Each year, the editors and writers at Salt Lake magazine scour the state for the best of, well, everything. We eat the food, shop at the shops, drink the beer, go to the shows, to guide you to the Best of the Beehive. It’s hard work, we know. You’re welcome. Here are our completely random and amazing selection from Downtown Salt Lake City. Check back each week for another dose of the Best of the Beehive. Or just buy the magazine already to get it over with.—Eds.
Best Girl Power: Rock ’n’ Roll Camp for Girls
It’s like Annie Oakley told Frank Butler, “Anything you can do, I can do better.” Of course girls can play rock ’n’ roll, but they sometimes need a little more encouragement to get there. In comes Rock ’n’ Roll Camp for Girls, a nonprofit that encourages and supports girls with an intensive camp teaching young rockers how to play an instrument, culminating in a concert with tunes, merch and the whole… wait for it… she-bang. rockcampforgirlsslc.org
Best Old School Honky Tonk: The Garage on Beck
Whether you’re looking for tried-and-true or up-and-coming musical acts, Garage on Beck, the little roadhouse that could, has just what you need. Local regulars like jazz great Joe McQueen and Pixie and the Partygrass Boys join the next-best-thing traveling acts on the lineup for shows all year long—summer shows are on The Garage’s one-of-a-kind patio. 1199 Beck St., SLC, 801-521-3904, garageonbeck.com
Best Route to Dapper: Tailor Cooperative
Don’t buy a suit from a department store, take it next-level with a one-of-a-kind custom-made-and-designed-by-you suit from Tailor Cooperative. Here, you’ll work with a consultant to determine everything about your suit—the color, the lining, buttons, fit and even having a quote (or monogrammed letters) of your choice embroidered on it. It’s the ultimate statement piece. 335 Pierpont Ave #2, SLC, 801-656-6525, tailorcooperative.com
Best Algonquin Round Table: (Old) Junior’s, now (New) Junior’s Tavern
The closest thing Salt Lake has to an informal weekly forum like the famed intellectuals’ table at the Algonquin Hotel in New York in the ‘20s is Junior’s, the venerable bar (by SLC standards) founded in 1974, where on Friday afternoons bibliophile Ken Sanders, filmmaker Trent Harris and other eminences convene to converse, gripe, listen to jazz and generally rehash old stories, dissect the news and reflect on The State of the World. And spar with owner Greg Arrata. 30 E. 300 South, SLC, 801-322-0318, juniorstavern.com
Best piece of bacon: Spencer’s Steak & Chops
You just think you’re tired of bacon. Imagine this: It’s Daily’s bacon. It’s cut a third of an inch thick. Chef Sebastian Lowery braises it until a significant amount of the fat has been rendered, then broils it with blue cheese and figs. You eat it with a steak knife and fork. Stop in the bar at Spencer’s, order some bourbon or a big red wine and a piece of bacon and prove to yourself—once again, we hope—that simple delights are the best. The Hilton Hotel, 255 S. West Temple, SLC, 801-238-4748
Best Local Athletic Gear: Uintah (Standard)
Oh, the active lifestyle. We probably read more about it than live it. One thing is sure: We must look good on the way to any fitness goals. So if anything can make you stir your stumps and start moving, it’s the right activewear (code for stretchy clothes) from Uintah Standard. Easy shapes, colorful patterns and un-intimidating prices means this workout gear makes you feel good about yourself even before you get to the gym. 209 E. Broadway, SLC, 801-554-1379, uintahstandard.com
See all the winners here as we roll them out weekly. Or just, you know, subscribe already, then you’d already know!
