Devour February 2017

vol. 3 no. 2 • Febuary 2017 • Love

It’s time to

The Foods Getting Utah’s Virtual Love p. 14

Local Chefs’ Guilty Pleasures p. 36 Beloved Dining Institutions p. 42

The Perfect Marriage

Utah Restaurant Association joins Devour Devour Utah • February 2017Utah.

1

Deconstructing Cupid p. 18

p. 50

2 Devour Utah • February 2017

Devour Utah • February 2017 3

Exploring the ultimate feel-good food

BY AMANDA ROCK

Double Taps

Favorite Utah foods on Instagram

BY KASEE BAILEY

Deconstructing Cupid

Contents

A culinary history of Valentine’s Day

BY DARBY DOYLE

The Spread

Mollie and Ollie

BY AIMEE L. COOK

Let Me Count the Ways

A newcomer’s love of SLC dining

BY MAYA SILVER

The Deconstruct

Ikigai’s amberjack with pistachio and pickled plum

BY TED SCHEFFLER

Sorry, Not Sorry

Local chefs’ guilty pleasures

BY ALEX SPRINGER

Laziz Kitchen

Lebanese flavors and culture in SLC

BY AIMEE L. COOK

Beloved Institutions Alternative eateries for Valentine’s Day

BY LESLIE SHELLEDY

You Oughta Be in Pictures

Oscar-worthy cocktails from the big screen

BY DARBY DOYLE

Last Bite

Edible ardor

BY JOANNE MILLER

4 Devour Utah • February 2017

MICHEAL GROSSMAN

10 14 18 26 28 34 36 40 42 58 66

A Love of Chocolate

Devour Utah • February 2017 5

DEVOUR CONTRIBUTORS STAFF Publisher JOHN SALTAS Editorial Editor Copy Editor Proofreader Contributors

Photographers

TED SCHEFFLER SARAH ARNOFF LANCE GUDMUNDSEN KASEE BAILEY, AIMEE L. COOK, DARBY DOYLE, JOANNE MILLER, AMANDA ROCK, LESLIE SHELLEDY, MAYA SILVER, ALEX SPRINGER NIKI CHAN, DARBY DOYLE, CAROLINE HARGRAVES, JOHN TAYLOR, JOSH SCHEUERMAN, MAYA SILVER

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 Graphic Artists

DEREK CARLISLE SUMMER MONTGOMERY, JOSH SCHEUERMAN, CAIT LEE

Business/Office Accounting Manager Office Administrator Technical Director Business Dept. Administrator

PAULA SALTAS NICOLE ENRIGHT BRYAN MANNOS ALISSA DIMICK

Kasee Bailey is a Virginia-bred freelance journalist who loves telling stories and collecting cookbooks.

She considers herself a french fry connoisseur and thinks life is too short to eat a bad meal.

Marketing Marketing Manager

JACKIE BRIGGS

Circulation Circulation Manager

LARRY CARTER

Sales Magazine Advertising Director Newsprint Advertising Director Digital Operations Manager Senior Account Executives Retail Account Executives

JENNIFER VAN GREVENHOF PETE SALTAS ANNA PAPADAKIS DOUG KRUITHOF, KATHY MUELLER LISA DORELLI, TYESON ROGERS, NICK SASICH, SIERRA SESSIONS, JEREMIAH SMITH,

Maya Silver likes to write almost as much as she likes to eat. When she’s not doing either of those things, she’s biking, baking or working on environmental issues as a master’s candidate at the University of Utah.

Cover Photo: Heart shaped cookies with jam by Vitalii Shastun 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 @DevourUtah

6 Devour Utah • February 2017

@DevourUtah

@DevourUtah

Alex Springer is a freelance food and entertainment writer who has contributed to several publications along the Wasatch Front. He’s an avid fan of all things beautiful and tasty—especially when he doesn’t have to drive that far to get them.

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Devour Utah • February 2017 7

This Time with

Heart Loving the flavors, fanfare and fantasy of the year’s most romantic month.

A

confession: Even though it is rightly pegged by many as the prototypical Hallmark holiday, I look forward to Valentine’s Day more than any other. Cupid, chocolates and pink-hearted commercialism aside, how can one not get behind the one day of the year that celebrates love and affection? As The Beatles reminded us, it’s something that we—and our world—need more of.

And so, in this special Love edition of Devour Utah, we take a look at love in its many guises. For writer Alex Springer, love is found in the guilty pleasures of the chefs he interviewed. Spoiler alert: cheesy nachos are among them.

Naturally, an affection for chocolate is de rigueur for Valentine’s Day, and chocolate-lover Amanda Rock takes us on a tour of top-notch local chocolatiers, from Amano to Mrs. Cavanaugh’s.

A love of Lebanese cuisine led owners Moudi Sbeity and Derek Kitchen to open Laziz Kitchen, and Aimee L. Cook captures the Middle Eastern passion and flavors that went into their project. Meanwhile, recent Denver transplant Maya Silver “counts the ways” that she has fallen for the SLC dining scene.

If, like me, all you know about Valentine’s Day is heart-shaped boxes of chocolates and Cupid, treat yourself to an entertaining and informative article from Darby Doyle. Her culinary history of Valentine’s Day is a delicious deconstruction of the holiday. Switching her gaze to libations, with the Academy Awards in view, Darby also delivers a fun look at Oscar-worthy cocktails from films such as The Thin Man, The Big Lebowski and Some Like It Hot. Some of the restaurants that we’ve come to love in this issue of Devour include Penny Ann’s Café, Bombay House, Lucky 13, Ikigai, Mollie and Ollie, and many more.

Please enjoy this issue of Devour. We hope you’ll Love it. ❖

8 Devour Utah • February 2017

RICK CAVENDER

—Ted Scheffler Editor

Cottonwood: 3698 East Ft. Union Blvd.

University: 258 South 1300 East

Devour Utah • February 2017 9

A

Love Chocolate of

Sweet choices for Valentine’s and any day

BY AMANDA ROCK

F

BILL FLANK

10 Devour Utah • February 2017

BILL FLANK

BILL FLANK

or many, Valentine’s Day means one thing: chocolate.

At least it does when you’re as obsessed with food as we are. Chocolate is the ultimate feel-good food; a supposed aphrodisiac loaded with healthy antioxidants and essential minerals—the perfect antidote to the smog and dreary February weather. We live in a pretty great state to be obsessed with chocolate. Utah is home to eight bean-to-bar companies and a handful of exquisite chocolatiers. Whether you’re looking for a gift to warm the heart of a loved one or just need a sweet pick-me-up, chocolate is the answer.

RUTH KENDRICK RUTH KENDRICK RUTH KENDRICK

For the foodie: Amano Artisan Chocolate

For the fashionista: Chocolot Artisan Confections

A gift of Amano Artisan Chocolate will surely inspire true love and devotion. Only the best beans and ingredients are used to create a notable selection of dark and milk chocolate bars. The raspberry rose ($7.95) lends itself to Valentine’s Day gifting with a pretty pink wrapper and rose motif. Singleorigin chocolate with raspberry notes and an undertone of rose flavor make this bar a thing of beauty. Order Amano chocolates online, or stop by Liberty Heights Fresh, Tony Caputo’s or Harmons, which carry a wide array of bean-to-bar chocolate.

Ruth Kendrick, a second-generation chocolatier, has been making chocolates for more than 50 years. Her creations are colorful and elaborate, almost too pretty to eat. Just kidding—they’re delicious! These European-style chocolates come in vibrant, eye-catching colors with bright flavors to match. A box of 12 ($22) includes popular flavors like Meyer Lemon, Beehive Honey and Fleur de Sel Caramel. You can find these gift-worthy chocolates at boutiques throughout the valley or order them online.

Amano Artisan Chocolate 801-655-1996 amanochocolate.com

Chocolot Artisan Confections chocolot.com Devour Utah • February 2017 11

For the traditionalist: Mrs. Cavanaugh’s Chocolates “Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” Not at Mrs. Cavanaugh’s Chocolates, however, where you can choose exactly what goes into your box. Select from gooey caramels, nutty clusters and cream-filled chocolates to create a box of 24 chocolates ($24.95). It’s a classic gift for a reason—Mrs. Cavanaugh’s has been making chocolates by hand with fresh ingredients and no preservatives since 1964. There are six stores throughout Utah, or you can simply place an order online (but you’ll miss out on free samples!).

BILL FLANK

BILL FLANK

BILL FLANK

Mrs. Cavanaugh’s Chocolates Multiple locations mrscavanaughs.com

For the sweet tooth: Hatch Family Chocolates

For the health nut: The Chocolate Conspiracy

Four generations of the Hatch family have been dipping chocolates since 1917. Hatch Family Chocolates opened in 2003, instantly becoming a must-visit destination for those of us with a serious sweet tooth. Opt for a box of chocolate turtles ($24.99): Roasted pecans are bathed in housemade caramel with a creamy vanilla center covered in milk or dark chocolate. Four turtles are included in each package, and they’re practically the size of actual turtles. While you’re there, be sure to indulge in a cup of hot cocoa—it’s an unforgettable chocolate experience.

The Chocolate Conspiracy offers bars, delectable truffles and other tasty confections made with raw, organic chocolate. Using high-quality cacao beans that don’t require roasting allows the nutritional integrity to remain intact. Natural flavors from herbs, spices, nuts, seeds, fresh and dried fruit make everything at The Chocolate Conspiracy a special, wholesome treat. Pick up a sampler of five bars ($25), ranging from the brightly flavored blackberry ginger bar to the intriguing Wild Spice bar. Find Chocolate Conspiracy creations wherever fine chocolates are sold or visit their shop for the best selection.

Hatch Family Chocolates 376 8th Ave., SLC 801-532-4912 hatchfamilychocolates.com 12 Devour Utah • February 2017

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Taps

Double

Utah’s (virtual) love for culinary

Insta-trends

By Kasee Bailey

By Kasee Bailey

W

hy do humans have thumbs?

Despite the scientific research to explain otherwise, I’d like to argue that the evolution of our species serves another important, culturally relevant purpose: the double tap. You open the rainbow camera icon. You scroll. Tap-tap. Red heart.

Scroll. It’s a pattern as familiar to us as breathing—it’s natural, it’s instinctive, it’s how we express our love across the interwebs.

Nothing is more prolific on Instagram than the food trends of our locales. Social media is perfect for the propagation of foods that have infiltrated our restaurants, our palates, even our home kitchens.

These increasingly visual gastronomic creations have earned our love through social shareability—and changed the way we eat.

You’ve seen the trends: In ancient times (meaning, in social media terminology, a few years ago), it was the layered milk bar cakes.

Then it was the cronut. Then churros, rainbow bagels (aka, “frankenfoods,”) over-the-top milkshakes, fancy latte foam designs and avocado toasts. Well, last year’s trends: We’ve broken up and we’re so O-V-E-R you.

During this season of romance, we’re putting our finger on the pulse of Utah’s food scene and celebrating seven culinary fads that are getting all our double taps—our love—on Instagram.

14 Devour Utah • February 2017

HANNAH GASINSKI UTAH GRUBS

TRACY K

MAYA ROSE

Foods Before 10 a.m.

The most important meal of the day has become the most Instagrammable. I mean, if you don’t get a picture-perfect shot of your brunch, did your meal even happen? Utah’s breakfast of champions includes extravagant French toasts, layered waffles and glamorous pastries. Fruit- and bacon-topped Belgian waffles from Bruges Waffles and Frites tempt our taste buds, along with Waffle Love’s prolific Utah presence (their ’grammable murals help shareability, too). Hruska’s Kolaches dishes out hearty Czech-inspired breakfast treats that fill our needy bellies, and the introduction of a breakfast menu at Cubby’s Chicago Beef brought brioche French toast and breakfast burritos to the forefront of our cravings.

MILA SANTOS

Don’t call us vanilla. Utah’s diverse food cultures are clustered with red hearts on display for all the internet to drool over.

Logan hidden gem Tandoori Oven’s naan and butter chicken showcase our proclivity for Indian fare, while taco trends from Taqueria 27 (pear-and-beet or duck confit, anyone?) and Black Sheep Café (fry-bread tacos), along with Red Iguana’s mole are among our love for the Beehive State’s choice Mexican eatables.

BROOKE ELIASON

Ethnic Fare

BROOKE ELIASON

MARIA LICHTY

Doughnuts

Utahns are all about the dough— fried dough, that is. Gracing the presence of many an Instagram feed are hosts of sugary rings, like Banbury Cross’ iconic pastries and Create Donuts Co.’s doughy delicacies (complete with scoops of gelato and mousse—you know, when no ordinary glaze will do).

Devour Utah • February 2017 15

UTAH GRUBS MARISSA

Sugary Confections

16 Devour Utah • February 2017

KATRINA MUR

RENEE JENSEN

Utah doesn’t need Bruce Bogtrotter-esque chocolate cakes to have its own Willy Wonka-inspired treats filling Instagram feeds. Last year’s Cake Wars winner The Mighty Baker’s cheesecakes, stroopwafels and cake flavors, along with Gourmandise’s selection of popular bread pudding,

It’s an enduring trend, the omnipresent visual appeal of a hefty burger and sidekick of fries. But Utah’s got its own take on the classics, like Chedda Burger’s much loved Killing Me Softly: a colossal bite that features bacon arugula, cranberry sauce and Krispy Kreme doughnut buns. (And it wouldn’t be complete without a side sugar-rush of their oneof-a-kind milkshakes, like Urban Campfire or The Bright Side—think Twinkies.)

Lucky 13’s Big Benny and Nutter Butter Burgers, and Chom’s sweet-potato fries and seasonal milkshakes also earn Utah’s social media love. And don’t forget a Utah tradition: Bear Lake raspberry shakes.

The burgers, fries and milkshakes of our state prove that Utah does it best; or just that we eat a lot of hamburgers. Protein, right?

Double tap.

croissants and pastries, all tantalize our sweet teeth.

Riverhorse on Main’s churro bowl and spiked pumpkin bread pudding with horchata ice cream and pumpkin-seed brittle get lots of hearts from eclectic dessert fanatics, while the pink exterior and royal lettering at Mrs. Backer’s Pastry Shop are almost as ’grammable as the treats—fritters, tortes and fauna-topped cupcakes—inside.

UTAH GRUBS

UTAH GRUBS KERI BENTON

The American Meal

MADISON PURCELL

Utah’s health-food craze brings colorful bowls of fruit and yogurt, green smoothies and superfood-filled juices to our feeds—and stomachs. ’Cause it can’t all be donuts and burgers, right?

Ivie Juice Bar and Bowl of Heaven’s acai bowls craft a rainbow of fruit to scroll past, while the Protein Foundry’s selection of embellished toasts make health nuts out of all of us.

RACHEL MASER

Health Nuts

Utah soda shops’ “dirty” drink-naming controversy has leagues of locals taking to Instagram to declare passionate allegiance to their preferred pop purveyor. Tall red cups and frosted sugar cookies have become as central to the Utah food scene as green Jell-O, fry sauce, funeral potatoes and collegiate ice cream.

UTFITFOODIE

MELISSA ESPLIN

Soda Pop

Got more food that earns Utah’s double taps? Share with us!

We’re sure to love ’em.

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Deconstructing “M

any of the foods people expect on Valentine’s Day just don’t make sense,” Amour Café’s pastry chef Amber Billingsley says. “Like strawberries dipped in chocolate, for example. Strawberries in February are not good.”

Take those under-ripe, overly-tart fruits out of season and not even the best chocolate is going to compensate.

“Plus,” she says, “I’ve never liked the combination of strawberry and chocolate. There are so many other flavors that work better together.” As we talked more about the often unrealistic expectations and traditions of Valentine’s Day, Billingsley and I agreed that as it’s celebrated in modern times, this seminal holiday for lovers seems to be full of culinary complexity. And it’s a big day for the food industry in general: Between the thousands of tons of chocolate produced and sold-out restaurant bookings made weeks in advance for prix fixe dinners, much of the day’s traditions revolve around food.

18 Devour Utah • February 2017

Considering that our basic animalistic needs are driven by the dual survival modes of eating and procreation, it’s no surprise that the ancient roots of many holidays, including and especially Valentine’s Day, have their beginnings in ancient celebrations of fertility and agriculture. Over centuries, many Christian holidays combined appealing aspects of revelry and celebration with stories from the Bible. In ancient times, Yule celebrated the rebirth of the sun following the winter solstice with evergreen boughs and bonfires. Today, it’s commercialized with our annual hunt for the perfect Christmas tree and strands of twinkling lights.

Like many modern interpretations of Catholic saints’ days, the basic outlines of Valentine’s Day also have morphed into a combination of pagan fertility celebrations taken over by Christian festivals to appease the hungry masses.

In Roman times, the feast of Lupercalia from Feb. 13-15 was dedicated to the god of agriculture, Faunus, and to

Cupid

A culinary history of Valentine’s Day

Rome’s founders Romulus and Remus. Romans sacrificed a ram—long associated with male sexual energy—and would fling the bloody hide at young women gathered to ensure the community’s fertility. (Trés romantic, right?) Commoners and elites alike reveled with feasting, copious alcohol consumption and public clothing-optional debauchery in the waning days of winter. Overlapping this time of social conflict and jockeying for religious power, early Christians chronicled two (and in some accounts, three) different martyrs named Valentine, who were executed on Feb. 14 in the third century A.D. under orders of Roman Emperor Claudius II. The Catholic Church later granted both Valentines sainthood, with their combined saint’s day celebration on Feb. 14. St. Valentine’s patronage is officially attributed by the church to intercession against epilepsy (once known as “St. Valentine’s Malady”) and the plague, and on behalf of love, happy marriages, apiarists—e.g. bee

By Darby Doyle

keepers, which also corresponds to honey’s long association as an aphrodisiac—and, presumably, greeting-card manufacturers.

According to 18th century English antiquarians Alban Butler and Francis Douce, Catholic popes in the fifth century recognized that abolishing Lupercalia feasts entirely would be unattractive to a populace who looked forward to the annual revelry. Pope Gelasius I wisely appropriated aspects of the popular festival within the guise of celebrating the sainthood of both Valentines, encouraging Lupercalia’s association with themes of love, fidelity, coupledom and agricultural abundance, while discouraging the ancient traditions of animal sacrifice, nudity and (putting it circumspectly, here) public consummation of relationships.

Through the Middle Ages, Feb. 14 further became associated with romance, as many Europeans believed the day marked the beginning of mating season for legendary monogamous Devour Utah • February 2017 19

AUSTEN DIAMOND

Matt Caputo

AUSTEN DIAMOND

Chocolates at Caputo’s

bird species. In his 1382 poem, Parlement of Foules, Geoffrey Chaucer described love thusly: “every bird cometh to choose his mate” on “seynt Voantynes day.”

Although chocolates presented in heart-shaped boxes especially for St. Valentine’s Day would not become popularized until that marketing genius and English chocolate engineer Richard Cadbury created semi-solid “eating chocolates” for distribution in 1861, chocolate had a long and celebrated history of being consumed in liquid form as a romantic stimulant. In her “memoir of the senses,” Aphrodite, writer Isabel Allende describes chocolate’s sensual qualities at length. In sacred rituals, the Aztecs drank cacao beans ground into powder, which were associated with the goddess of fertility, Xochiquetzal. “The cruel conqueror of Mexico, Hernán Cortés, tasted it first in the court of the emperor Moctezuma and shortly thereafter introduced it into Spain, where its fame 20 Devour Utah • February 2017

as an aphrodisiac was so great that women drank it in secret,” Allende wrote. By the 17th century, drinking chocolate—popularized by Louis IV’s famous daily consumption and its prevalence in the Versailles court— became more available to the masses in chocolate houses in cities like Paris and London. Smithsonian historian Amy Henderson notes that legendary courtesan Madame du Barry “was said to use chocolate mixed with amber to stimulate her lovers,” and, “When Marie Antoinette married Louis XVI in 1770, she brought her personal chocolate maker to Versailles. The official Chocolate Maker to the Queen created such recipes as ‘chocolate mixed with orchid bulb for strength, chocolate with orange blossom to calm the nerves, or chocolate with sweet almond milk to aid the digestion.’”

Containing the chemical theobroma, chocolate’s natural stimulating qualities can be both addicting and disinhibiting. “What woman has not

seen her defenses crumble before a box of chocolates?” Allende wrote. Now, West African countries (particularly Côte d’Ivoire) produce more cacao than all the plant’s ancestral American countries of origin combined. Global revenues from chocolate now exceed $98 billion annually, according to United Nations economists.

Bringing the economics of the trade closer to home, Utah’s highend chocolate producers have been a driving force in the industry, and Saveur magazine called Utah “the craft chocolate capital of America” in an article last year. Matt Caputo, chocolate expert and Caputo’s Market & Deli director of marketing, notes that their stores sell more than 400 varieties of craft chocolate, making Caputo’s one of the most diverse artisan purveyors in the country. According to studies in 2014 and 2015 by the National Confectioner’s Association and the National Retail Federation, respectively, of the

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$18.9 billion Americans spend on Valentine’s Day each year, a sizeable chunk is on food and drink—specifically candy, sparkling wine and restaurant dining. In the week leading up to Valentine’s Day, Americans purchase 58 million pounds of chocolate, a majority going into 36 million heartshaped boxes. Additionally, eight billion conversation ‘sweethearts’ are produced for distribution, although I have yet to meet a person who actually enjoys consuming them.

Pastry chef Billingsley attributes chocolate’s popularity for Valentine’s Day desserts and beyond to it’s inherently decadent qualities. “Sweets, chocolate and pastry are all about pleasure. That’s their only purpose,” she asserts. Even the shapes of pastries have been long affiliated with fertility symbolism. Think éclairs, cream puffs and pastries associated with other February saints’ days, like Italian Minni di Virgini (St. Agatha’s Breasts, complete with cherry-tipped nipples). According 22 Devour Utah • February 2017

DEREK CARLSLE

DEREK CARLSLE

Minni di Virgini

to Billingsley, “Really anything could be considered an aphrodisiac within the context of a particular time and place. To me, those foods that people create as tokens of devotion are the most stimulating.” She shared with me a story from her early days dating her now-husband, chef Robert Angelilli.

“We’d just finished a shift working in the restaurant, and I was starving.

Robert made me potato gnocchi from scratch—something not on the menu—with just a bit of butter, salt and pepper.” This token of food and affection stays with her even now, decades later. “It was so good, so comforting. He made it just for me, and I fell for him so hard.” (Authors note: I would, too, Amber.)

My husband tells a similar story about our own unconventional courtship when we were wilderness rangers stationed near Mount Rainier; he was completely besotted after I made him brownies from scratch without using a recipe, cobbled

together with pantry ingredients scrounged in his rudimentary bachelor’s kitchen in the middle of nowhere. The following Valentine’s Day he proposed, and we’ve called them “proposalworthy brownies” ever since.

Billingsley and I both agree with Isabel Allende’s contention that humans have attributed aphrodisiacal qualities to wide categories of food and experience, creating love philters from ingredients rare, exotic and profane.

And often—as in the case of the apocryphal “stimulant” of powdered rhinoceros horn—there have been devastating ecological consequences.

Foods resembling sexual organs abound with sensual mythology and rumors of aphrodisiac qualities: tomatoes, eggplant, prolific grains like wheat and rice, fruit of all varieties and coloration, eggs in every form from the smallest caviar to the exuberant ostrich, and aromatics like fresh herbs.

Through the perspective of modern food science, we can appreciate that

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B DORAN DEREK CARLSLE

Oysters on the half shell

people who ate vitamin- and mineralpacked foods like the ones listed above were probably healthier, with better fertility and overall attractiveness.

This also held true for the legendary aphrodisiacal qualities of pretty much every creature pulled from the sea, especially zinc-rich oysters (zinc being a crucial element for producing testosterone). Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, beauty and sexuality, and her counterpart in the Roman pantheon, Venus, are both presented in art and mythology as rising naked from the ocean cupped in a seashell, underpinning the eroticism of shellfish.

Artistic renderings of Aphrodite’s son, Cupid (and Venus’s progeny, Eros) became particularly popular during the Middle Ages, often accompanying stories of love and romance. During the Renaissance, Cupid’s bow and arrow became identified with visions of love at first sight, and images of chubby bow-wielding cherubs followed into the Victorian era’s ideals of romance.

24 Devour Utah • February 2017

Never ones to leave any concept simple—especially when associated with anything remotely romantic—the Victorians developed complex systems of communication via everything from flower symbolism to the colors used in even the smallest correspondence.

The red of true love and pink of bold intentions became synonymous with Valentine’s Day cards, especially when they became mass-produced in the late 19th century, and those distinctive colors—along with Rubenesque cherubs—liberally decorated those iconic Cadbury chocolate heart “Valentine’s” boxes from the very beginning.

While certainly one of the more entertaining encyclopedias of aphrodisiac ingredients, Allende’s volume is one of hundreds penned every year, which the author herself finds puzzling: “Frankly, I don’t know who buys them, because I have never known anyone who cooks or makes love from a manual,” and further, “The

ultimate purpose of aphrodisiacs is to incite carnal love, but if we waste all our time and energy in preparing them we won’t have much left for luxuriating in their effects.” This may explain why dining out on Valentine’s Day is so popular; perhaps outsourcing the food portion of our primal urges allows us to concentrate on the more romantic aspects of the day’s activities.

The National Restaurant Association (that’d be the other NRA) notes that over one-quarter of Americans dine out on Valentine’s Day, coming in second only to Mother’s Day as the most popular holiday for restaurants, pumping about $3 billion into the industry. Demands for out-of-season strawberries dipped in chocolate aside, restaurants are competing for the attention of both new and established clientele, and that amount of customer volume can create a lot of high expectations and pressure on both sides of the kitchen pass. A 2011 NRA study noted that “More than 2 in 5 consumers

Decadent brownies

Fresh INGREDIENTS

Delicious DEREK CARLSLE

ITALIAN CUISINE

say they pick their favorite restaurant or their companion’s favorite restaurant for their special meal, and about 1 in 5 select a restaurant with a romantic atmosphere, followed by restaurants that offer special menus or promotions.”

Fortunately for Utah diners, the list of romantic destinations is both diverse and lengthy, with many spots offering special tasting menus and celebratory wine pairings. Whether intentional or not, most of the menus graciously tip their hats toward the traditions of luxury and decadence, with oysters and champagne found in copious abundance. As Bambara’s General Manager Nicole Willis described last year’s celebration in a press release, “We’re serving up some spice and some romance, a dash humor, a little sappines—all the ingredients that make a great relationship.”

And for those choosing to cook up a little romance in the home kitchen, might I suggest making some homemade gnocchi and a batch of decadent brownies? They’re proven winners. ❖

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This DIY eatery offers endless options with a clean conscience.

T

he concept at Mollie and Ollie is simple: it’s all about you. Named after a pair of owner Neil Zussman’s favorite childhood goldfish, this casual restaurant provides the freshest ingredients it can obtain and allows you to create whatever you’re craving; the possibilities are really endless. In the mood for stir-fry? Try the Thai coconut curry: a nicely sized serving of rice noodles, honeybrined chicken, julienned carrots, red onion, broccoli and cremini mushrooms in a light Thai coconut curry sauce. Have a hankering for a fresh, healthy salad? Go with the Kale Yeah: green leafy kale, grilled tofu, red quinoa, roasted cauliflower, julienned apples, fresh corn, toasted coconut and miso-ginger dressing. With all those super foods in one bowl, you are sure to feel like you have a super power, or at the very least, a burst of energy.

Sourcing local, organic, free-range proteins along with the freshest vegetables and natural ingredients, Mollie and Ollie is taking fast food to another level. Zussman brought his healthy, fast-casual dining concept to Utah after having retired from designing women’s clothing for 20 years. Originally hailing from Ketchum, Idaho, Zussman saw a need to offer a “healthy meal to the customer quickly.” In fact, Mollie and Ollie does it in just 8 minutes.

“We opened this flagship restaurant in Utah because all my kids live here and we wanted to bring the ‘create your own’ aspect to Utah,” Zussman says. “This idea has taken off on the East Coast and we hope people will enjoy trying new things here.”

The ordering process at Mollie and Ollie is self-serve, via a high-tech kiosk. For each menu item—whether it be a stir-fry, wrap, breakfast bowl or scramble—you get to choose your base, protein, toppings, sauce and garnish. Smoothies, sides and desserts are also on the menu.

It’s a fun and easy way to change up your order every time you dine there.

Or, if you find or create a custom combination you love, the Mollie and Ollie computerized ordering system will save your selections and you can easily access them on your next visit. For those who don’t want to create their own customized dishes, there are several regular menu items, like the snappy Good to be Khing Curry. “Most people like ordering through the kiosk, it gives them ownership,” Zussman says. “But if you don’t want to order your food that way, you can walk right up to the counter and we will take your order.”

The interior is sleek, clean and comfortable. In addition to wanting you to eat healthy, Mollie and Ollie also focuses on being good and serving good people. Throughout the restaurant there are reminders to “be nice,” and clever phrases like “Romaine Nice” line the brightly colored walls, creating a positive, wholesome atmosphere in which to enjoy wholesome foods. “This place is different, you can’t get this anywhere else,” Zussman says.

Mollie and Ollie also offers online ordering, take-out, and catering. ❖

159 S. Main, SLC 801-328-5659 mollieandollie.com —By Aimee L. Cook Photos by Josh Scheuerman Devour Utah • February 2017 27

Let Me The Ways A newcomer’s love of SLC dining

By Maya Silver

1.

Down-home diners

Sometimes the best time to eat is in the past—specifically, the 1950s. Luckily, SLC has no shortage of diners, the foremost of which is Ruth’s Diner in Emigration Canyon. One of Utah’s oldest restaurants, Ruth’s serves comfort food with sides of nostalgia all day, from the downhome meat loaf burger with barbecue sauce, to chocolate malt pudding made from scratch—not Jell-O! And over at Left Fork Grill, the pie counter is kind of like a box of chocolates: You never know what you’re gonna get, but you do know it will be delicious. You’ll find time-tested standbys and more unusual varieties like apple pie with cheddar crust or raspberry cream. Left Fork is so pie-minded that each booth even has its own Instagrammable pie shelf so you can store and ogle your selection if you start with something savory.

28 Devour Utah • February 2017

Since moving to Salt Lake City this past summer, I have seen evidence of a sterling marriage of culinary humility and talent— and none of the Jell-O salads or mocktails I’d heard rumors about.

The local food and drink industry seems determined to debunk stereotypes (particularly the spirits-related ones often assigned to Utah) through ingenuity and energy. I’ve also found an unexpected mosaic of ethnic restaurants and a thriving sweets situation. Yes, SLC: This just might be love. Now, let me count the ways …

Apple pie with cheddar crust

JOHN TAYLOR

W

henever I travel or move, I map my new surroundings through taste. I look for the brewery to pour my post-bike-ride beers; the hole-in-thewall restaurant serving craveable comfort food that renders me a regular; and the coffee shop doubling as my home office, with strong beans and giant cookies. Eventually, the culinary scene reveals its city’s character, and becomes a character of its own.

The Rose Establishment

2.

Campout-worthy coffee shops

I was a little concerned about coffee in SLC since the LDS Church is off the espresso wagon. I was so, so wrong— and for that I am so, so thankful. For cozy vibes or meet-ups with friends, I love Sugar House Coffee almost as much as I’m into their luxurious turmeric-ginger golden milk and fudgy brownies. For more in the caffeine-plussugar department, you’ll find chocolate chip cookies and decadent chai options at The Rose Establishment, and gigantic Rice Krispy treats and lattes at the snug Coffee Garden locations.

JOHN TAYLOR

Endless taps at Uinta Brewery

JOHN TAYLOR

Beer flight at Park City Brewery

JOHN TAYLOR

3.

Breweries to brag about

Utah has something to prove, and it shows in the pint glass.

As a former Denverite, I’m already a big fan of Epic Brewing Co., which started peddling their addictive pours in the Mile High City a few years ago. I have a soft spot for Uinta Brewing Co. since it shares a name with my dog, and makes the zesty and award-winning Hop Nosh IPA. And one of my new favorites in the state is Park City Brewery, which serves up all their wares in minimalist cans and brews a brawny Imperial Pilsner that I could drink all day.

Epic Brewing Co.

JOHN TAYLOR

DEREK CARLSLE

Sugar House Coffee

Devour Utah • February 2017 29

4.

Odds-defying cocktails

Bourbon House

5.

CAROLINE HARGRAVES

Liquid finesse in this state extends beyond the coffee mug and the bierstein to the coupe glass, too. Bartenders seem to view the legislative restrictions set upon their concoctions as creative challenges, to which they have more than risen. I love sneaking downstairs to Bourbon House to sip one of their many Manhattans in a speakeasy setting. In the summer, I’m all about their Cablegram—a whiskey-ginger spruced up with Scottish Crabbies Ginger Beer and lemon.

Under Current also pours some of the meanest cocktails in the city, with more than 59 originals, like The Siren with absinthe, gin and lemon topped with egg-white froth and sage.

The Bagel Project Legit bagels

MAYA SILVER

En route to the airport one day, I pulled a quick U-turn when I saw a sign for The Bagel Project. Replicating a genuine NYC bagel is indeed a project, and one this ambitious little shop has more than pulled it off. The Poblano Picasso sandwich is a smoky poblano pesto, Manchego and veggies on a crispy-crusted, chewy, “everything” bagel. When I learned there were in fact two places to procure real bagels here (hello, Feldman’s Deli!), I immediately called my Jewish parents on the East Coast to inform them of the good news.

Sugar courses through Utah’s veins, and as someone with an unabashed sucrose addiction, this has come as great news. For the classics, I lean on kouign amann and macarons at Les Madeleines, where a lifetime local has also confirmed that everything owner Romina Rasmussen makes is “bananas” (in a good way!). Next on my list to try: Ro-eos (chocolate wafers filled with dulce de leche). I’m also obsessed with the larger-than-life biscotti at Tulie Bakery. At least double the size of your average biscotti, these cartoonish cookies provide dipping fodder for at least two cups of coffee. Finally, if I’m craving sugar before sunrise, I seek out the yeasty goodness of 30 Devour Utah • February 2017 Banbury Cross’ classic doughnuts.

Banbury Cross

JOHN TAYLOR

6.

A sugar junkie’s Valhalla

Hamons Grocery

Order Your

Chocolate Strawberry Roses

7.

NIKI CHAN

Today!

Grocery nirvana

An integral part of any food scene?

Grocery stores. Thankfully, the retail offerings in SLC are on-point. Local chain Harmons honors its humble fruit-stand roots with tons of organic and diverse produce, while also out-baking most other grocers (exhibit A: Beehive Rolls). Pre-dinner party, Tony Caputo’s Market & Deli is the place to stock up. With a dedicated cheese cave, one of the best charcuterie selections in the state and 400plus chocolate bar types, you won’t leave wanting. One of SLC’s strongest culinary suits is its ethnic diversity, and this shows in the network of incredible corner stores, from Pacific Mart seafood to Japan-Sage Market noodles.

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AUSTEN DIAMOND

Tony Caputo’s Market & Deli

Devour Utah • February 2017 31

8.

Same, but different Thai tastes

J. Wong’s

9.

JOHN TAYLOR

I once lived with a Thai woman in Florence, and our apartment perpetually smelled of fish sauce. It was a blessing and a curse, but I’ve loved Thai flavors ever since. Luckily, I’ve found a lot of them here in SLC, starting at J. Wong’s, which celebrates a family’s bi-culturalism with authentic Chinese and Thai cuisine. Then there’s the new Laan Na, where you’ll find novel dishes daily in the buffet and a spicy papaya salad that simultaneously heats up and refreshes your palate. My heat tolerance has also been more than tested at Tea Rose Diner. You can’t go wrong with a curry, but a bowl of the tom yum soup— herbaceous and piquant with lemongrass, ginger and lime—zaps cold from the inside-out in winter. Start at heat level two or three and work your way up.

Spice Kitchen Incubator A Small World of eats

JOHN TAYLOR

I could write an entire article about the plentiful and sundry ethnic eats in this city. Spice Kitchen Incubator—a program of the International Rescue Committee—is one of the driving forces behind our multicultural menus. Offering food business incubation for many immigrants and refugees in the area, Spice Kitchen has helped bring everything from Afghan fried chicken to Sudanese sambusa to SLC. One of my favorite ethnic restaurants to date has been the Ethiopian Mahider, where you’ll find tangy injera and wisdom dispensed by the Rastafarian staff (e.g.

“A new broom sweeps clean, but an old broom knows every corner”). Another great way to track down ethnic eats? Stalk food trucks, from the Peruvian Amkha Misky to Korean Cupbop.

Log Haven

This here’s a western state, and it shows on the plate—often in Park City. Though it may be a tad tawdry, No Name Saloon keeps me coming back with its taxidermied ambience and buffalo burgers. Log Haven in Millcreek Canyon is also a worthy destination for its next-level steak house fare (think smoked goose pappardelle) and frontier ambience cut from 40 acres of Wasatch National Forest cloth. And while the wait for a spot at High West Distillery might be long as a Utah summer’s day, it’s worth it for the beautiful bite in a tumbler of Rendezvous Rye whiskey served neat. ❖

32 Devour Utah • February 2017

JOHN TAYLOR

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The

34 Devour Utah • February 2017

I

t’s a bit difficult to translate into English, but the Japanese concept of ikigai has to do with purpose and meaning—a reason for being—not unlike the French phrase raison d’être. Ikigai restaurant owner Johnny Kwon speaks of ikigai partly in terms of passion and of destiny. He and head chef David Hopps are certainly passionate about flavor. From bold new takes on classics, like ramen carbonara, to subtle hotate chips with delicate scallop mousse, Chef Hopps is introducing a very creative and refined style of Asian cuisine to Salt Lake City.

A perfect example is his amberjack with pistachio and pickled plum dish, which is relatively simple in its components, but where each superb ingredient sings. Hopps utilizes the Japanese method of aging/curing fish for two to four days, depending on the fish, before serving it sashimi-style.

In this case, Japanese hamachi (aka amberjack) is cured with Okinawan salt and raw brown sugar for a couple of hours, then rinsed and aged for two days in a special antibacterial cypress (hinoki) box from Japan. The aging imparts a distinct umami character to the fish.

The hamachi is then cut into sashimi-style pieces and served raw with subtle garnishes of pureed pickled plum (umeboshi), candied pistachio crumbs and mitsuba leaves. The flavor is both savory and slightly sweet—a dish that you’ll develop a passion for. ❖ —Ted Scheffler Photos by Niki Chan

Ikigai

Amberjack with Pistachio and Pickled Plum 67 W. 100 South, SLC 801-595-8888 Devour Utah • February 2017 35

Sorry, Not Sorry

Local chefs dish on their favorite

E

guilty pleasures.

By Alex Springer

Photos by John Taylor

veryone has some entrée, snack or dessert that they turn to when nobody else is looking. Whether it’s Little Caesar’s obscenely buttery Crazy Bread or a giant bowl of nuclear-yellow Kraft macaroni and cheese, all of us have that one special so-bad-it’s-good food that we ardently love—even though we shouldn’t.

Though it may be difficult to digest, professional chefs are no different. A chef that uses the words “truffle oil” or “saffron” when discussing the kind of food they like to eat after a hard day at work is most definitely lying. Those that have dedicated their lives to pushing the boundaries of what food can do need something to ground them; something to recharge their creative batteries. In order to further explore the foods that keep our local gourmets emotionally satisfied, I met with four chefs for a no-holds-barred, high-calorie romp through the underbelly of Salt Lake’s culinary scene.

Chef:

How you know her: She was a contestant on Bravo’s Top Chef and is the founder of SLC Pop. Katie Weinner is best known for the inventive popup restaurants that she and her crew whip up through SLC Pop. She was also selected as a contestant on Bravo’s Top Chef, where she spent eight weeks going head to head with some of the country’s greatest chefs.

When it comes to guilty pleasure foods, Weinner looks no further than Chef Frodebert “Frody” Volgger’s wide selection of brats at Beer Bar. “If you tell someone you like hot dogs, people make fun of you—people think it’s almost a dirty thing to eat hot dogs,” Weinner says. Beer Bar’s brats come served on a housemade roll, and diners can select toppings like chimichurri, 36 Devour Utah • February 2017

Katie Weinner

sauerkraut or caramelized onions. “As a chef, you always want to go somewhere and be blown away or pleasantly surprised,” Weinner says. “This is one of the places that does that.”

As a long-standing fan of hot dogs and brats, I must say that Beer Bar is on to something. It’s not unusual to find savory mixtures like buffalo and chipotle showing up with elk or chicken and apple. I also loved discovering that sauerkraut and chimichurri could bridge a flavor gap I didn’t know existed. “When this place first opened, it had this reputation of being filled with hipsters,” Weinner says. “When I first came down here, I found that it was such a great, chill little place.

It’s a funny juxtaposition—it’s like this German-style beer bar, but they’re serving banh mi brats.”

Adalberto Diaz

Chef:

How you know him: He was a contestant on Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship and is the pastry chef at Fillings and Emulsions.

Fillings and Emulsions has occupied its unassuming spot on Kensington Avenue for the past three years. It’s now grown to the point where Diaz is packing up shop and moving to a new location at 1475 S. Main, which should be up and running by the end of February.

Diaz’s guilty-pleasure selection was an order of yum neua from Thai Siam. Initially, I was surprised with this selection, since yum neua is in the salad section of Thai Siam’s menu. For Diaz, a native of Cuba, this particular salad caught his eye because of its use of mint and lime juice: “It’s like a savory mojito,” he says.

Finding something so similar to his Cuban roots in a

JOHN TAYLOR

ANNE STEPHENSON

Katie Weinner

Adalberto Diaz Thai restaurant was enough to make this dish one of his regulars, becoming more of a comfort meal than a guilty pleasure.

Yum neua is exactly the kind of salad that I can believe in. Fresh, crisp leaves of romaine lettuce are topped with marinated, wok-fried beef, cherry tomatoes, onions and cucumbers. The sticky rice soaks up the fish sauce, making an excellent base for lettuce wraps, which is how Diaz recommends eating this fresh, citrusy miracle of a salad. “It’s all about the different textures,” he says. “There’s this crunchy lettuce, the spicy meat that is nice and tender. The rice brings some sweetness to the dish, and it’s all so refreshing and bright.”

Devour Utah • February 2017 37

Chefs:

How you know her: She’s a former pastry chef at Vinto and 3 Cups, and current pastry chef at Amour Café.

How you know him: He’s a former executive chef at Vinto, and current pastry chef at Gourmandise.

Amber Billingsley and her husband, Robert Angelilli, have been industry staples on Salt Lake’s culinary landscape for years. Ever since I tried the gelato at Vinto, I’ve been a bit of a Billingsley bakery groupie, and Gourmandise was the first place where a slice of cake nearly brought me to tears.

Needless to say, I was looking forward to discussing the nuances of guilty pleasure food with these two pros.

Billingsley selected Brewvies Cinema Pub’s nachos as her guiltiest of pleasures. “Part of it is the time and place—it’s kind of like a date night for us,” she says. “It’s the experience of getting a big ol’ beer, sitting in a dark theater, 38 Devour Utah • February 2017

JOHN TAYLOR

Robert Angelilli

JOHN TAYLOR

Amber Billingsley

Amber Billingsley and Robert Angelilli eating something where we’re not exactly sure what we’re grabbing, and watching something not very intellectual. It’s a guilty pleasure in every sense.”

Brewvies’ nachos are of the ballpark variety—corn chips stuck together with mounds of gooey cheese, sour cream, black olives, pico de gallo and sliced jalapeño peppers.

“It’s harder to eat it in the light, actually,” Angelilli says, “But you’re hitting all the points: fat, salt and sweetness. You’re cutting to the quick.”

Actually, I think the term “guilty pleasure” might be a misnomer. It implies an aspect of shame, but the reality is that most guilty pleasures—be they ’90s hip hop or a plate of melty nachos—make people feel better about life in general when they need a boost. And that’s nothing to be ashamed of.

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Devour Utah • February 2017 39

Laziz Kitchen Lebanese cuisine and a sense of community

By Aimee L. Cook

“I

t has been a long dream coming,” Moudi Sbeity says about opening Laziz Kitchen. “I’ve always had a passion for healthy home-style food. Especially food that takes me back to my roots and culture. I really wanted to introduce a taste of home the way I remember it to my community.”

Opening Laziz Kitchen seemed to be the natural next step for Moudi Sbeity and Derek Kitchen after having had great success with Laziz Foods since 2012.

“Running a business as a family is really good,” Sbeity says. “We have our different strengths. It is very rewarding to accomplish something with someone you love. Opening two businesses together is an incredible experience. We go home and think ‘wow, we fed 50 people today!’ At the end of the day, the happiness and satisfaction is very fulfilling.

Seeing people enjoying the food and the experience makes me very happy.”

Sbeity was raised in Beirut, Lebanon, and has fond memories of sharing delicious foods around a table. Eating great food was just a bonus to bringing different people together to share not just a meal, but to connect. Sbeity and Kitchen hope to bring locals together by bridging their passion for food with community engagement.

Traditional tastes of Lebanon are on the menu and inspired by Sbeity’s home. From fresh-baked pita bread, tabbouleh and baba ghannouj to some of Sbeity’s family favorites, like beef bazella.

“Beef bazella is a really homey stew,” Sbeity says. “It is really healthy and great when you want something warm and comforting. It has peas and carrots and cinnamon and

40 Devour Utah • February 2017

DEREK KITCHEN & MOUDI SBEITY

AIMEE L. COOK

SWEN GAILEN

STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES

AIMEE L. COOK

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18 MARKET STREET • 801.519.9595

cumin and a tomato base. It makes all the bad things in the world go away ... There is no right way to cook any specific type of food. But I wanted to bring that flavor and familiarity into my kitchen.” ❖

AIMEE L. COOK

Laziz Kitchen 912 S. Jefferson St., SLC 801-441-1228 lazizkitchen.com

Devour Utah • February 2017 41

Beloved Institutions Who needs hoity-toity on V-Day?

By Leslie Shelledy

42 Devour Utah • February 2017

hen you think of Valentine’s Day, eating at a high-end restaurant often comes to mind.

Romantic? Yes. But not my idea of fun.

Instead of splurging for the traditional fancy-pants Valentine’s Day dinner, why not support one of the more casual restaurants we Utahns truly love? Most of these places don’t come with table linens, candles or the option of bottled water. Rather, you and your honey will be welcomed like family, served delicious, homey food, and be surrounded by others who are enjoying themselves as much as you are. If you and your date want a non-traditional Valentine’s Day food experience but one that is guaranteed to be delicious and relaxing, try out one of the following beloved Utah restaurants.

W

DEREK CARLSLE

Bacon Stinky Cheeseburger

Bloody Mary

DEREK CARLSLE

DEREK CARLSLE

For Valentine’s Day dinner, swap the “gourmet” burger from an upscale restaurant and visit the revered Lucky 13 for an even tastier burger in a more relaxed atmosphere. Recognized for their award-winning burgers, co-owner Rob Dutton explains that the use of fresh and local ingredients is what makes their burgers stand out. A great option is the popular Celestial Burger. It comes with housesmoked bacon, grilled onions, cheddar cheese and housemade barbecue sauce.

Another popular choice is the Bacon Stinky Cheeseburger, which is topped with house-smoked bacon and Stella blue cheese crumbles. The hamburger buns are made locally and delivered to Lucky 13 daily. Considering most of the burgers are under $10 and come with a side of fries, you and your honey will enjoy top-notch food without breaking the bank. You’re also guaranteed to have an adult-only Valentine’s Day meal because it is a 21-and-over eating establishment.

135 W. 1300 South, SLC 801-487-4418 lucky13slc.com

SCOTT SOMMERDORF

Lucky 13

Devour Utah • February 2017 43

JOHN TAYLOR JOHN TAYLOR

Bombay House If Indian food is more up your alley, I recommend Bombay House for authenticity.

Having won several awards in Salt Lake, it’s apparent that Utahns truly admire Bombay House. What sets this eatery apart from the myriad of Indian joints in the Salt Lake Valley? The answer is consistency. Whether it’s for a late lunch or during the dinner-hour rush, the food is always delicious. Each dish has a complexity of spices and ingredients, resulting in a memorable experience no matter what you order. The best way to sample Bombay House’s menu is for you and your date to share several items. Start with the popular vegetable samosas, a spiced fried potato mixture served with mint and tamarind chutneys. Next, you can never go wrong with chicken tikka masala—chicken barbecued in a tandoor oven and cooked with bell pepper, onion, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, cream and spices. Other dishes guaranteed to encourage love and lust include the lamb curry, vegetable briyani and saag aloo. Don’t forget to order a side of garlic naan and cucumber raita and your Valentine’s Day meal will be exactly what Cupid ordered.

Multiple locations bombayhouse.com

JOHN TAYLOR

Tandoor chicken

44 Devour Utah • February 2017

Devour Utah • February 2017 45

JOSH SCHEUERMAN

Known for its American pub fare, Porcupine Pub & Grille has been loved by locals since opening in 1997. Due to excellent service and comfortable atmosphere, you and your love will feel right at home. When it comes to food, order one of the most well-known items on the menu: the nachos. Blue and white corn tortilla chips are loaded with toppings such as diced tomatoes, jalapeños, cheese, guacamole, sour cream, cilantro and much more. While labeled as an appetizer, it’s large enough to fully feed a lovestruck couple. Just as popular, the fish and chips are made with Alaskan halibut that is cut daily, dunked in a Hefeweizen beer batter, and flash fried. On the side are fries, dill tartar sauce and lemon wedges. In the mood for something equally as tasty but not as heavy? Try the wahoo fish tacos: grilled wahoo, cabbage, baja salsa, lime chipotle sauce, Oaxaca cheese, and your choice of corn or flour tortillas. Don’t forget to pair the excellent food with one of the 24 locally brewed ales on tap.

3698 S. Fort Union Blvd., SLC 258 S. 1300 East, SLC 801-942-5555 801-582-5555 porcupinepub.com

JOSH SCHEUERMAN

46 Devour Utah • February 2017

JOSH SCHEUERMAN

JOSH SCHEUERMAN

Porcupine Pub & Grille

JOSH SCHEUERMAN

Heavenly Hot Cakes

Cindy Lou & Penny Ann

Penny Ann’s Cafe is a relative newbie on the culinary landscape. It opened in 2011 and has been the go-to place for breakfast and lunch for a growing number of Salt Lakers. It’s not romantic in the traditional sense, but will be an equally memorable experience for two reasons: the food and customer service. Penny Ann’s Cafe specializes in making homemade comfort food. The sour cream Heavenly Hot Cakes are a must-try.

Light, airy and buttery, they are the perfect item for breakfast.

Fortunately, they come as a side to most entrees. Another go-to dish is the Pot of Gold, piled with ham, bacon, sausage, peppers, mushrooms and onions, all topped with cheddar cheese, two eggs and sausage gravy. And, yes, it’s served with the beloved Heavenly Hot Cakes. If you’re wanting to get into something a little wild, go for the breakfast nachos. Tortilla chips are fried in-house, smothered in housemade pork chili verde sauce, and topped with two eggs, cheddar cheese and sour cream. In addition to excellent food, the restaurant is also known for its welcoming customer service. You and your someone special will feel right at home. The Willey family—New York transplants and owners of Penny Ann’s—make a point to personally know their patrons.

Multiple locations pennyannscafe.com

JOSH SCHEUERMAN

Penny Ann’s Cafe

JOSH SCHEUERMAN

Breakfast nachos

Devour Utah • February 2017 47

JOHN TAYLOR

JOHN TAYLOR

Gluten-free banh mi

JOHN TAYLOR

Oh Mai What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than to eat fresh, authentic and affordable Vietnamese food from Oh Mai? Even though ordering at the counter and busing your own dishes may sound unromantic, it’s actually this very atmosphere that has caused Utahns to fall hard for Oh Mai. Without servers, tablecloths or candles, the environment is laid-back and relaxing. Add delicious, fresh food, and you and yours won’t want to leave. Serving several types of banh mi sandwiches, pho and buns, you can’t go wrong when ordering. The honey-glazed pork banh mi is a scrumptious option. Salty-and-sweet charred pork combined with fresh and pickled vegetables, jalapenos and a chili-lime fish vinaigrette creates a flavor profile that truly pops. For something lighter, the lemongrass bean curd bun is an excellent choice. Romaine lettuce, bean sprouts, rice noodles, fresh and pickled vegetables, peanuts and mint serve as the base of this salad, then it’s topped with creamy bean curd, creating a light, refreshing and satisfying meal. On a cold winter day, the pho truly satisfies. Your choice of meat is placed in an herbaceous and spice-filled beef broth along with rice noodles. You and your date will be smitten with the Oh Mai that our fellow Utahns already love.

Multiple locations ohmaisandwich.com

JOHN TAYLOR

Oh Mai pho

48 Devour Utah • February 2017

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Content provided by Utah Restaurant Association

Perfect The

Marriage

50 Devour Utah • February 2017

2017

brings an exciting new partnership between Devour Utah and the Utah Restaurant Association. Every month industry professionals and food enthusiasts alike can count on up-todate interworkings and inspirations relating to Utah’s restaurant community within the Taste Utah section of Devour Utah. We are proud to announce our new season of Utah’s favorite dining series: Taste Utah airing on FOX13 Saturdays at 9:00 AM. Along with Taste Utah we have selected 25 Park City restaurants to feature in the Taste Park City section of our dining guide www.tasteUT.com.

We will continue to host events like ProStart regional and state competitions, offering more once in a life time opportunities like “Taste For The Space” — a one day culinary competition event where Utah’s food community will help decide which chef competitor wins over $50,000 to open a restaurant concept at the renovated Shops at South Town.

Of course, our unique Industry awards will take place in May and offer the industry a chance to recognize and celebrate one another.

We have a variety of new marketing programs, events, and partnerships that will be announced in January.

The future is bright for Utah restaurants —

Happy tasting!

Devour Utah • February 2017 51

Content provided by Utah Restaurant Association

Melva’s Message

H

52 Devour Utah • February 2017

PASSION PROJECT: URA — The Voice of Utah’s Restaurant Industry!

Melva Sine — President / CEO Utah Restaurant Association

appy New Year Utah, we look forward to a prosperous year for our industry. The goal of the Utah Restaurant Association (URA) is to help restaurant operators be successful and distinguish their brands to build sales in this ever changing economic environment. Through innovative programs like Utah ProStart, Taste Utah, TeenChef Pro and advocacy efforts the URA has many platforms to empower and grow Utah’s restaurant community.

“Taste Utah” is a television series on FOX13 and an online dining resource showcasing Utah by highlighting restaurants, vendors, farmers and purveyors while branding Utah as a dining destination. Novice foodies, food enthusiast and restaurants can participate by posting their favorite food photos on Instagram with the #TasteUtah hashtag.

Taste Utah is Utah’s ultimate dining guide. Visit www.tasteUT.com and watch restaurant videos featuring owners, chefs, and IG photos to see the experience first hand.

Our ProStart program in over 60 high schools and with more than 1,500 students participating provides a well-trained, qualified workforce critical to sustain the growth of our restaurant industry. Engaging the youth in a restaurant career path, ProStart teaches advance courses in Restaurant Management with an emphasis on culinary skills.

TeenChef Pro features ProStart students teamed up with outstanding Utah chefs and guest judges. TeenChef Pro is available to watch year round online on Ora.tv. This educational program was honored with four Emmy Awards, including Best Education programming and Best Teen program and features the ProStart skills as weekly competition themes.

As the voice of Utah restaurants, we diligently work to represent needs at all levels of industry from alcohol policy to local health rules, county and city ordinances along with state legislation and regulations. The 2017 Utah legislative session begins January 23, 2017 and the URA will be working to protect the industry from harmful mandates, helping to improve Utah liquor laws as they pertain to restaurants and represent the needs and concerns of our industry. Join us as we affect change and promote all that restaurants do to enhance the lives of those we serve and to be the cornerstone of the economy and community. Through the joint efforts of hardworking industry professionals and the URA, Utah is the THIRD fastest growing restaurant economy in the nation!

Utah restaurants continue to nourish diners with over 4,600 restaurant locations and provide roughly 100,000 jobs making the restaurant industry a powerful economic engine. In addition, Utah’s restaurants have one of the lowest unemployment rates.

Finally, I want to personally invite any URA member interested in being more politically active to join me Friday morning at 8:00 A.M. on capitol hill during the legislative session for “Politics and Pancakes”.

We will discuss crucial bills and legislation, meet with political leaders and continue to make a difference for Utah restaurants. Please call our office 801.274.7309 to reserve your seat. •

Content provided by Utah Restaurant Association

Devour Utah • February 2017 53

Content provided by Utah Restaurant Association

Master Marketing Online In

C

ompetition in the restaurant industry is cut throat making an online presence no longer a luxury; it is necessity.

Despite owners’ and employees’ best intentions, 60% of new restaurants don’t make it past their first year often due to

1

MOBILE WEBSITES: Ensuring your website is optimized for mobile devices is quickly becoming critical. In 2016, 58% of consumers searched for a restaurant / bar on a mobile device, this is up from 31 % in 2013. Fortunately, there are many great pre-built restaurant themes that are fully responsive and provide a great user experience on any device.

a lack of exposure and accessibility.

For restauranteurs hoping to beat these odds, there are plenty of online marketing tools available to drive visibility and diners to your businesses.

Here is a list of 5 effective marketing ideas for restaurants to gain a leg up

2

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (SEO): 51% of adults find information about local bars and restaurants online, primarily through search engines according to Pew Research Center. A March 2015 Google Consumer Survey found that nearly half of all people will not search for a restaurant until within a hour of going, this number increases to 60% for Millennials. Maintaining regular search engine optimization efforts ensures that your name ranks high in diners’ search results.

You may want to consider hiring a respected agency such as Salt Lake’s Webtek Interactive for strategic help in 3 main categories: Keyword Research and Website Optimization, Create a Dedicated Menu Page, and Blogging

4

LOCAL BUSINESS LISTINGS: In addition to your website, creating and maintaining profiles on other sites will have a positive impact on your restaurant website’s SEO and visibility.

Increase your chances of showing up in location-based search results by optimizing your Google My Business page (this is most important because Google favors it’s own properties in search results). It’s also important to claim your listings and keep them updated with accurate contact info, descriptions and images. www.TasteUT.com is an excellent example.

on their competition online and get the most return on their marketing dollar.

Experiment with the strategies below – and be sure to measure the results of each strategy to determine the most effective way to spend your marketing resources.

3

PAY-PER-CLICK (PPC): The fastest way to get found on search engines is to use Pay-Per- Click (PPC) campaigns. Local restaurants can especially benefit from PPC, as it provides more targeting options to reach out to potential customers in your area. Properly run PPC campaigns get customers to land on location-specific, mobile-friendly landing pages. PPC has become so complex, offering a myriad of ad products that work in coordination with each other, so it can be wise to employ a Google Partner Agency or otherwise certified expert to gain the best return on your investment. Below is a brief list of the main types of PPC strategies: Paid Search, Re-marketing, Google Similar Audiences or Facebook Look-alike Audiences, Video Marketing and Paid Facebook Ads

5

MEDIA OUTREACH: Finally, use public relations to gain traction. Align your business with associations such as the Utah Restaurant Association that represents the entirety of the industries best interests, advocating and advertising for you. The URA’s 2016-2017 marketing campaign; Taste Utah is educating and engaging consumers statewide on Utah dining. Build these relationships and you have priceless allies invested in your success, invaluable exposure, community partnerships, and special events.•

Author Bio: JUSTIN CRAWMER Justin has worked in-house as SEM Manager for Skullcandy and CHG Healthcare Services, and consulted with over 100 businesses worldwide, he is a highly experienced and passionate online marketer. He is a Certified Google Adwords Professional and has managed Paid Search campaigns with budgets of over $250,000 per month in very competitive niches. Justin is also a certified Google Analytics expert and intensely focused on his clients’ ROI. 54 Devour Utah • February 2017

!

Content provided by Utah Restaurant Association

The Utah Restaurant Association is proud to announce the latest addition to www.TasteUT.com…

TASTE PARK CITY.

Taste Park City is an area specific dining guide featuring 25 of Park City areas hottest restaurants in 4 distinct dining districts:

1. HISTORIC MAIN STREET 2. PROSPECTOR 3. KIMBALL JUNCTION 4. THE RESORTS

Taste Park City

HISTORIC MAIN STREET Yuki Yama Sushi

PROSPECTOR Windy Ridge Bakery

KIMBALL JUNCTION Myrtle Rose

RESORTS The Farm

The Taste Park City section of Taste Utah’s website also includes an exclusive see-itfor-yourself video foreach restaurant. Meet the chef behind the cuisine, tantalize your tastebuds with a signature cocktail and discover why Park City is a your next dining destination. Only 32 miles east of Salt Lake City, we dare you to fall in love with this international dining destination all over again.

Trust us, dining at elevation will look good on you.

P

RK CITY

Be sure to #TasteParkCity on all your Park City restaurant food photos to have the instantly featured on the TasteParkCity Devour Utah • website.

February 2017 55

Content provided by Utah Restaurant Association MENTOR CHEF RYKER BROWN Powder Restaurant WaldorfAstoria PC

TeenChef Pro season II saw twelve ProStart TeenChefs vie for a four year culinary scholarship to the prestigious Johnson and Wales University. The twelve teens competed over the course of 13 weeks learning various ProStart culinary skills and how to implement them into restaurant caliber dishes. Guided by three of Utah’s hottest chefs, MentorChefs Ryker Brown of Powder Restaurant at the Waldorf Astoria, Logen Crew of Even Stevens Sandwiches and Justin Shifflett of Stoneground Restaurant.

Lexi Glenn, a Junior in the ProStart program at West High School won under the mentorship of Ryker Brown. Congratulations Lexi & Ryker, go Green Team!

TeenChef WINNER Lexi Glenn

West High ProStart

WATCH THE ENTIRE SEASON ONLINE! www.ora.tv/teenchefmasters

To find out more about participating in TeenChef Pro

www.teenchefpro.com

The National Academy Of Television Arts And Sciences : Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter honored TeenChef Pro (formerly Teen Chef Masters) with a total of six Emmy nominations. During the Rocky Mountain Emmy Awards Ceremony on October 8, 2016 the program walked away with a total of four Emmy statues for:

1. Education / Schools Program 2. Teen (13 & up) Program

4

EMMY WINS! 56 Devour Utah • February 2017

3. Audio Live or Post Production Program 4. Lighting Location or Studio Program This is an incredible honor and testament to quality programing building our industry and making a difference. Congratulations to the entire cast, crew, sponsors and all those involved in making TeenChef Pro (formerly Teen Chef Masters) an Emmy award winning program.

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You Oughta Be in

Story and photos by Darby Doyle

Sample these Oscar-worthy cocktails from the big screen. ocktails have been shaken and stirred in movies long before “talkies” and Technicolor brought us the vibrant sounds and colors of the craft. In film, a character’s beverage of choice is often defining shorthand for their personality, whether it’s James Bond’s famously “shaken, not stirred” vodka martini, The Dude’s White Russian in The Big Lebowski, or anything flashy and fruit-garnished in the Tom Cruise summation of all things 1980s, Cocktail. They’re the beverage

The Film:

The Big Lebowski The Year: 1998

The Cocktail: White Russian The Glass: Rocks

equivalent of Jean Brillat-Savarin’s famous translation, “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are”— immediately identifying a character as rarified or riffraff, worldly or provincial.

And, it’s not just what a character drinks on screen that illustrates their motivation. There’s also with whom they imbibe and how much goes down the hatch. For better or worse, conversations over drinks are often metaphorical plot movers in film, cementing relationships or just giving the actors something to do with their hands while getting through a

scene. Who can forget The Shawshank Redemption’s rooftop montage of the convict crew drinking “ice cold Bohemia-style beer” at 10 o’clock in the morning? In less than two minutes of voiced-over footage, the scene consolidates the resolution of months of intimacy, rage and conflict: “We sat and drank with the sun on our shoulders and felt like free men.” Whether planning for an Academy Awards-themed viewing party or setting up for a night of Netflix and chill, these screen-worthy sips are sure to please.

The Dude’s “Caucasian” White Russian: 2 ounces vodka 1 ounce coffee liqueur 1 ounce cream Fill a rocks glass with ice, dump in the above ingredients. Stir with your index finger.

Or as The Dude (played by Jeff Bridges in this cult classic) would order, “Another caucasian, Gary!”

Get out your bowling ball and comfy robe and free-pour this one in style.

58 Devour Utah • February 2017

” he important thing is the rhythm,” says the character Nick Charles (played by William Powell) in the 1934 comedic murder-mystery The Thin Man. Coaching a trio of white-jacketed bartenders on technique, he further advises: “Always have rhythm in your shaking.

Now, a Manhattan you shake to fox-trot time, a Bronx to two-step time, a dry martini you always shake to waltz time.” My friend Megan Jones, an LA-based cocktail shaker and multimedia maker, recommends this film—which was nominated for four Oscars and followed by four movies in the popular series—as a classic cocktail overindulgence shtick of the era, where William Powell and Myrna Loy (who plays the part of Nick’s heiress wife, Nora) “have about 80,342 martinis between them.” Careless elegance and witty repartee imbue

the entire film, and it inspired barware manufacturers to emulate the couple’s preferred delicate rounded-profile martini glasses, known forever after as “Nick and Nora” stems. In a 2002 reflection on the film, Roger Ebert described The Thin Man series as pure entertainment (the specter of alcoholism aside), where “The drinks are the lubricant for dialogue of elegant wit and wicked timing, used by a character who is decadent on the surface but fundamentally brave and brilliant.” Like the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musicals also wildly popular in the period, the harsh realities of the Depression are nowhere in sight. The Thin Man films, said Ebert, were “Pure escapism: Beautiful people in expensive surroundings make small talk all the day long, without a care in the world, and even murder is only an amusing diversion.”

The Film: The Thin Man The Year: 1934

The Cocktail:

Shaken Dry Martini The Glass: Nick & Nora

Dry Martini

There are as many martini recipes—and people who believe that theirs is the only way to make a martini—as there are brands of booze. Since Nick and Nora Charles free-pour their martinis with abandon throughout The Thin Man films, this is a close approximation of their usual recipe. A typical Nick and Nora glass is rather petite; about a 5-5 ½ ounce capacity.

Into a cocktail shaker with cracked ice add: 2 ounces (or more) London dry gin A very tiny splash of dry vermouth Shake in three-quarters cadence until the tin is frosty. Strain into a Nick and Nora glass, and garnish with an olive.

Devour Utah • February 2017 59

French 75

Long before the French 75 showed up in post-WWI bar books, champagne-liquor combos (made with gin or cognac) were popular among the Victorian-era nobility and the well-heeled folks who emulated them on both sides of the Atlantic.

Into a cocktail shaker with cracked ice add: ½ ounce fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon fine granulated sugar 2 ounces London dry gin Shake until frosty, strain into a chilled champagne flute or coupe. Fill to the brim with Champagne, and garnish with a long strip of lemon zest.

The Film: Casablanca The Year: 1942

The Cocktail:

French 75 The Glass: Champagne Flute

60 Devour Utah • February 2017

ood writer Joshua David Stein calls Casablanca “without a doubt the best film about a bar ever made.” The Eater.com editor describes Rick’s Café Americain bar as the ideal allegory for exploring human nature. “Among the victors are gin-joints, shawlcollar tuxedo jackets like the one Humphrey Bogart wore, and love. On the losing side are Nazis, hills of beans and the perpetually hassled ‘usual suspects’ rounded up after every crime.”

Being a convivial spot full of the world’s crème de la crème, the always-dapper barkeep Sasha serves Champagne in coupes, not flutes, to Europe’s wealthy expats. Rather ironically on the political spectrum, heroine Yvonne’s Nazi beau orders a French 75 cocktail in a pivotal scene.

Historically, the drink was named after a WWI French 75 mm field gun, celebrated by French and American allies for its power, speed and accuracy all packed in an efficient and mobile design. Apropos for this potent cocktail.

Devour Utah • February 2017 61

nce upon a time, the American Film Institute called Some Like It Hot “the funniest American movie of all time.” Through modern eyes, Marilyn Monroe’s character, Sugar, seems to be the sweetly naïve target of a long line of users, and the main male characters, played by Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis, slapstick-ily cross-dress their way through the film by tottering in kitten heels, with expected cliché’s of sexist hyperbole leading the way through the entire plot line. Lemmon’s awe of the über-feminine Monroe strutting away from him is palpable: “Look how she moves,” he gasped. “Like Jell-O on springs. She must have some sort of built-in motor. I tell you, it’s a whole different sex.”

Set in Prohibition-era Chicago and coastal Florida, Some Like It Hot is rife with bootlegged booze, mostly made with English gin and Canadian whiskey. Monroe drops full flasks from her garters, and the musicians of Sweet Sue’s All-Girl Band liberally mix— and drink straight out of the container—their heavy-handed Manhattans inside a stoppered rubber hot-water bottle to hide the contraband from their orchestra leader, Sweet Sue, and band manager, Mr. Beanstalk. During Prohibition, bourbon was available in limited quantities as “medicinal” bottledin-bond prescriptions, culled from private domestic stock— or, more usually, bootlegged from Canada by distillers like Kentucky’s famous Beam family, members of which relocated north of the border during those lean years.

In the film, Sugar always requests bourbon, which was often shorthand for sweet North American-style (versus rye or imported Scotch) whiskey.

The Manhattan

Manhattans stirred up in the late 19th century were originally made with rye, but those who prefer their cocktails on the sweeter side mixed theirs with bourbon, which was also the preference in Some Like It Hot. We’ll err on the side of presentation, here, and serve in a coupe glass instead of a rubber hot water bottle, as was the secretive mixing and serving vessel of Sweet Sue’s All-Girl Band.

Into a stirring glass with cracked ice add: 2 ounces whiskey (bourbon or rye) 1 ounce sweet vermouth 2-3 dashes aromatic bitters Stir with a long-handled bar spoon 50-60 times, or enough to melt in 1 ounce of ice water. Strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a maraschino (pronounced in the film “mare-ashKEEN-oh”) cherry.

The Film: Some Like it Hot The Year: 1959

The Cocktail:

Manhattan The Glass: Coupe (or a rubber hot water bottle)

62 Devour Utah • February 2017

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ny James Bond aficionado worth their salt knows that the Vesper Martini—made with three parts gin, one part vodka and a splash of Kina Lillet— was named after the original Bond girl, Vesper Lynd, in Ian Fleming’s first 007 novel, Casino Royale (1953).

Although Fleming describes several iterations of gin-andvodka martinis throughout the Bond novels and later films, Bond’s earliest conversation about martinis in Casino Royale describes the character’s approach: “I never have more than one drink before dinner. But I do like that one to be large and very strong and very cold, and very well made.”

Sean Connery was the first Bond on film to order a Russian

vodka martini, “shaken, not stirred” in Goldfinger (1964), and clinched Bond’s partiality to vodka martinis in popular imagination. However, the Bond series films are notoriously promiscuous in their brand affiliations for alcohol (and, of course, automobiles) over the years. In both book and film, 007 affably imbibes myriad gin and vodka drinks, whiskies from around the world, various liquors served straight up or mixed into Juleps and highballs of all varieties, and most recently, Heineken beer. From personal observation, however, I assert he’s most often seen holding that ubiquitous beverage of international espionage: a flute of champagne.

The Vesper Martini

As described in Casino Royale, this is definitely not a Utah pour. Also, Kina Lillet (a version of the winebased aperitif originally made with quinine) is no longer manufactured; using sweeter but more readily available Lillet Blanc with the addition of citrus bitters approximates the classic. This recipe makes one Bondworthy beverage or two drinks for the average spy.

The Film:

Casino Royale The Year: 1967, reprised 2006

The Cocktail: Vesper Martini The Glass: Martini

64 Devour Utah • February 2017

Into a cocktail shaker with ice add: 3 ounces dry gin 1 ounce vodka ½ ounce Lillet Blanc 3 dashes grapefruit bitters (or 2 drops tincture of quinine) Shake tin until frosty, strain equally between two martini glasses, and garnish with lemon zest.

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Last Bite:

Edible Ardor

By Joanne Miller

H

ow’s your relationship with food? Is hunger an all-too frequent basic yet demanding need, draining you of time, energy and money you’d rather devote elsewhere? Do you mindlessly peel, chop, stir and simmer to eventually anaesthetize surging waves of emotion and unmet desires? Or do you enthusiastically honor and savor each meal with divine reverence? The mere fact that you’re reading Devour Utah—a foodie’s magazine—suggests the latter.

Urban gourmands delight in the thrill of foraging for wares from equally enthusiastic local merchants, with their bounties of ripe produce displayed and tended to with the fondness and regard afforded to newborns. Delicate stems, plump skins, tender leaves and fronds are protectively shielded from unnecessary harm and bruising, as scavengers rummage to and fro, hessian bags at the ready.

Behold the fire in their eyes, the gusto in their hand gestures and the general air of intent, as gourmets gather and exchange their collective partiality for market treasures, cherished recipes and kitchen gadgetry among one another.

Just as a surgeon prepares before performing an operation, so too does the ardent home chef. There’s a correlation between ambience and culinary masterpieces. Sensory stimulation begets epicurean climax. Domestic gods and goddesses understand this oft-underestimated factor, so note your own or fellow creators’ stimuli when next in the kitchen. Should you dare to arrive early, you might discover the cook’s favored preparatory music is an unlikely accompaniment for the upcoming event. (Who hasn’t toyed with the idea of Megadeth as background music at a dinner party?) Notice the ubiquitous and generously poured cocktail, wine or aperitif of choice, accompanied by a sneaky little amuse-bouche to quell hunger pangs and keep the savant focused. Scented flowers and candles, the finest of sharpened utensils, glistening crockery and pans are also likely paraphernalia. It’s a scene of seduction as the culinary gifted “selfcharm” before cajoling their harvest into forkfuls of sensuous, magical fare.

Such nous or wizardry transforms bland or respectable dishes into beguiling and extraordinary creations with fabled repute. Tender gastronomic treatment and brilliance can resuscitate the meekest of taste buds, even those with an intense aversion for the maligned Brussels sprout or offal. Moody candlelight provides a two-fold service: the aforementioned ambience and the perfect guise to deflect unassuming revelers from said antipathies.

Cookery excellence isn’t necessarily born to appease or seduce the hearts of others. Independence and regulation are far greater motivators. Devising delicious meals sans harmful binders and fillers, preservatives or inflammatory ingredients is highly valued in an era of prevailing self-care and love. Recall the heartfelt bliss from when you devoured something made with love, passion and absolute consideration—a hearty soup or sauce, ridiculously rich risotto or decadent chocolate soufflé, perhaps. “Domestic bliss” and “calorific nirvana” is acceptable contextual terminology. Some pundits seek a modicum of approval via social media, flaunting their respective end game, but most are supremely content to line and satisfy the bellies of those whom they hold most dear—thumbs up, tongues out and belts loosened as obvious signs and seals of approval.

The body requires food, the brain stimulation and the soul nourishment to survive. Sublime food, infused with love and care is an obvious and efficient path to health, “wellth” and joy.

Bon Appétit, friends! ❖

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68 Devour Utah • February 2017