Photo by Adam Finkle

In our Mar/Apr issue, we featured Copper Kitchen’s Chicken Soup. Now, we have the recipe so you can enjoy the soup at home.

To see how much the restaurant makes to serve for a full day, look for the amounts in parentheses. 

Brodo:

• 2 quart of chicken stock (22 quarts)
• 1.5 cup of roasted mushroom stems and trim (4 quarts)
• 3/4 cup of parmesan rinds (2 quarts)
• 1/2 cup of onions, rough chop (4 onions)
• 1 carrot, rough chop (4 carrots)
• 1 celery stalk, rough chop (4 stalks)
• 2 slices of kruse cut bacon (10 slices)
• Season salt and pepper to taste

Bring all ingredients to boil, then reduce to simmer. Continue to simmer for 6–8 hours. Strain through fine mesh strainer.

Roasted Chicken:

• 1 piece of whole chickens (16 pieces)
• Seasoning mix:
  1T (4T) grounded fennel
  1T (4T) salt
  1T (3T) dried thyme
  1T (3T) dried rosemary
  1T (3T) dried basil
  1T (3T) dried majoram
  1T (3T) dried sage
• Salt and pepper for taste

Roast on racks at 350 degrees until cooked through. Pull off bone and shred into bite size pieces. Cool.

Sage Dumplings:

• 16 ounces (6 pounds) Polly-O ricotta
• 4 ounces (1.5 pounds) grated parmesan
• A pinch (1/2 pieces) of ground nutmeg
• 2 yolks (12 yolks)
• 2 eggs (9 eggs)
• 1T (4–6T) of salt
• 1/2–2/3 cup (3.5 cups) of all-purpose flour
• 1T (1/4 cup) of chiffonade, fresh sage
• 1/3 cup (2 cups) of semolina

Mix ricotta, parmesan, nutmeg, eggs, salt and sage until well incorporated. Add flour and mix until incorporated. Allow to sit for 4–6 hours. Make 1 ounce balls using hands or scooping. Coat each with semolina. Store on a sheet tray with a layer of semolina under the dumplings.

Carrots:

• 2 cups (4 quarts) of carrots, small and diced

Roast with olive oil, salt and pepper until tender.

Celery:

• 2 cups (4 quarts) of celery, small and diced

Roast with olive oil, salt and pepper until tender.

White Onions:

• 4 cups (8 quarts) of white onions, small and diced

Roast with olive oil, salt and pepper until tender.

Parsley:

• 1T (1/2 quart)
• Mince

Parmesan:

• Grate on microplane

Copper Kitchen is located at 4640 S. 2300 East, Holladay, 385-237-3159

Bourbon-Marinated Pork Tenderloin

Serves 15

4 whole pork tenderloin
2 cups whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon allspice
1/2 cup honey
2 cups Jack Daniel’s

For the pork: Cut pork into desired size for skewer. In a bowl, mix 1 cup whole grain mustard, cayenne, allspice, honey (reserve 1 tablespoon) and 1 1/2 cups of Jack Daniel’s. Place the pork in the marinade and let sit for at least one hour. When ready to cook, skewer the pork and grill on each side for approximately 3–5 minutes. Set aside.

For the sauce: Place remaining mustard and Jack Daniel’s into a mixing bowl and blend. Add 1 teaspoon each of cayenne and allspice, and 1 tablespoon of honey. Serve the sauce as a dip or pour it over the pork. Present the skewers with flair: sticking out of little flowerpots or poking out of a squash or pumpkin.

Variations:

1. Grill pork whole, cool, then chop pork and put into mini taco shells with shredded red cabbage and chopped cilantro.

2. Grill pork whole, cool, then slice thinly and put between small biscuits with a tiny bit of chutney.

3. Grill pork whole, cool, then spread baguette slices with soft goat cheese and top with thin slice of pork. Garnish with a sweet pickle slice.

Joanie’s Meat Balls with Marinara

“This recipe makes two large soup pots of meatballs and sauce. It freezes well and is really handy to have on hand for unexpected company. My cousin Joan and I always get together to make a batch. Otherwise, it would take forever to roll out those meatballs by oneself.”—Grandma Sue

Meat balls:

6 lbs. lean ground beef
2 lbs. Italian sausage, hot or mild
1 lb. bratwurst sausage
3 Tbsp. fresh garlic, minced or equivalent amount of garlic powder (not garlic salt)
2 Tbsp. dry Italian seasoning mix
3 cups of the warm sauce (recipe below)
2 eggs
2 cups Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp. ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups fresh grated Parmiginao-Reggiano cheese

Marinara:

1 (#10) can crushed tomatoes (approx. 102 ounces)
3 of the larger cans tomato sauce (approx. 28 ounces each)
6 packages McCormick/Shilling spaghetti sauce mix or equivalent
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. black pepper, or to taste
3 Tbsp. Italian seasoning (oregano, basil, thyme, etc. mix)
3 lbs. crimini or white mushrooms, if desired, cleaned & sliced
3 cups fresh grated Parmiginao-Reggiano cheese

If desired: 2 additional lbs. Italian sausages, cut into 1” chunks and dropped into warm sauce with the meatballs & mushrooms.

Instructions:

In 2 large stock/soup pots divide all the sauce ingredients, except cheese, evenly (rinse out cans with small amount of water). Do not add mushrooms and cheese until just before dropping in the meatballs. Heat sauce ingredients, which have been thoroughly mixed at medium-low heat while preparing meatballs.

In a very large bowl, put the ground beef and sausage, which you have removed from their casings, if needed. Add remaining meatball ingredients along with the 3 cups of the warmed sauce and mix until just blended. If you are garlic lovers like us, you will want to be able to smell a strong garlic aroma. If you don’t smell this, add more garlic.

Add the prepared mushrooms to the warm sauce, then standing over the pots, make the meatballs using about 1/8 cup for each meatball. Drop into sauce as you make them. Reserve about 4 cups of the meatball mixture and just sprinkle, unformed, into the pan after you have added all the meatballs. This helps to “thicken” the sauce. Then stir in cheese.

Place pots in 325-degree, pre-heated oven. Cover loosely with foil (this is to keep sauce from splashing out and making a mess in your oven). You can also bake this in a roaster oven if you have one. You will want to bake the sauce for at least 3–4 hours, stirring gently about every 45 minutes. Baking this sauce instead of cooking on top of the stove keeps the sauce from burning on the bottom of the pan and saves you a lot of work stirring.

After about 3 hours, take out a meatball and cut in half. It should be done and the sauce reduced by about one fourth.

*I usually set out my meats ahead of time so they can come to room temperature. Your hands can get very cold mixing and rolling those meatballs if you don’t. Do not over mix the meatball mixture. This will make the meatballs tough. Same goes for mixing meatloaf.

MEATBALL SUBS: Cut Hoagie rolls in half lengthwise, lightly butter and toast on a griddle until browned slightly. Place cooked meatballs down length of roll to cover. Drizzle with the Marinara sauce and sprinkle with canned or freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

This year, we’re breaking down the boundaries.

2017 Dining Awards
2018 Dining Awards
2019 Dining Awards

We are simply presenting awards to the top 25 restaurants in Utah. High standards of service, the best quality of food, comfort, beauty, hospitality and above all, uniqueness, are the standards by which all restaurants should be measured, whether they are casual or elegant, whether they serve hot dogs or haute cuisine, Thai or Mexican food.

To arrive at this list we talked to food experts, dedicated amateurs and restaurateurs. But in the end, these are our picks. De gustibus non disputandum est, after all.

Here they are—in NO PARTICULAR ORDER at all.

The Copper Connection 

Why: Ryan Lowder has pretty much copper-plated the city. All three of his restaurants are good, but Copper Common, billed as a bar, is exceptional—partly because it created its own adults-only niche and then filled it. The food has Lowder’s signature heartiness and the interior has the eclectic coziness we love from designer Rachel Hodson. At the Common, it all comes together in an uncommon success.

Stellar Dish: Lobster Spaghetti
111 E. Broadway #170, SLC, 801-355-3282

One-Hand Band 

Why: Briar Handly made his name at Talisker on Main where he had to represent the brand of a luxury real estate company and a ski resort. But his eponymous restaurant, Handle,  is unabashedly heart-and-soul Handly. The young chef’s signature style is daringly pure and unembellished, like an edible haiku. Small plates feature a star ingredient, simply and expertly prepared with just enough accent flavors to bring a food to its full potential.

Stellar Dish: Fried Chicken and Potato Salad
136 Heber Ave., Park City, 435-602-1155

Joie de Cooking

Why: Eric DeBonis was one of the founders of the food scene in Utah and continues to innovate, but his classic French restaurant focused on local ingredients remains his star enterprise. Chef Emmanuel Levarek’s French connections and DeBonis’ natural fanaticism account for the authenticity of the food and atmosphere that has never rigidified into continental stuffiness. Sitting at the Zinc Bar at The Paris Bistro enjoying steak frites and a glass of Bourgogne, it’s easy to imagine you are in fact in a Paris bistro.

Stellar Dish: Steak au Poivre Pommes Frites
1500 S. 1500 East, SLC, 801-486-5585

The Apex of Taco

Why: Utah has been blanketed with tacos, from Don Rafa’s carnitas cart by Sears on State Street to the extravagant duck confit tacos at Taqueria 27. The best are found at Bleu Adams and Mark Daniel Mason’s soulful little restaurant, which—in a reversal of the usual migration pattern—is an outpost of a Provo restaurant. We love BP’s ingenious relationship with next-door bar Dick N’ Dixie’s that allowed Blue Poblano  diners to enjoy a margarita via a hole in the adjoining wall. We also love that they now have a bar of their own.

Stellar Dish: Chimi-Relleno (stuffed pepper wrapped in a flour tortilla and fried)
473 E. 300 South, SLC, 801-883-9078

Strength in Community

Why: Colton Soelberg and Joseph McRae invented contemporary dining in Provo, and though several restaurants have opened in their wake, Communal still owns the category. The duo—with Chef de Cuisine John Newman—balance contradictory elements: refined but rootsy cooking, local but exotic ingredients and an elegant family style- that reflects the authentic culture of new Provo.

Stellar Dish: Smoked Trout Pot Pie
102 N. University Ave, Provo, 801-373-8000

Greek Pipeline

Why: Salt Lake’s Greek heritage means we have dozens of Greek restaurants around town. But Aristo’s rises far above gyro joints. The menu evolves constantly, deriving fresh inspiration from Hellas itself via owner Aristo Boutsikakis’ frequent trips to the homeland. And because Aristo is a fearless innovator, few SLC restaurants stay so far ahead of the curve.

Stellar Dish: Lamb Tacos 224 S. 1300 East, SLC, 801-581-0888

Lifestyle Cafe

Why: The trio of Jerry and Kestrel Liedtke and Robin Fairchild created an idiosyncratic oasis in a city that’s often considered hidebound and hesitant. The Tin Angel Café  is exuberant, experimental, unconventional—this is a place that puts the fun back in food. But the blackout dinners at Halloween, Bloody Mary sliders and funky art are backed by Jerry Liedtke’s solid skill in the kitchen. No funny stuff there.

Stellar Dish: Bread Pudding
365 W. 400 South, SLC, 801-328-4155

Local Power

Why: “Local” is a nationwide trend now, but Scott Evans built Pago around the ethos six years ago. Pago was not only the first restaurant in SLC to source locally, but to stick to the philosophy through ups and downs and a changing kitchen cast. Evans’ stubborn ideology has inspired imitators, jump-started farms and supported food producers. Sometimes karma comes around and Evans has expanded rapidly lately, opening two restaurants in one month last winter with Phelix Gardner as the apparently permanent leader at the stove.

Stellar Dish: The Pago Burger
878 S. 900 East, SLC, 801-532-0777

Pioneering Women

Why: Gourmets on the coasts don’t believe fine dining is possible in Utah, much less in the outermost Middle of Nowhere, Utah. But contrarians Blake Spalding and Jen Castle, owners of Hell’s Backbone Grill in Boulder, love proving the know-it-alls wrong, and they do it in spades (and with spades, growing a big percentage of the food they serve on their own organic farm). They tell their tale in two beautiful cookbooks and sell from-the-farm pickles and jams at the Salt Lake Farmers Market.

Stellar Dish: Steelhead Trout
Boulder Mountain Lodge, 20 Hwy. 12, Boulder, 435-355-7464

Food = Love

Why: Jorge Fierro’s Frida Bistro is based on a love of two countries and cultures that sadly don’t always convivially coexist—the land of his birth and his adopted home. The food is centered in a cultural context, a Mexico that too few Americans know about. Sophisticated dishes with earthy roots—like huitlacoche quesadilla and chile en nogada—combine French finesse with Latin gusto.

Stellar Dish: Huitlacoche Quesadilla
545 W. 700 South, SLC, 801-983-6692

High-Low Balance

Why: Idealism is outside the norm for resort restaurants, but The Farm Restaurant was founded on locavore principles and chef Steven Musolf is true to its roots. The unpretentious but elegant menu relies on local cheeses like Gold Creek and Beehive, Utah trout and vegetables from Zoe’s Garden, and is defined by flavor—meaning tenderloin of beef and broccoli casserole are comfortable side by side.

Stellar Dish: Braised Oxtail Onion Soup
4000 Canyons Resort Dr., Park City, 435-615-8080

Food as Venue

Why: The trio of owners conceived Rye Diner & Drinks  to satisfy after-hours rockers at the Urban Lounge, and its hours still accommodate that. Meanwhile, Chef Tommy Nguyen has made it a destination for everyone, anytime. The hipster vibe permeates the place, but its palatal attractions are classic. Crisp, light waffles. Eggs scrambled very slowly, so they stay creamy. Heavenly fried chicken. Where else can you eat breakfast for lunch and order a cocktail?

Stellar Dish: Breakfast Bowl (rice, pork belly, kimchi and egg)
239 S. 500 East, SLC, 801-364-4655

Edited Excellence

Why: Size doesn’t matter. The tiny space and quasi-clandestine location (in the back of The King’s English Bookshop) have always been big pluses for this enduringly charming restaurant, Fresco. Owner Mikel Trapp has had the wisdom not only to leave Fresco’s dimensions alone, but to make sure his chefs (now Adrian Rose) keep the menu in proportion. There are four entrées on the menu right now, not counting pastas—pork, beef, chicken and vegetarian. But they are all sublime.

Stellar Dish: Fettuccine Alfredo (goat cheese, provolone and gremolata)
1513 S. 1500 East, SLC, 801-486-1300

Meticulous Mexican

Why: Matthew Lake raised the bar for Mexican food in Salt Lake City at Alamexo by combining authentic technique with sustainably and carefully sourced ingredients. The result: familiar flavors and favorite dishes—like enchiladas—elevated to crystalline chile perfection. Lake honed his skills on the uber picky New York City dining scene, learned authenticity from the masters, like Diana Kennedy and Mark Miller, and was named Best New Chef by Food & Winemagazine. But the point is not Lake’s pedigree—it’s his passion.

Stellar Dish: Tacos Cochinita Pibil
268 S. State St., #110, SLC, 801-779-4747

Family Ties

Why: The Thai-Chinese menu reflects the twin heritage of the Wong family—chef Jason and manager Jordan—and frequent travels in those countries keep the food at J. Wong’s Thai & Chinese Bistro contemporary, combining current trends in Thai and Chinese restaurants with the lush American appetite and bringing us fusion from another point of view.

Stellar Dish: Pla Rad Prik (whole crispy salmon)
163 W. 200 South, SLC, 801-350-0888

Culinary Ambassador

Why: Utahns are slow to step outside their comfort zone, so the head-spinning speed with which they embraced the Peruvian cuisine introduced by Frederick Perez and his team attests to the Del Mar al Lago’s  excellence. Peru’s long Pacific coast and multicultural history are presented here right on the plate—tiger’s milk, ceviche of all kinds, beef heart and potatoes you’ve never dreamed of.

Stellar Dish: Cebicha Classico
310 Bugatti Dr., SLC, 801-467-2890

Street Food

Why: We are blessed with some great Indian food in Utah, but here in the shadow of the Sri Ganesha Hindu Temple, Lavanya Mahate’s Saffron Valley  presents some of the most varied and little-known dishes from the subcontinent. Drawn not only from the established regional cuisines of India, but from the food carts, street festivals and cafes of its great cities, the dishes at Saffron Valley reflect the richness of raj culture, the spices of the south, and the dharmic intention of ancient vegetarianism. And it’s all good.

Stellar Dish: Spring Dosa
1098 S. Jordan Pky., South Jordan, 801-438-4823

Labor of Love

Avenues Bistro on Third 

Why: Owner Kathie Chadbourne is locally famous for the madcap enthusiasm with which she approaches any project—and there have been many. But her energy and willingness to battle City Hall has paid off in this tiny, eccentrically charming cafe in the Avenues, featuring an idiosyncratic menu—constantly updated by Chadbourne, her pastry chef daughter, Kelly Sue Pugh, and chef Kevin Romans—served in a one-of-a-kind dining room. And now, thanks to community support, a charming patio.

Stellar Dish: Spicy Tortilla Crusted Chicken

564 E. 3rd Avenue, SLC, 801-831-5409

Bowman Brown of Forage and Ali Sabbah of Mazza

Cutting Edge 

Forage 

Why: This ultimately handmade restaurant has been at the cutting edge of American cuisine from opening day. That’s a hard position to maintain in an industry where novelty makes news, but chef-owner Bowman Brown has kept the (sometimes outrageously) imaginative, experimental cooking at its apex, making Forage something rare: an intellectual challenge. Just its continued existence attests to Forage’s unwavering dedication to its chef’s dream.

Stellar Dish: The Vegetable Garden

370 E. 900 South, SLC, 801-708-7834

Mezze’s Meaning

Mazza 

Why: Lebanon’s location at the crossroads of Asia and Europe means that the art of hospitality developed early and naturally there. Ali Sabbah’s Lebanese restaurants in Salt Lake City, at the crossroads of 15th and 15th and 9th and 9th, preserve that tradition. Go for lunch, a snack, dinner, a drink—mezze is all about sharing and Mazza is the crossroads of SLC.

Stellar Dish: Mazza’s Lamb Shank

912 E. 900 South, SLC, 801-521-4572; 1515 S. 1500 East, SLC, 801-484-9259

Tosh Sekikawa of Tosh’s Ramen, Sunny Tsogbadrakh, Akané Nakamura and Johnny Kwon of Naked Fish

Soul Soup

Tosh’s Ramen 

Why: The reason is in the bowl. Simplicity is easily degraded into schlock—hence, the student’s sustenance, dried ramen. But the Japanese have a genius for elevating simplicity into art and that’s what Tosh Sekikawa, formerly of Naked Fish, has done with his ramen, a deceptively simple soul-sustaining bowl of broth and noodles.

Stellar Dish: Karai Ramen

1465 S. State Street, SLC, 801-466-7000

Neo Japanese

Naked Fish Japanese Bistro

Why: Utah’s inexplicable appetite for sushi has led to some fishy travesties, but Naked Fish owner Johnny Kwon is determined to keep pure this most elemental dish, and Chef Sunny Tsogbadrakh has the skill to carry it off. So the sustainably sourced protein is so fresh it might still be trembling on your plate.

Stellar Dish: Live Shrimp Sashimi

67 W. 100 South, SLC, 801-595-8888

Takashi Gibo of Takashi’s, David Jones of Log Haven, and Romina Rasmussen of Les Madeleines. Matt Caputo of Caputo’s Market & Deli

Sushi Sensei

Takashi

Why: Takashi Gibo is the undisputed father of fine sushi and Japanese cuisine in Utah. His restaurant established and maintained a standard of excellence and freshness that has never wavered, and the crowds attest to the enduring quality of the food and classic coolness of the dining room. Wisely, Takashi also bows to Western tastes with untraditional signature rolls.

Stellar Dish: Magic Dragon Roll

18 W. Market St., SLC, 801-519-9595

Sense of Place

Log Haven

This might be the quintessential Northern Utah restaurant. The antique log cabin radiates mountain hospitality and the beauty and bounty of the Wasatch are apparent on each plate. Chef David Jones is an experienced forager. He, general manager Ian Campbell, owner Margo Provost and banquet manager Faith Scheffler all have a stake in the place, which means visiting diners are treated like personal guests.

Stellar Dish: Grilled Bison Teres Major Steak

6451 Millcreek Canyon Rd., SLC, 801-272-8255

Pastry Queen

Les Madeleines 

Why: Romina Rasmussen’s pastries combine all the nit-picky precision and butter worship that make French pastry one of the culinary wonders of the world. Everything her kitchen turns out is not purely French in origin; but everything does have the sense of disciplined luxury that defines Gallic style.

Stellar Dish: Kouing Aman

216 E. 500 South, SLC, 801-355-2294

Restaurant Community Award

The Source

Matt Caputo, Caputo’s Market & Deli

Why: A restaurant is only as good as its ingredients, and Matt Caputo’s untiring pursuit and procurement of the best products Utah and the world have to offer is evident on menus all over the state. Now with three locations, so regular folks can shop like chefs.

314 W. 300 SOUTH, SLC, 801-531-8669;
1516 S. 1500 East, SLC, 801-486-6615;
4673 S. 2300 East, SLC, 801-272-0821

It’s true.

Once, I didn’t think twice about breaking out the KitchenAid, beating up a bunch of butter and sugar, mixing up a batch of royal icing and decorating dozens of cookies.

It’s hard for me to believe now.

But I–and my cohort in creativity, my sister-in-law Susan–was always a sucker for holiday traditions–I sewed the kids’ Halloween costumes and Christmas stockings, made Advent houses and Christmas ornaments, dyed and hid Easter eggs, and even served pancakes for supper on Shrove Tuesday.

I signed up for so much that I never got it all done, and frequently what I didn’t get done was Christmas cookies.

Hence, Valentine cookies. Heck, it’s just two months later and in a season rush of overconfidence, I had always already bought all the stuff.

Anyway, Valentine cookies are easier–you don’t need as many cookie cutters or colors of food coloring. That doesn’t mean the V-cookies weren’t outrageously elaborate. They were. One year, we thought they were so pretty, we went to the copy shop and Xeroxed them. Everyone received a cookie and a color copy of their cookie.

Anyway, over time, Susan perfected the cookie recipe. The one we started with tasted great, but puffed during baking so much that the hearts looked more anatomically correct than romantic. You know. Blobby, and a little gross.

But the recipe we tried without eggs didn’t taste good enough. So Susan, famously not the cook in the family but for sure the artist, brought her sculptural talent to bear and experimented until she found a delicious cookie dough that held its shape. To my knowledge, this is her primary cooking accomplisment in 60 years, unless you want to count porcupine meatballs, which we never do.

So here it is. Roll, cut, bake and decorate. We used a gently beaten egg white beaten with poowdered sugar and colored with Wilton food pastes. Now, if I were going to make them–and I’m not–I’d use cake jewels like these:

I’d use edible glitter like this:

You can order it on Amazon.com or buy it at Michael’s.

And for grown-up cookies, I’d use edible gold, like this:

You can buy it here: ediblegold.com

You can make cookies at home almost as pretty as the ones in the picture at the top, which are from Kneadacookie. Of course, you can also just order cookies from kneadacookie.com, or for that matter, from our own Mrs. Backer’s Pastry Shop, which makes cookies that look like this and are beyond an amateur’s power.

Cookies

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs, separated

2 Tablespoons milk

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla

1 lb. powdered sugar

3 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolks, milk and vanilla. Mix together the flour, salt and powdered sugar, and then add to the dough. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate several hours. Or overnight. Or several days. Roll out on a lightly floured board to about 1/8-inch thick and cut with a floured cutter. Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 350 for 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown. Refrigerate dough between batches.

Icing

Lightly beat 4 egg whites. Using an electric mixer, add onfectioners sugar until the icing just barely stays on a knife, so you can spread it. Divide it into separate bowls and color each one as desired. Ice cookies. with this icing, you can spread a base coat, let it dry, then use a pastry bag or a toothpick to add different colored designs. Thin icing with hot water as needed; it thickens as it stands. Add dragees, sprinkles, sugar glitter or jewels. Place decorated cookies on a rack to dry.

I don’t know how many cookies this makes–maybe 3 dozen, but it depends on how big your heart cutters are.