Salt Lake City, UT

[ol_ironstomach]

...well, some things haven't changed

Seriously, we finally turned up a couple of gems amongst the smattering of middling-to-bad food. The Red Iguana (736 West North Temple) is a local fave that serves Brobdingnabian portions of Mexican food. Gubeen enjoyed her chile rellenos, but the standout was the assortment of mole dishes. Most of them are over chicken or turkey, and the dishes are pretty simple overall, but the sauces themselves were surprisingly complex, far moreso than I've found elsewhere.

Also surprisingly, there is now great pizza in Salt Lake City. Settebello (260 South 200 West, next to the Red Rock brewpub) is the younger brother of the Las Vegas pizzeria, and a VPN member. The dining room is small, much smaller than 2Amys, and there's a significant wait during peak hours although we noticed that tables were open as early as 8:15 pm midweek. When we arrived, the waiting area was near capacity, so we hovered near the pass to observe the baking. The owner inspects nearly every pie as soon as it's plated by the pizzaioli, and was happy to talk about his operation. His pizzaiolo is Italian, and was recruited by the pizzaiolo of the Vegas location. The wood oven, specially imported directly from Napoli, is run at 900F or so. Sacks of the specified Caputo flour were in evidence. His salumi selection is limited, but comes directly from Salumi in Seattle, which led to an amusing conversation about how his supply seems to have tightened since the opening of Mozza. The pies are fairly textbook - nice little spring in the cornicione, super-thin and translucent where it's not blistered. I watched the pizzaiolo and his assistants rotate the pies during the baking, lifting some of them toward the oven roof where additional browning was called-for. Mozzarella fior de latte only, no bufala as far as I could tell. Probably the main weakness is that people still tend to order too many toppings to augment the VPN-certified classic varieties, but he'll build them anyway if requested. Rocks will be happy to know that steak knives are provided at each placesetting. There isn't much else on the menu, nor will there be...he wants to keep the focus on pizza. A couple of salads and one rather simple antipasti misti plate. But it's great pie, and reminds me of what 2Amys used to be.

[Beto]

...well, some things haven't changed

Seriously, we finally turned up a couple of gems amongst the smattering of middling-to-bad food. The Red Iguana (736 West North Temple) is a local fave that serves Brobdingnabian portions of Mexican food. Gubeen enjoyed her chile rellenos, but the standout was the assortment of mole dishes. Most of them are over chicken or turkey, and the dishes are pretty simple overall, but the sauces themselves were surprisingly complex, far moreso than I've found elsewhere.

The mole at Red Iguana is the best I've ever had in my life.

[ol_ironstomach]

The mole at Red Iguana is the best I've ever had in my life.

Agreed...if you go, go because of the mole(s). We went back again on Thursday, and Gubeen ordered the dish I had on Tuesday (mole negro w/ chicken) while I had the chile verde burritos. Chile verdict: pretty good, but I've had better in Colorado, and I'd like it spicier. There was also a small fried poblano on the plate that I chomped on, and it was downright mild. The mole negro, however, was just as fantastic as previously. Although now I'm wondering if some of the spices might have mild psychotropic properties...I had a night of rather strange dreams following Tuesday's dinner, and Gubeen reported the same after Thursday's dinner.

We also sampled one of the other moles which was based on ground pepitas (pumpkin seeds). Also fabulously complex, but along completely different lines...sweeter, and with nutty, squash-like and almost fruity notes. Probably works better on the grilled shrimp than on poultry.

[synaesthesia]

I wish I had made it to the Red Iguana during my stay in Salt Lake City, but didn't quite make it. I ended up with most of my meals in the hotels. If you ever plan a meeting with food in Salt Lake, don't have it at the Hilton, which epitomizes every thing bad about catered food - dried out, oversauced and questionable as to whether it actually is meat.

I went to The Counter, a franchised restaurant that was reminiscent of Cheeburger Cheeburger in the custom topping department. They are against frozen meat and the like. Well... it might not be frozen, but cooked at medium managed to be an overhandled hockey puck. The choice of cheeses and toppings was interesting though perhaps not always appropriate. I silently chuckled to myself over my server's repeated mispronunciation of gruyere, but kept quiet. Their roasted garlic mayo was the one thing that made this meal not totally suck.

The Counter had a number of bottles and beers on tap. The alcohol regulations are not nearly as bad as everyone makes them out to be unless you want hard liquor in which case for now you will have to pay a membership fee (about $4-5 for a temp). Granted the place is so boring that I wouldn't blame you for hitting the booze hard. But they should be doing away with membership fees soon.

The best thing I had to eat during my trip was a very good soft pretzel in the exhibit hall at the convention center. It was soft and lightly greased. The Polygamy Porter from Wasatch Brewery is fairly passable as far as porters go (and worth at least getting a picture of), but the apricot hefeweizen has a very strong apricot fragrance with no detectable wheat beer flavor.

Salt Lake City is a very strange place. It is a city that lacks any real dwellers within city limits, so most of the people walking around are either tourists, U of U students or the homeless. Within a certain zone, the tram is free, and you will frequently see the homeless riding the trains. If you happen to travel to SLC, make sure to try not to forget things. Things you take for granted like finding a drug store on every corner don't really seem to be easy to find.

[giant shrimp]

tony caputo's market is interesting. i picked up a good sandwich and there is an impressive assortment of dried pasta, etc.

downtown also has a good used book store along the tram line, and there are movie theatres within walking distance. go early to a mormon tabernacle choir rehearsal and they will take you on quite a tour.

[goodeats]

The alcohol regulations are not nearly as bad as everyone makes them out to be unless you want hard liquor in which case for now you will have to pay a membership fee (about $4-5 for a temp).

synaesthesia went just a few days early apparently. Click.

[sjs]

tony caputo's market is interesting. i picked up a good sandwich and there is an impressive assortment of dried pasta, etc.

downtown also has a good used book store along the tram line, and there are movie theatres within walking distance. go early to a mormon tabernacle choir rehearsal and they will take you on quite a tour.

In 2006 I moved from the DC area to a small town 20 miles north of SLC and just recently moved back to the DC area. Tony Caputo's market and deli (314 West 300 South in SLC) was a godsend for us.

They've just opened a restaurant "Tipica" in the same building. According to the press release: "Adam Kreisel, the popular chef at the former Globe Cafe by Moonlight in Salt Lake City, former executive chef at Sundance Resort and former personal chef to NBC Sports CEO Dick Ebersol, has teamed with Tony Caputo's Market & Deli in downtown Salt Lake to launch Tipica, a traditional Italian restaurant specializing in pastas and risottos on May 1." The deli is still there--it transforms into Tipica for the evening.

In terms of make-your-own meals made up of bread, cheese, cured meats and wine, the combination of Caputo's and the state wine store can't be beat. Caputo's has a cheese cave and an in-house salame maker, Cristiano Creminelli--plus lots of other tempting items in their market. All the staff are very friendly and knowledgeable , but I'll highlight Matt Caputo (son of Tony) for any questions on chocolate and Troy, the cheese master. Also check out Carlucci's Bakery and Aquarius Fish Market in the same building.

And, despite the strange alcohol laws (which are being loosened), the state wine stores have extensive selections. The downtown SLC wine store is at 255 South 300 East and a new wine store recently opened (due to popular demand) at 1605 South 300 West. All of the wine store staff are very helpful, if Francis Fecteau is there he can guide you to some great wine bargains that will go well with Caputo's cheeses (Francis, Matt and Troy team up for Caputo's Cheese and Wine classes).

[lizzie]

Multi-day business trip to Salt Lake City in a few weeks - any recent recommendations?

[winger1930]

Multi-day business trip to Salt Lake City in a few weeks - any recent recommendations?

Check out Pat's BBQ. It's a little hard to find, but it is in SLC proper (and really, how big is SLC anyways?). It was excellent BBQ - a little bit of a mix of all styles, but I thought it was well smoked and tasty. Had ribs, brisket, chicken (moist!), and a bunch of sides (good sweet cornbread, greens) a few months back when we were passing through SLC. A friend of mine was there a few weeks ago and agreed it was some good grub. They also have a really nice outdoor seating area, and the place itself is really big for a BBQ joint. It's sort of in a warehouse district next to some train tracks, but worth the drive out there. (We had a car, so I don't know what the cab situation is like)

http://www.patsbbq.com/index.php

[smokey]

I'm headed to SLC for 5 days at the beginning of February. I've read the thread--any other recs? Are Red Iguana's moles still considered good? no limits in location or price, but I'm a pescetarian, so BBQ places off the table.

Thanks!

[lizzie]

I liked Himalayan Kitchen, near the university. Indian and Nepali, inexpensive. Most of menu is Indian fare, but we tried several of the Himalayan dishes, and liked the chicken and vegetable momos. We trekked to Red Iguana, which several people along the detour walking route said was not worth the effort. But, we found it satisfying. Our waitress offered a small plate with samples of all the different moles. I think we ended ordering four. I particularly liked the pumpkin one,which may have been a special.

We had sushi one night, at Naked Fish, mostly because it was on the same street as our hotel. Nothing exceptional or special but better than we expected.

I relied on the travel guide on designspongeonline.com for some of the restaurant recs and shopping ideas. I have found this site to offer interesting options in a number of cities.

[Marty L.]

I'm headed to SLC for 5 days at the beginning of February. I've read the thread--any other recs? Are Red Iguana's moles still considered good? no limits in location or price, but I'm a pescetarian, so BBQ places off the table.

Smokey: Was just there and (surprisingly) have three solid recs.

As Lizzie says, Himalayan Kitchen is, indeed, great, and unlike what you can find here, especially if you stick to the (extensive) Nepali/Himalayan dishes (more than what are described here: http://www.himalayankitchen.com/menu) -- apparently there's a burgeoning Nepali/Sherpa population in SLC! -- including for the vegetable choices. We had a spectacular fried lentil dish, and the Onion Bhaji appetizer was addictive. Don't hesitate to ask for authentic levels of spiciness, if you can handle it (it's serious).

Pho Tay Ho is a great, hidden, mom & pop pho joint on South Main Street, but unfortunately I can't vouch for the non-beef-stock pho there, as I tried only the standard broth.

Finally, a new joint, the Copper Onion (http://www.thecopperonion.com/), was excellent all around.

There are fairly consistent raves for a couple of new, upscale organic places -- Pago and Forage -- but I wasn't able to go. Also heard good things about Tony Caputo/Tipica, described above.

I was advised by reliable sources to avoid all Chinese in SLC except perhaps the dim sum at Hong Kong Tea House, particularly given the options in your home nabe (and I do hope you've made Sichuan Pavillion part of your regular rotation).

Have fun!

[Adam23]

Finally, a new joint, the Copper Onion (http://www.thecopperonion.com/), was excellent all around.

Got back from a few days in SLC. Had superb food while there. Of note, Copper Onion was excellent. Had a very nice beef stroganoff and my friend had a very nice tri-tip steak. Very good service, wonderful drinks and reasonable prices (particularly as compared to DC). Also hit up Takashi for Sushi. Probably the best sushi I have had in a long time. Very very fresh. Very nice Wagyu Negimaki and great toro/scallion roll.

[Sthitch]

Very good service, wonderful drinks and reasonable prices (particularly as compared to DC).

I know that they made some changes to the liquor laws for the Quadrennial Winter Corrupics, oops I mean Olympics, but I am not sure how many they changed, but I always found it cheap to drink in SLC because no drink could contain more than 1 oz of liquor – made for really shitty martinis.

[smokey]

liked Copper Onion but didn't love it; the +1 really liked it. The service was excellent, and the food was good, but I thought too salty all around.

I'm bummed we ventured tried Sushi Groove instead of Takashi; SG was disappointing. The fish didn't taste very fresh and was still frozen in parts. Great music, though.

Had a strikingly mediocre meal at Wild Grape.

Went to the mole place that everybody talks about (whose name totally escapes me). The moles were fantastic, the maragaritas too watery and they definitely try to upsell (or, at least our waiter did an awful lot of that).

Had some good gelato at a place at 9th and 9th (again, memory fails me). Tried hand dipped chocolates from one of those places "serving SLC since 1859" or whatever. Good, but not great (Andelman's in NoVa better, hands down). Tried to go to a bakery that has gotten some good press, les madeleines, to try its Kouing Aman. Sadly we missed their closing time by all of 10 minutes and there were no opportunities to go back.

What would I rave about on this trip--COFFEE! My God ,these folks know coffee. Jack Mormon's in the avenues was fantastic, but isn't at all a place to hang out. Nobrow also had great coffee, good music and was a good place to watch the world go by for a while. There are tons of independent coffee shops and the city has a really great coffee culture.

[jiveturk21]

Just got back from seven days in Salt Lake City (work conference). I wish that I had the time to do a thorough review of everywhere that I ate, but I just don't have it and I am afraid that if I wait, it will never get done. So, here is the short version of my trip to Salt Lake City.

If you are in Park City, you need to go to Chimayo. It was easily the best place that we ate at while in the area.

In SLC, we preferred Pago to The Copper Onion. The cocktails at Pago were infinitely better and so was the service. The food was about even - Pago added too many "extras" to the plate and The Copper Onion was much too heavy for August - but both were solid. If these restaurants were in DC, I would say that they compare to very good neighborhood restaurants, but these are more destination places in SLC, so I would say that I was mildly disappointed.

If you want to get a few good cocktails, I would head to Bambara. If you want pizza, I would say that Settebello is a good bet. If you want to eat outside, and see every good looking girl in SLC, I would head to Trio. If you want sandwiches, I hope that you can find a place better than Tony Caputo's because what we ate there was simply not that good. The store itself was impressive, very impressive, but the food that we ordered was not very solid. And, if you find yourself eating Thai in the city, I wouldn't, especially not at Thai Lotus. And, if you are looking for a place to stay, you can't go wrong with the Grand America Hotel, the rooms are a bit dated, but they are huge and the amenities are top notch.

[Adam23]

Back from a quick trip to SLC and Park City. Highlights as follows:

Chungo's- A newer cheap mexican place in not the best part of town. Excellent spicy al pastor enchiladas. Great guacamole. Highly recommended.

Settebello - Now an expanding chain with locations in Vegas and other areas. Had a very nice pizza with roasted fennel and sausage. Had a blah caprese salad (not sure why I ordered it. Great fresh mozerella, refrigerated tasteless tomato).

Mazza - Very enjoyable lebanese restaurant in the "9th and 9th" neighborhood which is rather nice and upscale. Had a great baked kafta dish with roasted potatoes, rice and yogurt sauce.

Takashi - Still one of my favorite sushi restaurants anywhere. Hit it up for a pre-departure lunch. Restaurant is constantly packed. Had a delightful spicy tuna roll, sweet shrimp sashimi, uni sashimi and a rice-less roll of tuna and crab and avacado held together by thinly sliced cucumber. Highly recommended.