Online Magazine
Winter 2002 - 2003
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Dining
Guide
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Salt
Lake City
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Salt Lake City
Bambara
This vivacious restaurant in the Hotel Monaco features a lively
bar scene and a central, open kitchen where Chef Scott Blackerby turns
out festive, bright-flavored fare. Traditional American foods find fulfillment
here, often embellished with an Asian dimension. Pan-roasted pork loin
chop with kabocha squash puree and braised kale finds sweet counterpoint
in a molasses and Gala apple sauce, while the buffalo Bourguignonne remains
a favorite long after its Winter Olympics debut. Finish off with the divine
and daring dessert sampler. 202 S. Main Street, SLC, 801/363-5454. $$$
Blue Boar Inn
A boutique mountain lodge with an elegant restaurant, the Blue
Boar offers a rustic rest and state-of-the-art fine dining. In from California,
Chef Jesse Layman knows where to get fine, fresh ingredients and what
to do with them, including wild boar, which may turn up as crispy ravioli
or molasses roasted riblets. Gnocchi with a spinach gorgonzola cream sauce
and pork tenderloin with spicy peanut sauce suggest the sophisticated
cuisine at this urbane outpost near Wasatch State Park. 1235 Warm Springs
Road, Midway, 435/654-1400. $-$$
Fresco
Chef Todd Miller brings a deft and creative hand to this cozy, intimate
and romantic island of rustic but cosmopolitan Italian charm. Count on
fine polentas, pastas and risotto, excellent service and sublimely subtle
flavors. Current favorites include braised rabbit with pappardelle, porcinis,
fava beans and winter greens, and a traditional manicotti with saffron
pickled cauliflower and roasted bread cubes. One of the city’s best
wait staffs knows the wine list and the art of “reading” the
desired pace of your dinner. 1513 S. 1500 East, SLC, 801/486-1300. $$$
Globe Café
The menu looks like a slice of San Francisco dining at this cozy
downtown mecca, which may not be surprising as owner/chef Adam Kreisel
worked in that city, among other coastal oases. The menu skirts the globe,
running from the Rocky Mountains to China, through Italy and back to Okeechobee,
Florida. Wild boar carpaccio and venison ravioli with figs and Shaoxing
wine are among the intri-guing starters, with lamb loin, pickled garlic
sauce and poblano barley as one of a dozen even more intriguing entrées.
Save room for the “twin” baby soufflés, mascarpone
and bittersweet chocolate. 264 S. Main Street, SLC, 801/321-0160. $$$
L’Avenue
A smartly conceived and well-executed Sugar House bistro from
Mark Eaton and friends, whose drafting of Chef Franck Peisel was one of
many astute moves. L’Avenue buzzes nicely at lunch, dinner and brunch-time,
while a congenial bar scene and friendly prices for both food and wine
add to its pleasures. Start with a half dozen lusty preparations of mussels.
Warm goat cheese enhances a gold and burgundy beet salad, seafood entrées
excel and coq au vin and steak frîtes satisfy cravings for traditional
French fare. 1355 E. 2100 South, SLC, 801/485-4494. $$
Log Haven
While the weather outside is cold and snowy, there’s plenty
of warmth at Log Haven with Chef Dave Jones at the helm. A talented staff,
rustic elegance and the canyon setting have made Log Haven a tradition
for weddings and parties, but it’s also a great choice for romantic
dining with complex, audacious flavor combinations that work sublimely.
Examples include Morgan Valley lamb with roasted beet and cabernet reduction
and brined, grilled pork chops with braised pancetta and grilled apple.
Thoughtful wine pairings and fine cordials from Ian Campbell’s new
wine list round off a fine and elegant evening. 6451 Millcreek Canyon,
SLC, 801/272-8255. $$$$
Martine
A great value in challenging Mediterranean cuisines, where Chef Tom Grant
skillfully blends Spanish, Italian and North African influences in an
ever-changing array of entrées and flavorful tapas. For entrées,
there are variations on lamb, salmon and quail often with hints of cinnamon,
cumin and mint. A well-balanced and well-priced wine list adds to the
pleasures served among the banquettes and candlelight in this historic
brownstone. Martine is a downtown oasis of good taste, a great choice
before or after an evening on the town. Better yet, make dinner at Martine’s
the evening’s main event. 22 E. 100 South, SLC, 801/363-9328. $$
New Yorker
When it opened almost twenty-five years ago, the New Yorker pushed,
pulled and ripped the envelope for Salt Lake fine dining, and it remains
a prime choice for an elegant and/or romantic evening. Chef Will Pliler
has a more focussed menu, with excellent interpretations of lamb, seafood
and game classics, and specials integrating seasonal fare with the kitchen’s
creativity. Wine flights add a dimension to the dinner, as does an alert,
veteran staff. The café menu offers the same great flavors at more
modest prices. 60 W. Market Street, SLC, 801/363-0166. $$$-$$$$
Oyster Bar
Winter may be the best time for oysters, fresh plucked from the
cold coastal bays of the Northwest and New England, and the Oyster Bar
remains the place to sample them all. At both the downtown and the new,
more capacious Cottonwood site, the menu’s strengths include the
stellar array of shellfish and seasonal fresh fish specials plus generous
seafood salads. Always a reliable experience, the Oyster Bar is a bustling
enclave of the good life with a private club. 54 W. Market Street, SLC,
801/531-6044. 2985 E. 6580 South, SLC, 801/942-8870. $$
Spencer’s
“Spencer’s for Steaks and Chops” is the official
title, and it’s been the official winner of sundry “Best Steakhouse”
awards in Utah. Aged Black Angus beef and the 1700† broiler help Chef
Zachary Davidson evoke the sublime flavor that keep steakhouses American
favorites. Classic appetizers and side dishes include shrimp cocktail,
crab cakes, Caesar salad and baked, fried, au gratin or garlic smashed
spuds. The twenty-four-ounce porterhouse may have to be shared, but one
can handle the filet mignon or New York strip sirloin; king crab, lobster
tails, double-cut lamb or veal chops. Enjoy a martini and a cigar digestif
in the adjacent bar. In the Hilton at 255 S. West Temple, SLC, 801/238-4748.
$$$
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Lake City |
