I‘m one of the last among my food-friend community to eat at Oquirrh. I’ve been reading posts with lots of exclamation marks ever since the restaurant opened in February. I’m officially six months late to this party.

(Note: Often, I’m the first to speak up about a new place—people have complained that a restaurant may not be “ready” to be critiqued until it’s been open six weeks. My answer is always the same, whenever I review: As soon as a restaurant charges full-price for its food and service, the food and service should be worth the price. The point is, it doesn’t matter, in Mary’s world, when a first write-up comes in a restaurant’s timeline.)

On slightly whiny note, I’ve been muttering about the recent “plateau-ing” of the Salt Lake food scene. With a California chain (Curry Up) replacing locally owned long-time Middle Eastern restaurant Cedars of Lebanon, the clone creep in Sugar House and local group Sicilia Mia taking the place of Paris Bistro and Aristo’s, it seemed like our local options were being bought up, that uniqueness was being replaced by imports and proven formulas.

But, like SLC Eatery, Oquirrh encouraged me on all fronts. Just from the outset, I like the name—where else are you going to find a restaurant called Oquirrh? It’s strictly, geographically local and even the locals can’t spell it or say it aloud.

I like the location—right in the middle of downtown (368 E. 100 South) where Vertical Diner used to be.

I like the owners’ resumes—Chef Drew Fuller did stints at Copper Onion, HSL and Pago; where met his wife, Angelena, who works the front of the house.

I—well, I don’t like, but I appreciate—the abbreviated hours (open 5 pm-10 pm, Wednesday through Saturday.) They show a respect for sanity and the owners’ time. I’ve known too many coke-addled, over-driven chefs in the centuriesImeaandecades I’ve been writing about food.

And I loved my food. The imagination behind it, the presentation and the taste. I liked the carrots, a riff on the popular perpendicular presentation at Pago. Carrots of several colors were roasted, cured in miso or braised, then planted vertically in a ground of carrot-top pesto with a brown rice chip to add back in some crispness.

Many of the presentations were equally whimsical, and it was a nice change to smile as we were being served. So many plates look pretentiously serious these days. Isn’t food supposed to be fun?

The chicken confit pot pie arrived with one leg sticking out through the golden-brown crust—it looked like the bird had taken a dive. The pastry covered the filling—a lovely, just-thickened broth with lots of seasonal mushrooms—and and lined the ramekin.

An entire leg of lamb was crusted with a curry mixture (marinated in yogurt?) and deep-fried, apparently after being braised, because the meat fell from the bone in tender chunks. The giant thing (Does anyone remember what “Brobdingnagian” means?) was accompanied by house made naan, vegetables roasted in garam masala and eggplant relish. I can’t see one person finishing this plate, but it made great leftovers. Better than cold pizza!

Maybe it was just us, but the meal was becoming fatter and fatter and our choice of pasta, thick tubes (with some tooth) mixed with chunks of butter-poached lobster and plenty of Pecorino didn’t change the trend. The celery leaves were almost a punch line, but the celery flavor did what it always does to lighten the load. Milk-braised potatoes were the meal’s Cinderella; few things could sound so humble and taste so spectacular. I’ve only encountered this technique—cooking in milk—once before. Marcella Hazan has a recipe for milk-braised pork, and the same thing happens” The milk cooks into beautiful curds as the food cooks.) These dreamy potatoes are quintessential comfort food, sweet and tender with the umami from the cooked milk lending the richness of cheese.

Oquirrh isn’t perfect—the space is almost too small and when it’s full (as it often is, because of all the lauding) it’s loud. I know this is a trend (again, remember the eighties?) and those who think conversation is an essential part of a good meal complain about it regularly, but evidently it’s better to be chic than heard. And if you and your dining companions are going to spend the meal taking pictures of it, texting them and checking email on your cellphones, you don’t need to hear anything anyway. (In the 80s, I figured all the slick, uncovered table surfaces were popular because you could cut your lines on them—no cellphones back then.)

In any case, minimalism=hard surfaces and minimalism seems to be sticking around. (It’s been a year since The Atlantic ran a piece called “How Restaurants Got So Loud” and I don’t hear things getting any quieter,

Dining conversation seems to have disappeared, I hope not forever.
I’d like to see some velvet drapes somewhere.

Or a rug?

In your dreams Mary. Along with those milk-braised potatoes.

See all of our food and drink coverage here.

SLmag’s Tony Gill got us hungry with his recent mention of Hearth & Hill in Kimball Junction, and when the owner, Brooks Kirchheimer invited us out for an exclusive family-style media event last Saturday, June 1, 2019—featuring their new added brunch menu items—we didn’t hesitate. The drive from SLC is beautiful right now (and incredibly green from all this rain). While situated in the busy Kimball Junction shopping center, once inside, the stage is set for something uniquely PC, a vast indoor space and visible to view kitchen with its contemporary mountain design creates intimacy and coziness. Attention to every detail is apparent and it is no surprise that Hearth & Hill is becoming Park City’s new favorite gathering spot.

Hearth & Hill Co-Owner, Brooks Kirchheimer and General Manager, Mia Yue

All pastries are made in house by a pastry chef, so don’t worry, their classic Cinnamon Roll is staying on the brunch lineup, although, they added baked sweet biscuits with seasonal fresh strawberries, lime zest and whipped cream.

Cinnamon Roll with cream cheese frosting, along with Mocha cream puff and Strawberry Shortcake.

Now it gets really, really good. With culinary influences from about everywhere, this is fusion American cuisine, pulling from all over the world. Here are some of their most memorable additions:

Shared items like Beets & Burrata (loved the fresh raspberries) served with grilled peasant bread, or Mexican Elotes, a roasted half cob of corn with miso aioli and fresh queso, and Steam Buns with smoky bacon, the sweet hoisin is balanced with a bit of heat from the sriracha—yum.

Hearth & Hill offers a fresh and crunchy element to their brunch menu with their salads and housemade dressings. We sampled the Tomato Watermelon Salad, light and flavorful, cherry tomatoes, arugula, pickled watermelon rind and chèvre, brought together in a citrus vinaigrette.

The Mushroom Rueben looks handsome next to the Tomato Watermelon Salad.

For large plates, come heavier, comfort foods, like a melty-goodness pastrami-spiced Mushroom Reuben with gruyere, sauerkraut on rye toast. A big brunch hit comes in a little clad-iron skillet, the Banana Dutch Baby Pancake is topped with fresh blackberries and whipped cream. And get this, a not-so-ordinary Shrimp & Grits, is buttery rich goodness with bits of chorizo and topped with a poached egg. These grits will stick to your ribs and satisfy any who may be longing for a taste of the South and did we mention, it’s delicious.

This is the Banana Dutch (not so) Baby Pancake, topped with fresh blackberries and whipped cream.

They threw in dessert, and while we all loved the Yeti Mug Cake with googly eyes and footprints, my vote is with their Honey Pie. A flaky crust paired with honey-sweetened custard and lime macerated blackberries, the best.

My personal fave, the Honey Pie is subtle and sweet with a tart, lime twist.

One dollar from every children’s meal sold is donated to EATS Park City, a local non-profit benefitting Park City students by helping them develop healthy habits gain access to fresh, nutritious food through hands-on cooking classes, indoor and outdoor school gardens, cooking camps and more.

There’s a sustainability bit to Hearth & Hill too. Caring about the community and environment, food scraps are sent to be composted, locally grown produce is purchased as available from local farms, and Hearth & Hill donates to a local children’s school lunch and education program, EATS Park City.

And the end of the brunch, we thanked the owners, manager and chefs for the memorable spread and carrying gifted cellophane wrapped cherry chocolate cookie, rolled out the door. Arriving home, naps soon followed. Saturday brunch success.

For all of our foodie news—in SLC and around this great state—jump on over to our Eat & Drink section.

It wasn’t long after I started working for Salt Lake magazine. I had moved to Salt Lake from Sonoma, California and Dallas, Texas, both places where my writing focus was food and wine. My friends thought I was joking when I said I was moving to Utah. The wine.com guys said, “You can’t even FLY wine over Utah!! How are you going to write about food and wine there? There isn’t any!”

They were a little bit right. It was hard to find anything exciting to say about food in Utah in those days. Log Haven, Mazza, Aristo’s, The Paris were excellent—but there was a lot of talk about places people used to love but their affection seemed generated by sentiment, not great food.

And then, all of a sudden, things started to happen.

Scott Evans opened Pago.

Pago was an instant hit and amazed everyone, including my cynical self. Beets and Greek yogurt!! Delectable fried potato pillows, topped with crème fraiche and American caviar! A Cruvinet system, so interesting wines could be ordered by the glass!

It was all new, charming and exciting. And it set a new standard for good food in Salt Lake City and more importantly, it raised diners’ expectations of what good food should be. And where it should come from—Evans has always depended on local producers.

Those faithful diners were out in full force on Sunday night to celebrate Pago’s 10th anniversary—so many of them they almost overwhelmed the tiny restaurant. Former employees and chefs were there, many at the courtesy of owner Scott Evans. Pago served as a launch pad for so many chefs in the early days—they’d make their name with Evans, get noticed and be seduced to bigger, better-paying positions. But Sunday night it was all family.

The menu was a greatest hits list from those chefs—Mike Richey’s caviar pillows, Phelix Gardner’s incredible carrot tasting
—as well as introductions to items soon to be on the season’s menu, like a version of saag paneer made with local greens and Heber Valley Cheese’s juustoleipa instead of traditional spinach and paneer. And one of Gardner’s famous gnocchi creations, this one with green curry and elk.

Wines, of course, were mostly from Ruth Lewandowski, which is to say Evan Lewandowski who pretty much launched his line of natural wines at Pago, the first place in town to really understand and sell these oddities. And cocktails, from a crystal-clear rum punch to start to a cold Irish coffee atr the finish, were created by one of Pago’s former bartenders, Scott Gardner.

Small things can make a big difference.