The latest local, artisan product to bend to greed and go corporate is High West Distillery in Park City.
Remember how proud we were of the first local distiller since 1870?
Well, pard, HW, has been gobbled up by a faceless corporation, like Utah Brewers Cooperative ( bought by Boston-based private-equity firm Fireman Capital Partners).
[CORRECTION, see comments] Epic Brewing has opened a brewery in Denver but has kept its headquarters in SLC.
High West will continue to operate in Park City as it always has under its new overlords.
Dave Perkins has sold out (the sale will close the end of October) to Constellation Brands, Inc., “a leading beverage alcohol company.” According to the press release, Constellation is expanding its “portfolio into booming craft spirits category with high-end whiskey.”
Of course, “corporate-owned craft spirit” is one of those oxymorons that corporate marketing departments specialize in. Like “Trump” and “gentleman.” Constellation acquired craft beer brewer Ballast Point last year to add to its national non-craft brands that include Corona and SVEDKA Vodka.
Constellation’s release didn’t waste time discussing what High West tastes like or that it has yet to produce its own whiskey—but instead blends out-of-state spirits. The announcement went straight to the important stuff: “With High West, which has experienced double-digit volume growth year over year for the past three years, Constellation Brands enters the dynamic and profitable high-end craft whiskey segment.”
Here’s the “narrative” (every brand needs a compelling backstory) that Constellation will continue: Perkins had a vision to make “delicious whiskey that celebrates the history and heritage of America’s Old West.”
And the Constellation pitch sounds like it’s right out of a Mad Men-created Marlboro ad (we’re not making this up):
“With a taste of the Old West and labels to match, consumers experience stories of cowboys, campfires, prairies and Utah history in every bottle.”
What can we say but, Round ’em up, head ’em out! Rawhide!
Happy National Taco Day! We have compiled a list of must-try tacos in Salt Lake City, ranging from gourmet to street cart, meaty to veggie-full. Try one or several of our favorites to celebrate.
1. Chunga’s – Tacos al Pastor
With succulently marinated pork and fresh pineapple, this taco is savory, sweet, crunchy and Chunga’s most famous dish.
180 S. 900 W Salt Lake City, UT | (801) 953-1840
2. Taqueria 27 – Duck Confit Tacos
This taco is packed full of juicy duck meat, leeks and fresh veggies. Delicious.
149 E. 200 S Salt Lake City, UT | (385) 259-0940
3. Frida Bistro – Carne Asada Tacos
Drizzled with herby chimichurri, this taco is full of carne asada meat, jalapeños and caramelized onions. Sure to pack a punch.
545 W. 700 S. Salt Lake City, UT | (801) 983-6692
4. Alamexo – Taco Cochinita Pibil
Sweet and spicy, the Taco Cochinita Pibil features plantains and habanero pickled escabeche nestled on top of marinated pork shoulder.
268 South State Street Salt Lake City, UT | (801) 779-4747
5. Lone Star Taqueria – Pescado Taco
Marinated fresh fish of the day headlines this taco, accompanied by shredded cabbage, tomato, cilantro, onion, lime and house-made jalapeno mayonnaise.
2265 Fort Union Blvd, Cottonwood Heights, UT | (801) 944-2300
6. Chow Truck – Coconut Lemongrass Chicken Tacos
Chow Truck breathes new life into the chicken taco with a crisp blend of coconut, lemongrass and ginger.
Check here for current location | (385) 325-2469
7. Taco Taco – Zucchini Blossom Taco
With a zucchini blossom taco they say is “better than your Mom’s,” Taco Taco is serving up your new favorite vegetarian treat.
208 E. 500 S. Salt Lake City, UT | (801) 428-2704
8. Don Rafa
Made with special home-made meats, all of Don Rafa’s tacos are stand-out street fair.
800 S. and State Street (State Street Side)
9. El Toro
Fondly known by their parking lot location, tacos from El Toro are popular among locals and tourists alike.
800 S. and State Street (800 South side)
10. Red Iguana – Tacos de Hongas
These tacos may just be worth the wait with perfectly seasoned mushrooms covered in jack cheese, refried beans and guacamole.
736 W. North Temple Salt Lake City, UT | (801) 322-1489
The downtown business community’s humanity in dealing with the homeless is being sorely tested as the political battle between city, county and state rages on.
Most retail and restaurant people have accepted that panhandling and camping on their sidewalks is a fact of life. City Creek security guards, for instance, chose recently not to roust a man sleeping on the 100 South pavement, just steps from the Cheesecake Factory entrance. We can only assume he was a few centimeters beyond the invisible line that separates squeaky clean City Creek from the real downtown.
But Alamexo restaurant owner Matt Lake, who, as anyone in the dining community knows, is a humane guy, has hit his limit. Recently, the area around Alamexo on State Street and Gallivan Avenue has become an impromtu restroom. Oddly enough, the smell of urine and sight of feces does not enhance a restaurant’s business.
Sunday, Alamexo, judged one of Utah’s top-25 fine restaurants, had an notable incident with a homeless man—breathtaking if only for his chutzpah. The hostess seated an unremarkable-looking customer who enjoyed a splendid meal of Alamexo’s signature guac (made tableside), followed by an entree. According to the manager:
“At the end of the meal he called me over to let me know that everything had been great and that he really enjoyed the food.”
In a world of snarky Yelp reviewers, that kind of feedback is wonderful for a restaurant, right? Sweet even. Then he dropped the bomb:
“He told me that he is kind of famous in a negative way, and that he is a very bad man. He said that the police are looking for him and want to arrest him. He also informed me that he was not going to pay his bill. When I questioned him on this, he told me that he wasn’t going to pay, he wasn’t going to leave and I could call the police if I wanted to do so.”
Call the police she did, then waited 40 minutes nervous minutes for them to arrive.
“In speaking with them, it turns out that we are the second restaurant he was kicked out of [Sunday] for the same reason, and that he has four citations for doing the same thing. [The officers] asked me if I would like to have him be told that he was not welcome in the restaurant from now on, and I wholeheartedly agreed.”
Yes, in the restaurant world, someone who eats, then serially refuses to pay, is “a bad man.” But there’s a kicker to this story. The police told the manager:
“It appears he is trying to get arrested because he is sick of sleeping on the streets and would rather be in jail.”
This level of desperation has to be one yardstick for the city’s homeless mess that has become a political football between the county (two new shelters), the city (NIMBY uber alles!) and the Legislature (xnay on Medicare/Medicaid extensions).
On the other hand, Lake, and his employees have livings to earn, but are finding themselves, with other businesses and downtown residents, absorbing a disproportionate amount of the problem until something is done.
Last month, Lake asked for a meeting with Mayor Jackie about the increasing craziness, but she has yet to show up.
Perhaps, she, the city council and McAdams are trying to run the clock out into winter when the weather will take care of the problem for them. McAdams, better than most, knows that the county jail is not an effective or economical homeless shelter.
Make your palate heard!
Go here and vote for your favorite cocktails in the Farm to Glass Cocktail Contest—you only have two more days to vote.
Then go here and buy early-bird tickets to the Farm to Glass Cocktail Party where we’ll announce the winners and you’ll get to taste the contenders and vote again on Drink of the Night.
Meanwhile, if you haven’t tried the competing cocktail at Zest, you better give it a sip. We went by the other night and ordered The Last Dance—you can find the recipe and see a video of how to make it here. It’s a mix of:
- High West double rye
- Local ginger
- Mountain Town balsamic
- Local cucumbers
- Bitters Lab aromatic bitters
- Soda water
It’s delicious, refreshing and revivifying. By the way, carnivores, don’t eschew Zest because of its vegan/vegetarian focus. If you are a vegger, this is some of the best you can eat in SLC. But if you’re not (like me) you’ll still love the pizza (although I ordered mine with cheddar, not cashew, cheese) and the zuke and cheese (like mac and cheese, but with zucchini instead of pasta. I mean, yum.
And that’s from a person who, the first time she ate at an all-vegan restaurant, went immediately back to her hotel room and scoured through her luggage to find enough change for two packs of peanut M&Ms. You know, for a protein supplement.
I heard through the grapevine, or burgerline in this case, that Cooking Channel’s Cheap Eats is going to be visiting Cheddaburger on the afternoon of October 5.
The SLC food scene is famous again!
In case you need a burger refresher course, Cheddaburger started out as a food truck and added a bricks-and-mortar location.
Chef Nick Watts started driving the Chedda Truck in 2012 and his intention was always to push the boundaries of burgerdom. Sure enough, Cheddaburger is a rebel.
We like to think of burgers as “all-American,” like hot dogs and baseball and Happy Days but Cheddaburger is the bad boy of burgers.
They serve “burgers with attitude.” The walls of the Portland-plain restaurant are covered in graffiti and the company website address is “cheddawasted.” although he starts with a pure product: 100 percent Angus beef, no hormones, no antibiotics, no BS.
Now the primo burgers are ready for prime time.
Note: This is only a rumor.
Cheddaburger, 26 E. 600 South, SLC, 602-865-97
Americans are known for doing too much of two things: working and eating fast food. If that troubles you – and it probably should – take a breather during this year’s “Feast of Five Senses” On Sunday, October 18, settle into a meal inspired by your childhood, revamped by chefs from across the valley. Beginning at 5 p.m., guests are invited to the Jewett Center for the Performing Arts for a “mindful meal.”
“A family table – a place where memories are made, bonds are strengthened, and communities are created over shared food,” is the theme and goal of this year’s event. Focusing on great food, while supporting a more sustainable method of obtaining ingredients, the feast celebrates the comfort of home-cooking for a brighter future.
Slow Food Utah is a national organization, with the goal to slow down our busy lives and focus on good, clean, and fair food. This means quality, sustainable means of farming and livestock practices, and compensating those who produce those ingredients fairly. Their Utah Chapter, centered in the state’s capital, hosts many events throughout the year to encourage people to make better and healthier food choices. According to their website, the organization was created “to counteract fast food and fast life.”
Proceeds from the event go toward their micro-grant program, to local farmers and to school and community gardens. The 12th Annual event features chefs from Tin Angel Cafe, Provisions, Bon Appetit and many more.
The “Feast of Five Senses” is located at the Jewett Center for the Performing Arts on the Westminster College campus. Tickets are $125, plus a $25 wine pairing. For more information on the event, click here.
-Brieanna Olds
Our Operations Director (always capitalized, because he’s also the telephone repairman) at Salt Lake magazine is a beer lover. To the extent that if you ask him a random question, like, “Hey Damon, when are we running our Women in Business section?” he is likely to answer, “Beer.” “What time is the meeting?” “Beer.”
You get the picture. Today is his day. So of course we asked him what his favorite beers are, in case you want to follow his recommendation on this Day of Damon, National Drink Beer Day. Not to be confused with National Beer Day (April 7) or International Beer Day (April 5.)
I like the specificity of the verb in today’s celebration. So does Damon.
Here are Damon’s local favorites, in no particular order. I asked Damon to comment on each one, but he just said, “Beer.”
1. Bohemian – Viennese
2. Bohemian – Cherny Bock
3. Red Rock – Secale
4. Roosters – Honey Wheat
5. Squatters – Chasing Tail
6. Epic – Cross Fever
Cheers to beer.
