Are you tired of the same ol’ dinner and movie to woo your loved one? Now that the weather is nicer—you two lovebirds need to get outdoors. Grab your picnic basket, bikes and sunscreen for a little fun in the sun and fresh air. Be you an adrenaline junkie or patio lounging beer connoisseur—our staff has great outdoor date ideas.
Valerie Rasmussen, Editorial Contributor Bike & Brew. Spring isn’t only for tulips and blossoming trees. It’s also the time when droves of cyclists gleefully clip into their pedals and take to the road. A favorite outdoor date of mine is a ride up Emigration Canyon or around Park City. And then following it with a cold beer on the outdoor patios of either East Liberty Tap House or Silver Star Cafe. Morgan Valley offers another outside getaway and we follow that ride up with a cold brew at the Shooting Star Saloon, Utah’s oldest continuously-operating saloon.
Danielle Holmes, Director of Advertising My absolute favorite outdoor date is golfing! There’s nothing better than a sunset evening on the course. Pack a cooler full of your favorite drinks and bring a speaker to listen to your favorite music in the cart. Not a golfer, or a good one at that? No worries- warm up at the driving range before you hit the course, and there are plenty of golf formats you can play to make it easier on yourself. Your date night is sure to be on-par!
Mary Brown Malouf, Executive Editor Play balls! Generally, I am not a fan of ballgames. I don’t like to watch’em and I dislike playing them. There is one exception. Bocce, related to British bowls and French petanque, is about as simple a ball game as humans ever invented except for “Fetch” which involves too much dog slobber to appeal to me. You throw out a small ball, then everyone takes turns throwing their ball as close to the small ball (called a jack or a bollino.) The ancient Romans played a version of bocce and it’s still played all over Italy and wherever people like to play ball while holding a glass of wine. Liberty Park has regulation bocce courts (near the horseshoe pits) and a perfect Utah Sunday is spent in the park, picnicking and playing bocce. Note: Don’t worry about getting too good at it. There is no Olympic bocce play. You can pick up a set of bocce balls at most sporting goods stores. Scheels usually stocks them.
Glen Warchol, Managing EditorTake a soak in the parks. In Japan, they call it “forest bathing,” pursuing good health by immersing yourself in the nature. Now, the U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and the Park Service is calling on Americans to turn to their National Parks for Park Rx Day, April 23, “to improve their physical health and emotional well-being by connecting with family and friends over a walk.” After saber rattling in North Korea and Syria, we all need to unwind. So find a park, it’s also National Park Week or national monument and take a bath—with the exception, of course, of Pioneer Park.
Christie Marcy, Associate Editor “Maybe it’s my contrary nature showing, but I am a self-described indoor enthusiast. Camping? No thank you, I actually have a bed and a toilet at my house. Hiking? Maybe if the shoes were more stylish I’d consider it. Cycling? Trust me, those padded shorts would do me no favors. But, of course there are always exceptions. In fact, there are three things I’ll gladly do outside: baseball games, outdoor concerts and drinking on patios. Since the Bees are out of town and it’s not quite Red Butte season, this weekend I’ll opt to get my Vitamin D on a patio of my choosing—possibly hand-picked from this list of great patios in Salt Lake—but most likely I’ll end up at Campfire Lounge in Sugarhouse. What can I say? I’m a sucker for spicy tots. And the best part is that I can drink as much as I want to and I can stay out as late as I’d like, because I definitely will not be hiking in the morning.”
Lately, many of us have given up elaborate travel plans and embraced adventures a little closer to home. We kicked off our 2021 travel series with a guide to exploring the Cowboy State from corner to corner. Head to the link in our bio for Wyoming road trip itineraries, dining ideas and more! 🤠⛰...
Inspired by @oldsaltlake, we're celebrating #throwbackthursday with a favorite snapshot of early 20th century Salt Lake City. 🏖️
Photos shared by @oldsaltlake are inspiring millennials and zoomers decades later with visions of a different city: one with easily accessible public transportation, walkable streets, local businesses (open late) and distinctive architecture.
See more photos at the link in our bio.
Pictured: Women relax at what is believed to be Saltair Beach, date unknown...
It's like sunshine in a box ☀️
Even after losing her job during the pandemic, Mandy Madsen didn't lose her good cheer. She put her energy into creating @maddoughslc, selling unique doughnuts inspired by the nostalgia of your favorite childhood treats.🍩
Read our Q&A with Mandy at the link in our bio!...
@saltlakeclimbers are part of a long legacy of dirt baggers fascinated with the soaring granite walls of Little Cottonwood Canyon. They recently finished the Alpenbock Loop, creating an accessible, sustainable trail and preserving access to one of Utah's greatest recreational resources. 🧗♀️
Read more at the link in our bio! ❤️...
The bad news: Utah's inconsistent winters are hurting local bee populations. The good news: You can be a part of saving the bees in the beehive state 🐝
@deserethivesupply, a family-owned business in Ogden, is helping bees bounce back with educational classes that encourage people to pick up backyard beekeeping as a hobby.
Read more on how to save Utah bees at the link in our bio!...
Why did Utah's only Titanic passenger not survive her journey?
The descendants of Irene Corbett believe that the 30-year-old teacher sacrificed her life to save others. It's one of the many ways this remarkable figure bucked tradition and forged her own trail.
Read more about Irene at the link in our bio!...
"We must have done something right, cause you guys kept coming back."
@bluepelatedinerslc, one of Salt Lake's signature spots for everyone from hungover college kids to vegan food lovers, will be closing its doors this May after more than two decades of service. It's the latest casualty in a brutal year for the restaurant industry.
Head to the link in our bio for a tribute to Blue Plate Diner. (And keep supporting your favorite local restaurants. ❤️)...
A business is never more than the sum of its people: the ones who meet you, greet you, help you make the smartest purchase decisions.
Meet the people who make Salt Lake City work:
Lindsay Breinholt, CNM / WHNP @skinspiritslc
Amy Crawley, Founder @parkwayavenuedesign
Candice Itokazu, General Manager @luciennesalon.medspa.boutique
Tobi Roberts, CEO & Co-Founder @citycreekmortgage
Dave Turja, General Manager @kengarff
Read all of these Utah Faces & Places at the link in our bio! ❤️
#sponsored...
Tony Caputo, a food evangelist and founding father of today’s SLC food community, passed away last night.
Tony started @caputosmarket in 1997, bringing his passion for the cuisine of his heritage to Utah tables. Most days during the lunch rush you’d find Tony behind the counter slicing meat and cheeses and then, after it wound down, holding court out front. He’d often rush back behind the counter and holler over his shoulder, “you have to try this!" only to return with a sample bite of veiny cheese, a paper-thin leaf of prosciutto or a perfectly crisp amaretti cookie that he’d recently added to his menagerie of taste. For his many contributions to Salt Lake City, we awarded Tony with a Lifetime Achievement Dining Award in 2007.
Today, we're sending love to @caputosmarket and the many people whose lives were touched by Tony. A full tribute is on our website now. ❤️...
Why is the Pleasant Grove theme park Evermore suing one of the most powerful women in music? Long story short: a playground for those who would choose lore over folklore is taking on Taylor Swift over the name of her most recent album. Both parties have their reputation on the line in a battle of undercover Swifties and novelty mug disputes. Will Evermore hit the gold rush? Or did they cross the wrong mad woman? The full story is at the link in our bio....
Even in the exploration boom of the 1800s, nobody dared to explore the terrain flowing through the Green and the Colorado Rivers.
That is, nobody until Major John W. Powell said the 19th Century equivalent of “Hey man, hold my beer while I try this.”
Read more about his dangerous expedition at the link in our bio!
Photo of Powell’s expedition courtesy Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division...
Whose mouth is watering? 🙋♀️😋
@granarybakehouse_slc is a small, immaculate and intimate 9th and 9th bakery with some of the best laminated pastry in town. (That means golden flakes that get all over your car because you can’t wait until you get home to take a bite.)🥖🥐🧈
Read more about Granary Bakehouse at the link in our bio! ❤️...
A brand new issue of Salt Lake magazine is coming your way!
We can't wait to share these stories with you. This issue includes our annual Blue Plate Awards celebrating those surviving and thriving in the restaurant biz. Plus, we take a road trip to Wyoming and ask why the only Utah passenger on the Titanic didn’t survive her journey.
A note from our editor Jeremy Pugh, including beautiful tributes to Mary Brown Malouf from our friends in the community, is online now. Read more at the link in our bio ❤️
Subscribers: Look for this issue in your mailbox soon. The magazine will be on newsstands March 1! 📬...
Today, we are thrilled to announce the winners of the 2021 Blue Plate Awards! 🎉
These prizes honor the growers, food evangelists, grocers, servers, bakers, chefs, bartenders and restaurateurs who do more than put good food on the table—they make our community a better place to live. This year, just surviving as a local business deserves an award, but each of our Blue Plate winners did more than that. They made us grateful for every person involved in the essential act of feeding us. 🍽
At the link in our bio, we have the full list of winners, a celebration of feats of COVID creativity and a tribute to restaurants we lost this year. If you’re hungry for more, pick up a copy on newsstands March 1! Plus, check out our Instagram for spotlights on some of the Blue Plate winners.
This year’s Blue Plate Awards are the first without our beloved Executive Editor Mary Brown Malouf. We dedicate them to her, our town’s biggest food fan, critic and champion. xoxomm 💙...
2021 Blue Plate Award winner: @ricobrandut for Staying in Beansness
Last summer, it seemed that Rico would be another victim of rapid gentrification in Salt Lake. Luckily, Rico was able to find a new home in Poplar Grove and now plans to add even more employees. It’s a last-minute happy ending for a community leader who literally wears his mission on his sleeve, courtesy a tattoo in bright red block letters: “pay it forward.” 💙...
2021 Blue Plate Award Winner: @spicekitchenincubator for Keeping the Spice Flowing
This year Spice Kitchen Incubator, already an essential resource for refugees, became, well, even more essential. 💙...
2021 Blue Plate Award winner: @thestore_utah for Special Deliveries
As grocery delivery becomes the new norm, The Store offers a personal touch that only an independent grocer can provide. Last March, high-risk and elderly customers began calling in their grocery lists over the phone, and The Store’s general managers personally delivered food to their homes. 💙...
2021 Blue Plate Award winner: @cucinaslc for Preserving Neighborhood Connection
Cucina’s outdoor spaces became a place where the neighborhood could gather safely. Owner Dean Pierose offered free coffee in the mornings and encouraged his regulars to linger and commiserate together, preserving a semblance of society during a socially distanced time. 💙...