A Food Crush is my way of celebrating the dishes I can’t stop thinking about—the ones that linger long after the last bite. It’s not about hype or headlines; it’s about flavor, craft and that perfect something that makes me start planning my next visit before I’ve even put down my fork.
Since it is bowl game season, it only feels fitting to discuss wings. Americans eat, on average, 1.5 billion chicken wings during the Super Bowl, according to the National Chicken Council. I love wings. And my favorite wings in Salt Lake City happen to come from a restaurant that isn’t a wing specialty. SOMI Vietnamese Bistro, located in Sugar House, does a beautiful job with its pho, but it is their wings that keep me coming back.
In Vietnam, fried chicken has become ubiquitous, but it started out as a delicious marriage between American-style fast food (KFC arrived in 1997) and the traditional Gà Rán, a staple Vietnamese chicken dish where the chicken is marinated in fish sauce and spices before being coated in starch and fried.
The SOMI wings are breaded and double-fried, but the best part is that they are served draped in fried Thai basil, fried jalapeño and garlic. To be honest, I order it as much for the spicy fried jalapeño (that I pick off and eat individually) as for the fried chicken. The Thai basil wilts beautifully in the fryer and becomes even more flavorful, layering the aromatic licorice-y clove scent over everything. The crispy leaves are a nice textural note. And finally, the garlic… which makes everything better.
I tend to order it with extra of everything: garlic, basil and jalapeño. The plate comes out piping hot with 10-12 wings and lemon. I don’t skip a squeeze or two of lemon juice on top of a wing right before popping it in my mouth. Prep the perfect bite by layering on extra garlic. Especially if your goal is to repel vampires. You will be untouchable. And your stomach will be happy.
If you can’t handle the heat, you can request the dish with no jalapeños (or eat your way around them), as the fried chicken itself isn’t overly spicy. But don’t skip the basil and garlic.
While you’re at SOMI (and since it is cold out there), grab a bowl of their grass-fed Wagyu pho. It is my to-go order every time I have a cold. The broth is rich and smells of star anise and fresh onion, and the Wagyu is sliced paper-thin, so it cooks instantly
in the hot broth.
Finally, don’t miss out on a cocktail to wash down the wings. I like the Singapore sling (Beehive Gin, cherry brandy, triple sec, grenadine, lime juice, pineapple juice, Angostura bitters) or the hibiscus HOA (Patron añejo, Patron citronia orange, simple syrup, lime juice, red wine). If you are a believer that nothing pairs with wings like a good beer, snag the Epic Pfeifferhorn Lager or the Park City Imperial Pilsner.
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