Dodo The fancy casual dish With a warm, classy ambiance coupled with a menu of American comfort food and (arguably) the best desserts in Utah, the Dodo blends a refined, yet casual dining scene perfect for a date or celebratory night out. The big patio, settled right across from Sugar House Park, creates a perfect spring evening setting, too! (Favorites: Smoked Turkey … [Read more...]