Skip to main content
All Posts By

Mary Brown Malouf

Mary Brown Malouf is the late Executive Editor of Salt Lake magazine and Utah's expert on local food and dining. She still does not, however, know how to make a decent cup of coffee.

Worth the Trip: Barcelona the Beautiful

By Adventures, Lifestyle, Travel

Looking out my office window I can see Salt Lake rising. Just across the street, construction continues on a block of apartments. Beyond the unfinished buildings I can see row upon row of recently finished structures. All these new buildings, out my window and across the city, have some things in common:

They are built on right angles. And they are all shades of gray. The views from my window used to be of mountains, beautiful in any season.

And I wonder. Why do we have to construct our city with so little imagination? Where’s the color that we appreciate so much in our natural surroundings? Where are the organic shapes that echo our own humanity? Is it that much cheaper to build ugly buildings? Wouldn’t it be better—and worth the money—to build beauty in which to live our lives?

Barcelona

Cozy street in Barcelona, Spain

Some of my wondering comes from my recent visit to Barcelona. This Catalan city on Spain’s coast is most famous as the home of Antoni Gaudi, one of the world’s greatest and most eccentric architects. Seven of his buildings are designated UNESCO World Heritage sites—unique and unlike anything anywhere else. Generally, Gaudi’s work is regarded as a harbinger of Modernism, examples of the flowing natural curves of Art Nouveau.

But Gaudi’s buildings are more than that—they are a personal vision, unusual in modern buildings. Enter his most famous building, the unfinished (construction started in 1862 and it’s still being worked on) Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Sagrada Familia, and you feel the soaring immensity and striving for the divine that characterized Gothic cathedrals and is so conspicuously absent in modern churches, particularly in the cookie-cutter design of most LDS wardhouses—but present in the fantastical Salt Lake Temple. Other Gaudi spaces—the undulating Casa Mila La Pedrera with its mesmerizing aquamarine tiling and the delightful Park Guell, its rambling gardens, mosaic walls and whimsical sculptures making the whole feel like an artist-designed Disneyland—infuse Barcelona with a sense of whimsy rare in American cities.

Barcelona is a city that makes you smile.

Barcelona is a walking city. La Rambla, a wide tree-lined parkway, stretching almost a mile, from Placa de Catalunya to the Statue of Christopher Columbus near the harbor, sets the tone. You amble, you don’t rush, taking in the kiosks, the buskers and the markets as you go. No hurry. Barcelona inspires you to live in the moment—eat when you feel like it at one of the tapas bars that line every street. At Quimet & Quimet, in business for a century, with standing room only, we snacked on peaches topped with anchovies, salmon with truffled honey washed down with cava, which flows like water in every tapas place. Take your friends’ or cab drivers’ advice or just walk in the most appetizing looking door—it’s very hard to go wrong with food in Barcelona.

However, the heart of Barcelona’s stomach is unquestionably Mercat de la Boqueria, a crowded street market off La Rambla with stalls selling jamon Iberico, jamon Serrrano, jamon you’ve never heard of, plus cured meats of every kind and fresh meats from every part of every kind of animal: tripe, skinned rabbits, testicles, kidneys. Plus local Catalan cheese, bread and pastry and mounds of beautiful produce. You’ll wish for a kitchen in your hotel room.

Barcelona

hamon on counter at spanish market

And, by the way, Barcelona, though full of lovely hotels, also offers many AirBnB listings; we opted for a tiny but very inexpensive set of rooms in the Barri Gothic, one of the oldest parts of the city, with streets so narrow the taverna crowds spilled out in the street and we had to walk a block to meet our Uber driver. No way you could U-turn a team of oxen here. 


Subscribers can see more. Sign up and you’ll be included in our membership program and get access to exclusive deals, premium content and more. Get the magazine, get the deals, get the best of life in Utah! 

Between the Bread // All the Meat

By Eat & Drink

Grove Deli was carved (see what I did there) out of the family-owned specialty food market founded by Greek immigrant, Pete Savas, in 1947.  The original business idea was for a neighborhood grocery/produce store which Pete’s children could learn to manage as they grew. Pete died in 1953, his family took over the store as he had dreamed and still run it. In the early 1970s, the family decided to add services to the neighborhood corner-store. A deli was constructed within the building by friends and family, which has since proved to become one of the most well-known little secrets in Salt Lake City.

It’s all about the sandwiches. The Big John is the famous one. Few people remember the term “Dagwood” (go ahead, Google it) but the Big John is a version
of that.

Seven deli meats stacked with Swiss and American cheese, all the trimmings: mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomato, pickle, Swiss, American, or Provolone Cheese, and peperocini peppers (on the side). Hass avocado may be added to any sandwich for a surcharge; red onion and jalapenos at no charge. Add bacon for $1.50 and your choice of breads: specialty large “Ambassador Rolls” in rye, French, sourdough or wheat.


Subscribers can see more. Sign up and you’ll be included in our membership program and get access to exclusive deals, premium content and more. Get the magazine, get the deals, get the best of life in Utah! 

The YES, HELL

By Eat & Drink

The spontaneous and unlikely friendship formed on an impromptu road trip no one would have called a good idea resulted in a bar that sums up the attitude and history of Ogden. When musician Sam Smith (yes, that Sam Smith) and newly widowed Melissa Peterson met, they were both at one of those life intersections without a clue which fork in the road to take. Then Peterson found the old space in Ogden, decided to open a bar and called on her old traveling companion, Ogden native Smith to join her.

Neither had owned a bar before.

Yes hell. As in hell yes only, well I guess you had to be there. Yes hell.

And inside joke between the two became a hot spot in Ogden with red velvet wallpaper and Western antiques, left the brick walls and oak floors and harsh, exposed island. A menu of craft cocktails and locally sourced veg-based food makes the place sound like all the other  contemporary cool joints, but the feel is more honky-tonk than hip and the music lineup is impressive. The Yes Hell, 2430 Grant Ave., Ogden, 801-903-3671


Subscribers can see more. Sign up and you’ll be included in our membership program and get access to exclusive deals, premium content and more. Get the magazine, get the deals, get the best of life in Utah! 

Eastwood. Wayne. Bagley.

By City Watch

The Owen Wister Award has a convoluted history, shifting its purpose several times since its 1961 debut as the Saddleman Award. Originally a purely literary award, named for writer Owen Wister, considered the “father” of Western Literature, now it’s considered  one of the most prestigious prizes given by Western Writers of America for “Outstanding Contributions to the American West.” 

Award winners include director John Ford, popular novelists Louis L‘Amour and Elmer Kelton, actors John Wayne and Clint Eastwood.

And now, our own historian Will Bagley, most famous for his deeply researched account of the notorious Mountain Meadows Massacre, Blood of the Prophets, but also author, with David L. Bigler, of The Mormon Rebellion: America’s First Civil War, and dozens of other erudite but readable books about the development of the West and Utah’s peculiar beginnings.

That’s right. Eastwood. Wayne. Bagley.

Want to know more about where you live? Check out Bagley’s books. We love to find them at local booklorist Ken Sanders’ rare book store. 268 S. 200 East, SLC,  801-521-3819, kensandersbooks.com


Subscribers can see more. Sign up and you’ll be included in our membership program and get access to exclusive deals, premium content and more. Get the magazine, get the deals, get the best of life in Utah! 

2019 Dining Awards – Blue Plate Specials

By Dining Awards, Eat & Drink

Breaking bread with another human being is the most basic act of communion at the most basic level. In other words, restaurants are about community. Each year we award our Blue Plate Specials to honor restaurateurs who make more than just great food, they help make a great community.

Lavanya Mahate Owner of the Saffron Valley group of restaurants
Lavanya was an immigrant herself when she came to Utah in 2001. Now, her aim is to give back and help the folks who are going through the same difficulties she did as a newcomer. So working with the Utah Refugee Training and Education, she has opened a culinary kitchen to train refugees and immigrants in culinary arts and food business. Beyond hands-on cooking, students receive access to internships and help with job placement.

Ryan Lowder Owner of Copper Onion, Copper Common, Copper Kitchen and The Daily
When Taste of the Wasatch announced it was going to renege on its pledge to fund Utahns Against Hunger, leaving the non-profit short of the money it needs to accomplish its mission, Chef Ryan Lowder stepped up to fill in the gap, donating a portion of proceeds to the cause. Not only that, but he rallied other chefs to do the same.

Earl Fredrich Moessinger Owner of Caffe Molise and BTG
Earl was told by the city he had to move his popular restaurant and wine bar for new construction. Instead of moving to Cottonwood Heights or Holladay, Chef Moessinger looked inside the city and made the bold decision to renovate and rehab the old Eagle building, an architectural beauty that seemed destined for demolition. Preserving old places is part of what gives a city true character; we thank Moessinger for giving us this piece of the past.

Subscribers can see more. Sign up and you’ll be included in our membership program and get access to exclusive deals, premium content and more. Get the magazine, get the deals, get the best of life in Utah! 

Hell’s Backbone a James Beard Semi-finalist. Again.

By Eat & Drink

Of course it’s wonderful news: Jen Castle and Blake Spalding, owners of Hell’s Backbone Grill, have made it to the semi-finals in the prestigious James Beard Awards in the category of Best Chefs in the Southwest region.

This is the third year the restaurant-in-the-middle-of-nowhere has made it this far.

But the restaurant’s out-of-the-way location—Boulder, Utah—is one of the most remote towns in the country, which may be both its triumph and its Achilles Heel, at least as far as the James Beard Awards are concerned.

The story of Jen and Blake has been told many times in major media outlets, in the chefs’ own books and in this magazine. Running a successful restaurant, tending a six-acre farm and sticking to the principles of local and organic sourcing would be a huge, hard job anywhere. Pulling it off so far from any major town or airport seems practically impossible. But Jen and Blake are going into their 20th year. A triumph for sure.

James Beard was an excellent amateur cook, a TV host and cookbook writer and one of the first to champion American cuisine. After his death in 1985, friends like Julia Child and Peter Kump worked to preserve his Greenwich Village brownstone now known as Beard House. The foundation was established the next year and its scholarship fund has given millions of dollars to help train and support aspiring chefs both amateur and professional.

The Beard awards are the culinary equivalent of the Oscars.

Here’s the catch and where Hell’s Backbone gets a raw deal, I think. The list of semifinalists is voted on by food professionals around the country. Members of the Beard “academy,” if you will, can only vote on restaurants they have actually been to. Fair enough. But this set-up clearly gives the advantage to big cities and popular destinations that people are more likely to visit.

Being a semifinalist is an honor. Blake and Jen deserve it and Utah foodies rejoice in their nomination. It’s now the third time they’ve made the semis, where it seems likely they’ll stay by the very nature of their restaurant’s location.

Anyone want to charter a bus to drag bunch of coastal food snobs to the middle of nowhere?

See all our food and dining coverage here.

 

Salt Lake Magazine’s 2019 Dining Award Winners

By Dining Awards, Eat & Drink

People, prices and politics all play a role in the differences diners are seeing in old favorites and new entries. Remember, “This is a bar, not a restaurant; This is a restaurant, not a bar?” Remember “Where’s the beef?” Remember the buzzword “fusion?” Now many restaurants do double duty as restaurant and bar. Now restaurants must include vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free options on their menus. Most notably, chefs are using ingredients and techniques from ever-more exotic places. However, you feel about globalization, the world is now one big pantry. Salt Lake magazine Dining Award winners pull flavors, ingredients and techniques from cuisines all over the world, becoming ever more particular in the source of their ingredients. Take a peek into the pantries of Utah’s best restaurants.

2019 DINING AWARD WINNERS: UTAH’S BEST RESTAURANTS

2019 DINING AWARD WINNERS: READERS’ CHOICE

We asked you, dear readers what you thought about where to eat around the state. Our survey got a huge response, with more than 600 of you responding. There are some old favorites and newcomers and even one tie among your choices which, thankfully, did not include any chain restaurants.

  • Best Restaurant Salt Lake City — Log Haven, 6451 Millcreek Canyon Rd., SLC, (801) 272-8255
    Best Restaurant Park City — Silver Star Café, 1825 Three Kings Dr., Park City, (435) 655-3456
    Best Restaurant Red Rock— Hell’s Backbone, 20 UT-12, Boulder, (435) 335-7464
    Best Restaurant Ogden — Tona Sushi Bar & Grill, 210 25th St, Ogden, (801) 622-8662
    Best Restaurant Provo — Communal, 102 N. University Ave., Provo, (801) 373-8000
    Best Restaurant St. George  — Painted Pony, 2 W. St. George Blvd., St. George (435) 634-1700
    Best Restaurant in Utah — Plates & Palates, 390 N. 500 West #100, Bountiful, (801) 292-2425
    Best Undiscovered/Discovery — Trestle Tavern, 1513 S. 1500 East, Salt Lake City (801) 532-3372
    Best Indian — Bombay House 2731 Parleys Way, Salt Lake City, (801) 581-0222
    Best Chinese — Mandarin, 348 E. 900 North, Bountiful (801) 298-2406
    Best Japanese — Takashi, 18 W. Market St., Salt Lake City, (801) 519-9595
    Best Mediterranean/Middle Eastern — Mazza, 912 E. 900 South, Salt Lake City, (801) 521-4572
    Best Mexican — Red Iguana, 736 W. North Temple, Salt Lake City, 
    (801) 322-1489
    Best Southeast Asian — Sawadee & Somi TIE
    Sawadee, 754 E. South Temple, Salt Lake City (801) 328-8424
    Somi, 1215 E Wilmington Ave., Salt Lake City, (385) 322-1158
    Best Breakfast  — Ruth’s Diner, 4160 Emigration Canyon Rd., Salt Lake City (801) 582-5807
    Best Lunch —Plates & Palates, 390 N. 500 West, Bountiful, (801) 292-2425
    Best Quick Eats — East Liberty Tap House, 850 E. 900 South, Salt Lake City, (801) 441-2845
    Best Comfort Food — Silver Star Café, 1825 Three Kings Dr., Park City, (435) 655-3456
    Best Wine List — Pago, 878 S. 900 East, Salt Lake City, (801) 532-0777


Discover more food and dining adventures on our Eat & Drink page. And while you’re here why not subscribe and get six issues of Salt Lake magazine — your guide to the best of life in Utah.

2019 Dining Award Winner • Avenues Bistro on Third

By Dining Awards, Eat & Drink

salt Lake magazine Dining Award winners pull flavors, ingredients and techniques from cuisines all over the world, becoming ever more particular in the source of their ingredients. Take a peek into the pantries of Utah’s best restaurants.

The Secret Ingredient: Aji Amarillo Chile

“Lately, the ingredient I can’t seem to stop using is Aji Amarillo chile. Whether its fresh dried or powdered,” says Chef-owner Steve Garner. “It lends so much to anything it goes into!It gives a very fruity, floral, kinda spicy kick to everything. I put it in my sauces, soups, crackers (for our amazing tartare!), hues rancheros, etc.” With red onion and garlic, Aji Amarillo is one of the three basics of Peruvian cooking.

 

2019 Dining Award Winner Avenues Bistro on Third 

  • Avenues Bistro on Third, 564 E. Third Ave., SLC, 801-831-5409

This Ultra-Charming little space has been de-cluttered; it’s now owned by Mike Richey and Steve Garner to whom we owe the delights of Fireside on Regent. The menu on Third is slightly more upscale and makes do without the imposing pizza oven but the lobster beignets and other spiffed-up down-home dishes (rabbit pot pie, duck breast in ras al hanout, chicken hash with vodka cream sauce) make this a comfort food nirvana.  


Subscribers can see more. Sign up and you’ll be included in our membership program and get access to exclusive deals, premium content and more. Get the magazine, get the deals, get the best of life in Utah! 

2019 Dining Award Winner • Table X

By Dining Awards, Eat & Drink

salt Lake magazine Dining Award winners pull flavors, ingredients and techniques from cuisines all over the world, becoming ever more particular in the source of their ingredients. Take a peek into the pantries of Utah’s best restaurants.

The Secret Ingredient: Vinegar

When cooking or seasoning food, many cooks, amateur or professional, often overlook the use of vinegar or acidity as an ingredient. “The idea of using acidity in addition to salt to season food is an absolute game changer. Finding the perfect balance between salt and acidity can truly transform flavors from good to exceptional. At Table X we use acidity in one form or another to season everything that goes out of our kitchen. It could be plain old distilled white vinegar to add a kick of acid to a rich dish, red, white wine, cider vinegar to complement the use of other ingredients in cooking, lemon juice to finish a plate with a fresh zip of acidity, or a house made fermented product to add depth and tanginess. Every dish you eat at Table X will feature a balanced acidic flavor.”

 

2019 Dining Award Winner Table X

The edgiest restaurant in the state, this experimental kitchen run by three chefs—Nick Fahs, David Barboza and Mike Blocher—is also one of the most idealistic. That means it’s the strictest, preparing foods using classic techniques infused with forward-thinking imagination. The kitchen makes its own bread, its own butter, has a thriving garden out back and names the sources of all its meat—Jones Creek, Christiansen Farms, Morgan Valley. From pristine ingredients come vivid flavors: dry-aged beets with five-spice peanuts, house-made labneh and sweet and sour beet tops. Fennel-roasted heirloom carrots with white bean puree, beet molasses and fennel pollen. Vegetable “steak,” coconut curried leeks, autumn squash, spiced ghee. Still, when asked about essential ingredients, the trio of chefs agreed on a seldom-mentioned classic.

 


Subscribers can see more. Sign up and you’ll be included in our membership program and get access to exclusive deals, premium content and more. Get the magazine, get the deals, get the best of life in Utah! 

2019 Dining Award Winner • Cucina

By Dining Awards, Eat & Drink

salt Lake magazine Dining Award winners pull flavors, ingredients and techniques from cuisines all over the world, becoming ever more particular in the source of their ingredients. Take a peek into the pantries of Utah’s best restaurants.

The Secret Ingredient: Guajillo Chile

To come up with the ingredient, Chef Ferran convened with his staff. “The consensus regarding unique items seems to be the variety of chilies we use in a restaurant not really known for spicy food. The most ubiquitous in our recipes would be the quajillo chile. It is a primary ingredient in our mole rojo, our smoked chile Rosso buck, as well as our ahi tuna poke.”

 

2019 Dining Award Winner Cucina

Working with Chef Joey Ferran, owner Dean Pierose recreated his casual Avenues deli into a bistro and wine bar where the mellow atmosphere soothes your spirit while the cuisine excites your taste buds. Pulling together a small world of flavors, Chef Ferran seasons cauliflower with red mole, sweetens a duck breast with saba, finishes a fried avocado with tamarind-coconut curry. This is by no means a Southwestern restaurant and you wouldn’t call the food spicy but Chef Ferran does rely on some of those flavors. 


Subscribers can see more. Sign up and you’ll be included in our membership program and get access to exclusive deals, premium content and more. Get the magazine, get the deals, get the best of life in Utah!