vol. 2 no. 6 • august 2016 • go
Go
It’s time to
Tavaputs Ranch p. 26 Sundancing p. 40 Vernal Brewing p. 50
Camp Cooking p. 14 Devour Utah • August 2016 1
2 Devour Utah • August 2016
Devour Utah • August 2016 3
Contents 14
10
40
Sundance
Explore the resort’s dining destinations BY TED SCHEFFLER
56 4 Devour Utah • August 2016
Tantalizing takeout BY AMANDA ROCK
24
Camp Cooking 101
A complete guide BY LEVI ROGERS
26 36
Food on the Fly
Tavaputs
Utah’s oldest family-run ranch BY DARBY DOYLE
The Deconstruct Kyoto Japanese BY MOLLIE MCCONAHAY-SNIDER
50 Flavor for Travel
A globetrotting foodie’s story BY KATIE ELDRIDGE
Vernal Brewing Co. Beer in Uintah County
BY HEATHER L. KING
The Spread Tona Sushi
BY TED SCHEFFLER
Devour Utah • August 2016 5
DEVOUR CONTRIBUTORS STAFF Publisher JOHN SALTAS Editorial Editor Editorial Staff Editorial Intern Contributors
Photographers
TED SCHEFFLER ANDREA HARVEY, LANCE GUDMUNDSEN CASEY KOLDEWYN DARBY DOYLE, KATIE ELDRIDGE, HEATHER L. KING, MOLLIE MCCONAHAY-SNIDER, AMANDA ROCK, LEVI ROGERS DEREK CARLISLE, NIKI CHAN, AUSTEN DIAMOND, JEANIE JENSEN, HEATHER L. KING , COLE WILSON
Writer and recovering archaeologist Darby Doyle highlights hip SLC as a cityhomeCOLLECTIVE contributor. She also blogs about boozy experiments at aBourbonGal.com.
Production Art Director Assistant Production Manager Graphic Artists
DEREK CARLISLE MASON RODRICKC SUMMER MONTGOMERY, JOSH SCHEUERMAN, CAIT LEE
Business/Office Accounting Manager Associate Business Manager Office Administrator Technical Director
CODY WINGET PAULA SALTAS CELESTE NELSON BRYAN MANNOS
Levi Rogers is a writer and coffee roaster in Salt Lake City. He graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in English and is currently getting his MFA from Antioch University. He lives with his wife, Cat, and his dog, Amelie.
Marketing Marketing Manager Marketing Coordinator
JACKIE BRIGGS NICOLE ENRIGHT
Circulation Circulation Manager
LARRY CARTER
Sales Magazine Advertising Director Newsprint Advertising Director Digital Operations Manager Senior Account Executives Retail Account Executives Devour Store Assistant Manager
JENNIFER VAN GREVENHOF PETE SALTAS ANNA PAPADAKIS DOUG KRUITHOF, KATHY MUELLER JEREMIAH SMITH, TYESON ROGERS SIERRA SESSIONS, LISA DORELLI ALISSA DIMICK
Katie Eldridge has called Park City home for more than 15 years. A reporter by trade, her day job (as owner of Panic Button Media) takes her to the “other side” of the industry where she is often promoting restaurants to local and national media outlets. When not rubbing shoulders with reporters, you may find her globetrotting or at concerts.
Cover Photo: CampChef Ryan Neeley Distribution is complimentary throughout the Wasatch Front. Additional copies of Devour are available for $4.95 at the Devour offices located at 248 S. Main, Salt Lake City, UT 84101 • 801-575-7003 • DevourUtah.com Email editor at Ted@DevourUtah.com Advertising contact: Sales@DevourUtah.com
Copperfield Publishing Copyright 2016. All rights reserved
6 Devour Utah • August 2016
Born and raised in Indianapolis, Ind., Mollie McConahay-Snider relocated to the Pacific Northwest following college. After a decade of working in the Oregon wine industry, Mollie earned her Le Cordon Bleu culinary arts degree from Portland’s Western Culinary Institute. A former chef at Salt Lake Culinary Center, Mollie is now a freelance food and beverage writer, performs cooking demonstrations around Salt Lake City and is currently completing her first book.
Devour Utah • August 2016 7
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Go Just Let It
Moving Forward: The Art of Going
T
here is power in going. There is wisdom to be found in movement, just as there is in stillness. This issue of Devour Utah is dedicated to the theme of going, of leaving, of discovery. It’s about getting out of our boxes and our comfort zones, to find comfort and nurturing elsewhere. One of my favorite Tom Waits songs is called “Foreign Affair.” Among the notions that he shares with listeners in the song is travel—that a “transient position allows you a perspective that’s unique.” I had never heard of Tavaputs Ranch—Utah’s oldest family-run guest ranch— until I read Darby Doyle’s lovely piece about the place and the Jensen family who now owns it. Now I really want to go there, not just for the Western hospitality and panoramic views of the West Tavaputs Plateau and Desolation Canyon, but to get a serving of Jeanie Jensen’s homemade Rocky Mountain oysters. For those going camping, Levi Rogers offers some delicious ideas about how to elevate camp cooking beyond gorp and freeze-dry pouches, providing a primer with tips and tricks for prepping and cooking real food at the campsite. Or, maybe you’d prefer to stay put and don’t want to dine in a restaurant. Amanda Rock’s “Food on the Fly” article highlights a handful of delectable restaurant dishes that travel well for takeout: The food goes so you don’t have to. Returning to Tom Waits’ “Foreign Affair,” he understands that it’s the going that is all-important, not necessarily the arriving. It’s all about the process, not the results: “Most vagabonds I know don’t ever want to find the culprit That remains the object of their long relentless quest The obsession’s in the chasing, and not the apprehending The pursuit you see and never the arrest.” ❖ —Ted Scheffler Editor
Tavaputs Ranch, P. 26
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JEANNIE JENSEN
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Fly Food on the
Delicious dishes for tantalizing takeout
BY AMANDA ROCK PHOTOS BY DEREK CARLISLE
10 Devour Utah • August 2016
Classic Greek Salad
Orange Chicken Chow Mein $
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F
eeling lazy? Long day at work? No problem. Simply call in your dinner order to these local eateries and spend the night relaxing at home over a delicious meal. Whether feeding your family, enjoying a cozy stay-in date or fueling a Netflix binge, here are four delicious ways to escape a night of cooking. Orange Chicken Chow Mein Located in Salt Lake’s Chinatown, CY (as in Create Yours) Noodles House specializes in build-your-own noodle dishes, but this sure ain’t Noodles & Co. Pick your noodles, protein and veggies—it all comes together impressively quick. One dish that’s sure to please is the orange chicken chow mein. Opt for the satisfying and chewy homemade lo mein noodles. Choose the Orange Chicken; it’s sweet, deep fried and utterly delectable. Add tender steamed broccoli to balance the flavors. Your creation is then stir-fried with green onions and eggs and finished with a dusting of chopped peanuts. The servings are generous, so you can look forward to enjoying leftovers for lunch the next day. CY Noodles House 3370 S. State, Ste. N5, SLC 801-485-2777 CyNoodlesHouse.com
Classic Greek Salad Fast food doesn’t get better than this. The classic Greek salad from Greek Souvlaki will delight your eyes as well as your taste buds. Brimming with fresh greens, crisp cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet red onions, tart pepperoncini, Kalamata olives and a generous serving of tangy feta cheese, this vegetarian salad is served with warm pita, perfect for sopping up the delicious dressing. Order from their website, phone in your order, use the handy Greek Souvlaki app on your smartphone, or wait a few minutes in the drive thru. You’re only a lickety-split away from a healthy and satisfying salad. Greek Souvlaki Various locations GreekSouvlaki.com Devour Utah • August 2016 11
Lemon Scampi
LEMON SCAMPI $
1 0 .99
The lemon scampi from CousCous Mediterranean Grill tastes so much like home cooking, it’s tempting to serve it for dinner and take all the credit. Twirl the thin pasta around your fork and savor each bite of creamy lemon sauce and succulent butterflied shrimp. The lemon sauce is light and brightly flavorful, but the star of the show is the tender, meaty shrimp. A slice of homemade rosemary garlic bread rounds out this simple and elegant pasta dish. Open a bottle of pinot grigio, plate up the pasta and bask in your family’s love and admiration. CousCous Mediterranean Grill Various Locations CousCousGrill.com
Chicken Curry Combo Curry in a Hurry has been dishing up hearty vegetable and halal meat curries since 1998. This popular family-run restaurant offers a rotating menu of curries featuring chickpeas, potatoes and other veggies as well as their famous chicken curry. Try the combo to sample the best of both worlds. Tuck in to tender morsels of white meat chicken swimming in rich coconut curry served with the veggie curry of your choice. This comfort food combo is served over fluffy basmati rice with warm naan. Curry in a Hurry 2020 S. State, SLC 801-467-4137 ILoveCurryInAHurry.com
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CHICKEN CURRY COMBO $ .99 9
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Camp cooking 101
Tips & tricks for moving beyond freeze-dry fare in the wild
W
hen my wife was growing up in California, she would camp with her family in the summer. They had a pop-up trailer that they’d park at the beach in Ventura or in Yosemite and for dinner pop open cans of Dinty Moore chili to cook in a pot over a small stove. Simple enough. Very little in the way of ingredients, utensils or preparation required. The first time we went camping together she was surprised by how, as she said, “gourmet” the items I brought with us to cook were. Instead of canned chili over a stove, we had steak and pasta, and instead of oatmeal and an apple in the morning, we enjoyed bacon and eggs. As someone who grew up in Colorado camping and backpacking in the summer— perhaps crossing the border into Moab for the occasional climbing trip—I was used to these types of meals. And to me they never 14 Devour Utah • August 2016
Tips and tricks for moving beyond freeze-dry fare in the wild By Levi Rogers Photos by Cole Wilson
seemed all that hard to execute. After all, this is not California or Colorado. This is Utah. And in Utah we do the outdoors better. Colorado is too crowded. California is too tame. So while planning and cooking a fine meal may sound intimidating or even overwhelming to some—what with getting the car packed, the dog ready, the kids buckled in, the bikes strapped—it is possible for you to eat just as well while camping as at home. In fact, it is your duty as a proud citizen of Utah! Chances are if you’ve grown up in the West and spent any considerable amount of time camping, you know these tricks already, but in case you’re a newbie and looking to up your cookingwhile-camping-game, look no further. With a little preparation and knowledge, pretty much anyone can move beyond freeze-dry “cooking” while camping.
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The Pre-Prep
To cook and eat well while camping, the first overall idea is to prepare as much as you can in advance and pack appropriate cookware. Prep or buy things ready to plop in a cast-iron skillet or a small pot (the only two large cooking utensils you’ll need) once you get into the wilderness. These, plus a cutting board, some utensils and a universal plate and bowl are all the items you’ll need. Buy a small tote to carry the items along with some salt and pepper, and a few of your favorite herbs. You can buy new items or simply rotate out some well-worn spatulas and utensils you already have in the kitchen. Fancy camping gear from REI is nice but not essential. I’d say I have about half and half currently: an old skillet and cutting board I pilfered from our kitchen, and a new 7-in-1 bowl/ cook-pot set from Stanley that I use specifically for camping. For food, think of items that grill or cook well by themselves in a relatively short amount of time, and that don’t need a ton of ingredients
16 Devour Utah • August 2016
or temperature control. Consider food items that allow you to do all the prepping and pre-cooking in your comfy air-cooled home kitchen and then chuck into sealable plastic bags or containers. Then, after you’ve made it to the campsite and cracked open a couple of locally brewed beers, you’re ready to rock the camp meal. An example: One of my favorite meals I recently cooked was a sort of jambalaya dish made from a box (boring, I know) but “elevated” with slices of andouille sausage from Frody Vollger’s Salt and Smoke Meats. We heated up some water, dumped the rice in, cooked the sausage in a skillet, sliced it up on a small cutting board, then mixed it all together with some pre-sliced veggies, and boom—pretty darned good jambalaya. Before you leave home, you can also pre-mix fruit, veggie or pasta salads and pancake mix, marinade steaks or pork chops, slice up sweet potatoes and veggies, grate some cheese, crush garlic and (if you’re really fancy) premake your favorite sauce or gravy so
you can simply reheat it over the fire. You can literally cut up a bunch of meats and vegetables (at home or at the campsite), wrap it in a ball of foil with some oil and cheese, and make a “hobo” meal that you then toss onto the outskirts of the fire and wait twenty or so minutes for it to cook. The only utensils required if you do all the prepwork beforehand is a fork. A few general musts for all of these meals are salt and pepper, herbs, oil, butter, pre-marinating and prewrapping/packing before leaving. Take thirty or so minutes to prep at home in advance, and you and the rest of your family or significant other will thank you like they’ve never thanked you before. You’ll soon be eating steak, bacon and eggs, fresh sandwiches, pancakes and other entrées, all while gathered around a fire, sitting beneath the inky blackness of the night sky gazing at clear white stars, miles from the closest restaurant or sign of civilization.
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Menu Suggestions
Meal Option 1 (dinner)
Meat: Marinate steak or pork chops in a Ziploc bag the day before you leave. Then just take the meat out and slap it onto your camp stove or over a small grate on the fire once the flames have died down. Vegetables: Depending where you are, forage! Chances are you could find some sage or rosemary to sprinkle alongside the onions and pepper and squash you brought from home. If, and only if, you know what you are doing, find some mushrooms and maybe some roots. You can go with a salad already mixed in a bag or some chopped peppers, onions, sweet potatoes and corn cooked over the fire or on a stove with foil. My friend Scott’s favorite camping side dish is sliced sweet potatoes grilled and then dipped in barbecue sauce. Grains: Instant rice, mashed potatoes and such might not be very sexy, but it’s what you add to them that really make them stand out. Use those herbs and other seasonings you brought or scavenged.
18 Devour Utah • August 2016
Meal Option 2 (breakfast)
Before I do anything else, I make coffee. Cooking breakfast with no caffeine or warm beverage to sip while you wake up to watch the sunrise might be one of the worst decisions you’ll ever make, so don’t do it. Make coffee, tea or hot chocolate. It will warm up your soul and reduce the pain ringing through your body from the rock you slept on the night before. Bring a French press, a pour-over or an aero press, and a small kettle. You can pre-grind coffee before you leave or use a hand grinder. Then, how about breakfast burritos or pancakes? For breakfast burritos, pack some prepped veggies, sour cream and salsa. All you have to do is cook eggs, bacon or sausage (even tofu), some frozen potatoes, maybe onions, and fold it all into a flour tortilla. For pancakes, you can pre-mix batter and then cook in a skillet. Just remember to pack a bit of butter and maple syrup. Or, for an even simpler breakfast, enjoy eggs, bacon and toast made with butter face-down on the skillet, which gives the bread a nice charred, buttery taste. Another tip: Buy a hard egg-protector case to make sure the eggs aren’t crushed in the cooler.
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Menu Suggestions
Meal Option 3 (lunch)
Think simple: Fresh bread, cheese, salami, nuts, fruit. That sort of thing. Get some good bread from a local bakery like Vosen’s, quality cheese and salami from Caputo’s, fruit from the farmers market, and trail mix wherever it’s sold.
20 Devour Utah • August 2016
Meal Option 4 (dinner)
Pasta or jambalaya: Heat water in a pan, toss in pasta or rice. Then slice up some sausage, onions, garlic and whatever else you want, mix it together for jambalaya, or heat up pasta sauce once the noodles are cooked. You can pack a strainer or just drain the cooking liquid using the cooking pot lid. (Consider using the liquid to thicken or reconstitute a sauce.) Perhaps break off a piece of baguette you bought fresh the day before in the city and slather it with a knife-blade of jam from Amour Spreads, or good oldfashioned butter.
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Everything below will fit into a small cooler.
General Tips Food Checklist •1 gas stove •1 cast-iron skillet •1 cooking pot •1 spatula •2 sharp knives •2 forks •1 cutting board
22 Devour Utah • August 2016
•Make pancake batter mix before you go. •Chop veggies and place in plastic containers or sealed plastic bags. •Marinade meats in advance. •Pack a tight, organized cooler. •Pre-marinated meat •Chopped veggies •Butter, salt, pepper or other favorite seasonings
•Bacon •Eggs •Bread, meat and cheeses for lunch •Nuts/trail Mix
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f you ever Google the word Tona, thinking it’s a Japanese term of some sort, you won’t find it. I know because I’ve done it. When I first heard of Tona Sushi Bar and Grill in Ogden, I was curious to learn what the name meant. Turns out it’s merely a fusion of the owners’ names: the husband-and-wife team of Tony Chen and Tina Yu (Tony + Tina = Tona). As with the restaurant’s name, Tona is a fusion—a fusion of fabulous flavors and bustling ambiance. The interior combines contemporary design—vivid splashes of lime green and lemon yellow—with natural red brick walls to create a modern, but warm and comfortable dining destination. Similarly, the cuisine is a mix of old and new. For traditionalists, there is classic Japanese fare such as teriyaki, udon, tempura, sashimi, nigiri, bento boxes and such—all of it deliciously prepared. And for the more adventurous, Tona features Asian tapas and small plate dishes such as the inventive ahi tuna with pineapple, chili-garlic sauce and jalapeño, or their delectable saba grill: two small pieces of skin-on, lightly salted mackerel, grilled and served with a complex basil and sweet vinegar-soy sauce. A very respectable wine, sake, cocktail and beer list, plus some of the friendliest servers and sushi chefs you’ll ever come across, makes a trip to O-Town’s Tona Sushi a no-brainer.
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JEANIE JENSEN’S
KITCHEN
The view from home 26 Devour Utah • August 2016
Savoring the heritage of Utah cattle ranching for seven generations By Darby Doyle Photos by Jeanie Jensen
J
eanie Wilcox Jensen’s view from her kitchen sink would make any cook who’s ever been stuck in a stuffy galley weep with envy. In the midst of preparing three meals a day for her family, the ranch cowboys and the dozens of guests staying at Tavaputs Ranch every day—all while multitasking a dozen other chores—you’ll still see Jeanie pause occasionally to take in the stunning panorama of the West Tavaputs Plateau dropping straight down thousands of feet into Desolation Canyon. During a drizzly evening when my family was visiting the ranch, Jeanie encouraged everyone to top off their steaming cups of cocoa, then she turned down the burners on the big cast-iron range, grabbed her camera and with a smile said, “Now, that’s sure a pretty rainbow.” We all stepped out the back door of the kitchen into a drop-dappled wonderland and, sure enough, there was a double rainbow spanning almost the entire canyon filled with purple and pink clouds scattered for miles. To add to the surreal moment, a couple of hawks swirled in the distance. Jeanie clicked a few shots, then dipped back inside to finish making a fantastic meal we all tucked into family-style: creamy stroganoff with thick-sliced beef and buttered noodles, a recipe my two boys still request that I make “like Miss Jeanie does at Tavaputs.” It’s those sorts of memories and experiences that have drawn visitors to Tavaputs Ranch for decades, says Jeanie, who alongside her husband Butch runs the cattle ranch on land that both their families have worked for generations. Jeanie’s ancestors started raising cattle in Desolation Canyon in 1887, making her a fifth-generation rancher in southeast Utah. Her family built livestock trails up to the isolated plateau, named “Tavaputs” after the Ute word for “sunrise,” according to the family’s history, and mules and horses packed in everything until the first road was built in 1943. Butch Jensen’s family started ranching in the area in the 20th century, and Butch grew up on a ranch adjoining Jeanie’s; they married in 1978, and combined the family ranches in 1999. They now oversee about 10,000 private acres and more than an additional 200,000 acres of federal and state leases. In the 1950s, Jeanie’s parents, Don and Jeannette Wilcox, diversified the ranching operation with an expanded guest ranch, making Tavaputs Utah’s oldest family-run guest ranch. The Jensens have continued this tradition of hospitality for guests who visit to birdwatch, hike in the clear air Devour Utah • August 2016 27
Generations of ranching
xxx
28 Devour Utah • August 2016
at 9,000 feet elevation among one of Utah’s largest quaking aspen colonies, or hunt the healthy populations of elk and mule deer with Tavaputs guides. Jeanie Jensen grew up exploring the nooks and crannies of Range Creek Canyon, recognized as one of the most significant sites of undisturbed Fremont cultural heritage in the American Southwest, largely because of the Wilcox family’s long-standing belief that the extensive Native American remains should not be disturbed. The Jensens lead guest tours in collaboration with the Natural History Museum of Utah, making for a truly unforgettable day spent viewing the canyon’s pristine rock art and visiting with professional archaeologists who conduct work in the area each summer. Butch and Jeanie’s daughter Jennie married local cattleman Jeff Christensen, and in addition to managing their own herd, Jeff and Jennie continue the family traditions at Tavaputs with their two young sons, Jax and Jett. “It means so much to Butch and I to share our seventhgeneration ranching legacy—the ranching legacy that our family through the generations have worked so hard,” Jeanie says. “We are blessed to be here and to keep the legacy alive.” The dining room of the ranch is imbued with this rich history: photographs line the walls, and under the glass on every table are newspaper and magazine clippings featuring the colorful narrative of the area, where cattle rustlers and Butch Cassidy and his Wild Bunch legendarily hid out under the (some say only publicly) averted eyes of Jeanie’s great granddad Jim McPherson. Newer additions to the dining room chronicle prestigious national rangeland stewardship awards. In 2009, Tavaputs Ranch won the Leopold Conservation Award, for which they were nominated based upon their commitment to “the
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best practices of modern ranching with the best traditions of the West, with hospitality a given, education a goal and increasing the strength and vitality of agriculture in Utah the result.” Butch and Jeanie’s son Tate Jensen, who died in 2011, is widely remembered for his leadership in Utah rangeland conservation and progressive stewardship practices. Alongside his father Butch, Tate’s conservation work was instrumental in Tavaputs being awarded the National Cattlemen Environmental Stewardship Award in 2010, a legacy that continues within the ranch’s operations today. The Jensen’s visitors no longer have to come in by mule or horse. However, accessing the isolated ranch is challenging even today—an experience my family thinks is one of the best parts of going to Tavaputs. When you book a trip to the ranch, you’re sent an email with directions to go a market at the base of an access road. There, you sign for an envelope, which contains a key (for the many ranch gates) and a full page of step-by-step directions for the drive which—depending on weather and road conditions—ascends over a thousand feet in elevation, takes over an hour, requires high clearance, some bits of four-wheel-drive creativity on muddy days and minute attention to the various road turnoffs. It’s like a modern-day treasure hunt, where X marks one of the most beautiful spots on the planet, and you’re rewarded with a warm smile and cup of cocoa, coffee or Crown Royal (my glug was offered with a wink from a fellow guest’s BYOB) at the end of the journey. Of course, one family’s perceived adventure is just “another trip to the ranch” for the Jensens. They’re consummate organizers and have perfected pre-planning at a masterful level. You can’t just run to the store if you’re out of flour, and, in an emergency, the nearest hospital is 45 minutes away—by helicopter. Jeanie and Jennie make sure they
30 Devour Utah • August 2016
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always have their top five items in stock, “flour, sugar, milk, eggs and cheese.” And they justifiably take pride in the delicious baked treats made daily in the ranch kitchen. “Jennie is an awesome cook and baker, so we always make sure the favorite spices are on the shelf,” Jeanie says. “We can’t run to town if we are out of something.” Guests at the ranch can expect plentiful and hearty meals served family-style, seated at long tables alongside the ever-friendly Jensen clan—including Jax and Jett who keep everyone enraptured with their combined adorableness—and the hard-working folks who keep the ranch and guest cabins running every day. There aren’t set days for specific meals, but according to Jeanie, everyone always gets excited when they see a Jensen family favorite on the table, “Tavaputs prime rib with corn on the cob and baby reds along with a nice green salad.” Jeanie loves to see her grandsons enjoy food produced on the ranch. “Jax and Jett are huge meat eaters,” she says. “It makes us so happy that they love ranch food and that they love their beef.” Their mom, Jennie, agrees, and adds, “My boys both love Rocky Mountain Oysters,” a special ranch breakfast treat (see recipe p. 34). The little cowpokes already have their own brands registered with the state, and “their” cattle are mixed in with the other Angus, Brahma and Hereford cattle ranging the ranch. Tavaputs hospitality also extended to crews of wildland firefighters who were staked out on the plateau a few
The Tavaputs Ranch family
years ago. “Cooking for the 300-plus firefighters was quite an experience; they are such polite, grateful and extremely hard-working folks,” Jeanie says. (In my three seasons of wildland firefighting, I can attest that those smoke-hounds probably had the best meals of their career eating at Tavaputs Ranch; I certainly never had the like during my hitch). Jeanie, Jennie and a few helpers made hearty breakfasts, planned massive dinners and packed 600 sandwiches every day. “They would come back for at least seconds”—a luxury in fire camp—”and I can say we never ran out of food,” Jeanie says. “We must have had a guardian angel looking over our kitchen work.” Folks not fortunate enough to visit the majesty and wonder of this magical place during the ranch’s JuneSeptember season can enjoy seeing photographs of the Jensen’s always-busy days on the ranch Facebook page and website. “Technology is a wonderful thing,” Jeanie says with a laugh. A talented photographer (her images are featured in this story), Jeanie’s beautiful snapshots have been featured on Utah television shows, and grace the pages of Dude Food, a published collection of family recipes served at the ranch for decades of happy guests. ❖
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HOW TO COOK ROCKY MOUNTAIN OYSTERS OR SWEETBREADS
M
y kids still talk about trying this ranch specialty with equal parts horror and excitement. According to Jeanie Wilcox Jensen, “Serving Rocky Mountain Oysters is always a great conversation around the Tavaputs dining room. I don’t serve them to each and every group; just the special groups and it is fun. So many guests have never tasted them, but a lot say they do like the taste.” Jeanie’s recipe is one her grandmother and mother taught her at a very young age, and they are the perfect combination of crunchy and slightly chewy. And of course, everything is better when fried. Remove outer membranes from the calf testicles or sweetbreads, and parboil over very low heat for 30 minutes. Drain, and if desired, cut the oysters into halves or strips. Dredge in flour seasoned liberally with salt and pepper. In small batches, fry in bacon grease or shortening until brown and crisp. Stir often to prevent sticking. Drain on paper towels as batches are done and keep warm until ready to serve. Adapted from Dude Food, 2014 ed. by Tavaputs Ranch.
The finished dish 34 Devour Utah • August 2016
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yoto Japanese Restaurant, a Salt Lake City dining staple since 1984, has just expanded it’s already generous and reasonably priced lunch menu to include four new noodle dishes. The entrées are courtesy of Peggi Ince-Whiting, a Japanese-trained chef widely known among Park City and SLC sushi enthusiasts alike. In creating these new offerings, Chef Ince-Whiting’s approach reflects her desire for locally produced authentic Japanese cuisine, “To put it simply, I chose four dishes I loved while living in Tokyo,” said Ince-Whiting. The lunchtime plates, two hot, two cold, are each a rich expression of Chef Ince-Whiting’s expertise. All the dishes
are divine, using fresh ingredients resulting in harmoniously complex flavors, but I found the Hiyashi Ramen to be particularly gratifying. Hiyashi (the Japanese word meaning “chilled”) is a combination of cold ramen noodles tossed with fresh vegetables, Oregon bay shrimp, shredded crab, tamago (a crêpe-like egg omelet), thinly sliced seaweed and finished with a housemade soy and garlic vinaigrette. Clean, balanced, delicious. Kyoto’s new noodle dishes are available during lunch hours, Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., although the cold noodle dishes may be ordered in advance by telephone for weeknight dinner takeout. ❖
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Sundance By Ted Scheffler • Photos by Derek Carlisle
Discovering Robert Redford’s delicious homegrown playground
40 Devour Utah • August 2016
A
ctor, environmentalist and Sundance Mountain Resort founder Robert Redford says, “Well, I guess it all started with a simple ride over 50 years ago.” He’d taken a drive through what was then “tiny” Provo Canyon, saw the majestic Mount Timpanogos, and knew immediately that “This was where I wanted to put a stake in the ground.” He continues, “Two years later, when I could afford it, I bought two acres of land for $500.” Foreseeing that in a few years the pristine area that is now Sundance would be “developed away,” Redford decided to do everything in his power to preserve it. “And I guess that was the birth of Sundance Mountain Resort,” he says. Provo Canyon isn’t so tiny anymore, but it’s still easy to forget that Sundance—and the marvelous art, culture, music, activities, food and drink that it offers—is so accessible to most Utahns. And once you’re there, you’ll notice that time seems to slow down. No one appears to be in a rush, and it’s the perfect locale to take things down a notch and catch your breath. The resort and its employees manage to combine top-notch, world-class professionalism with a relaxing, friendly style—not a mix that’s easy to achieve. The dining and drink venues at Sundance in particular—under the watchful eye of Steve Solomon, director of food and
At the top of Arrowhead Summit, there is only rest and relaxation. Devour Utah • August 2016 41
The Tree Room
beverage—are not just among Utah’s most coveted, but I think some of the best in the West. Sundance’s flagship fine dining restaurant has, since its inception, been The Tree Room. If you’ve never heard the genesis story, it goes like this: The Tree Room was thusly named because in 1970 when it was built, founder Robert Redford, who is nothing if not environmentally conscious, chose to build his restaurant around an existing 65-foot pine tree rather than to cut it down. The restaurant and the tree are
Full of authentic Native American artwork
42 Devour Utah • August 2016
still going strong. First-time visitors to the Tree Room should allot some time to wander the restaurant and take in the Native American art and Western memorabilia that is on display from Redford’s personal collection. Then sit back, chill and enjoy one hell of an evening. No one will rush you should you decide to linger over just one more glass of wine or an after-dinner drink as your dinner winds to a close. How you choose to “do” Sundance is your business; there’s a multitude of
options at your command. But a day at Sundance might go something like this: You awake refreshed and enveloped in the luxury linens at one of the resort’s Mountain Suites, just a short walk from the base of Sundance village, but far enough away to be isolated and serene. The suites feature full kitchens, flatware, silverware and such, so you might want to just enjoy breakfast “at home” on your sunny deck. However, if it’s a Sunday, you’ll want to wander down to the Foundry Grill for the opulent Sunday Brunch. Opened in
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1996, the Foundry Grill is named for the large foundry wall located in the main dining room. One of the affable servers will walk you through the various buffet brunch stations—from the salad and omelet/carving stations through the massive array of desserts—encouraging you to take your time and enjoy everything. I started Sunday brunch recently with chilled shrimp and local artisan cheeses before moving on to the the restaurant’s yummy poached eggs on steak hash. Curried chicken
with basmati rice was delicate and delicious, as I worked my way toward the carving station’s roasted lamb and prime rib. All the while, drinks (coffee, tea, juice, milk and soft drinks are complimentary) were regularly refilled and used plates efficiently bussed. Other can’t-miss Foundry Grill brunch options include the divine French toast, smoked trout, spinach salad, smoked salmon and, of course, the notable desserts like killer chocolate cake, banana-chocolate bread pudding, homemade cookies, tarts and many
more. In warm weather, you’ll be able to burn off a few of those brunch calories with hiking or mountain biking on Sundance’s many trails. Your adventure can be as strenuous (or not) as you’d like, with lift-served biking and hiking. Suggested hikes range from a beginner’s cruise called the Mandan Short Loop of one mile— accomplished in about 40 minutes—to the intermediate/advanced Arrowhead Summit Trail hike of 3.7 miles, which typically takes 3-4 hours. Fly fishing,
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The Sundance ZipTour
horseback riding, river rafting, golfing and the exhilarating ZipTour are also available to the adventuresome visitors. The ZipTour features a breathtaking 2,100 feet of vertical drop while speeding along at more than 65 miles per hour, at heights that made me a little queasy just watching it from the ground. For lunch, the aforementioned Foundry Grill is always a solid option. And so is the Sundance Deli, which offers made-to-order sandwiches, salads, baked goods, snacks, signature smoothies, coffee drinks and more. It’s the perfect place to load up on goodies for an afternoon hike or a picnic. Another terrific lunch spot—one with spectacular 360-degree views of Heber and Utah valleys and the surrounding Wasatch Mountains—is Bearclaw
The Owl Bar
46 Devour Utah • August 2016
Mountain biking
Cabin, located at the top of the Arrowhead chairlift. Enjoy the sunny Cabin deck and its incomparable views while you nosh on chips and salsa, wraps, gourmet sandwiches, salads, beef barbacoa and the like. Adults will want to be sure to include a stop at the Owl Bar during their visit. The cozy, timber-rich watering hole features local and national musical talent on weekends, including Utah’s own Joy & Eric, Jake Dreier and others. The bar itself is a restored 1890s bar that Redford had moved from Thermopolis, Wyo., to Sundance, and the original rosewood bar was said to be frequented by Butch Cassidy’s Hole in the Wall Gang. Try to make time to take in some of Sundance’s many summer arts and culture activities such as the Summer
Theatre’s 2016 production of The Music Man, which will begin, for those who’d like to partake, with a pre-show barbecue outdoors. Budding artists will want to visit the Sundance Art Studios, where public, two-hour, single-session workshops include jewelry making, wheel-thrown pottery, watercolor, acrylic or oil painting, printmaking, photography or drawing. Each is tailored to every individual’s ability level from beginner to experienced and include expert instruction and materials. Of course, no visit to Sundance is complete without indulging in a dinner at The Tree Room. I’ve felt over the decades that the cuisine there has often varied from good to great, depending on who’s been heading up the kitchen. Right now, under the supervision of Resort Executive Chef David Mullen,
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Bearclaw Cabin
it’s hitting very high notes. He is ably assisted by a talented team that includes Senior Restaurant Manager Jonny Losee, Executive Sous Chef Eric Miller, Resort Pastry Chef Ashleigh Dougherty and Sous Chef Ashley Parkins. Highlights of a recent Tree Room dinner included remarkably tender grilled octopus tossed with tiny white beans, piquillo peppers, migas (Mexican-style croutons) and chimichurri. Just as delicate and lovely was sushi-grade diced hamachi served with a hollowed-out and sliced avocado, with grapefruit, fried rice and fresh basil. My son, Hank, was willing (barely) to share his Tree Room starter of grilled asparagus and morels with a poached egg, parmesan
cracker and Madeira veal jus with me and I’m glad he did. It’s a wonderful appetizer or shared dish and one that pairs beautifully with Honig-Sundance Napa Sauvignon Blanc—part of the Sundance Wine as Art series. Another excellent wine pairing suggested by a Sundance server was Bucklin Sonoma Zinfandel and tender, juicy elk loin with an array of seasonal mushrooms, red cabbage, Brussels sprouts and tart blackberrypomegranate mostarda. If that sounds like a dish better enjoyed in winter, opt for the summery Moroccan-spiced airline chicken breast with pearl couscous, colorful heirloom carrots and natural chicken jus in warmer weather. Keep an eye out, too, for monthly Bearclaw Supper Club dinners during
Bearclaw’s nachos
48 Devour Utah • August 2016
summer, held at the mountaintop Bearclaw Cabin. And for wine lovers, there is the Sundance Wine as Art program to explore, in which the resort partners with distinctive American vintners “who exemplify an aspect of the Sundance values and mission, including the commitment to environment, the celebration of independent voice, spirit and creativity.” “Other resorts have had more money than I did to build bigger things,” said Redford. “But there was a human quality that was missing … a love of the land … a feeling of the land. If you put a root deep enough in the ground, what blossoms will inspire others to come. What we offer in the form of art and culture, spirit and service, is homegrown and available to all.” ❖
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Vernal Brewing Brewing a Revolution Company in Uintah County STORY & PHOTOS BY HEATHER L. KING
V
ernal, Utah, is located on the northeastern border of the state—a land made rich in boom times by oil and gas with a healthy dose of tourism centered around outdoor opportunities and one of the most magnificent collections of dinosaur bones in North America. But like the paleontologists who work the quarry wall at Dinosaur National Monument each day, Vernal visitors and locals often find themselves sifting through a vast array of fast-food chains to find the illusive gourmet meals and libations. Enter Vernal Brewing Co. (VBC), which opened three years ago across the street from the Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum. “We love the location,” says VBC founder and owner Ginger Bowden. “The flow of
50 Devour Utah • August 2016
the parking lot just seems to draw people over here from the museum across the street.” The brewery is eye-catching for several reasons: elevated garden plots—which grow much of the produce the restaurant serves—sit beside a shaded patio that beckons to hungry visitors to enjoy chef-driven cuisine by Ashleigh Edwards and nine freshly brewed (on-site) beers in relative solitude. Guests are in for an even more pleasant surprise when they enter the restaurant. Natural sunlight streams in from windows in two directions. A casual bar to the right offers convenience items like pre-made salads for a picnic, takeout orders, a peek into the kitchen or entrance onto the patio.
Above: Grilled salmon Below: Natural light pours throughout the VBC dining room
Devour Utah • August 2016 51
Fried Brussels sprouts with candied bacon
Meat and cheese board Hot pastrami sandwich and beer cheese soup
52 Devour Utah • August 2016
Rotating dessert brought to you by VBC’s pastry chef
Gastropub Dining & Drinking
Quick inspection of the menu unearths high-quality gastropub fare deserving of careful consideration over a pint or two of brewer Mark Watson’s beers, crafted just behind the window of the restaurant. Start with a sharable feast of the meat-and-cheese board complemented by beer jam and onion marmalade, plus pickles and olives. Fried Brussels sprouts studded with candied bacon are perfectly crisp with just enough fat for flavor. Or a healthier citrus salmon entrée glazed with sweet ginger soy satisfies summer palates with the accompaniment of fresh vegetables from the gardens. Combined with VBC’s Pilgrimage Extra Pale Ale that delivers moderate hops and a dry finish, this meal combo is a great way to explore much of what the restaurant and brewery have to offer. After a long day of boating or fishing
at Red Fleet Reservoir or river rafting down the Green River through Split Mountain Canyon, VBC can refuel even the hungriest adventurer, too. The hearty pastrami sandwich made with juicy house-cured meat paired with VBC’s tangy beer cheese soup studded with housemade Italian sausage really satisfies. Wash it all down with a malty Allosaurus Amber Ale with hints of caramel and floral characteristics. Of course, no meal would be complete without dessert and VBC’s pastry chef Shayna “Shayner” Edwards dishes up several suitable for sharing. The skillet cookie is always a favorite topped with vanilla bean ice cream. Or get creative with the stout cheesecake topped with merlot cherries and, of course, paired with the high-point Not Your Mama’s Milk Stout—a creamy, dark-roasted barley beer expressing notes of espresso, chocolate and vanilla with bourbon undertones.
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Although the restaurant side of VBC’s business really picks up around spring break each year, it’s the beer that sustains operations throughout all the seasons and is now distributed across several states. “People drink all year round,” says Bowden. “We see peaks of certain beers at certain times, but the beer will always sell. The restaurant will always have ups and downs.” It’s for this reason that Bowden went to great pains to market VBC’s craft brews to a wide audience looking for adventure. Each of the lowpoint beers—called the Destination Series—celebrates the Uintah Basin’s spectacular recreational opportunities and heritage. Little Hole Lager, a light,
54 Devour Utah • August 2016
crisp beer popular in the summertime, pays tribute to the popular tourist area at Flaming Gorge, while Directional Smoked Porter depicts an oil field drill rig. The high-point beers—named the Adventure Series—are a bit more risqué because they aren’t available in grocery stores where children might inadvertently see them. “There’s a gun label warning on the .50 Caliber,” Bowden notes. She herself is also the figure on the label holding a gun. “We have notes, tastings, pairings and a GPS point on the high-point series,” she continues. “We had a lot of fun with these.” This summer, set your GPS to Vernal Brewing Co. in Vernal, Utah, and begin a new dining and drinking adventure. ❖
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Travel A Flavor for
I
Why we GO, and sometimes stay. By Katie Eldridge
t’s my mother’s fault. There, I said it. This unshakable, intrinsic yearning to GO places I’ve never been seems to have been with me since Day 1. Such is the plight of a travel agent’s daughter. Early on, my mother and her sister began an annual tradition: to choose a place each summer where our families could meet. From St. Thomas to Nantucket, we sought out new destinations, and the result, for at least one kid, is a nagging globetrotting habit. The culinary details of those early trips are a blur—to a 10-year-old, and then a teen, the menus didn’t matter. My brother and I were focused on other key travel details such as chasing lizards, snorkeling for hours and giggling about topless sunbathers. Many years later, I became obsessed with the thought of a one-way ticket. You know, GO somewhere, and then somewhere else—with no reason to backtrack, or most importantly, to come home. So, somewhere in between a career as a television reporter and my life now in Utah—the opportunity came up. It was time, and Greece was the first stop. The small island of Paros was my first home—where flavors of the most luxurious yogurt stunned me, along with the bright flavors of the tomatoes and the simple, beautiful food that seemed to keep the locals living and smiling well into their 80s. Even cocktails were made with freshly squeezed orange juice—which convinced me to always order a screwdriver—for the nutritional value that came with the cocktail (yes, I was young and broke, and this seemed to be a genius idea). After Greece came Turkey, Czech Republic, Hungary—and a six-month stint in the German Alps. The food and drink of each country continued to reveal clues about the people and cultures. I might argue that learning how to pour and pronounce each Bavarian beer is just as important as knowing not to be polite in a ski line in the Alps. Turns out, there are no lift lines to wait in—just people to plow over to get to the front. So very German, and so useful to know. “Are you going to write about the horrible food in Bhutan?” asked my mother when I told her about this essay. Which brings us to another valuable point when it comes to travel and food: Even when the meals don’t measure up, the adventure can. Sure, we didn’t taste anything incredible in the rarely traveled Bhutan (also known as one of the happiest cultures on earth). But the mountains, the monks and the monasteries far outweighed our memories of unimpressive food choices. So as my dear mother and I plan our next adventures, we admittedly want good food more than ever before. But we also know that any food, in any place, is really a bridge to the stuff that matters most. The meals you share in new places and foreign lands are the true “people connectors.” Whether you’re sitting in an Istanbul carpet store having tea with the owner, or find yourself at a table for 20 in the Middle East with hummus that changes your life, the food or drink is a tool—a culinary bungee cord, of sorts—that provides us with the opportunity to bond and break bread with new folks who can teach us about why things are the way they are in their world. That is the beauty of travel. That is why we GO (and why we eat when we get there). ❖ 56 Devour Utah • August 2016
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