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Feed2009 Best of the Beehive
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Every year at this time, the Salt Lake magazine staff gathers together with friends and reflects on the past year—what stood out, what broke new ground, which new arrival to the state we’re most enthusiastic about. We don’t vote or circulate ballots. To determine what is best about a particular year, we call on all our accumulated experience eating, playing, working—just living in the Beehive State. The result is a combination of old and new, mighty and minute, lasting and fleeting, that sums up the best of the year in Utah.
Eat
Check out our 2009 Dining Awards for winners in the usual categories. Here we gather together all the delicious gems that might fall through the cracks because they are uncategorizable—excellent in a unique way.
Best New England experience in Utah
› Spin Cafe’s “The Vermonter”
It might be 95 degrees outside, but you can transport yourself to a cool, crisp autumn day with Spin Cafe’s “Vermonter,” a cinnamon doughnut topped with gelato, caramelized sautéed apples, maple-glazed walnuts and drizzled maple syrup. Mmmmmmm. 220 N. Main Street, Heber, 435-654-0251
Best makeover
› Harmons
Homegrown grocers Bob and Randy Harmon show they can keep pace with their customers. As Utah diners become more sophisticated about what they cook and eat, Harmons has moved from grocery to gourmet, offering prime beef, high-quality deli meats and some of the best artisan bread in town. Not to mention cooking classes at some locations. Several locations throughout Utah. harmonsgrocery.com
Best seat in the house
› Parallel Eighty Eight’s Watchmen Table
The best seat in the house is outside the newest restaurant in Springdale, a city on the verge of becoming a culinary destination. Call ahead to reserve the table under the eucalyptus tree with the amazing views and be served an off-the-menu, five-course tasting menu of specialties from chef Jeff Crossland. 1515 Zion Park Blvd., Springdale, 435-772-3588
Best new hybrid cuisine
› Pat’s smoked meatloaf
Cross Pat’s well-known smoke and spice expertise with a natural flair for comfort food and you end up with the best innovation in home cooking since God made meat loaf. (Didn’t He?) Available on Wednesdays. 155 W. Commonwealth Ave., 801-484-5963
Best bars of chocolate
› Amano
This two-man operation in Orem continues to impress chocolatophiles and chocolate judges all over the world. Besides the gold medal for Dark Chocolate at the Academy of Chocolate Awards in London in February. Amano has received 12 awards this year and now the highest award ever to an American company for bean-to-bar dark chocolate. Find Amano at Caputo’s and Liberty Heights Fresh or buy online at amanochocolate.com/retail
Best dinnertime secret weapon
› Sniders Brothers Meats
Besides cutting your meat to order, the folks at Sniders package their own homemade dishes like beef Wellington, quiche, kabobs, pot pies and stuffed peppers for you to keep on hand for too-busy-to-cook days. Aren’t they all? 6245 Highland Drive, SLC, 801-272-6469
Best fish dish
› Lugano’s Whole Fish Night
Ichthyophobia affects millions of Americans. For the most part, we’d rather see an anonymous fish fillet or steak—anything but the whole creature. Chef Greg Neville can help with that. On Whole Fish Nights, he offers a deal on whole fish, the freshest he can get, cooked two irresistible ways. Call for specific nights. 3364 S. 2300 East, SLC, 801-412-9994
Best hobo happy hour
› sip and nosh for free
On a Saturday afternoon, mebers can head to Costco on 300 West for free demos of chicken chimichangas, cheese ravioli and guacamole. 1763 S. 300 West, SLC, 801-466-8855
Best farmers
› Chad and Zoe
It’s a sad truth: just because something’s being sold at the farmers’ market doesn’t mean it’s coming from a small farmer who’s using smart, sustainable practices. But fortunately, several vendors still hit the magic trifecta: organic or natural, local, tasty produce. At the Downtown Farmers’ Market, our favorites are Chad’s Produce and Zoe’s Garden. These two sell gorgeous greens, luscious melons and crisp cucumbers, every summer Saturday.
Best pairing dinner
› Tequila at Z’Tejas
It’s fun to match food with wine. It’s 40-proof more fun to match food with tequila. Expand your buds at Z’Tejas’ quarterly tequila dinners. Each one features several special drinks made with different styles of a brand of tequila, with dishes designed to match. 191 S. Rio Grande St., SLC, 801-456-0450
Best sharing plate
› Pikilia noikidia at Aristo’s
One-bite appetizers are all the rage; Aristo’s ginormous appetizer—a platter of marinated chicken, pork, gyros and keftethes (sort of like meatballs)— will easily feed three people and chances are, you won’t want much more. 224 S. 1300 East, SLC, 801-581-0888
Best use of local ingredients
› Tin Angel’s summer local Saturdays
You know what they say about restaurants: location, location, location. Tin Angel Cafe’s location across the street from the Downtown Farmers Market in Pioneer Park allows them to offer a local feast on summer Saturday nights, based on all the local yummies chef Jerry Liedtke can gather that day. 365 W. 400 South, SLC, 801-328-4155
Best one-night stand
› Mist
“Guerrilla restaurants” are a good idea: overhead costs are flexible; they’re in-and-out operations, so they don’t have to balance the high season with the low; they’re an event as much as a place, so they naturally garner publicity. Talisker chef Gavin Baker opened a guerrilla dining room in Rikka Floral Studio last September and it was an evening to remember.
Best naming decision
› Bella Citta Gelato & Cafe
People are having some trouble learning to say Bella Citta (it’s “bell a cheetah”), but the gelato and panini parlor’s owners did well not to name it after themselves: (Rachel) Bartnicki and (Alex) Eskamani’s. 1330 S. Foothill Blvd., SLC, 801-790-4135
Best noncorporate takeover
› Tucci’s
Once a link in a chain, Tucci’s at Trolley Corners became a locally owned operation when employees bought it. This is the kind of progress we like to see. 515 S. 700 East, SLC, 801-533-9111
Best place to cook your pasta and eat it too
› Zucca Trattoria Italian cooking lessons
Chef Elio Scanu was born in Italy and has cooked all over the world—terrific training for producing the extraordinary food at his own Zucca Trattoria, and for teaching other people how to do it. Lucky us, he offers a series of cooking classes at the restaurant that spotlight different aspects of Italian cuisine. Learn to make it, then eat it. 1479 E. 5600 South, Ogden, 801-475-7077
Best Happy Days meal
› Burger Bar
Home of the gigantic Big Ben, a burger dressed with fry sauce, pickles and shredded lettuce. Homemade buns have just the right yeasty texture and fluffiness to cradle a patty, and homemade shakes are made with real ice cream. 5291 S. 1900 West, Roy, 801-825-8961
The best cup of coffee
› Caffe d’Bolla’s siphon brew
This is not your breakfast cuppa java—you may not have time for your usual second cup. Caffe d’Bolla’s transcendental coffee is brewed by a master fanatic who pays as much attention to making your single cup as he might to walking a tightrope without a net. It deserves to be savored just as attentively. 249 E. 400 South, SLC, 801-355-1398
Best summer drink
› Oyster Bar’s traditional daiquiri
When you order this, your server is likely to warn you that this drink is not a slushy. We answered him, “hallelujah!” And then salivated at the sight of the oversized martini glass filled to the rim with fresh lime juice, a touch of sugar and rum so cold there were tiny ice shards in it. This, my friends, is a genuine daiquiri, a cocktail worthy of Papa Hemingway, worth every penny and a generous tip. Allow time for two. Downtown Oyster Bar, 54 W. Market St., SLC, 801-531-6044. Other locations; ginc.com
Best meal made in the shade
› The Oaks' chicken Veggie Melt
The Oaks started selling hot dogs in 1933. It’s become the oldest continuing business in Ogden Canyon, a destination for peaceful and yummy breakfasts, lunches and dinners served at tables tucked under the shade of the oak trees on the banks of the Ogden River. We’re fans of the non-burger meal, the Chicken Veggie Melt. 750 Ogden Canyon Road, Ogden, 801-394-2421, theoaksinogdencanyon.com
Best morning pastry that’s not a kouing aman
› Almond croissant at Tulie Bakery
Inside the pillowy crescent are buttery-sticky pastry layers melting into almond-paste. Or try the morning bun: a muffin-shaped spiral of cinnamon sugar-soaked dough. You know this is too decadent to be your breakfast, but what a way to start the day. 863 E. 700 South, SLC, 801-883-9741
Best vegetable you thought you hated
› Brussels sprouts at Eva
Lots of people hate Brussels sprouts. And, really, what’s not to hate? They’re cabbagey, almost always under- or overcooked, difficult to cut but too big for one bite. You will, however, love the little cruciferous devils at Eva. Here they are shredded like slaw, cooked in butter and tossed with chopped hazelnuts and a touch of cider vinegar for sparkle. Fabulous. 317 S. Main St., SLC, 801-359-8447
Best water
› Bambara at Hotel Monaco
When Nathan Powers took over as executive chef at Bambara, his goal was to use the best ingredients possible. So he overhauled the water filtration system at the hotel. Now, instead of buying and selling spring water in landfill-bound plastic bottles, the restaurant serves its own specially filtered water, still or sparkling, in reusable glass bottles. 202 S. Main, SLC, 801-363-5454, bambara-slc.com
Best delivered meals
› D’lish home meal deliveries
Have home-cooked food delivery every Tuesday night. Menus vary and are family friendly but have a gourmet accent. Join the e-mail list, find out what’s on the menu that Tuesday, shoot off a request and voila: delivery is at your door. And that includes dessert! D’Lish, Angie Parrish, 801-518-8556, angeliaparrish@gmail.com
Best art-food fusion
› Squatters’ Hell’s Keep label
The cool label for Squatters’ limited edition Hell’s Keep Belgian Golden Strong ale was designed by William Swartzfager, winner of an X96 Radio From Hell-sponsored label contest that inspired almost 60 exciting artworks for the 750 ml. bottle. 147 W. Broadway, SLC, 801-363-2739; 1900 Park Ave., Park City, 435-649-9868
My vote for best coffeehouse is: Nobrow is my current favorite, because it’s between my home and my work. Owner Joe Evans has created a unique gathering place on East Broadway, with great coffee, live music and art strolls, and caters to the young and us greybeards as well. Never know who you’ll run into there.
— Ken Sanders, owner
Ken Sanders Rare Books
NoBrow Coffee & Tea Company, 315 E. 300 South, SLC, 801-364-3448, nobrowcoffee.com
Staff picks
Best Coffeehouse
› Alchemy
It’s small, funky, has cool art, it’s next door to a tattoo joint. What more could you want, man? 390 E. 1700 South, SLC, 801-322-0735
Best Cheap Eats
› Esther’s Cafe The garlic burger has real garlic in it, not just powder. 30 E. 300 South, SLC, 801-355-0455
Best Dessert
› Winger’s Grill & Bar’s Asphalt Pie
Mint chocolate chip ice cream, Oreo crust, caramel topping and whipped cream. 613 E. 400 South, SLC, 801-363-1977 (and other locations.)
Best Place to Spend the Big Bucks
› Takashi
Is there anything more deservedly extravagant than absolutely, pristinely fresh raw fish? No. 18 W. Market St., SLC, 801-519-9595.
Best Pizza with beer
› Este 2021 Windsor St., SLC, 801-485-3699 and 168 E. 200 South, SLC, 801-363-2366;
Best Pizza with wine
› Settebello 260 S. 200 West, SLC, 801-322-3556.
The best of both worlds
› New York City style at Este and Neapolitan at Settebello.
Best Tacos
› Taqueria Lolita Handmade, inexpensive and all kinds of fresh fillings. 909 S. 300 West, SLC, 801-364-4123.
My vote for best dessert is: I love chocolate, and the 7’4” Chocolate Cake at Tuscany has extraordinary ingredients in it. It’s the biggest piece of cake in the valley—it’s probably a good 10 inches tall—and, it’s served with vanilla bean gelato the restaurant brings in from San Francisco. It’s so big you have to take some home. You get one piece for three people, otherwise you take the rest home and enjoy it the next day, which is even more fun.
—Mark Eaton, ex-Jazz player and owner of Franck’s and Tuscany
Tuscany, 2832 E. 6200 South, SLC, 801-274-0448, tuscanyslc.com
Best Oddball Cupcake
› Cotton Candy Cupcake from ABCupcake, 801-809-4678, abcupcakes.com (no storefront). Are you serious?
Best Icing
› Les Madeleines, 216 E. 500 South, SLC, 801-355-2294. French buttercream made by an expert.
Best All-around cupcake
› Cakes de Fleur, by order only, 3340 S. 300 West, 801-474-CAKE. When you’re very serious about your cupcakes.
Best Chocolate cupcake
› Chocoholic Cupcake from Mini’s, 14 E. 800 South, SLC, 801-363-0608. Thick fudgy frosting on brownie-like cake.
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