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.

Chili Beak is a tiny company with big, spicy dreams.

In their small North Salt Lake commercial kitchen, owners Jason and Giselle McClure roast, mix and bottle chili oil daily, but at press time they were working toward a bigger operation, with employees, a distributor and a warehouse.

“We’re going to be hiring people, hopefully soon,” Jason says. Luckily, the product’s not too complicated, and the couple can turn out about 500 bottles per week. “It’s chile de árbol (a pepper resembling a bird’s beak, hence the name), sunflower oil, toasted sesame seed oil, and we put in Redmond Real Salt and garlic powder,” Giselle says. “And two other chilies we keep secret,” Jason adds.

The hard part for the couple, who discovered chili oil in Mexico and noticed a dearth of the Mexican-style oil in the states, was perfecting the recipe—a seven-month quest. “There was a lot of crying, coughing and sneezing along the way,” Jason says.

They must have got it right. The recipe was finalized last January and sales only started in September, but already over a dozen local stores have Chili Beak on their shelves including Liberty Heights Fresh, Caputo’s and Pirate O’s.

Like hot sauce, the chili oil is used to give food a kick, particularly Mexican food, and the McClures have been surprised by ways Utahns have used it: mixing with Bloody Mary’s, clam chowder and even vanilla ice cream. “My favorite is with popcorn,” Giselle says. To find more ways it’s being used, the McClures hold Facebook contests, where chili eaters submit recipes and photos of themselves enjoying their creations with friends for a chance to win gift baskets of local foods. Available at Liberty Heights Fresh and chilibeak.com.

WEB EXTRA

In our Jan/Feb 2015, we promised a Chili Beak recipe.

Pick up the product at Liberty Heights Fresh, and get cooking.

Chili Beak Ceviche

Ingredients

1 lb. cooked chopped shrimp (use cauliflower for vegetarian)
5 juiced limes
1 diced tomato
1/4 cup diced onions
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 peel cucumber diced
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. Chili Beak (or more to suite on your taste)

Instructions

Combine everything in a bowl. Can be dated immediately or served chilled. Enjoy with corn chips or crackers.

Poutine Recipe from Will Pliler, Executive Chef/General Manager, New Yorker Restaurant:

This Quebecois favorite is usually prepared with cheese curds. I make this version of poutine with locally produced Beehive White Cheddar.

For the Chicken Gravy:

Add to a sauce pan over medium-low heat 2 T. Butter and 2 T. flour, heat while stirring constantly until the roux is slightly brown but not burned. There should be no brown flecks. To the pan, add 2 cups homemade chicken broth, whisk until sauce is thickened (about 10 minutes), set aside, keeping warm.

For the Duck Confit, you can use a commercially produced duck confit or make your own using your favorite recipe. Use the meat pulled from 1 duck leg and thigh per serving, add the meat to a non-stick skillet over medium heat, brown slightly on both sides. The meat should be a little crispy.

To assemble the Poutine:

Cook about 8 ounces per serving of your favorite French fry recipe in a deep fryer until crisp and golden brown, divide among oven proof plates, top with about ½ cup shredded white cheddar per plate, add plates to a preheated 375 degree oven until the cheese is slightly melted (about 2 minutes), remove from the oven top with the crispy duck confit, ½ cup of the chicken gravy per plate, and garnish with chopped parsley if desired.

Also can be topped with a sunny-side-up egg if desired.

Park City restaurants are offering Super Bowl specials for all different taste palettes.

“Bring your party for the Big Game and let one of our bars and restaurants handle all the cooking and cleanup,” says Park City Area Restaurant Association Executive Director, Ginger Ries. “Whether it’s pizza and wings or wine tasting, you’ll be sure to have a blast.”

Here is a list of places bringing out their special teams for Super Bowl XLIX.

Edgar’s Beer and Spirit Lounge at Deer Valley Resort

Celebrations at Edgar’s Beer and Spirit Lounge kick off at 2:30 p.m., where you’ll find a full après ski menu of items such as Potted Pimento Cheese, House Smoked Salmon and Turkey Chili Nachos. Their Game Day special is $12 per half dozen savory buffalo-style chicken wings, served with Deer Valley’s blue chess dip, carrots and celery.

Cuisine Unlimited

Cuisine Unlimited handles all the cooking for any order over the 10 person minimum. Choices start with homemade veggie chili or Cuisine Unlimited’s famous chicken and white bean chili. Next they offer monster 14-inch bagels and sub sandwiches served with cold cuts of turkey, beef and ham, cheeses, veggies and spreads. Individuals can have their own Caesar Salad for an additional $7 or the football potato salad for $4 per person.

Deer Valley Grocery Café

Pulling out all the stops with its Super Bowl Sunday takeaway menu, Deer Valley Grocery Café features child shrimp, barbecue-and-cilantro-lime-glazed ribs, pulled pork salad, turkey chili, chips, peanut butter truffles, whoopie pies and more. Gluten-free and vegetarian selections are also available. Prices are a la carte, ranging from $4.50 for a bag of cashew caramel corn, to $30 for a six-person Caesar salad platter. Orders must be placed by 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 30, and picked up by 7 p.m. on Super Bowl Sunday.

Fox School of Wine

The school’s Weekend Wine Series continues with “Move Over Beer: Wine for the Bowl,” featuring five wines paired with Super Bowl favorites like wings, chips and salsa and sandwiches. The event costs $25.

Lespri Prime Steak Sushi Bar

Park City’s premier destination for surf and turf is serving up a range of specials Sunday: two-for-one appetizers and such rolls, plus USDA Prime Lespri Burgers during the game and all night long. Enjoy your order while watching the game on the three flat-screen TVs in the Lespri Lounge.

Royal Street Café at Deer Valley Resort

In addition to the restaurants full menu, Royal Street Café will be serving two specials for Super Bowl Sunday. They include braised Bison with fire-roasted chili and fresh baked skillet cornbread as well as fried chicken wings served in either traditional buffalo sauce, house made chili sauce or teriyaki. (Royal Street Café will be closed for dinner service on Super Bowl Sunday.)

The Brass Tag at Deer Valley Resort

Celebrations at The Brass Tag will begin at 3 p.m. Sunday. Specials include half-dozen brick-oven roasted wings with a choice of flavors including a peanut satay sauce, ranch rubbed with Frank’s Red Hot dipping sauce, bourbon BBQ glazed and a pretzel-crusted, honey mustard sauce. All wings are served with carrots and celery sticks and Deer Valley house made ranch or Deer Valley Blue Belle cheese dipping sauce.

Wasatch Brew Pub

This Park City brewery will be offering its $5 “Build-Your-Own-Bloody-Mary Bar,” plus $5 “Nacho and Nacho Bar.”

Edge Steakhouse 

For the first time ever, Edge Restaurant is introducing a dining experience just for Super Bowl Sunday, so you won’t want to miss your one chance. Starting at 4 p.m., you can begin the celebration with their “Brown Bag Special,” which consists of a 16 oz. PBR in a paper bag for $4. Catering to the devoted fan in you, try the “Seattle Crab Cake Sliders” and “New England Lobster Roll Bites” to keep you in football spirit all night.

Usually, bruschetta calls to mind the flavors of summer-grill smoke, ripe tomatoes and fresh basil. But bruschetta is a great cold weather nosh or appetizer, too. The secret is mushrooms.

Ingredients

1 baguette, sliced diagonally

3 to 4 Tbsp. olive oil

3 minced garlic cloves

1 pound mixed mushrooms, sliced or chopped into similar-sized pieces

3 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves

1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

Instructions

Toast the bread slices. Gently sauté the garlic in the olive oil until it’s soft, then add the mushrooms and turn up the heat.

Cook 3 or 4 minutes, season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.

Stir in the parsley and thyme and spoon the mushrooms over the toast. You can spread the toast with soft goat cheese or ricotta before spooning on the mushrooms. You can add a couple of teaspoons of balsamic vinegar to the mushrooms while they cook. You can crumble blue cheese over the mushrooms. We could go on and on with variations, but you get the idea.