Salt Lake Magazine July-August 2022

MAGAZINE OF THE MOUNTAINWEST

SALTLAKEMAGAZINE.COM

E V I H E E B BEST

NEWCOMEliRvSe' inEDUITtaIOhN) (wh er e to

SUMMERTIME TREATS NEW MEXICO

SHAVE ICE, TACO TRUCKS AND…VEGAN BBQ?

EXPLORE THE LAND OF ENCHANTMENT (& CHILIES)

More ambition per hour.

A top track speed of 168 mph. 325 hp. And a cockpit filled with innovative, performance-enhancing technology. Get behind the wheel and find all the full-size comfort you want, and the Porsche performance you demand.

Experience the Panamera.

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Innovative. Exceptional.

The 2022 Audi A6.

Progressive technology meets an overall, refined driving experience. The Audi A6 is the next bold step in a sedan.

Closer than you think; better than you’re used to.

801.438.8495 / AudiLehi.com / 3455 North Digital Drive, Lehi, UT 84043 / South of Adobe / 25 miles south of Salt Lake

T H E C H A R L E ST O N D R A P E R E V E N I N G

F I N E

E L E G A N T

Dinner Monday – Saturday 5pm – 10pm

D I N I N G

C U I S I N E

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I N

L U N C H

A

–

W E E K E N D

1 4 6 - Y E A R - O L D

Lunch Friday 11am – 2pm

B R U N C H

H O M E

Brunch Saturday– Sunday 10am – 2pm

Summer hours may vary 1229 Pioneer Rd, Draper

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Reser vations 801.550.9348

Open Table

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www.thechar lestondraper.com

S U M M E R

I S

H E R E

D E L I C I O U S

A N D T H E

F O O D

I S

F R AG R A N C E

I N T H E

O F

A I R

It is always with great excitement that we welcome you and summer to The Charleston Draper.

Enjoy a cool cocktail on our newly extended Italian patios as birds' chip in the hundred-year-old trees and toads croak to the rhythm to the night. Stroll through our new English herb garden while you relish in the long summer nights – and did I mention the food!

- Chef Marco Silva

Schwab’s your new neighbor.

Financial guidance is now right around the corner.

Now that Schwab has opened its newest branch location in Salt Lake City, professional financial help is never far away. Providing personalized support with accountability and transparency, our team is ready to answer your questions and help you work toward your tomorrow. Because that’s what neighbors do.

Get started at schwab.com/saltlakecity

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© 2022 Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (“Schwab”) Member SIPC. All rights reserved. (1121-1JG7) SCH5204-23 (03/22)

S E L L I N G U TA H ’ S M O ST

DISTINCTIVE Stunning Views Combined with Style and Function

3 BD | 4 BA | 4,446 SF | $875,000 Laurel Simmons 801.718.4681 2161 Parkwood Lane

Homesite with Exceptional Ski Run Views

Homes, Homesites and Townhomes Available

PARK CITY

4 BD | 4 BA | 2,939 SF | $2,995,000 Brian Williams 435.602.0217 7752 E Horizon Run, #104 POWDER MOUNTAIN

Luxury Living at Its Finest in Stone Cliff

Step Up to the Wilshire Condominiums

PARK CITY

4 BD | 5 BA | 5,284 SF | $2,700,000 Taylor Jensen 435.922.1746 1661 S View Point Drive ST. GEORGE

1 BD | 2 BA | 1,485 SF | $475,000 Munger / Juliano 310.343.5563 426 South 1000 East, #306 SALT LAKE CITY

Above It All with Lake and Mountain Views

A True Home in Park Meadows

One of the Largest Homes in the United States

4 BD | 5 BA | 4,420 SF | $3,800,000 McGurl / LaPay 435.901.9300 3078 Mountain Ridge Court PARK CITY

6 BD | 13 BA | 50,738 SF | $21,000,000 Oman / Wright 801.369.2507 8272 E Left Fork Hobble Creek Road SPRINGVILLE

KAYSVILLE

Next Phase Coming Soon

Park City's Newest Ski Hotel Keri Holland 801.821.9396 The Ascent | Canyons Village

6 BD | 6 BA | 6,017 SF | $1,800,000 Dave Maltby 801.735.8378 1659 W Brevia Court

LEHI

0.90 AC | $780,000 Tallman / Altman 435.901.0659 7372 N Whileaway Road, #201

properties

View U t a h’s m os t d is tin c tive p ro p e r tie s at s u m m it s oth e bys re alt y.c o m This material is based upon information that we consider reliable, but because it has been supplied by third parties, we cannot represent that it is accurate or complete, including price, or withdrawal without notice; square footage is an estimate only. ©MMXXII Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Sotheby’s International Realty® is a licensed trademark to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates, Inc. An Equal Opportunity Company. Each Office Is Independently Owned And Operated. Copyright© Summit Sotheby’s International Realty 2022.

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PHASE 2 IS ARRIVING IN 2023-2024.

Since The New Salt Lake International Airport opened its doors and gates to the world, millions of travelers have experienced all it has to offer. The views, the technology, the efficiencies, the space—they all make The New SLC Airport one of the most modern and beautiful to travel through.

But we’re not done yet, and The New SLC is getting even better.

Work on Phase 2 (set for completion in 2023-2024) has already begun. When finished, you’ll find even more flights to more destinations, more shops, more restaurants, more art installations, and yes—shorter walking distances between concourses.

See what’s next for your new SLC at slcairport.com

ELEVATE YOUR LIFE

LUXURY HOME FOR SALE OFFERED AT $4,200,000 1459 E Meadow Bluff Lane, Draper Showing by Appointment Only

For details, contact: Chris Corroon / Blake Cox AXIS REALTY GROUP 801.456.0606 www.AxisUtah.com chris@axisutah.com / blake@axisutah.com

7,385 sq ft, .58 acres 3 Bedrooms / 4 Bathrooms This magnificent residence rests at the end of a private cul-de-sac, 6,200 feet above sea level, on Draper’s east bench. Dramatic crystal-clear views of the entire Salt Lake Valley and surrounding mountains make this a standout home among other luxury properties in Utah.

YOUR UNFORGETTABLE MEXICAN RIVIERA VACATION IS CLOSER THAN YOU THINK Starting this fall, Celebrity’s stunning Solstice sails to the Mexican Riviera out of Los Angeles. Visit stunning destinations, including Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas. Along the way, you’ll enjoy rooms so stunning you won’t want to be found, restaurants that awaken every sense, and service so intuitive you’ll wonder if we can read minds. Plus, enjoy drinks, Wi-Fi, and tips Always IncludedSM.

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*Always IncludedSM pricing packages apply to inside, ocean view, veranda, Concierge Class, or AquaClass® stateroom (“Eligible Bookings”). All guests in an Eligible Booking who choose the “Always Included” pricing package will receive a Classic Beverage Package, an Unlimited Basic Wi-Fi Package, and tips included. Changes to booking may result in removal of offer. Offers and prices are subject to availability, cancellation, and change without notice at any time. ©2022 Celebrity Cruises Inc. Ships’ registry: Malta and Ecuador.

Imagery and messaging may not accurately reflect onboard and destination experiences, offerings, features, or itineraries. These may not be available during your voyage, may vary by ship and destination, and may be subject to change without notice. For complete details on our safety protocols on board, visit healthyatsea.com.

contents

JULY/AUGUST 2022

FEATURES

62 BEST OF

THE BEEHIVE

BY SALT L AKE STAFF

Welcome to the neighborhood!

Let us be your guide to the best things to do, eat, drink in the best neighborhoods in Utah, for newcomers and locals alike.

84 ROAD TRIP:

NEW MEXICO

BY TONY GILL

PHOTO COURTESY OJO CALIENTE MINERAL SPRINGS

Explore Taos Ski Valley on a sky bridge suspended at 11,500 feet, raft the legendary Rio Grande and taste the fusion of Spanish and Pueblo flavors...on the road in New Mexico!

ON THE COVER Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort and Spa in New Mexico

PHOTO AUSTEN DIAMOND PHOTOGRAPHY In this year’s Best of the Beehive, we’re highlighting the best food, nightlife and fun while showing off the best neighborhoods in the Beehive.

J ULY /AUGUS T 2022

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contents 95

27 the hive

BY SALT L AKE STAFF

The sure signs of summer are upon us: shave ice shacks on every corner, strange new urban art installations, packed music festivals and fairs and the urge to venture outside and sleep under the stars. But how to make the most out of every moment?

49 park city

BY TONY GILL

In Park City, the bickering over development never ends, but there’s a better way to do things.

The locals might love their trails a little too much. And Deer Valley Music Fest returns (but your cooler has to stay home).

93

on the table

BY SALT L AKE STAFF

Some popular taco trucks are finding more stationary homes, and there’s a vegan (yes, vegan) barbecue joint you have to try.

122 bar fly 50

BY SALT L AKE STAFF

The Pearl is the Central Ninth’s newest watering hole and meet the regular crowd at one of Utah’s classic bars: Junior’s Tavern.

128 last page

BY JEREMY PUGH

We’ll say this once: yes, getting to Delicate Arch is worth it.

42 volume 33 number 4 Salt Lake magazine (ISSN# 1524-7538) is published bimonthly (February, April, June, August, October and December) by Utah Partners Publishing, Ltd. Editorial, advertising and administrative offices: 515 S. 700 East, Suite 3i, SLC, UT 84102. Telephone 801-485-5100; fax 801-485-5133. Subscriptions: One year ($24.95); for shipping outside the U.S. add $45. Toll-free subscription number: 877-553-5363. Periodicals Postage Paid at Salt Lake City, Utah, and additional mailing offices. Copyright 2022, JES Publishing Corp. No whole or part of the contents may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission of Salt Lake magazine, excepting individually copyrighted articles and photographs. Manuscripts accompanied by SASE are accepted, but no responsibility will be assumed for unsolicited contributions. POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to Salt Lake magazine, PO Box 820, Boca Raton, FL 33429.

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Boca Raton Delray Beach magazine Mizner’s Dream Worth Avenue Salt Lake magazine Utah Bride & Groom Utah Style & Design Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce Annual

Salt Lake magazine is published six times a year by Utah Partners Publishing, Ltd. The entire contents of Salt Lake magazine are copyrighted and may not be reproduced without the expressed written consent of the publisher.

Salt Lake magazine accepts no responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts and/or photographs and assumes no liability for products or services advertised herein. Salt Lake magazine reserves the right to edit, rewrite or refuse material and is not responsible for products. Please refer to corporate masthead.

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EDITOR’S LETTER

UTAH CURIOUS? two people away from knowing everyone in Salt Lake City. When we meet someone new who knows someone we already know the punchline (delivered with a shrug) is “Small Lake City.” These days, though, Salt Lake doesn’t feel so small, and it seems everyone I meet is from somewhere else, usually the midwest. (Not, actually, California, despite our nativist proclivity for blaming everything from rising rents to traffic on folks from the Sunshine State, who know a lot more than us about those topics.)

As cranes rise above the city and a wave of newcomers fall in love with Utah, we grumble even as we eagerly play tour guide, share tips for navigating the liquor laws, divulge local lore and gladly offer directions to the trailhead. Salt Lake magazine is, of course, guilty as charged. Loving Utah is what we do best and in this issue, we roll out the welcome wagon to our new cornhole opponents from Michigan (or wherever).

For you newbies, each July we show off the best of life on the Wasatch Front, Back and beyond in our “Best of the Beehive” (p. 62). It’s an eclectic guide to the best food, drink, shopping and fun ways to explore the place you live (“best” being subjective, of course).

And since many of you emigrants are glued to “Zillow Gone Wild” and scouting square footage, we packaged

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all this goodness into a rundown of Utah’s best neighborhoods. We break down the vibe, the demographics (and the rent, oi vey) for each. Think of it as an insider’s real estate guide with a local perspective on the specific parts of town you (or someone who can afford it) might call home.

And here are some general dos and don’ts to help you get acclimated: Do get a dog, preferably a black or yellow lab named Moab. Take Moab everywhere and allow them to jump on everyone while yelling “Moab down!” Do don the official Utah uniform, which requires either a hat, a hoodie or a T-shirt from Fisher Brewing (pictured left) and a Subaru with a roof rack. Do program KRCL 90.9 into your Subaru’s stereo. It is the soundtrack to life in Salt Lake.

Don’t touch that dial even when the bluegrass becomes unbearable. Don’t put an Alta sticker on your car until you have A) surrendered your home state’s license plates and B) skied there for at least 20 seasons. Finally, don’t tell us we’re bad drivers.

We already know.

Jeremy Pugh

PHOTO CREDIT BEN BOLTE

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THE HIVE |

P E O P L E

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O U T D O O R S

PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

T R A V E L

A TASTE OF ISLAND PARADISE

H

AW A I I A N S H AV E I C E is so much more than a snow cone.

And yes, that’s “shave” not “shaved” to kama’āina, despite what mainlanders think. Traditionally, it’s served with ice cream, piled with ice, flavored syrups, sweetened condensed milk and a range of toppings for individual tastes. The only limit on flavor combinations is your imagination. While everything may taste better in paradise, you can get a summer shave ice fix right here (see “Shave Ice,” pg. 36).

J ULY /AUGUS T 2022

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SHOP

I

MOVING ‘BOOK MOUNTAIN’ Ken Sanders’ store finally opens at The Leonardo

BY JEREMY PUGH

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T’S BEEN MORE THAN

25 years since Ken Sanders opened his eponymous Rare Books store on 200 East. A lover of old things, and a keeper of weird Utah lore, Sanders built his second-hand and rare book shop out of the remains of Cosmic Aeroplane, a head shop that was more than just bongs. It was a counter-cultural gathering space, and after it closed Sanders established his book shop to ensure that things remained sufficiently weird in SLC. But now the rapid “revitalization” of the area has literally come to Sanders’ doorstep with his small little store now almost completely surrounded by bulldozers, construction and rising cranes.

Sanders has known since 2019 that the block his store is on has been marked for demolition, and he has endured plenty of heartburn and sleepless nights trying to puzzle out a new home for the massive collection of books, ephemera and lore that one of his staffers jokingly calls “book mountain.”

A solution emerged when Sanders began talks with Salt Lake City and the management at The Leonardo to consider allowing him to move “book mountain” into The Leo and occupy much of the space that was once the Salt Lake Public library, ironically.

Sanders started by opening a small pop-up shop in The Leo’s lobby and waded into the slog of public meetings, negotiations and renegotiations to permanently move his store into what will hopefully become both fulfillment of The Leo’s vague mission of cultural support and offer a third act for Sanders’ endeavors.

It hasn’t been easy. despite political support on the city council and an outpouring of public comment and well wishes—

including several Kickstarter campaigns to keep things moving forward—Sanders has faced bureaucratic obstacles, in-fighting between The Leo and Salt Lake City staff and the realities of renovating a space in a historic building that has equally historic plumbing and infrastructure originally built when Eisenhower was in the White House.

“I can’t tell you how many times we thought it wasn’t going to happen,” he says. “But finally the [city] council voted overwhelmingly in favor.”

And thus Sanders has persevered and, he says, even started having fun. The Leo still has the spaces that were once the Salt Lake Library’s children’s reading room and other chambers below the main floor. Sanders has lovingly recreated his own children’s books section (as a doting grandfather, children’s books are a passion of his) and the other chambers below decks will become his “sanctum sanctorum” where he will house and display his most rare and valuable books.

“It’s going to be an adjustment but it really is a beautiful space,” he says. “It opens a new chapter for my store.”

MOVING DAY Sanders is planning to stage a public event for the big move and set up relay line (or book brigade) from his orginal location to the new store in The Leonardo.

Visit kensandersbooks.com and sign up for the store’s newletter to learn how to join the party to pass books (not the rare ones) from one store to the next and be a part of this historic move.

PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

THE HIVE

Dr. Eric Heiden, Orthopedic Surgeon, World Champion and 5 Time Olympic Gold Medalist

THE HIVE

HIGH PROFILE

‘MAKE IT BIGGER’ SLC International’s Executive Director came out of retirement for the chance to do something that almost never happens: Build a new airport

BY JEREMY PUGH

T

into the new Salt Lake International Airport, I experienced something I can only describe as backward Deja vu. (Vuja day?) Where was I? It took a disoriented second to realize the airport I had known since I took my first-ever flight way back in high school was gone and that I had indeed arrived in SLC. The shiny new airport that greeted my arrival that day, and all of us since, was decades in the making and is still in the making. The original SLC airport was built in the ’60s and like many (most, actually) airports around the country was well beyond its capacity and lifespan. Thanks to what airport executive director Bill Wyatt called “an extraordinary occasion of public works prescience,” Salt Lake is one of the few cities in the country to launch a new airport.

“I am in awe of the vision that was required to make this happen,” he says. “There was a sustained will to take all of these small incremental steps to keep moving forward.”

Wyatt is looking at the airport’s 1996 master plan on his desk as he says this. On the cover is a rendering of the new airport that is essentially the same design as what was built. “I look at this rendering from 1996 and think about all the changes that have happened in aviation since then,” he says. “I am amazed.”

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For example, Wyatt points to a moment well before the official groundbreaking in 2014. Ten years earlier, in 2004, planners had realized that they needed to get rolling on a backbone step—the digging of the mid-concourse tunnel that would connect the terminals of the future.

“The staff at that time went to the FAA for $8 million and built this tunnel and buried it before serious work even began in 2011,” Wyatt says. “We’re literally building on the bones of the old airport, and if that tunnel hadn’t been in place we couldn’t have gone forward.”

PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

H E F I R S T T I M E I E M E R G E D from a jetway

If it sounds like Wyatt has a savant level of appreciation for the nitty gritty details of the airport project, it’s because, as of 2017, he was in the hot seat to see it through. He’d retired after 16 years as the Executive Director of the Portland Airport Authority and saw firsthand how difficult managing modern aviation in an aging facility could be. He came out of retirement just for the chance to oversee the construction of a brand new airport and moved to Salt Lake in 2017.

“The job was very compelling,” he says. “This project had been in the works for 20 years and was finally happening. It is almost unheard of in the airport business. This was something that rarely happens in the United States.”

Although wheels were well in motion when Wyatt joined the project, it wasn’t as if he got to just kick back and watch it happen. For one thing, he quickly realized that the original design’s scale and size were far too small. Among the first words he said on the job were “we have to make it bigger.”

After all, the Wasatch Front’s population had grown and was still growing, the planes were bigger and the traffic through the airport was increasing dramatically

every year. So, yeah. They were, as the famous line from Jaws goes, “going to need a bigger boat.” “​​This is what a modern airport has to be,” he says.

“We need to fly bigger planes at a faster rate. It cuts down on everything from schedule disruptions to emissions if planes can get in and get out efficiently.”

Then, of course, came COVID and a near standstill for the airline industry. And while the challenge of pushing to keep building safely wasn’t nothing, Wyatt says the slowdown was actually a benefit.

Our opening day was Sept. 20 of 2020,” he says.

“Remember, at that point, there was no optimism about vaccines and the COVID rate was very high. It was a dark period. On a regular day at the airport, we’d see about 30,000 people at the front door, plus 15,000 airline and airport workers. We were actually very fortunate to open at a lower capacity, which gave more breathing room to work through the many logistical problems we knew we’d encounter.”

Now as work continues on the second terminal, Wyatt says he is glad that he came out of retirement to be part of history. “This airport is going to have a decades-long impact on the Wasatch Front and we’re building it to last.”

J ULY /AUGUS T 2022

THE LONG WALK The chief complaint about the new airport is the long slog to Terminal B, which will be shortened once the project is complete. But Wyatt shrugs off the complaints knowing that it takes time for people to become accustomed to a new airport. And, he asks, “have you ever flown out of JFK?” “Now that’s a long walk,” he chuckles.

“Salt Lake is nothing like that.”

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THE HIVE

ST Y LE

THE BEES’ KNEES

We’re all abuzz about these adorable hive-inspired and bee motif décor and accessories

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1. Pink velvet bag, $18, Amy Boutique, Holladay; 2. Silver metal bee, $32, Tabula Rasa, SLC; 3. Beaded bee pin, $33, The Children’s Hour, SLC; 4. Bee earrings, $53, Tabula Rasa, SLC; 5. Beehive salt and pepper shakers, $9, Hip & Humble, SLC; 6. Rolling pin & cookie cutter, $21, The Children’s Hour, SLC; 7. Crane bee stationary set, $38, Tabula Rasa, SLC; 8. Stamped spoon, $15, Salt & Honey, SLC; 9. Bee Bar Lotion, $13, Amy Boutique, Holladay; 10. Beehive honeypot, $18, Salt & Honey, SLC; 11. The Beekeeper’s Bible, $40, Tabula Rasa, SLC; 12. Hand stamped platter, $18, Amy Boutique, Holladay; 13. Bee hooked pillow $18, Amy Boutique, Holladay; 14. Metalic bee scarf, $29, The Children’s Hour, SLC.

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PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

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PARK CITY

SALT LAKE CITY

1668 E Forest Hills Dr 8 BD / 8 BA / 7,532 SF Offered at $4,000,000

Myra Petersen 801 673 1664

SARATOGA SPRINGS

11735 W Fairfield Rd 6 BD / 6 BA / 5,996 SF Offered at $2,400,000

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SALT LAKE CITY

5 BD / 3 BA / 2,520 SF Offered at $799,000

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5 BD / 4 BA / 4,090 SF Offered at $1,579,000

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792 W Arapaho Dr 4 BD / 3 BA / 3,054 SF Offered at $1,300,000

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14703 S Snow Leopard Ln 5 BD / 4 BA / 3,295 SF Offered at $875,000

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PARK CITY

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4 BD / 5 BA / 4,313 SF Offered at $2,495,000

DRAPER

SALT LAKE CITY

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COALVILLE

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3 BD / 4 BA / 2,663 SF Offered at $2,700,000

SALT LAKE CITY

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5 BD / 4 BA / 5,758 SF Offered at $1,199,000

SALT LAKE CITY

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3855 Grand Summit Dr #701 Q3 3 BD / 4 BA / 2,470 SF Offered at $650,000

Jose Garcia 503 341 8643

find the home and agent of your dreams at winutah.com Buyer to verify all info.

THE HIVE

A &E

GLITTERING AND GOLD Singer-songwriter (and harpist) Goldmyth makes tuneful, moody indie pop

BY JOSH PETERSEN

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PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

J

A N E S S A S M I T H ’ S 4-year-old son just might be a prodigy in the making.

Smith, a Provo-based musician who performs as Goldmyth, has two children who are among the first listeners of her early demos as the family runs daily errands in the car. Perhaps by pure osmosis, her oldest child is already showing an interest in music—the two practice pitch matching as he brushes his teeth and he asks his mom precocious questions about instrumentation and production while listening to songs. “He’s either going to have nothing to do with music or be an amazing producer that knows everything by the time he’s 7 years old,” Smith says.

Smith gravitated towards music as a child, too, and she grew up playing classical and Celtic music on the piano and harp. A mixture of personal inspiration and smalltown boredom—Smith grew up in Pocatello, Idaho—led her to songwriting. Her early inspirations are still apparent in her music— the pop-leaning emo of Death Cab For Cutie and Dashboard Confessional, the soft-spoken folk of Joni Mitchell and Iron & Wine and the baroque experimentations of Sufjan Stevens, who she still cites as a musical lodestar. She quickly began recording music on her own, even handing out a self-produced EP to high school classmates. (She jokes that this early music “must never see the light of day.” Fair enough.) After moving to Provo as an adult, Smith found inspiration in the city’s honest-to-gosh music scene, which simply didn’t exist in Pocatello. She decided to incorporate harp into her bedroom pop songwriting, taking cues from Joanna Newsom, who took her own classical harp training to create psychedelic indie music.

Smith describes both her own music and the artists she gravitates toward as a “mix of sweet and salty.” She juxtaposes lyrics about heartbreak and disappointment with casually catchy melodies. She uses the harp as an ethereal accent, like on the percussive synth-pop song “Lover’s Letdown,” or as the foundation of lush instrumental soundscapes, as in “Faded Dream.”

Both of those songs are on Goldmyth’s EP Lover’s Letdown, which was released independently in 2017. Since then, she’s shared a few singles, most recently a cover of Gorillaz’ “On Melancholy Hill,” and is

working on new music. This relatively modest output, though, belies Goldmyth’s success, especially in the past year. “Lover’s Letdown” was featured in an episode of The Sex Lives of College Girls on HBO Max, and she recently performed during a taping of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. (Yes, she could overhear catfighting as her band played quietly.) She is a fixture on local lineups— some 2022 gigs include a spot at Kilby Block Party and opening for the electropop group MUNA. She even traveled to Amsterdam for her first international performance at the International Harp Festival. Smith’s candid, relatable lyrics and dreamy sound are clearly connecting with a growing audience.

Capitalizing on that momentum, Smith is preparing to release her official debut album.

She is constantly gathering snippets of inspiration—“I have hundreds and hundreds of voice memos in my phone,” she says. If one idea sticks, she starts with a keyboard part or drum loop that “propels the song,” then

records vocals and layers harmonies. She squeezes time in to write and record after her kids fall asleep. “I have to stay up super late at night when I get these flashes of inspiration just to capture it all,” she says. “It’s basically until I get tired and have to go to bed.”

Smith worked with co-producers Nate Pyfer and Mason Porter on Lover’s Letdown.

Since releasing her EP, she’s started performing with a consistent backing band—Jackson Jenkins, Tyler Harris, Joshua Arena and Isaac Paul Ramirez. (The latter three perform their own music as the band future.exboyfriend.) For Smith, a selfdescribed “control freak,” the recording process is still mostly solitary, but working with her band has opened her up to new possibilities for collaboration. She has spent time in the studio with Jenkins, and after finishing a demo the band adds instrumentation, provides feedback and helps Smith imagine how the music would sound live. “That's the thing about the Utah music

scene,” she says. “There are so many really talented people who are nice and down to jam and collaborate.”

Smith admits that it can be challenging to write songs, especially about romance and heartbreak, now that she’s married with two kids. Smith’s lyrics come from real-life experiences and emotions, and motherhood’s routines and structure are admittedly not the most obviously compelling material for new music. “Uncomfortable feelings are where a lot of good songs come from,” she says. “I have to push myself a lot. I can't get complacent because those shifting uncomfortable places are usually where I find that I'm inspired and motivated.” Still, Smith’s children inspire her to embrace her art. “It feels like I can’t not do it,” she says, describing her desire to make music as a “creative driving force that I have to feed.”

“I love that they can see me doing something that I'm really passionate about and being this full person,” she says.

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FOOD

O

NE OF THE SURE SIGNS

SHAVE ICE GETS ‘BOUJEE’ Icy Mountain is not your average snow shack

BY CHRISTIE PORTER

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of summer is the sudden reemergence of colorful wooden shacks on the corner of every busy street and in every grocery store parking lot.

One day there is nothing, and the next it’s there, as if the shack burst from the soil like a 17-year cicada, all at once buzzing with life. Lines will form of eager children, barely wrangled by parents, down sidewalks, grassy road verges and parkways.

Behind the shack’s small window, one high school student mans the counter, drenching brightly colored syrup over cups full of pulverized ice, while another teenager works the loudly whirring ice shaver in the back.

The scene is a familiar one, but it’s not the only way to get your fix of sweet, sweet summer ice. Jared Clavell started the Icy Mountain food truck in 2019, inspired by family vacations. “I really started to love shaved ice after trying it from a shack up in Bear Lake,” says Clavell. “I got it with sweetened condensed milk and ice cream.

That’s when I learned there is so much you can do with shaved ice.”

Clavell took the idea of endless possibilities and ran with it. (Well, drove

with it—it is a food truck, after all.) Icy Mountain’s signature dessert is what they call “Boujee Ice.” It’s flavored ice (shaved, not crushed) with ice cream on the bottom, topped with sweetened condensed milk, whipped cream and fresh fruit or candy. His process came from studying (and sampling) traditional Hawaiian shave ice, and the flavor and topping combinations are basically infinite.

“With Icy Mountain, we wanted to go above and beyond with different flavors that haven’t really been used before…like mint julep,” says Clavell. Fan-favorite signature flavors include the Boujee Piña Colada and the Icy Mountain, which is tiger’s blood and blue raspberry—the “two OG flavors of shaved ice,” says Clavell. The most popular is the Sunset, combining pineapple, orange and cotton candy. It’s shockingly good, even to an adult palate.

“We also do special monthly flavors,” says Clavell, “to keep it interesting.”

One thing that sets Icy Mountain apart is that it offers vegan and allergy-friendly options. “My wife is vegan,” explains Clavell. “We realized it wouldn’t be too hard to make a dairy-free substitute, and there aren’t a lot of shaved ice shacks that offer those options, even though there are a lot of people who need that here.”

Unlike most other shave ice, you can get Icy Mountain all year round. Clavell opened a brick-and-mortar location in Millcreek in 2021 after seeing the success of the food truck. “Our first winter was kind of rough. Shaved ice is not a treat that people first think of when it’s cold,” admits Clavell. But things are turning around.

“People still eat ice cream in winter,” he points out, so why not Boujee ice?

IF YOU GO… Icy Mountain 2272 E. 3300 South, Millcreek icymountainshavedice.wixsite.com 801-707-5763 Open year round; Monday–Friday 2–8:30 p.m. & Saturday 2–9:30 p.m.

Check Instagram @icy.mountain for food truck times/location or to book for special events

PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

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898 SOUTH 900 EAST 801.359.4150 MONSAT106

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STATEWATCH

WHERE HAVE ALL THE COWBOYS GONE? County fairs as we know them are slowly disappearing, but their soul lives on

BY CAITLYN NICHOLS AND CHRISTIE PORTER

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PHOTO ADOBE STOCK

R

O W S A N D R O W S of metal food carts gleaming in the sun, booths and tables piled-high with myriad arts and crafts for sale, music blaring from a range of makeshift stages, 4-H kids leading their hand-raised livestock to the auction block, petting zoos, the booming drawl of the rodeo announcer, the intermingled scents of fried food, disturbed earth, leather and manure—it must be the county fair.

When a county fair was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19, it was nothing new, but then the Davis County Fair failed to return in 2021. The word spread that the fair, a tradition that dates back to the 1800s, had been discontinued. Salt Lake County held their last traditional county fair in 2017 for much of the same reasons: high costs, dwindling attendance and an evolving cultural landscape.

“We started growing kids instead of farms.

Our crop was the next generation,” says Dave Hansen, director of the Legacy Events Center in Farmington, where the county fair and rodeo had been held for many years. As a sign of the times, the Legacy Events Center has transitioned into the role of a sports complex to increase its economic viability, and its once dirt floor (perfect for equestrian events) is now cement. Likewise, Davis County’s farmland is now neighborhoods and cul-de-sacs, and, after Salt Lake and Utah County, it’s the most populous in the state.

The decrease in agriculture means a decrease in involvement and demand for the kind of farming and livestock activities associated with 4-H and the county fair.

“More people became interested in playing soccer than riding horses,” says Davis County Commission Chair Randy Elliott.

Don’t tell that to people who ride horses.

Ladd King, a professional rodeo calf-roper, has been in rodeo since he was 13 years old and always participated in the Davis County Fair’s rodeo. “To see rodeos and stuff like that disappear, it’s just, in my opinion, kind of a disgrace,” says King. He’s concerned it could become a self-fulfilling prophecy. If rodeo has less exposure at events like county fairs, future generations are less likely to see it and get involved and grow the sport, thus further decreasing the demand.

PHOTOS: (TOP) COURTESY DAVIS COUNTY; (BOTTOM) ADOBE STOCK

In Utah’s more agriculturally inclined counties, county fairs as we know them are still going strong, distilling the debate over the necessity of a county fair down to a rural versus urban perspective. In Box Elder and Cache Counties, where the combined acreage of farmland is just shy of 1.5 million acres (according to the 2020 Utah Agricultural Statistics and Annual Summary Report), participation in rodeo and livestock competitions is up. ​Jan Rhodes, the Box Elder County Fair Board President, says their fair is one of the biggest in the state, possibly even bigger than the Utah State Fair, with an estimated attendance of more than 60,000 people. Last year, their junior livestock program made over $1 million at auction. Similarly, Lane Parker, manager of the Cache County Fair, says their overall junior livestock participation has increased about 5% almost every year, and they’ve seen an increase in rodeo participation, selling out every show.

He says their rodeo is only surpassed in participation by the Days of ’47 rodeo.

“We have a philosophy in our valley that we like agriculture and we want to see agriculture continue,” says Parker. “And the only way to do that is to let the next generation see it and be a part of it.”

Diminishing interest and participation in agriculture could be a larger issue for Utah as a whole, where, overall, agriculture has been steadily declining. Reports from 2000, 2010 and 2020 show that the amount of farmland has been shrinking at an accelerated pace within

Davis County’s Legacy Events Center

the past couple of decades. Justen Smith, director of Utah State University Extension’s Agriculture and Natural Resource Department says Utah produces only about 50% of its own meat, 40% of its dairy and 3% of its vegetables, importing everything else. Smith says this lack of self-sustainability could be treacherous for the state, illustrated by empty store shelves and purchasing limits that appeared during the pandemic, when transportation and processing experienced some big shutdowns and persistent supply chain woes.

“The public needs to realize how important ag is, and how important it is to support ag in Utah so that we can have more locally grown food,” says Smith. “That is the true way to go—the more locally grown foods you can have, the better, the more sustainable a population’s going to be.

Because everyone has to eat. It should be the foremost thing on people’s minds: how they’re going to feed their families and themselves and the growing population.”

Another irony, perhaps, is the shift away from traditional county fairs has given the more urban counties the chance to return

to their agricultural roots…in a way. This year, Davis County replaced its fair with the Davis Heritage Festival, held May 19–21. The festival absorbed the county’s popular Baby Animal Days, so there were animals there for families to interact with and learn about. The Heritage Festival also offered opportunities to learn about the importance of agriculture, as well as horse rides, 4-H exhibits and presentations from some of the local city heritage museums.

There were some games for the kids, a limited number of local artisan vendors, food trucks and a single tent for small, local entertainers, but gone were the exotic animals displays, demolition derby, carnival rides and big-name musical acts.

The rodeo is gone, too.

“I would say it’s promoting agriculture more than the traditional county fair that we had in Davis. I do feel like we got away from the traditions by having more of a carnival, circus-type feel…And then very much downplayed was the actual reason why we had a fair,” says Smith. “I think this is a way to actually get back to the basics and teach the public about ag and what our heritage is.”

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TR AV EL

Gates of Lodore, a popular put-in for Green River rafters, Dinosaur National Monument, Colo.

FIND PERSPECTIVE Adventures in Dinosaurland

BY CHRISTIE PORTER

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Left: Allosaurus reconstruction at the Quarry Exhibit Hall in Dinosaur National Monument Park; Man touching fossils in Quarry Visitor Center exhibit hall in Dinosaur National Monument Park

PHOTOS: (OPPOSITE PAGE) JEREMIAH WATT / UTAH OFFICE OF TOURISM; (THIS PAGE, TOP TO BOTTOM) MARC PISCOTTY / UTAH OFFICE OF TOURISM; ADOBE STOCK

WHERE TO PLAY

I

F THE TIMING IS RIGHT, a trip to Dinosaur National Monument provides the opportunity to confront, and perchance comprehend, the staggering insignificance of human existence.

The definition of perspective is staring down a 150-million-year-old predator that is 30 feet long with serrated, three-inch teeth that were once used to tear the flesh from other dinosaurs. Perspective is tracing your hands along the rainbow ribboned surface of a rock wall where a river’s erosive power split a mountain in two. Perspective is lying on your back and straining to take in the whole of the Milky Way as objects in space flash across the sky, burning up in the Earth’s atmosphere as our orbit passes through a comet’s tail.

These perspectives can all be found while exploring the Utah side of Dinosaur National Monument. Seeing as nature doesn’t recognize borders, Dinosaur National Monument’s 211,000 acres straddle the boundary between Eastern Utah and Colorado.

There’s a reason they call this place “Dinosaurland.” Utah State Highway 149 takes visitors from US Highway 40 in Jensen, Utah to the Dinosaur Quarry Exhibit Hall and Quarry Visitor Center.

The Quarry Exhibit Hall houses an exposed rock wall that contains approximately 1,500 dinosaur bones, including remains from the Allosaurus, Apatosaurus, Camarasaurus, Diplodocus and Stegosaurus. The reconstruction of an Allosaurus skeleton is impressive. Its imposing figure looms over visitors as they enter. It roamed the Earth during the Late Jurassic period, an era lasting about 50 million years, compared to homo sapiens’ paltry 200,000 years.

Allosauruses hunted by overpowering their prey, possibly in small groups, making quick work of them with their knifelike teeth and hooked claws.

Unlike most ancient exhibits, there are even places in the quarry that allow you to touch real 150-million-year-old dinosaur fossils.

Approximately 30 miles from the Quarry Visitor Center, visitors can discover some of Dinosaur’s most stunning geology in the Rainbow Park and Island Park area, including the multi-colored striations and twisted rock layers—which are Rainbow Park’s namesake—near the entrance to Split Mountain Canyon. To see them up close, try a one-day rafting trip, departing from the Rainbow Park area. The trip takes rafters on a 9-mile stretch of the Green River, surrounded on each side by those colorful canyon walls that rise 1,500 feet above the water, through Class I-III rapids.

Catch a nap after your day on the river because you’ll want to stay awake after the sun sets. In 2019, the International Dark-Sky Association designated Dinosaur as an International Dark Sky Park because the skies above Dinosaur have an “exceptional quality of natural darkness.”

That is to say, it’s a perfect place for stargazing and viewing celestial events with telescopes, binoculars or the naked eye. The monument holds its night sky programs at a spot near the Split Mountain Campground, but just about any spot in the park can suffice.

If you’re willing to brave Eastern Utah’s bristling summer heat, the time to go to Dinosaurland is in August. By then, the frigid waters of the Green River have warmed a little, and you can catch one of the most singular astronomical events of the year: the Perseid meteor shower.

From a vantage point at Split Mountain Campground, lying on the ground and staring up at a sky crowded with stars, streaks of green, white, gold and blue flash across the sky during the Perseids. Campers let out audible gasps and cries of “that was a good one!” and “look over there!” like kids at a fireworks show. Even during the lull between meteorites, the entirety of the Milky Way is on display, and the surrounding darkness is complete. Unable to see your hand in front of your face or the person next to you, it’s possible to imagine oneself hundreds of lightyears away, among the stars that formed billions of years before us and will continue to shine long after we’re gone. Perspective.

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TR AV EL

Gates of Lodore Campground, Dinosaur National Monument, Colo.

WHERE TO STAY Many of Dinosaur’s stellar campgrounds allow campers to stay right on the banks of the Green River. On the Utah side of Dinosaur National Monument (nps.gov/dino), nestled close to a droplet-shaped bend in the river, are Split Mountain Campground to the north and Green River Campground to the south. Split Mountain Campground sits at the foot of, you guessed it, Split Mountain, where the Green River carved a canyon, making it appear as if it cleaved the mountain in half.

The two campgrounds are about 5 miles from the dinosaur quarry. Beside Split Mountain Campground, there is a boat Split Mountain Campground on the Green River, Dinosaur National Monument, Utah

ramp where rafters and boaters often take out—meaning you can shuttle your rafts and boats further upriver, put in, float all day and take out mere feet from your tent or RV. Alternatively, Rainbow Park Campground has a boat ramp at the head of Split Mountain Canyon, where you can put in your raft for a day

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trip on the river. Further upriver, on the Colorado side of Dinosaur, Gates of Lodore Campground has a boat ramp that’s another popular place to put in. Echo Park Campground is on the Colorado side as well, located near Steamboat Rock and Fremont petroglyphs. Make campground reservations at recreation.gov.

WHERE TO EAT & DRINK There are plenty of picnic areas that visitors can take advantage of within Dinosaur National Monument, but for a break from

JULY/AU GU ST 2 0 2 2

roughing it outdoors or a place to refuel after a long day on the river, it’s best to head into town.

Across the street from the Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum—a little less than 20 miles from the Quarry Visitor Center—Vernal Brewing Co. (vernalbrewing.com) is a genuine dining treasure hidden among fast food joints and restaurant chains. You can’t go wrong with a burger (including the novel Donut Burger or classic VBC Burger with candied bacon) paired with one of Vernal Brewing’s craft beers like the Ms. Bee Hiven Honey Blonde Ale.

THE PERSEID METEOR SHOWER While stargazing is a rewarding endeavor in and of itself, the Perseids are something special. The meteor shower gained its name because it appears to radiate from the constellation Perseus, returning every year and lighting up the sky from mid- to late-August. The Perseids occur with such regularity because every year Earth passes through the path of Comet Swift-Tuttle, on its 133-year orbit around the Sun, from mid-July to lateAugust. The Perseid meteor shower peaks when Earth passes through the densest area of the comet tail, usually around Aug. 11–13, but the meteor shower remains visible until Aug. 24 or so. The best views are going to be in the early morning hours around 2–3 a.m.

At its peak, and if conditions are right, NASA estimates stargazers will be able to see about 40 Perseids each hour. That’s not accounting for the dozens and dozens we can’t see. But the number of meteoroids you see is greatly dependent on the brightness of your sky.

According to the NASA blog, the brighter skies of the suburbs greatly cut down the rates of visible meteoroids, going from a Perseid every couple of minutes to one every 6-7 minutes. And if you’re trying to see the Perseids in a city? City dwellers might see a single Perseid or two during the whole hour.

PHOTOS: (FAR LEFT) CHRISTIE PORTER; (LEFT) JEREMIAH WATT / UTAH OFFICE OF TOURISM

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COMM U NIT Y

WHALE TALE

Stephen Kesler’s public artwork Out of the Blue sparked passionate debate.

Maybe that was the point?

BY JOSH PETERSEN

O

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ABOVE: View of Out of the Blue on 900 South; A close-up of Out of the Blue

PHOTOS LOGAN SORENSON

N A N O V E R C A S T A P R I L D AY, a crowd gathered two blocks east of Salt Lake City’s 9th and 9th intersection to welcome their newest neighbor. Kids ate whaleshaped cookies and sipped cocoa, families brought their dogs and some guy wore a possibly-ironic, possibly-sincere sailor hat. The event officially unveiled the Stephen Kesler sculpture Out of the Blue, an impossible-to-miss, 23-foot-tall sculpture of a humpback whale, painted in vibrant rainbow hues by muralist Mike Murdock. Besides two tonguein-cheek protestors—one holding a cardboard sign that read “turn it 90 degrees” and another that read “what he said”—you wouldn’t know the level of controversy that this colorful sea mammal had attracted. But the controversy was real—before Kesler’s work was even finished, the sculpture had become one of the most attention-grabbing, highly criticized Utah artworks in recent memory.

Out of the Blue was commissioned by the Salt Lake City Arts Council, which wanted to add public art to a new traffic circle at 900 South and 1100 East. The process, unsurprisingly for any project involving multiple stakeholders and taxpayer money, was halting. The Salt Lake Art Design Board decided on the site and opened applications for artists in 2019. In 2020, the Board initially selected a different proposal before reversing their decision and recommending Out of the Blue to Mayor Erin Mendenhall.

Meanwhile, nearby residents began placing garden gnomes in the empty space, a whimsical act of community collaboration during the early days of pandemic isolation.

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COMM U NIT Y

“One of the main goals of the public art program is to provide a sense of place, a sense of identity,” says Public Art Program Manager Renato Olmedo-González. (He was hired after Kesler’s sculpture was chosen.) Public art should also be, ideally, embraced by the public. In a Q&A posted in 2021, the Arts Council said, “The project was discussed in seven public Art Design Board meetings, two public info sessions, at an East Liberty Park Community Organization meeting, and through a community survey which received over 100 responses.”

Still, many residents were unpleasantly surprised by the renderings, and by the time Mendenhall approved the sculpture in March 2021, Kesler’s whale was already a magnet for controversy. Neighborhood residents complained on the app Nextdoor. When (inaccurate) rumors spread that Out of the Blue would forcibly displace the beloved gnome community, more than 700 people signed a change.org petition to save the gnomes.

Multiple crotchety letters opposing the whale were published in The Salt Lake Tribune. After officially announcing the project, the Arts Council’s website was inundated with bizarre negative comments. One comment compared the work to a “giant winged phallus.” “I have a legit phobia of whales and this will make it very hard for me to visit one of my favorite locations in SLC,” another said. One nearly 1,000-word diatribe included eight numbered arguments against the sculpture. The claims ranged from understandable—like the potential for traffic hazards, though the city’s Transportation and Engineering departments okayed the project—to absurd, like the confusing statement that the concept was “potentially homophobic.”

Out of the Blue is a lot of things to a lot of people, but I’d hope most of us can agree that it’s not a triggerinducing, car-crash-causing mega-phallus. Still, it makes sense why the idea was confusing to many living in the area. “You drop a whale in someone’s neighborhood, they’re going to question it,” says Kesler. Kesler—who has made several other wildlife sculptures, including two other humpback whales displayed at the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium—aimed to fill the space with a striking, in-your-face artwork. He wanted to capture the eclectic spirit that drew him to 9th and 9th as a teenager growing up in the suburbs, that same spirit he felt as a longtime resident of the neighborhood.

“Out of the Blue was chosen because it complimented the dynamic nature of the 9th and 9th neighborhood,” Olmedo-González explains. “It augments the idea that 9th and 9th is a welcoming place. It’s a place that is very unexpected. It’s a place that values uniqueness.”

Kesler was vaguely aware of the brewing public debate, but he intentionally avoided engaging with the criticism as he created his work. The sculpture began with a steel frame, crafted by a structural engineer, made from more

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than 900 feet of square tubing. (At this point, Kesler says the creation looked like a “skinned robot.”) Kesler then began fabrication alongside his brother Ken. Because the warehouse he was working in wasn’t tall enough to fit the entire structure, Kesler carved the shape, made of recycled polystyrene foam, four feet at a time. At the roundabout, a fiberglass “skin” covered the structure and the foam was replaced with the reinforcing steel frame. After

AN OPEN LETTER TO SALT LAKE CITY FROM THE WHALE

BY JEREMY PUGH

WHALE HELLO!

First off, I did not ask to be here. I’m a whale, a leviathan, a lord of the sea. But here I am beached, with all you apes complaining about me. Let me get this straight. Somebody asks some artist if he has any good ideas for a sculpture and he’s like, “Umm. How about a whale?” And they’re like, “Yeah, that makes no sense, but it’ll get people talking.”

Well, it DID get people talking, specifically, all the jerks on Nextdoor, which I can hear because I have ears tuned to hear my mate’s call from 1,000 league s away. As the subject of the ongoing ridicule all I can say is, “Yeah, I get it. I’m a whale stuck in a traffic circle in Utah.” I should be laying down tracks of my haunting whale songs for Leonard Nimoy (RIP).

Plus, you guys know that we only jump up out of the ocean—“breach” as you apes call it—when we are irritated or happy. Guess which one I am? I’m a humpback whale! One of the largest mammals—strike that—the largest animals in the world. Animals, like ALL the animals. That’s the whole animal kingdom, all of it. It’s me and the elephant in the top slots and I’m WAY bigger than a dusty, wrinkly elephant.

Leonard Nimoy never recorded any elephants, ever.

So here I am, in a permanently irritated breach blocking drivers' sight lines. I guess we’re stuck with each other. Could one of you helpful folks push me back into the water where I belong? No. Not in that gross salty lake. You apes are always saying “Save the whales.” Well, save me! Honestly, I’d rather be running from harpoons and happy breaching for the Greenpeace guys. And trust me, I never thought I’d say that.

Signed, The Whale

RENDERING COURTESY SALT LAKE CITY ARTS COUNCIL

An early rendering of Out of the Blue

assembly, Ken and Stephen spent several days sanding, bonding and priming the fiberglass before Murdock painted the sculpture.

While Kesler had tried to insulate himself from negative comments, he had no choice but to engage with the public while installing Out of the Blue at the roundabout. Luckily, most comments were positive, and neighbors came by to offer support or cups of coffee. “I talked to a lot of people that saw it online, didn’t like it, went to the roundabout and completely changed their minds,” Olmedo-González says. Still, there were a few negative remarks, including one particularly mean group of serial hecklers that repeatedly drove by the sculpture. OlmedoGonzález says that the public criticism took on a personal dimension

for him. Many critiques had a common theme—that the whale “didn’t belong.” For Olmedo-González, a queer man who immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico, “the narrative of things ‘not belonging’ is something I’ve heard throughout my entire life in the United States.” It stung to hear so many insist that something was out of place in Utah just because it looked different. “There are all these layers to my personal identity that are totally valid to apply to an artwork,” he says.

While it’s never easy to hear your own work criticized so publicly, with time Kesler accepted and even embraced the divisive reaction. “I love every comment about it, negative or positive, because it’s what public art is supposed to do—start a conversation,” Kesler says.

“Any public art piece, especially this one, deserves to be interacted with and discussed amongst the community,” Olmedo-González agrees. He says that Out of the Blue fulfilled the core mission of public art “in ways that perhaps are, much like the sculpture, unexpected.”

Even the internet has ultimately come to embrace the whale. The sculpture already feels like an unofficial mascot for the neighborhood, and plenty of memes lovingly, if cheekily, celebrate Out of the Blue as yet another weird, quintessentially Utah piece of our cultural history.

Kesler has heard from people who have “felt out of place in Utah for whatever reason that they connect to that piece because of it.” “Give it a chance, soak it in, take it in, come up with your own meanings,” Olmedo-González says. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, the gnomes and the whale are coexisting just fine.

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PARK CITY O N

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O T H E R

S I D E

PHOTO CARLA BOECKLIN

L I F E

HILL’S KITCHEN

BY TONY GILL

F

E W T H I N G S I N PA R K C I T Y excite like practicality. By that I mean actual, use-

ful things—in this instance, a restaurant of sorts—that can be enjoyed by regular people without requiring a sudden financial windfall or the favor of a well-connected concierge. Hill’s Kitchen is in this sense thoroughly exciting. The walk-in only establishment (owned and operated by the same people as Hearth and Hill, a Salt Lake magazine favorite) doubles as a 25-seat daytime café serving breakfast and lunch as well as a catering hub for groups of up to 500 people. Without ceremony, long-time locals or short-term visitors can grab something to eat that’s every bit as good as the finest dining Park City has to offer or organize a custom spread for a rustic, DIY destination wedding at the Dirt Church atop Empire Pass. It’s convenient, it’s affordable and, most importantly, it’s completely delicious. What more could you want? 1153 Center Drive, 435-800-2870, hills-kitchen.com

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PARK CITY

DON’T PANIC!

BY TONY GILL

T

H E T R A I L U N F U R L S in front of me, a twisting ribbon of dirt through sagebrush and Gambel oak. My mind is quiet, as it can be in only this setting. The trail’s called Backslide, an old standard in Round Valley with sweeping turns and flowing grade reversals that suits my particular tastes. If your preferences differ from mine, there’s likely another stretch among the 400-plus miles of trails in Park City where you can find bliss. But apparently not everyone feels the same sentiment.

I’m convinced the pandemic scrambled our brains and broke our discourse. It’s the only explanation for how discussion of such a vast, meticulously managed trail network raises hackles. Obviously, the influx of people to Park City, both moving

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and visiting, has made our trails unsustainably crowded. But here’s the thing, the trails aren’t actually more crowded, and, when they are, it’s the locals doing the crowding!

Snyderville Basin Recreation, Summit county’s trail management organization, conducted an extensive study of trail use with trail counters and aggregated anonymous cell phone data. Their main takeaways were that locals who live within 10 miles of trail heads were not only the largest group of trail users, at more than 40%, but were also responsible for the most substantial increase in use during the pandemic years. What’s more, outside of a very brief 2020 spike during the first phase of the pandemic, overall trail use has been below historic levels ever since.

E-BIKES? Want to get people really fired up? Say “E-bike” near a trail, and don’t forget to duck. Love ’em or hate ’em, they’re coming to the trails in some form or another. MTF is trying to plan ahead while also acknowledging the preferences of non-electric-assist users.

“We are building E-MTB appropriate trails and advocating for others to follow. That said, we see great value in protecting the old-school trails and the traditions that have made Park City’s trail system what it is.”

So, our trail use issues are largely imagined. Lora Smith, Executive Director of Mountain Trails Foundation (MTF), is, owing to her position, subjected to the brunt of the community’s trail-related ire. She encourages a healthy dose of perspective.

“People gripe about crowded trails. This seems to be a perception born of an abundance of privilege and shortage of imagination. I know that sounds harsh, but I want people to remember this is a public trail system.”

Even so, Smith, who worked at MTF for eight years prior to taking over the helm in 2021, has the organization laser-focused on proactively managing trail traffic and improving the user experience. “Regardless of where and for whom we build trails, the strategy is leaning hard into directional and segregated trail uses. For example, a trail may be up-only for bikes but either way for hikers.

Or a trail may be hike or bike only. This helps with trail longevity, increases safety and lends to a high-quality trail experience,” says Smith.

The TL;DR: take a deep breath, Park City.

Our trails are in good hands, and we’re all just playing outside anyway. Act accordingly.

PHOTO PARK CITY CHAMBER / BUREAU

With 400 miles of trails and an emphasis on thoughtful management, Park City is in good hands

deervalley.com /discover

COME FOR THE V I E WS S TAY FOR THE FUN

SUMMER YOUR WAY The summer season feels different at Deer Valley Resort. With endless outdoor offerings and unmatched service, the resort’s picturesque landscape serves as a blank canvas for you to create summer your way. Learn more at deervalley.com

PARK CITY

WHO’S GOT A PLAN? Planning deliberations are shaping Park City, but public attention is in the wrong place

BY TONY GILL

T

H E L O T S A R E E M P T Y in the morning this time of year. Bare asphalt and a quiet stillness sitting at the base of the mountain where, in the winter, there’s a frenetic energy as a cavalcade of cars jockeys for position. The stark difference in character is indicative of Park City’s dual identity.

On one hand, it’s still a relatively quiet mountain town much of the year. On the other, it’s a rapidly evolving and developing place increasingly unrecognizable to longtime residents and visitors. The Park City Mountain and Deer Valley parking lots have become the focal point of the saga. For many, it’s hard to envision towering structures in place of flat pavement, but change is coming. It’s just a matter of what it’s going to look like.

For years, mixed use development of the parking lots has loomed. This means restaurants, hotels, retail, condos and covered parking to offset some of what’s lost. There’s been no shortage of opinions bandied about. “There’s been a fair amount of what we call ‘loud caring’ from the community regarding proposed developments at the base of Park City and Deer Valley,” says Park City Planning Director Gretchen Milliken. “The proposals are on separate time lines, but they both have vested development rights attached to them.”

The lots are two of the last remaining areas in Park City with potential for large-scale development, which is perhaps why they’ve generated a flood of public push back. “Park City is pretty well built out. The town has done some great stuff in purchasing and protecting land like Bonanza Flats and Treasure. I understand the urge to resist development here, too, but it’s private property, and people have property rights,” Milliken adds.

Opposition has come from numerous flanks. When City Hall released 82 pages of public comments related to just the Deer Valley Snow Park Lot development in the spring, the responses were overwhelmingly critical and focused on three topics: traffic, parking and impact on property values. These are unsurprising

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angles of attack, if only because of the simmering “I got mine” mentality, and the fact, I’m fairly certain, most development concerns are actually traffic concerns in disguise.

The effect of all the “loud caring” is difficult to quantify. Every bit of public feedback becomes public record and attached to the appropriate proposal application. Still, the Planning Commission doesn’t get to decide on a whim if a proposal concerning private property is precisely what the community needs or not. The Commission’s function is regulatory, bound by the general plan and land management code, primarily concerned with four things: parking, height, setbacks and open space.

The Planning Commission isn’t holding some ace in the hole that can radically alter proposals, nor can they impose an indefinite moratorium on development. A moratorium could only be in place for six months and only if necessitated by a significant public health or safety impact.

Plus, a moratorium would only impact new proposals like the pickleball court your neighbor wants to put in his yard this fall, not these years-old major developments.

“Development doesn’t mean we’re losing community,” Milliken says. “It’s going to happen in some form or another, and if done well it can help mitigate some issues like transit and workforce housing. A 250-room hotel at the base of Park City, which some people may not like the sound of, could remove up to 150 cars from the road per day, which they would probably appreciate.”

Where change actually happens is in the updating of Park City’s general plan. That’s where the public can actually shape future policy through the visioning process. The last process was done in 2009, and it’s safe to say Park City is a vastly different place today. “The planning commission is trying to get things done responsibly and sustainably,” says Milliken. “We need the community’s support in visioning so we can update the general plan in a way that people feel good about.”

IN TS N TIOHEIGH A OC OD L W O NE ONW TT O C

FINE ART SINCE CELEBRATING OUR 40th YEAR!

Capturing the West – Original Paintings of Light & Grandeur

Richard Boyer – Eccles Theater

Richard Boyer – A Beautiful Day

A.D. Shaw – Rafting the Yampa

Rob Adamson – Colors of Bryce Canyon

Scott Brough – Steel Canvas

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Josh Clare – Fresh Air

PARK CITY

CHANGING THE TUNE Deer Valley’s summer concerts are back, but not without a few changes

W

H O D O E S N ’ T L O V E the sounds of summer?

Don’t get me wrong, I like a claustrophobic basement venue with the crowd pushed up against the stage as much as the next person, but give me some lush grass upon which to lounge and a scenic backdrop and suddenly just about any music becomes an agreeable groove.

That’s the only plausible explanation for me having been to like a dozen Michael Franti concerts over the years. In Park City, Deer Valley does the outdoor concert thing better than

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anyone. The resort’s Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater is an amazing venue, and it routinely hosts a diverse lineup of shows that caters to some fairly broad tastes. The 2022 schedule is here, but the great shows come with a few unfortunate changes.

Let’s start with the good news. There are two different concert series at Snow Park this summer, and they’re both promising some great shows. The first is the Utah Symphony’s 18th Annual Deer Valley Music Festival. The Utah

PHOTO ERIC SCHRAMM/ COURTESY DEER VALLEY

BY TONY GILL

What About the State Room’s Deer Valley Concert Series?

Yes, there’s another conspicuous absence in this season’s lineup. The Deer Valley Concert Series partners with the State Room to bring incredible shows to Snow Park, but this year’s shows have been nixed because of the “construction schedule for our on-mountain capital investments,” according to a Deer Valley statement. Thankfully, it’ll be back for 2023 because I don’t think we can handle any more alterations to our summer concert plans, especially if they’re in service of corporate skiing conglomerates.

PHOTO COURTESY DEER VALLEY

Symphony’s incredibly talented musicians team up with a rotating cast of visiting acts to play everything from Disney Music—on July 8—to Aretha Franklin tributes—August 5.

Highlights for this summer include the July 23 show with Boyz II Men and a July 30 show with Guster. Yes, that Boyz II Men. The one with “I’ll Make Love to You,” “End of the Road” and “One Sweet Day.” They’re all nearing 50 now, though, so we can probably just call them “II Men’’ at this point. I don’t know if Guster elicits quite the response from you, but for people my age who spent significant time on the east coast, Guster is a time machine. Complete details and tickets are available at deervalleymusicfestival.org.

The other series at Snow Park this season is the Grand Valley Bank Community Concert Series, which is presented

by Mountain Town Music and hosts free shows on Wednesday nights from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. There are three shows remaining this summer, on July 6, 13 and 20, with great local and national touring acts. You’re encouraged to bring and enjoy a picnic dinner.

Now onto the bad. You’re no longer allowed to bring your own alcohol to the shows. Instead, booze can “conveniently” be purchased at the venue. In short, Deer Valley changed their business model to apply for single-event permits with the DABC for concerts so they can sell beer, wine and liquor instead of allowing the BYOB free for all. While not a huge deal, the community feels the sting each time a local perk gets a little less affordable. Either way, I’ll still be out there in the grass enjoying the tunes and recommend you do the same.

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Summer is in full swing with all its joyous levity. After last summer, we’re all happy about the warm weather and longer days. So what are you waiting for? It’s time to get out into the sunshine and have fun, explore our beautiful state. We asked some of Salt Lake magazine’s advertisers to share What’s Hot with their latest products and programs to help you go faster, climb higher, pamper yourself and adventure in comfort and style.

WRITTEN BY MEGAN HULSE BARTHOLOMEW DESIGNED BY ARIANNA JIMENEZ

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

DEEP ROOTS HARVEST 195 WILLIS CARRIER CANYON, MESQUITE, NV | 702.345.2854 | DEEPROOTSHARVEST.COM | @DEEPROOTSHARVESTNV

Beyond Basic Buds At Deep Roots Harvest, cannabis is more than just a plant. With their “farm-to-body” program, each clean-cultivated harvest tells a story. Producing a variety of hybrid strains year-round, their team ensures that each yield is carefully bred for maximum potency to create quality products for customers visiting their shops.

Despite a host of misperceptions about the cannabis industry, Deep Roots Harvest goes above and beyond to become more than “that dispensary.” Through local service, activism, and of course quality products, the teams aim to position their shops as community assets.

“Working with our customers to find the right product that fits their needs is at the heart of our business,” says James Mao, director of Marketing:

On your next summer road-trip visit, sample a few of these Deep Roots Harvest favorites: Blue Birds Pre-Rolls Pre-rolls are a convenient and efficient way to consume cannabis. Blue Birds Pre-rolls come in a variety of strains, each with a smooth, robust flavor. Deep Roots Harvest prides itself in producing the cleanest cannabis around.

“For us, cannabis is more than a plant! Every harvest tells a story.

Our people, our work ethic, and our desire to bring out the very best is what sets us apart.”

JAMES MAO MARKETING DIRECTOR

Keep out of reach of children.

For use only by adults 21 years of age and older. (RD397)

Gold Rush Concentrates The Gold Rush Family of products is one of the more unique concentrates: dabs, disposable vape pens and cartridges in cured or live resin choices.

Chillers Lozenges Take edible to the next level with hard lozenges infused with a bit of the good stuff. Chillers are heavily researched, hand-crafted, and health-holistic at heart, aimed at delivering “delicious flavors to the mouth and giddy tingles to the soul.”

Cheeba Chews The Cheeba Chews are known for their incredible flavors and wonderful texture. The team in the Deep Roots Harvest Kitchen has worked hard to get the right consistency in each chew, making it feel like you’re eating one of your childhood favorite treats.

Deep Roots Harvest has six dispensaries throughout Nevada with convenient locations in Mesquite, Reno, Las Vegas, and just across the border in West Wendover.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

HEMPED 804 MAIN STREET, PARK CITY | 918 E. 900 SOUTH, SALT LAKE CITY | 435.800.2501 | HEMPEDPARKCITY.COM

Embracing Earth’s Gift Plant Just like the wellness and health-minded culture that draws visitors from far and wide to the Park City peaks, Hemped Park City has a goal to help people heal—naturally. Owner Marilee Scruton and her team launched the Wellness Boutique in affiliation with Hemped NYC, some of the most innovative growers and cultivators in the country, and have created a comprehensive and broad line of non-GMO organic products sourced from the finest, most eco-friendly natural CBD grows.

“It’s fun and exciting to be involved in this burgeoning industry and to help people explore the numerous benefits of hemp, and to hear their stories of healing related to pain management, sleep and anxiety concerns, skincare issues, and even seizures,” says Scruton.

Scruton has carefully curated a list of high-end, luxury self-care products, each utilizing a few of over 100 cannabinoids and beneficial components that can be derived from what she describes as “Earth’s gift plant.”

HEADING DOWNTOWN

“Our mission is to delight our customers with carefully curated premium products and to help educate and support our local community while also giving back to those in need.”

MARILEE SCRUTON OWNER

Hemped Park City recently expanded its Utah roots to another favorite neighborhood: 9th and 9th in all its eclectic glory. The new space will be adorned with stunning images of Hemped’s farms, growers, and products, and has an event room for private parties. This new location will also further Scruton’s goal of educating shoppers on the hemp plant and other herbs, and how they benefit the body.

“There is a lot of misinformation and a bit of a stigma (still) around hemp, and we are trying to eradicate that as well as help people along on their journey to wellness.”

Must-Have Wellness Journey Starters: CBD Salve Ointment Some have even used the word “miracle” to describe this one. If that wasn’t enough: essential oils, arnica, lemongrass, beeswax, and full-spectrum hemp extract work together to help relieve pain and revive the skin.

CBD Treats and Tinctures for Pets THC-free, but benefit-full. Designed to tackle all the issues pups share with their humans: anxiety, joint issues, and pain relief.

CBD Tinctures Something for every need! Hemped Park City offers symptom-specific tinctures as well as a favorite and best-selling Full Spectrum White CBG oil, extracted from a single strain hemp plant, handpicked for high levels of CBG, while also containing all other terpenes and cannabinoids.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

ZION WHITE BISON RESORT 400 W. STATE ROAD 9, VIRGIN UTAH | 435.635.3004 | ZIONWBR.COM

Outdoor Adventure – Elevated

“A place where you can relax and get away from the hustle of the world and connect with loved ones in a meaningful way.”

JARED WESTHOFF ZION WHITE BISON RESORT PARTNER

Zion White Bison Resort (formerly known as Weeping Buffalo Resort) curates every aspect of its offerings to transport guests away from their busy lives, and into the majesty of the west through their signature elevated glamping experiences.

Guests can spend their red rock adventure to Zion National Park in a variety of unique accommodations including covered wagons, tipis, cliff dwellings, glamping tents and RV sites.

And don’t fret, indoor cats, you don’t have to abandon convenience or comfort with these outof-the-box lodgings: every unit is outfitted with heat and A/C, en-suite bathrooms, fire pits, and comfortable beds. Many suites also have private kitchens and hot tubs, primed for the perfect balance of comfort, adventure, and memory-making.

“The best part of [Zion White Bison] is that your recreation doesn’t have to stop when you return in the evening,” says Cera Edgley, who has visited the resort with her family twice in the past year. “Adventure is a part of the whole experience, which made for a much more relaxed vacation.”

At Zion White Bison, guests don’t need to plan every minute of their day, because they rest assured knowing their lodging provides plenty of engagement and entertainment for the whole family. Lounge around personal fire pits, take a morning hike around the on-site water features and even get a glimpse of the rare and sacred white bison, which roam on the property in the bison sanctuary.

“I have loved working to build something where families can come and escape the chaotic world, be inspired, and enjoy the outdoors while having all the comforts they need,” says Jared Westhoff, a partner of Zion White Bison Resort.

“It gets better every time we visit,” says Edgely. “We can’t get enough of the Utah sunset views, the pioneer history, and the feeling of being entrenched in nature.”

Don’t settle for a monotonous hotel room, or end your adventure at the gates of Zion. Unplug and fully immerse in the beauty of Southern Utah, and leave Zion White Bison Resort feeling inspired & with memories that will last a lifetime.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

SORREL RIVER RANCH RESORT & SPA UTAH HIGHWAY 128 MILE 17, MOAB | 435.259.4642 | SORRELRIVER.COM

Get Adventure Educated Moab’s Sorrel River Ranch Resort is thoughtfully designed to provide enlightening “ed-ventures” just as much as memorable ‘adventures’ among Utah’s picturesque vistas.

“Education is built into everything we offer because it is crucial to us that our guests leave Moab with more than just memories,” says Owner Elizabeth Rad. “Our goal is for them to gain a deeper respect for the region’s rich history.”

That region, among the most unique landscapes of the American Southwest, is one that the resort is deeply connected to. Originally established as a ranch homestead in 1903, the property’s rich history allows visitors to experience hometown hospitality with a luxury flair.

Whether through learning excursions or on-site amenities, many of the resort’s offerings are centered around the impact that an authentic and educational experience has on inspiring guests long after the end of their vacations.

“We take pride in incorporating that message in a novel and exciting way with every new season,” says Rad.

“Inspired by the beautiful locale of our resort, our incredible team prides itself in crafting memorable experiences for our guests, to offer a luxury retreat that exudes the authentic heritage of the ranch.”

ELIZABETH RAD OWNER

ACTIVITIES FOR EVERY ADVENTURER Cool Off on the Colorado With Sorrel River’s New Zealand-style jet boat tours, choose between heart-pounding rapids or a scenic voyage exploring the history and wildlife of Moab’s canyon country.

Blaze a New Trail Explore miles of breathtaking mountain biking trails on high-end full-suspension mountain bikes, and with the help of a professional guide. Each half- or full-day tour can be customized for your group’s experience and adventure level.

Adventure Education Take a hybrid hiking and bus tour geared toward learning. Discover how geology, human history, and biodiversity culminated to create the world-famous Arches National Park, from the tiniest details to the grandest monoliths.

Discovery Drives Discover iconic landforms of contrasting colors and textures with a 4-wheel-drive tour through Utah’s National Parks full of red rock wonderlands that amaze with formations, refresh with their trails, and inspire through the mysteries of erosion.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

NEW WEST KNIFE WORKS 625 MAIN ST., PARK CITY | 435.214.7460 | NEWWESTKNIFEWORKS.COM

On the Cutting Edge of Kitchen Style

“For the past 25 years, New West KnifeWorks has provided homes with kitchen tools that are both beautiful and useful.”

MIKE MILLIGAN VICE PRESIDENT

In celebration of their 25th anniversary, New West KnifeWorks pays homage to iconic western landscapes with an elegant and contemporary new vessel for kitchen blade display: the Arete Knife Block.

The name was a designful epiphany from the New West team. “Arete” comes from Ancient Greek roots, referencing something that perfectly embodies its purpose with excellence; it’s also mountain-climber jargon for a narrow, sharp ridge separating two valleys, just as you’d find in the majestic Teton peaks. What better term to epitomize the company’s pursuit of beauty and functionality in the kitchen?

“In our 25th year, we offer this special piece to our customers as an emblem of the purpose we continue to strive toward,” says Mike Milligan, New West KnifeWorks’ VP and brother of the company founder, Corey Milligan. “And that is to create fine, functional art that brings joy to everyday life.”

For many home cooks and culinary pros alike, a traditional knife block is not designed for their uniquely curated knife collections. The Arete Block features an array of magnetic nooks to tastefully display a variety of shapes and sizes of instruments—while also providing a signature accent to the kitchen space.

“We hope those of you who have patiently put together your own knife kits over the years will find the unique ridges and crags of the Arete the perfect home for your knives,” says Milligan.

These eye-catching pieces, each precision-machined and hand-detailed from rustic blocks of American hardwood, are carved with a variety of angles, providing infinite perspectives as you move about the kitchen. Just as you feel when you embark around jagged mountain peaks, every view is simultaneously unique and eternal.

Arete Blocks are available at New West KnifeWorks’ storefront on Park City’s Main Street, each a reminder of New West’s quest for artistry in the everyday.

Welcome to the City of Salt. In just 20 short years, we’ll let you call yourself a local.

FROM THE EDITORS OF SALT LAKE MAGAZINE

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PHOTO (OPPOSITE) AUSTEN DIAMOND PHOTOGRAPHY

We all know one, right? That person who just moved here from a big city (San Francisco, L.A., Seattle, Portland, New York), sold their house and now has a bundle of cash to spend on a home in Utah. “I can’t believe how much square footage”—you can tell they’ve been shopping awhile when they say “square footage” instead of “space”—“you can get for your money!”

And you, the long-time Salt Laker, think, “This place doesn’t seem cheap to me!” But as we watch hapless newcomers buying 5,000 square foot homes in Eagle Mountain, we can’t help have a little sympathy. Just more space to clean, right?

For this year’s Best of the Beehive, we decided that we’d not only highlight the best food, nightlife, shopping and just plain fun, we’d throw the new kids a bone and show off the best neighborhoods. (Hint: None are in Eagle Mountain.) So here it is. Our list of cool places to live along with the best things in every neighborhood. (“Best” being subjective and all.)

The Gateway

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DOWNTOWN & CENTRAL CITY THE VIBE

Within a few days of entering the Salt Lake Valley, the Saints (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) had started work on their temple and the fairy tale castle building remains the center of the city. Street numbers of the city’s grid layout start with the Temple as zero.

Once defined by the ornate 19th-century mansions along South Temple and oldfashioned apartment buildings, now the urban skyline is filled with modern multi-use developments. In recent years, downtown SLC has developed a lively nightlife, with bars lining Main Street and sophisticated restaurants serving everything from first-class sushi to Nepali food to chef creations at artisanal restaurants. On the edge of downtown, Pioneer Park is home to the Downtown Farmers Market featuring locally grown and made food. During the summer, the Gallivan Center hosts the Twilight Concert Series and becomes an ice rink in the winter.

NOTABLE NEWS

WHO LIVES THERE?

DOWNTOWN DEMOLITION

Median household income: $50,335 Median age: 38.6 White 74.17% Hispanic/Latinx 19.51% Black/African American 4.05% American Indian/Alaskan Native 2.18% Asian 5.97% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 1.06% Some other race 8.95% 2+ Races 3.61%

The contentious demolition of the historic Utah Pantages Theater and adjoining shops on the 100 South block of Main Street paves the way (literally) for a new luxury apartment high rise to transform downtown Salt Lake’s skyline forever. As that’s far from the only ongoing development, businesses near 200 East and Broadway have seen the writing on the wall and plan to move—if they haven’t done so or been torn down already.

WHERE DO YOU PLAY? On the cusp of falling victim to terrible urban planning decisions that led most of its retail tenants to move into City Creek Center, The Gateway’s future was uncertain. However, new ownership has worked to reinvent the mall into a downtown entertainment district. Anchored by movie theaters, the Clark Planetarium, Discovery Gateway Children’s Museum, Vivint Arena and The Depot music club, The Gateway has welcomed new bars, restaurants and a fancy food hall (not court), along with events and programming in its outdoor plaza. We especially love the Utah Arts Alliance’s Dreamscapes project, which gives space to local DIY artists to help create an immersive, trippy experience. (atthegateway.com)

WHAT’S THE RENT? Median home price: $487,500 Median rent for one bedroom: $1,399

WHERE DO YOU EAT?

Kevin and Angie Kirk had been “peddling evil” since 1987 at The Heavy Metal Shop when Angie sadly passed away in March of this year. The music community, both local and national, rallied around Kevin and his staff with a successful GoFundMe campaign. Kevin vows to continue Angie’s legacy and keep on rocking. (heavymetalshop.com)

Another welcome addition to Regent Street, Fenice was opened midpandemic by Jeff and Lisa Ward, who own Park City’s Silver Star Cafe.

The small (cozy) space features a menu of classic Italian staples, like pizza cooked in a wood-fired oven and house-made pasta, along with dishes that take broader inspiration from the larger Mediterranean region, incorporating flavors from Greece, Spain, southern France and North Africa. (fenicebistroslc.com)

PHOTOS: (LEFT) AUSTEN DIAMOND PHOTOGRAPHY; (RIGHT) ADAM FINKLE

WHERE DO YOU SHOP?

BEST DELAYED PROJECT (FINALLY REALIZED) The Convention Center Hotel has been a decade in the making. The Hyatt Regency attached to the Salt Palace will offer 700 additional hotel rooms to the Downtown landscape. The hotel is slated for a Fall 2022 grand opening, in time for the controversial return of Outdoor Retailers to Salt Lake City in 2023.

The Gateway

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Katy Willis and Michael Eccleston are the nerd brains behind Quarters Arcade Bar.

WHERE DO YOU DRINK? THE BARS OF “WHISKEY STREET” In Salt Lake City’s frontier days, lower Main Street was dubbed “Whiskey Street,” because of the segregated area of bars and houses of ill-repute in the area. Now, Whiskey Street is back—in a sense. In 2009, the Salt Lake City Council loosened an ordinance that limited clusters of bars. Soon—gasp—there were two, three, four, five, and then more bars all in a row—including one actually named Whiskey Street (whiskeystreet.com).

Alibi Bar & Place (alibislc.com) has a tight bar crew, excellent cocktails, and walls of art by local artists.

Cheers to You is cheap drinks, bowling trophies behind the bar and a semi-surly bunch of regulars. Oh, and karaoke.

White Horse Spirits & Kitchen (whitehorseslc.com) brings a deep selection of aperitifs and a menu of bar bites and locally sourced fare.

BEST SPOT TO (NOT) CALL IT A NIGHT

BEST USE FOR YOUR POCKET CHANGE Pull up the change from under your couch cushions and head to the only bar of its kind in Salt Lake. Quarters Arcade Bar has a full slate of retro and modern video games, arcade cabinets, pinball machines and a rotating menu of on-theme craft cocktails. The venue and event space inside Quarters hosts a diverse lineup of performers and musical acts throughout the week. (quartersslc.com)

Pie Hole and Jackalope Lounge make up a spicy end of State Street— the part of Downtown where you end up after your friends without kids ordered a round of shots at the last place. It’s the answer to the question “now what?” You find yourself amid the rowdy crowd at Pie Hole (the pizza slingers on the late shift are nothing less than saints) clamoring for a slice and, once sated, looking for one more round at the Jackalope. The Jackalope, owned by former Twilite Lounge bartender Sunyin Marci, has cleaned up its act under her stern hand and is one of the best “beer and a back” bars in town perfect for the end (or beginning) of a night. (pieholeutah.com)

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WHERE DO YOU DRINK? We’re not so sure about the “Work Space” part of Casot Wine Bar & Work Space’s official title, but we are sure of the “Wine Bar” part. A true neighborhood bar, smack dab in the middle of the 15th and 15th district (which is sort of Sugar House) Casot is another evangelical effort by Pago Group’s Scott Evans to share his fanatical love of Spanish wines and tapas. The small room is centered upon a beautiful wooden bar salvaged from a long-gone restaurant endeavor by the late, great Utah Jazz center Mark Eaton. The mood is quiet, you can bring food in from Finca, Mazza and Caputo’s (plus enjoy a small menu of bar snacks), the bar is lovely and the wine selection is on point. And, we hear you can work there, too, but we’d rather keep business and pleasure well away from each other. (casotwinework.com)

Sage Belisle is one of your friendly neighborhood bartenders at Casot Wine Bar.

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SUGAR HOUSE THE VIBE

Sugar House was the model neighborhood: walkable, streets lined with small mom and pop shops featuring unique, offbeat and idiosyncratic merchandise and small, locally-owned cafes and bars. Supposedly the urban developers behind Daybreak studied Sugar House as an example of the ideal small-town feel urban neighborhood they wanted to recreate, brand-new, from the ground up. Streets are lined with older houses, prairie, arts-and-crafts style and brick bungalows.

Since then, Sugar House has changed a lot—the 50-foot obelisk commemorating the old beet sugar refinery after which the neighborhood is named remains despite more mainstream businesses, highrise apartments and some refiguring. The area is still a lively favorite, its signature eccentricity can still be found in a row of shops on the north side of 2100 South—Central Book Exchange, Sugar House Coffee and, of course, the beloved Best Friends, where folks stop in just to pet the dogs and cats even if they’re not going to adopt.

WHO LIVES THERE? Median household income: $84,410 Median age: 37.1 White 83.12% Hispanic/Latinx 11.10% Black/African American 2.20% American Indian/Alaskan Native 1.01% Asian 4.68% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.68% Some other race 4.01% 2+ Races 4.29%

WHAT’S THE RENT? Median home price: $650,000 Median rent for one bedroom: $1,325

PHOTOS ADAM FINKLE

BEST PLACE TO TUNE UP YOUR TOES Got Beauty has been helping us look our best for 30 years. The locally and women-owned store features gifts, hard-to-find product lines and one of the friendliest and most relaxing pedicures in the city. (gotbeauty.com)

BEST PLACE TO EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE MULTIVERSE Black Cat Comics celebrates its 18th anniversary this year, and it’s been exciting, to say the least. Like that time they got a new window thanks to the car that crashed into the side of their building. The hole is gone, but you’ll still find a stellar selection of new and back issues and a vibrant and knowledgeable staff—headed by owner Greg Gage—who can help guide you through the vast world of comics. Gage works his magic to host regular signings and events with amazing comics artists and writers. (blackcat-comics.com)

Black Cat Comics owner Greg Gage offers the most expansive and organized back issues in town.

WHERE DO YOU EAT? Located in an old post office building in the heart of Sugar House, Kimi’s Chop & Oyster House is an elegant gathering space with a new patio, we like the Sunday brunch and Kimi’s irrepressible drive for perfection. (kimishouse.com)

WHERE DO YOU SHOP? Every town has one, the bookstore that keeps on kicking. The King’s English, or TKE as its fans call it, is the spot where visiting writers drop in for signings and readings. The cozy little store has hosted the likes of Margaret Atwood, President Jimmy Carter, David Sedaris, Isabel Allende, Terry Tempest Williams, Sue Grafton, Davis Macaulay, Avi, Tobias Wolff, Jan Brett, Jack Prelutsky, Tomie de Paolo, Tony Hillerman, Mark Strand, E.L. Doctorow, Elizabeth George, Ivan Doig, Sherman Alexie, Kent Haruf, John Irving, Lemony Snicket (David Handler), Arnold Lobel, Eric Carle, John Krakauer, Barry Lopez and Amor Towles. (kingsenglish.com)

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9TH & 9TH

WHO LIVES THERE?

THE VIBE

WHERE DO YOU DRINK? In a town with many neighborhoods but few neighborhood bars, East Liberty Tap House stands out. Its welcoming patio and the long list of wine and craft beer draw a neighborhood crowd of regulars and the rest of us who wish we had a house in 9th and 9th. (eastlibertytaphouse.com)

BEST PLACE TO SOLVE GIFT-GIVING PANIC ATTACKS Panic setting in for that perfect gift?

Just go to Hip & Humble, duh. Its selection of clothing, gifts and home goods is curated as a solution for special-occasion gift emergencies. (hipandhumble.com)

WHAT’S THE RENT? Median home price: $595,000 Median rent for one bedroom: $1,200

BEST PLACE TO PRETEND TO WORK WHILE PEOPLE WATCHING Every town has one coffee shop where the laptop crowd convenes regularly to “work.”

The Coffee Garden is always packed with what appears to be people working on their screenplays, podcast concepts or something in “development.” But the coffee is good (Straw Ibis Roasting Company) and the pastries and desserts are excellent. It’s the perfect place to get distracted by your socials and wonder, “what do all these people actually do?” (coffeegardenslc.com)

WHERE DO YOU PLAY?

WHERE DO YOU EAT? Vessel got its start up in Park City, where it was gushingly accepted as a much-needed “health-forward” restaurant. Now with five locations around the valley, its fast-casual menu is very of the time. Chose a protein, a green and a starch, which sounds like something out of a science fiction movie. But it is good, guilt-free dining that satisfies persnickety diets for carb counters and offers comforting, well-prepared meals for the rest of us. The 9th and 9th location is a healthy counterpoint to the newly opened chain friedchicken joint (complete with a garish chicken statue) across the street.

(Which, sigh, took over the space left behind from Mazza’s much-lamented 9th and 9th location closure. (vesselkitchen.com)

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One of Salt Lake’s most loved neighborhoods

Salt Lake City’s largest and most visited park is not exactly Central Park but Salt Lake isn’t exactly Manhattan and we like our little Liberty Park just fine. Perfect for a quick workout around the outside track, a meet-up with your LARPing crew, a family picnic or a gathering, this welcoming green park is our city’s outdoor living room.

BONUS: The drinking fountain on the park’s southeastern corner is fed by a natural spring and is a delicious way to cool off after fun in the sun.

PHOTOS: (LEFT) AUSTEN DIAMOND PHOTOGRAPHY; (RIGHT) ADAM FINKLE

Just ten minutes or so from downtown, is one of the liveliest and most walkable neighborhoods in Salt Lake City. The center is the intersection of 900 South and 900 East, locally known as 9th and 9th, home to a cluster of interesting shops and some of the best restaurants in the city.

Tree-lined streets around the shopping area are home to Victorian cottages and bungalows with a few recently built high-rises to accommodate the growing community. Close to Liberty Park, the city’s largest, with an aviary, playing fields, tennis courts, a swimming pool and bocce courts. Tower Theatre, one of Salt Lake Film Society’s two cinemas, shows off-beat and foreign films as well as Sundance films during the festival. A great family neighborhood, 9th and 9th is also home to many young, hip professionals.

Median household income: $56,189 Median age: 34.9 White 79.57% Hispanic/Latinx 9.26% Black/African American 2.05% American Indian/Alaskan Native 1.37% Asian 10.69% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.51% Some Other Race 2.51% 2+ Races 3.29%

WHERE DO YOU SHOP? Salt & Honey Market is solely dedicated to showcasing the work of local artisans and makers. Its flagship location (there are two other valley locations) at 9th and 9th is the spot for newcomers looking to “Utah-up” their decor while supporting local creators. (saltandhoneymarket.com) J ULY /AUGUS T 2022

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SOUTH SALT LAKE South Salt Lake, the little sister of Utah’s capital city, is working hard to nurture a thriving culture where once was mostly warehouses and industry unfriendly to visitors. Now, there are stretches of walkable blocks, enlivened by public art, boutique businesses, cool craft breweries and local distilleries. So you can expect the areas around West Temple in South Salt Lake to keep transforming as people continue to catch on and see the great potential.

THE VIBE

WHERE DO YOU EAT?

BEST BREAK DOWN 1520 Arts is a non-profit organization that showcases Hip Hop arts as a viable career path and promotes it as a respected and legitimate art form. They’re working to help grow the Hip Hop community in Utah by providing local youth with an opportunity to develop their skills through competitions, workshops, performances and education. (1520arts.org)

There are not many places in Utah where you can get the authentic cuisine and hospitality of Afghan people, apart from Afghan Kitchen. It’s a big part of why Wali Arshad decided to open his restaurant in the first place. Be sure to try Afghanistan’s national dish when you visit: lamb shank qabili palau—a slow-cooked lamb shank served with seasoned aromatic basmati rice topped with caramelized carrots and raisins. (afghan-kitchen.com)

WHERE DO YOU SHOP? Clever Octopus Creative Reuse Center is a non-profit that offers discounted art supplies and craft materials as well as classes and workshops for kids. It can be a little hard to get your bearings at first, but there is a method to the madness (as well as a map on the wall) and great crafting finds to be found—from sewing and quilting to jewelry making and upholstery and everything in between. (cleveroctopus.org)

WHAT’S THE RENT? Median home price: $418,000 Median rent for one bedroom: $1,124

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WHERE DO YOU DRINK? Along West Temple in South Salt Lake, you’ll find a surprising number of fine breweries and distilleries, each with a unique…spirit (pun intended). Shades Brewing (shadesbrewing.beer) boasts of their unconventional tactics, evident in the curious flavors of their brews, like the Piña Colada variation of their Kveik 1 Golden Sour. Pop into Sugar House Distillery (sugarhousedistillery.net) for a tour and be sure to hit the gift shop on your way out. You won’t be disappointed with any of the handcrafted spirits you choose to take home. SaltFire Brewing (saltfirebrewing.com) loves to experiment with both its brews and their labels, rife with intellectual trappings. Beehive Distilling (beehivedistilling.com) is passionate about their gin and you can taste it in their Jack Rabbit label. Level Crossing Brewing Co. (levelcrossingbrewing.com) produces both exceptionally well-done classic beers and ones that explore exciting new trends. Grid City Beer Works (gridcitybeerworks.com) is a few blocks west, but worth the visit for their approach to beers “done three ways” and their hard seltzers.

PHOTO COURTESY 1520 ARTS

WHO LIVES THERE? Median household income: $55,112 Median age: 35.4 White 62.01% Hispanic/Latinx 30.06% Black/African American 6.36% American Indian/Alaskan Native 2.66% Asian 7.36% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 1.16% Some other race 15.75% 2+ Races 4.70%

1520 Arts’ breakers

CENTRAL 9TH WANT TO LIVE CLOSE TO THE MOUNTAINS Cottonwood Heights, Sandy, Draper, Holladay CLOSE TO YOUR JOB IN LEHI Draper, Riverton, South Jordan, Sandy ON A GOOD-SIZE LOT South Salt Lake, Rose Park, Fair Park

WHERE DO YOU DRINK? The Witchers, as we call them, are a dark cabal of cocktail diviners who continue to sling some of the most inventive and potent potables in town.

Their deliberately small bar (Water Witch) is a neighborhood anchor that draws a hip (sometimes tragically so) crowd who come to see and be seen and enjoy the Witchers’ magic. (waterwitchbar.com)

This perpetually under construction and continually on the verge of greatness hot spot, will “any day now” be one of Salt Lake’s best neighborhoods. Anchored by a new(ish) development of bars and restaurants on the corner of 900 South and Jefferson Street (more of an alley) and expanding every which way (up, mostly) with four-story condo and apartment buildings and plenty of other “coming soon” businesses, we put this burgeoning hood in the “you’ll want to live here someday and wish you’d moved in during its painful metamorphosis” file.

THE VIBE

WHERE DO YOU EAT? Nohm, a Korean word that means “people,” is not, however, a Japanese-Korean restaurant. It is both, concurrently. Its fastidious owner David Chon emphatically wants you to know that his labor of love is not a “fusion” restaurant. This means your tabletop could see a steaming hot bowl of Japanese oden, a brothy stew of fish cakes, stuffed shiitake, marinated egg and braised daikon, alongside a selection of meats on skewers prepared the traditional Korean way. (nohmslc.com)

WHERE DO YOU PLAY?

WHO LIVES THERE? Median household income: $53,926 Median age: 40.1 White 77.07% Hispanic/Latinx 15.58% Black/African American 5.61% American Indian/Alaskan Native 2.24% Asian 5.70% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.89% Some other race 3.67% 2+ Races 4.81%

Smith’s Ballpark is such a nice place that you don’t even have to care about baseball to enjoy an evening or an afternoon there.

And if you do care about baseball, the Bees don’t stink.

The team’s roster is chock full of the Los Angeles Angels’ top young prospects who play their guts out hoping for their ticket to The Show. (milb.com/salt-lake)

WHAT’S THE RENT? Median home price: $575,000 Median rent for one bedroom: $1,250

PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

WHERE DO YOU SHOP? Sam Stinson keeps his father’s tradition alive.

Although a bit east of the main construction site, Randy’s Records is spiritually aligned with the hipster spirit willing this area into existence. The store goes back to 1978 and, well, its interior looks exactly like 1978, down to the wooden paneling and fritzy fluorescent lighting. Its eponymous Randy (Randy Stinson) retired in 2018 but his son Sam still holds court behind the cash wrap, employing an endless supply of college-aged kids who innately know working in a record store is the job to guarantee they are, in fact, way cooler than their friends. (randysrecords.com) J ULY /AUGUS T 2022

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BEST NEW NEIGHBOR

Meet the new neighbors, KRCL DJs Eugenie Hero Jaffe (from left) Lara Jones, Ebay Hamilton and Station engineer Bill Ramsay (back) and programming assistant Shell Dannis (right)

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KRCL is the soundtrack to life in Salt Lake. On Saturdays, you can set your watch by the programming schedule that starts with Saturday Breakfast Jam and concludes with Smile Jamaica, which is your signal to wrap up the yard projects and crack a beer. KRCL finally moved from its longtime home way, way out on North Temple into the city proper to a location on the Marmelade’s southwestern flank. We take this as a good sign that the quirky community station will keep up its eclectic mix of music, community support and activism. Salt Lake wouldn’t sound the same without it. (krcl.org)

MARMALADE/ AVENUES The state capitol building with its beautiful grassy lawns and cherry trees, sits at the top of the hill. To the east is The Avenues, one of the most coveted neighborhoods in Salt Lake. To the west is The Marmalade, one of the funkiest historic neighborhoods in Salt Lake. The LGBT-friendly Marmalade, one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city, is named for the many fruit trees in the neighborhood— quince, pear and cherry. Part of a larger neighborhood called West Capitol Hill, steep hills and curvy streets take it out of the strict grid system, houses tend to be quirky, in a huge variety of architectural styles and sizes.

Diverse and artsy folks are at home here. On the other side of the Capitol, The Avenues is also a charming older neighborhood, but tends to be a little more conventional than The Marmalade; streets are laid out and named alphabetically and (slightly confusingly) on a numbered system different from the city’s main grid. Architecture in both areas is a mix—Victorian houses, brick bungalows and framed cottages with some modern and mid-century mixed in.

Generally, houses in the upper Aves are more expensive than those in the lower Aves, but small cafes and shops tucked in between the houses make this a supremely walkable neighborhood. The Avenues and The Marmalade straddle City Creek Canyon, a piece of national forest with hiking trails and abundant wildlife—mule deer, turkeys, eagles, bears and mountain lions. (Oh my!)

PHOTOS: (LEFT) ADAM FINKLE; (RIGHT) COURTESY ARLO

THE VIBE

WANT TO LIVE IN A SMALL HOUSE Marmalade, Sugar House, Central City IN A CONDO Downtown, Sugar House, Lower Ninth NEAR NIGHTLIFE Downtown, Sugar House, 9th and 9th, South Salt Lake

WHERE DO YOU DRINK?

WHERE DO YOU EAT?

When David Morris, the owner of Piper Down and Ice Haus bought the space that was once Jam in the Marmelade, a fun but poorly named LGBTQ bar, he wanted to maintain the inclusive vibe. He thought, “Bikes. Who doesn’t like bikes?”

And built a bike-themed bar and patio as a welcoming space: Handlebar. During COVID, Morris installed firepits and burly heaters on his patio to create a place for those of us who just weren’t into going indoors quite yet but were so ready to get out of our homes. (handlebarslc.com)

Arlo’s chef-owner Milo Carrier hasn’t stopped cooking since he was 16 years old, his wife Brooke Doner explains. “His mom was very egalitarian with chores,” she says, chuckling. “If Milo cooked he didn’t have to help clean up.” Their restaurant Arlo opened in the space where Em’s used to be on Capitol Hill and has become a city favorite. (arlorestaurant.com)

WHO LIVES THERE? Median household income: $81,488 Median age: 39.2 White 84.92% Hispanic/Latino 8.12% Black/African American 2.51% American Indian/Alaskan Native 0.69% Asian 4.77% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.76% Some other race 3.06% 2+ Races 3.30%

WHAT’S THE RENT? Median home price: $800,000 Median rent for one bedroom: $1,365

Arlo restaurant

BEST PLACE TO READ Rising from a failed construction project on 300 West, the City Library’s Marmalade Branch isn’t new but has fulfilled its promise to become a gathering space and community resource for what is once an old and new neighborhood. Once surrounded by empty lots, the library is now flanked by rising apartment and condo towers that will soon welcome residents who will enjoy the library. That’s the plan anyway. (services.slcpl.org)

WHERE DO YOU PLAY? This is a not-so-hidden gem of our city.

The road and trails that meander up City Creek Canyon were prophetically set aside to protect the valuable watershed and remain blessedly undeveloped.

Within minutes, the hikers, bikers and walkers who populate the canyon are out of the city, spotting wildlife while closing their fitness rings.

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OGDEN If it’s been a while since you’ve been to Ogden, you might not recognize it now. Ogden has its roots in the Wild West. The coming of the Transcontinental Railroad built up 25th Street, but even then the town was not tamed. Ogden has always had a reputation for pushing the limits. Historic 25th Street (AKA Two-Bit Street) once had an unsavory reputation, but it has undergone another transformation into the cultural heart of the city. A couple of lively, eclectic downtown blocks are lined with independent stores, restaurants and bars. So much so, that it has outgrown 25th Street and leaked onto Washington Blvd (AKA The ’Vard) and surrounding neighborhoods. Traces of the past remain, however, enriching the city’s wild spirit. Ogden’s Union Station, now an event venue and museum, stands as a monument to the city’s railroading history. And, as legend has it, the site of a once notorious brothel, The Rose Rooms, has become a modern nightclub.

THE VIBE

WHERE DO YOU PLAY? Don’t tell them we said this, but, Ogden Twilight Concert Series pretty regularly puts its Salt Lake counterpart to shame. The musician lineups are always stellar, and general admission tickets are usually under $25 and VIP under $100. If you’re a local, there’s also the season pass option. And, your Ogden Twilight ticket is also your RideUTA pass for the night, so you can skip the Ogden Amphitheater parking lot. (ogdentwilight.com)

WHERE DO YOU DRINK? Along Two-Bit Street (historic25.com), where you would once find Ogden’s hub of debauchery and villainy, you’ll now find an interesting slew of colorful businesses, particularly bars—ranging in vibe from hip nightclub to dive to Old West saloon—and the list is long. Starting at Union Station, you’ll first come across Lighthouse Lounge (lighthouseogden.com), where there’s likely to be live music playing.

Next, Historic Place is a true locals’ place. Hearth on 25th (hearth25.com) is a classy lounge and restaurant with a menu that rotates seasonally. Alleged (alleged25th.com) is a nightclub with a rooftop bar perfect for summer sunsets.

Kokomo Club is a divey joint with pool tables and interesting patrons. Brewskis (brewskisogden.com) is a sports bar and grill that serves up pizza. Roosters Brewing Co. (roostersbrewingco.com) is an Ogden institution. The City Club (cityclubogden.com) doubles as a Beatles museum. Just up Grant Ave., grab a craft cocktail at The Yes Hell (theyeshell.com), or head down Washington Blvd. for a choice of pubs: Funk ’n’ Dive Bar (funkanddive.com), The Harp And Hound (harphound.com) and Angry Goat Pub (angrygoatpk.com).

Table 25 is on Historic 25th Street at the heart of Ogden’s eclectic downtown. Table 25’s menu is globally-inspired American cuisine with an emphasis on local produce, and Executive Chef Baleigh Snoke will adjust dishes seasonally with certain year-round staples.

Mussels and Frites are a favorite of Table 25 regulars. The menu is both elevated enough for a special occasion and casual enough for an everyday lunch. (table25ogden.com)

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PHOTOS COURTESY VISIT OGDEN

WHERE DO YOU EAT?

Ogden’s Angry Goat Pub and Kitchen

WANT TO LIVE COMMUTABLE TO OGDEN Bountiful, Centerville, North Salt Lake, Farmington Nine Rails Creative District mural by Jessica Ritter

ON THE CUTTING EDGE Granary District, North Temple, Downtown NEAR THE U East Bench, Foothill, Sunnyside, Wasatch Hollow

WHO LIVES THERE? Median household income: $55,974 Median age: 33.0 White 60.8% Hispanic/Latinx 32.0% Black or African American 1.7% American Indian/Alaska Native 1.3% Asian 1.4% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.3% 2+ Races 5.6%

WHAT’S THE RENT? Median home price: $400,000 Median rent for one bedroom: $1,153

WHERE DO YOU SHOP? A highlight among the historic district’s eclectic retail options both old and new, Lavender Vinyl is an inclusive and independent record store that opened in 2016 with a mission to bring back the community record store experience. The guys in charge are still just as passionate about what they do and know their stuff, having worked in independent record stores since 2007. (lavendervinyl.com)

BEST EVENT/GALLERY/ STUDIO/MARKET SPACE Located in the heart of the Nine Rails District just off the 24th Street exit, The Monarch is part event venue, part gallery, part eatery and part creative studio space that brings artists and patrons together in a collaborative market space designed to support creative business ventures. It’s home to a Gourmet Market on Saturday mornings and Friday Art Strolls. (themonarchogden.com)

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SOUTH VALLEY (SANDY, COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS, DRAPER)

Once upon a time, the south end of Salt Lake County had a reputation for little more than sprawling cookie-cutter neighborhoods, big box stores and family-friendly chain restaurants (perhaps due to its closer proximity to Utah County). But a little exploration will reveal bright spots of local color and culture, both old and new, and experiences you can’t get anywhere else in Utah. For instance, where else can you chant “olé, olé, olé!” at the top of your lungs while at a pro soccer match but while cheering on Real Salt Lake playing at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy? And one cannot overstate the natural perfection that is Little Cottonwood Canyon.

THE VIBE

WHERE DO YOU PLAY? There might be no better place to play outdoors than Little Cottonwood Canyon. From gorgeous trails, campgrounds and scenic drives to yearround fun at mountain resorts, you can take your pick. Snowbird (snowbird.com) hosts Oktoberfest every fall, where you can sample Bavarianinspired beer and music (and find killer deals at the KUHL tent). You won’t want to miss a ride on the Snowbird Tram, which transports visitors up Hidden Peak and has been outfitted with new cabins—complete with a rooftop balcony and glass floor panels. (The tram is not to be confused with the contentious fight over The Gondola that would ferry visitors to the resorts, skipping the traffic, but could also turn the mouth of the canyon into a bigger parking lot than it already is.)

WHERE DO YOU EAT? You’ll find The Charleston Draper, the Jazz Age-inspired creation of Chef Marco Silva, in a beautifully renovated 150-year-old Victorian home. Start off a magical night with Artichoke Soufflé, Chef Silva’s personal recipe and end it deliciously with Alice’s passion fruit mousse (adapted from one of Chef Silva’s mom’s recipes) or ask about the evening’s selection of fresh cakes and tarts. Adding to the magic, The Charleston is a true fine dining establishment with a dress code and a policy of no children under 11-years-old.

Music to our ears. (thecharlestondraper. com)

BEST PLACES TO GET YOUR BRUNCH ON The south end of the valley has one of the few places you can get brunch seven days a week— Sunday’s Best (brunchmehard.com), from restaurateur duo Michael McHenry and Chef Tyler Stokes, is a stylish brunch joint where you can get a solid avocado toast, standard diner food… or an ’06 bottle of Cristal and caviar. For a stunning view with your brunch cocktail and eggs benny, reserve a seat on Cliff Dining Pub’s patio (cliffdiningpub.com). It might be a little hard to get to, but Ridge Cafe (ridgecafe.com) is worth the drive for the pancakes and warm atmosphere. For the anti-brunch crowd, head to Hog Wallow (thehogwallow.com) for some smoked wings and brisket with a pint and live music to wash it down.

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WHO LIVES THERE? Median household income: $95,715 Median age: 36.0 White 81.3% Hispanic/Latinx 10.3% Black or African American 0.9% American Indian/Alaska Native 0.6% Asian 3.7% Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander 0.7% 2+ Races 3.1%

WHAT’S THE RENT? Median home price: $676,000 Median rent for one bedroom: $1,399

WHERE DO YOU DRINK? At the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon sits one of Utah’s newest distilleries, in a beautiful modern structure made of glass, steel, exposed planks and dreams. Eight Settlers Distillery (eightsettlersdistillery. com) was established in 2020, and the new dining space is pretty cool. They have semiprivate tables hidden behind Old West-style jail bars, but the modern touches mean it’s anything but hoaky. Similarly, their food menu consists of modern American cuisine with traditional twists. The name is an allusion to the eight families that settled in the Cottonwood Heights area, and all of their spirits fit within that theme, like Devil’s Gate Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Butler Vodka and Green Ditch Gin.

PHOTO AUSTEN DIAMOND PHOTOGRAPHY

The Charleston Draper

UTAH VALLEY WHERE DO YOU SHOP? If you want to get away from some of the big box stores and cookiecutter outlet malls, you can find some niche boutiques and local shops along the main drag of Provo’s Center Street. For used and rare books there’s Pioneer Book (pioneerbook.com) and Writ & Vision (writandvision.com).

Boothe Brothers Music (boothemusic.com) offers instrument repairs, rentals and music lessons, and you could come across a rare find at Platinum Sports and Music Memorabilia.

Misbehavin’ Clothing Co. (misbehavinclothingco.com) sells seasonally curated clothing collections and one-of-a-kind handmade items. Taylor Maid (taylormaidbeautyandtheatrical. com) is a salon and beauty supply shop with a theatrical edge.

WHO LIVES THERE? Median household income: 50,072 Median age: 23.7 White alone, percent 85.6% Hispanic/Latinx 17.7% Black or African American 1.1% American Indian/Alaska Native 1.0% Asian 2.8% Native Hawaiian/ Other Pacific Islanders 1.3% Some other race 2.8% 2+Races 5.5%

WHAT’S THE RENT? Median home price: $475,000 Median rent for one bedroom: $1,095

The second most populous county in Utah has long had a reputation for rejecting the worldly delights of flashy clubs, classy cocktail bars and fine dining that one might find in its neighbor to the north, in exchange for a firm focus on being the most family friendly. While the population center has shifted in recent years with an explosion of growth, the focus is still predominantly centered on large families with lots of kids. That doesn’t just mean oversized plastic menus everywhere you look (a small but persistent counter culture has seen to that). It’s home to a handful of historic Main Streets populated with eclectic local boutiques, a rich tradition of promoting the (PG-rated) performing arts and beautiful natural wonders in American Fork and Provo Canyons. And, you know what, some of those family-friendly activities are a lot of fun. In Pleasant Grove City alone, you’ll find an escape to a fantasy land at Evermore Park and extreme go-kart racing at The Grid. And there is so much more to be found if you know where to look.

THE VIBE

WHERE DO YOU PLAY?

BEST PLACE TO SEE THEM BEFORE THEY GET BIG The Provo area has a rich history of indie pop and rock acts that have made the big time. Neon Trees got their start at Velour Live Music Gallery, which is celebrating its 16th anniversary this year. Beware, this all-ages venue is alcohol-free and caters to a college crowd that could make you feel old if your twenties are far behind you. (velourlive.com)

WHERE DO YOU EAT? PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

Comedian Natalie Madsen is a founder of JK! Studios.

A true gem of Northern Utah County, American Fork Canyon (in the UintaWasatch-Cache National Forest) is home to a myriad of natural wonders to explore and marvelous sights to see, including Mount Timpanogos Cave National Monument, Alpine Loop Scenic Backway and Cascade Springs, a natural spring feeding a lattice-work of waterfalls and crystal-clear pools. The canyon is a prime location for rock climbing, camping, fishing, hiking and biking.

Food at Communal is focused on fresh, local and sustainable ingredients. The menu boasts straightforward American fare, made delicious by the attention to detail, like garlic mashed potatoes and balsamic marinated flank steak. Meals are served family style. It’s also one of the few stalwart brunch options in the Provo area, but it’s not open on Sundays. (communalrestaurant.com)

BEST CLEAN COMEDY SCENE The G-rated comedy scene is Utah County’s main cultural export.

But clean doesn’t mean unfunny. Practitioners can’t rely on shock humor. See what we mean at Improv Broadway (improvbroadway. com), Comedy Sportz (comedysportzutah.com), Dry Bar Comedy (drybarcomedy.com), find the laughs online at jkstudios.com and watch BYU TV’s Studio C skit comedy show at byutv.org.

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PARK CITY & THE WASATCH BACK WHERE DO YOU DRINK?

WHERE DO YOU SHOP?

The by-locals-for-local ethos of Offset Bier is reflected in almost every aspect of the brewery, from the brews to the location. The founders wanted to provide a space in Park City where people could enjoy the product of their community right in the heart of their community. The brewery’s rotating beers range from modern experimental hop-focused brews to traditional European-style lagers.

Offset’s beers aren’t widely available, so you’ll have to go to the brewery itself to buy beers to take home. (offsetbier.com)

Casey Crawford opened Prospect— one of Main Street’s longest continually operating businesses—in 2009. Prospect (prospect509main. com) sells an eclectic mixture of men’s and women’s apparel, accessories and footwear that wouldn’t seem out of place in the trendier parts of New York or LA. It shares space with a traditional barber shop in the back, Billy’s Barber Shop (billysbarbershop.com), and an outstanding coffee shop up top, Pink Elephant (pinkelephantcoffee.com).

WHERE DO YOU PLAY? The Park City Song Summit is no ordinary music festival. It’s kind of like South By Southwest meets a TED Talk. Dozens of artists are invited to be in artist-in-residence from Sept. 7–10 and participate in a variety of events, ranging from concerts at venues like Deer Valley’s Snow Park Amphitheater and the Eccles Center to intimate Labs held in small venues on Main Street. The summit was canceled for 2021 but is slated to return in 2022 with the likes of Fred Armisen, Jason Isbell and Andrew Bird in the lineup. (parkcitysongsummit. com)

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The overall “vibe” of Park City and the Wasatch Back really depends on who you ask. It’s a latticework of contradictions— frequented by both ski bums living that #vanlife and the owners of million-dollar homes and condos. Outside of Park City, the greater Wasatch Back is likewise home to massive ranch estates and main street shop artisans whose families have been practicing the same humble crafts for generations. There’s an undoubted focus on a distinctive culture and lifestyle, highlighted by the popularity of a great number of art, music and heritage festivals where residents laud the virtues and wares of the dedicated craftsman, artist or artisan while simultaneously pricing most of them out. Welcome to Park City and the Wasatch Back.

THE VIBE

BEST PLACE TO SCUBA DIVE WHILE LANDLOCKED A 10,000-year-old geothermal spring pooled at the bottom of a 55-foot domed rock formation, the Homestead Crater is a small piece of 90-degree, crystal blue underwater paradise in the middle of the Wasatch Mountains. Go here to swim, soak, scuba and align your chakras in a paddleboard yoga class. (homesteadresort.com)

WHO LIVES THERE? Median household income: $114,798 Median age: 42.4 White 94.5% Hispanic/Latinx 9.9% Black or African American 0.8% American Indian / Alaska Native 1.2% Asian 3.8% Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander 0.1% Some other race 3.0% 2+ Races 3.4% Homestead Crater

WHAT’S THE RENT? Median home price: $1,445,000 Median rent for one bedroom: $2,500

WHERE DO YOU EAT? Heber Valley Artisan Cheese. This Midway dairy farm and store sells award-winning aged cheddar (did you know there’s such a thing as the Utah Cheese Awards?), which you can either take home by the block or eat right away melted in an artisan grilled cheese.

Cheeses range from traditional flavors to off-the-beaten-path varieties like lemon lavender. Plus, you can perfect your own mozzarella-making techniques with monthly cheesemaking classes or tour the farm and see exactly where your cheese comes from. (hebervalleyartisancheese. com)

PHOTOS: (LEFT) COURTESY HOMESTEAD CRATER; (RIGHT) ADAM FINKLE

BEST ABOVE-ANDBEYOND BUTCHER SHOP Owner John Courtney goes to great lengths sourcing everything at Chop Shop Park City. Many of the products lining the shelves are made by local artisans, the lamb in the shop always comes from Utah-based suppliers and the beef comes from Creekstone Farms in Kansas, where the animals are well cared for, and that comes through in the end product. Chop Shop is more than a butcher shop, with dine-in and carry-out options like craft sandwiches and a Detroit-style, wood-fired pizza. (chopshopparkcity.com)

John Courtney of Chop Shop Park City has the meats

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SOUTHWEST UTAH Us northerners may turn up our noses—it’s not entirely wrong to call St. George the Florida of Utah—but there’s a reason that the area is growing so fast (like, top of the nation fast). It’s hard to beat the year-round sun, world-class outdoor activities and—for now— relatively affordable real estate. Washington County is still plenty religious and conservative, but there’s more to the area than cookiecutter suburban families. There are college students at Utah Tech University (recently renamed from Dixie State University to plenty of local uproar), out-of-state transplants looking for California sunshine at Utah prices and snowbirds fleeing from bitter Wasatch Front winters. Plus, Southwest Utah is a go-to tourist destination for Salt Lakers looking for a desert escape just a short road trip away.

THE VIBE

It ain’t fancy, but away from the throngs of tourists in Ancestor Square, the family-owned Tom’s Deli has been quietly serving the city’s best lunch since the ’70s. Order anything with pastrami on sourdough bread with a side of homemade potato salad. There are a few tables that tend to fill up during the lunch rush, but the best thing to do is pack up for a picnic on the way to your next outdoor adventure. (toms-deli.business.site)

WHERE DO YOU PLAY? Every summer, the small college town of Cedar City welcomes more than 100,000 theatergoers for the Utah Shakespeare Festival. This Tony Award-winning professional theater produces (no surprise) top-notch Shakespeare productions, along with contemporary plays, family-friendly musicals and free outdoor concerts.

The 2022 season includes King Lear, All’s Well That Ends Well and The Tempest, along with Sweeney Todd and The Sound of Music. (bard.org)

WHAT’S THE RENT? Median home price: $558,000 Median rent for one bedroom: $1,070

WHERE DO YOU SHOP? The heart of the city’s small but charming downtown, St. George’s walkable Main Street is the place to go for independent, quirky retailers. Fuel up before your shopping spree at Bear Paw Cafè (bearpawcafe.com), with awesome pancakes and hot chocolate worth ordering even in 110-degree heat. Get pre-owned antiques, fine art and coins at Annie’s Vintage Garden and Main Street Antiques and your next poolside read at The Book Bungalow (thebookbungalow.com). While you’re in the area, stop by the St. George Tabernacle, a historic building constructed by early Mormon settlers. (It’s open to the public for concerts and community events, not just religious services.)

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Bailey Blaise (left), Connor Padilla, and Ian Allred in the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s 2019 production of The Greenshow

PHOTO BY KARL HUGH ©UTAH SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL 2019

WHO LIVES THERE? Median household income: $59,989 Median age: 38.1 White 88.5% Hispanic/Latinx 12.8% Black or African American 0.8% American Indian / Alaska Native 1.4% Asian alone 0.9% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0.8% Some other race 4.4% 2+ Races 3.2%

WHERE DO YOU EAT?

BEST OF THE BEEHIVE

READERS POLL We asked, you answered. In 2022, we wanted to hear from our readers about their own Utah favorites.

On our website and Instagram, you shared your local love with these Beehive State favorites.

BEST BRUNCH

Hub and Spoke Diner hubandspokediner.com

BEST DINING PATIO

Ruth’s Diner ruthsdiner.com

BEST TAKEOUT MEAL

Skewered Thai skeweredthai.com

BEST COFFEE SHOP

Coffee Garden coffeegardenslc.com

BEST FOOD TRUCK

(Three-way tie) Cupbop cupbop.com

Freshies freshieslobsterco.com BK Garlic Burger @bkgarlicburgermacshack

BEST BURGER

Crown Burger crown-burgers.com

BEST PIZZA

The Pie Pizzeria thepie.com

BEST PHO

Pho Thin Famous Vietnamese Noodle House phothinslc.com

BEST SUSHI

Takashi takashisushi.com

BEST TACOS

BEST MUSEUM

BEST GROCER

(Two-way tie) Facil Taqueria faciltaqueria.com

Natural History Museum of Utah nhmu.utah.edu

Harmons harmonsgrocery.com

Red Iguana rediguana.com

BEST THEATER

King’s English Bookshop kingsenglish.com

BEST LOCAL CELEBRITY

Soulstice Day Spa soulsticedayspa.com

BEST VEGETARIAN/VEGAN

Zest zestslc.com

BEST SANDWICH

(Two-way tie) Grove’s Market grovemarketdeli.com Feldman’s feldmansdeli.com

BEST BAKERY

Eccles Theater saltlakecountyarts.org

BEST SPA

Tan France

BEST PARK

BEST HOTEL/RESORT

Liberty Park

Snowbird’s Cliff Lodge snowbird.com

BEST PLACE TO TAKE THE KIDS

BEST GOLF COURSE

(Two-way tie) Old Mill Golf Course slco.org/golf

Hogle Zoo hoglezoo.org

BEST HIKE

Gourmandise gourmandise.com

The Living Room Hiking Trail

BEST DESSERT

BEST PLACE TO WATCH THE SUNSET

The Dodo thedodorestaurant.com

BEST BAR

BEST PET SHOP/CARE

Hip and Humble hipandhumble.com

BEST BREWERY

BEST GYM

TF Brewing tfbrewing.com

Treehouse treehousefitness.com

BEST DISTILLERY

BEST YOGA

BEST COCKTAILS

BEST MUSIC VENUE

BEST BOUTIQUE

Eight Settlers eightsettlersdistillery.com

Fur R We

Water Witch waterwitchbar.com

Mountain Dell Golf Course mountaindellgc.com

(Two-way tie) Amy’s Boutique shopamyboutique.com

Lake Effect lakeeffectslc.com

High West Distillery highwest.com

BEST BOOKSTORE

(Three-way tie) Yoga Six yogasix.com CorePower Yoga corepoweryoga.com Treehouse treehousefitness.com

BEST SKIING

Snowbird snowbird.com

BEST THRIFT SHOP

(Two-way tie) Home Again Consignment homeagainconsignment.net Gypsy Emporium Antique Mall @gypsyemporiumantiques

Red Butte Amphitheater redbuttegarden.org

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Non-surgical Solutions to Sleep Apnea At A Salt Lake City, Utah Clinic Utah Doctors Use Revolutionary Non-Invasive, "TAP" Technology to Relieve Patients' Chronic Head, Neck, and Jaw Pain May Also Be Effective For Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, Neuralgia, Migraines, Failed Back Surgery, Spinal Stenosis, High Blood Pressure, T.M.J. Syndrome, Sleep Breathing Disorders and Sleep Apnea.

It makes sense when you think about it.

Just ask former storied BYU and NFL quarterback Jim McMahon. McMahon, who led the Chicago Bears to the only Super Bowl championship in its franchise history, suffered numerous concussions. A few years after his retirement he began suffering from severe headaches, memory loss and dementia caused by the concussions.

McMahon's Pain = Tortured Life The headaches were so bad he would drop to his knees. His body was racked with pain. He would stay in his dark room for days. The pain seemed to never let up. He lived a tortured life. The crippling pain, anguish and frustration got so bad that he contemplated suicide. Then, McMahon met a New York Chiropractic Physician with an innovative Transdermal Atlas Positioning (TAP) treatment. The doctor suspected due to McMahon's many head and neck impact injuries, that his brainstem was being compressed by vertebrae in his Craniocervical Junction (CCJ).

The doctor took digital X-rays and Upright 3D Images of McMahon's neck and found the CCJ was indeed misaligned and likely disrupting blood and cerebrospinal fluid flow around the brainstem. The doctor put the digital images through a specialized computer program where it determined the exact degree of misalignment.

Gentle Puff-of-Air “TAP” Gives Almost Instant Relief These coordinates were then put into a futuristic looking computer-guided instrument that, as McMahon explained, directed what felt like a gentle “puff of air” to the exact spot on the neck where the misalignment occurred successfully positioning the CCJ to its ideal position.

Almost instantly, as reported in the Deseret News, his headaches and pain disappeared and "the treatment has been a godsend for McMahon." (Deseret News, 11/13/12 & 10/05/13) In 2005, when Dr. Christopher Chapman crashed his ATV, breaking his back, he not only suffered from debilitating back pain, but intense migraines, jaw pain and severe anxiety. The strong pharmaceutical medications the doctors prescribed offered only scant and temporary relief. Little did he know that this accident, the pain and his search for relief would lead him to not only learn but advance the same 3D image guided CCJ technology that helped McMahon and many other patients who have needlessly suffered from chronic pain and other maladies. The result has been the formation of The Lift Clinic (TLC), a state-ofthe-art clinic that uses this core technology to “Lift” the burden of chronic pain from off the shoulders of those who suffer with it as well as obstructive and central sleep apnea.

On any given day at this high-tech health clinic, you'll meet patients who come from all over the United States to get relief from chronic pain and sleep disorders through this innovative, non-invasive CCJ alignment technology.

What is this New Pain Relief Technology?

"The craniocervical junction", explains Dr. Chapman, Utah's only Diplomate in Chiropractic Craniocervical Junction Procedures “is the gateway to the nervous system because it is where the lower brainstem first enters the spinal column." "When the CCJ misalignment occurs," he continues, "the blood and cerebrospinal fluid flow become congested, adversely affecting this important region. The nerve centers that control every organ and part of the body can become compromised - and an entire range of bodily functions may be affected resulting in pain, illness, and obstructive or central sleep apnea."

Gentle Computer Assisted Relief

Dr. Chris Chapman, DC, has innovated image-guided procedures combining 3D computerized tomography, 3D intraoral scans and digital occlusal Bite-Force Mapping to obtain a comprehensive analysis of the CCJ which is then programmed into the Transdermal Atlas Positioning (TAP) instrument. The same instrument that McMahon's chiropractic physician used to relieve McMahon's pain. “If this misalignment is identified and corrected by a highlytrained chiropractic physician, with a discipline in this CCJ alignment technology, the "neurological deficit is identified, corrected and allowed to heal itself, and may provide relief from pain, apnea and related conditions," claims Dr. Chapman.

BEFORE TAP

CCJ

132.0 mm2 A-P 8.7.mm

AFTER TAP

CCJ 267.1 mm2 A-P 13.2mm

TAP PROCEDURE DOUBLES AIRWAY When the Atlas or Craniocervical Junction is misaligned all sorts of health maladies may occur. By re-aligning the CCJ through a gentle, revolutionary non- invasive, computer-guided procedure many people breathe better and find relief.

Bell’s Palsy and Trigeminal Neuralgia Patient is Pain and Paralysis Free Trigeminal Neuralgia and Bell's Palsy Neurologists who diagnosed these conditions told Kristin S. of Las Vegas that she would be on pain meds for the rest of her life, or require invasive brain surgery to try to help reduce her face pain. Within minutes following the TAP procedure performed by Dr. Chapman, Kristin's chronic facial pain had gone away. "I left his office pain-free on that first visit", Kristin tells, "and within two weeks, my Bell's Palsy symptoms were gone". "Dr. Chapman understood my problem like no other doctor". It's been 7 years, and no medications and no pain.

Biomimetic Dentist Finds Lasting Relief

Dr. Danny White, DMD, suffered from chronic head, neck, back and lower leg pain and had undergone spinal surgery before being introduced to Dr. Chapman's method by a colleague. "The CT scan and X-rays Dr. Chapman took showed me how my atlas was twisted," tells Dr. White, "He explained to me how this was causing my spine, shoulders and hips to be torqued and twisted, thus my pain—in all of my treatment and surgeries, no one had ever caught this issue with my CCJ—it's simply not looked at by traditional practitioners. Dr. Chapman also showed me the functional relationship between the teeth (the bite), the upper airway and my upper neck. I’m a specially trained dentist with a busy practice, I also taught dentistry at a dental college, yet I had never encountered anything this remarkable. I immediately realized the many, many patients I was seeing who could be helped by Dr. Chapman's technology and method as he had helped me. I ultimately joined his practice. Now, my practice of general dentistry has been greatly enhanced by my understanding of the occlusal system's place in whole body health. I now see bite posture as a whole-body health-system---what a concept.”

What Does a Gentle "TAP" Have to Do with Sleep Breathing Problems, Facial Pain, Anxiety, Migraines and More...?

"The Craniocervical Junction (CCJ) is the gateway to the brain stem and nervous system," explains Dr. Chapman, DC, BCAO, DCCJP. "The brainstem governs and regulates sleep, breathing and swallowing. In addition, the structures of the CCJ make up a key part of the upper airway region as seen in the “BEFORE” “AFTER” images seen in the example to your left. When the CCJ is misaligned, not only can it disrupt blood and cerebrospinal fluid flow—it can also compress the upper airway causing sleep breathing and airway problems. The TAP procedure brings the CCJ back into alignment and helps stabilize it so the many symptoms of airway interference can go away.

To stabilize this complex region, we find it necessary to design a special intraoral appliance called an EquiBite to stabilize the CCJ and develop more functional airway space. It's that simple. Many patients who have undergone our treatment are no longer dependent on their C-PAP machines and pain medications.

For patients who decide to start treatment, a series of short follow-up visits may be prescribed to monitor progress as the body continues forward on its path to healing.”

Call to Schedule a Consultation: (801) 996-7076 Learn More: www.theliftclinic.com ü Dr. Christopher Chapman is a Palmer College Graduate ü Board-Certified Chiropractic Physician. ü Board Certified Atlas Orthogonist (BCAO). ü Diplomate, Chiropractic Craniocervical Junction Procedures (DCCJP) ü Director ICA’s Council on Upper Cervical.

SUMMER.

FUN.

WWW.WENDOVERRESORTS.COM

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COURTESY NEW MEXICO TRUE

Night sky at Bisti Badlands

BADLANDS OF ENCHANTMENT

BY TONY GILL

HE MOST ROBUST PORTION of the bridge was just

T

about the width of my shoe. In fact, describing it as a bridge feels akin to calling a canoe a yacht with a straight face, but I digress. The slender platform sagged subtly as it crossed the 100foot span, flanked by a pair of parallel cables to hold for support and another upon which to secure my harness. Precarious appearance aside, the Sangre de Cristo Sky Bridge provided safe passage between granite buttresses as part of the Via Ferrata at Taos Ski Valley (16 Sutton Place, 888-388-8457, skitaos.com).

The Via Ferrata routes at the resort opened in 2021, traversing the towering Kachina Peak which looms over Taos at

more than 12,000 feet. I’d been skiing at Taos Ski Valley before, finding it difficult not to be impressed by the dramatic surroundings. Beckoned back in the warmer months, I was excited to find a Via Ferrata to aid my exploration.

Italian for “iron road,” Via Ferrata is a common sight in Europe, where World War II soldiers unaccustomed to traveling in the mountains used metal bars embedded in the rock to aid their movements. They’re becoming more common in the United States now, especially as increasingly sporadic ski seasons wrought by a changing climate have resorts searching for new revenue streams. Consider it a boon, as Via Ferrata is an

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accessible intermediary between rock climbing and hiking that allows those without the physical prowess and steely nerve of Alex Honnold to explore the vertical realm.

There are two tour options: the beginnerfriendly Sangre de Cristo Skybridge Tour and intermediate K Chutes Tour. The go-getters out there can combine the two, and all options are guided to ensure your safety and enjoyment. So head to New Mexico and take to the hills. Having some air underneath makes views hard to beat.

TO TRINITY AND BEYOND It was the Spanish explorers who named the place Nuevo México sometime in the 16th century, two centuries and change before the country of Mexico adopted the moniker.

Still, it references the Aztec Valley of Mexico, located in modern-day Mexico, so the name’s lineage is about as convoluted as you’d expect with a colonial origin. Long before the arrival of empires, Ancestral Puebloans, Mogollon, Comanche and Utes called the area home, maintaining an uncommon relative independence amid the machinations of outside influence. The unique identity persists today, putting an

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indelible stamp on the local culture.

Though the United States annexed New Mexico in 1848, it wasn’t until the 1940s the state came to dominate popular imagination with the Manhattan Project.

The Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Trinity Site have etched the image of New Mexico as the birthplace of humankind’s penchant for self-destruction.

Leave that ominous history behind on your visit, and appreciate the magic New Mexico offers. A convergence of culture— Indigenous, Hispanic, Spanish, Mexican and American—lives here in the food, art and natural landscape. One might even call it enchanting.

WHAT TO DO As enjoyable as my walkabout in the sky was, my favorite way to spend time outdoors is with rubber in the dirt aboard a mountain bike, so I headed east towards Angel Fire (10 Miller Lane, Angel Fire, 800-633-7463, angelfireresort.com). The resort’s legendary bike park is home to a sprawling network of trails of every type from beginner-friendly flow to the gnarliest rock-filled steeps imaginable. While New Mexico mountain biking may conjure

parched images of sand, rock and cracked dirt, the alpine reality is far different.

Towering pine trees and vast aspen groves provide deliverance from the summer heat.

The state’s natural treasures needn’t be enjoyed from vast heights or terrific speeds, so after a couple adrenaline-filled and bone-rattling adventures I opted for some more placid exploration. The yawning Rio Grande Gorge is more than deserving of deliberate observation, so I opted to hike to the confluence of the Rio Grande and Red Rivers which cut it on the La Junta Trail.

The route loops just over six miles from the stunning overlook trailhead to the water and back along sheer walls, through juniper and past dramatic boulders.

I was anxious to get off my feet the following day but wanted to see the gorge from other perspectives. I drove to the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, walking over the chasm on the stunning landmark made famous by numerous films including Natural Born Killers. Next up I hopped in a raft with Los Rios River Runners (4003 NM-68, Ranchos De Taos, 575-776-8854, losriosriverrunners.com).

Though one could spend a lifetime exploring New Mexico, it’s every bit the

PHOTOS: (VIA FERRATA) COURTESY TAOS SKI VALLEY

(Left to Right): Via Ferrata at Taos Ski Valley; Angel Fire Bike Park; Millicent Rogers Museum

PHOTOS: (ANGEL FIRE) COURTESY ANGEL FIRE RESORT; (MILLICENT ROGERS MUSEUM) COURTESY NEW MEXICO TRUE

artistic haven it is an outdoor paradise. I’d already encountered truly local art in the form of petroglyphs while hiking in the Gorge, and I was inspired to see more contemporary Taos art. First up was the Taos Art Museum (227 Paseo Del Pueblo Norte, Taos, 575-758-2690, taosartmuseum.com). The museum, which is located in the former house of artist Nicolai Fechin, is devoted to displaying the local, like that from the early 20th century Taos Society of Artists, at home in Taos. Just minutes away the Millicent Rogers Museum (1504 Millicent Rogers Rd., El Prado, 575-758-2462, millicentrogers.org) has extraordinary exhibitions, including a comprehensive collection of Hispanic and Taos Pueblo.

WHAT TO EAT AND DRINK Classic New Mexican cuisine starts foremost with Mexican flavors, which are augmented by hints of Spanish and Pueblo influence, specifically the proud use of the local green chiles in everything from sauces to stiff margaritas. The award-winning food at Orlando’s (1114 Don Juan Valdez Ln., Taos, 575-751-1450) is a perfect encapsulation of the Taos take on the art form. The blue corn enchiladas topped, of course topped with local chile of your choice, are tough to beat.

The strong brewing culture in Taos is

paralleled by the community’s creative art scene. The two combine at the Taos Mesa Brewing Mothership (20 ABC Mesa Rd., El Prado, 575-758-1900, taosmesabrewing.com).

The building is sort of a surrealist take on an airplane hangar sitting on the Hondo Mesa with fantastic views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, outdoor art and a live music venue. The Kachina Peak Pale Ale is a crisp, refreshing brew with a touch of hops that’s ideal for some post-adventure après. The Mothership is reopening summer 2022 after a fire shuttered the doors for a couple years—a very welcome return indeed.

It’s not just the beer that gets the artisanal take in Taos. Stop into the Chokola Bean to Bar (100-198 Juan Largo Ln., Taos, 575-7796163, chokolabeantobar.com) for handmade, small-batch chocolate. The unique creations with outrageous attention to detail are well worth the $12 per bar price of admission.

For the full, farm-to-table Taos experience, head to The Love Apple (803 Paseo Del Pueblo Norte, Taos, 575-751-0050, theloveapple.net). Located in the rustic reimagination of the Placitas Chapel, an 1800s Catholic Church which served up sermons for 100 years before meals today, the restaurant features an ever-changing seasonal menu crafted from fresh, local ingredients. No two meals are the same.

WHERE TO STAY Base your trip right in the Heart of Taos at the Sagebrush Inn and Suites (1508 Paseo Del Pueblo Sur, Taos, 575-758-2254, sagebrushinn. com). The historic landmark, which opened nearly 100 years ago, is mere steps from restaurants, bars, shops and galleries, and features classic New Mexican touches like the kiva-style fireplaces in every room. You can even get a fantastic margarita onsite.

For a more nature-focused feel, check into the Taos Goji Eco Lodge (1530 Old Highway 3, El Prado, 575-776-3971, taosgoji.com). Small cabins dot a working 40-acre goji berry farm that sits serenely in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Each cabin is uniquely decorated, but they all share the same fantastic views.

The Taos Goji Eco Lodge also has glamping options for those seeking a more immersive taste of the outdoors.

Really lean into the funky, hipster-friendly kitsch at Hotel Luna Mystica (25 ABC Mesa Rd., El Prado, 575-613-1411, hotellunamystica. com). The “hotel” is actually a collection of vintage trailers spread throughout the site, which are all beautifully restored and decorated and very comfortable. Hotel Luna Mystica gets bonus points for being walking distance from the Taos Mesa Brewing Mothership with a serene open-air feel and incredible vistas.

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4 / LA JUNTA TRAIL AT WILD RIVERS RECREATION AREA

ROAD TRIP 1

THE WILDER SIDE OF ENCHANTMENT

Visit two truly pristine protected waterways: the Red River and Rio Grande. Hike from La Junta Point, which overlooks the confluence of the two rivers, into the gorge 800 feet below and back for a round trip of just under three miles.

START: Clayton Lake State Park // END: Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness New Mexico’s varied landscapes are filled with opportunities to get off the beaten path and explore the deserts, badlands, mountains, arroyos, gorges and more. Float, hike and swim your way through natural treasures.

5 / RIO GRANDE GORGE When you’re ready for some water-based adventure, hop in a raft with New Mexico River Adventures to see what the gorge looks like from the bottom. Gaze up at the deeply cut volcanic rock of the Taos Plateau, lined with pinion and juniper trees.

(Clockwise from top): Bisti Badlands; Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort and Spa; Rio Grande Gorge Bridge

1 / DINOSAUR TRACKWAYS AT CLAYTON LAKE STATE PARK Travel 100 million years in the space of a half mile. More than 500 fossilized dinosaur tracks are preserved in the earth and easily seen from the wooden walkway.

A wildflower-filled canyon of mule deer, elk, turkey, bear and even the rare mountain lion sits just beyond the prairies east of I-25. Hike the six-mile Soda Pocket Trailhead Loop through Gambel oak and aspen trees to a ridge overlooking Lake Maloya.

3 / ENCHANTED CIRCLE SCENIC BYWAY Take a driving tour through Northern New Mexico’s mountain passes ringing the state’s highest point, the 13,161-foot Wheeler Peak. Along the way go camp and hike in the Carson National Forest and stop

by Red River Ski Area for summer mountain fun.

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6 / OJO CALIENTE MINERAL SPRINGS RESORT AND SPA Soak in four varieties of sulfurfree hot springs—iron, soda, arsenic and lithia—each of which is ascribed unique physical and mental benefits long revered by local Native American tribes.

7 / BANDELIER NATIONAL MONUMENT Descend into a colorful canyon housing ancestral pueblos built between 1150 and 1550. The mile-long main loop trail passes through the remnants of a lost

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city, where ladders provide access to some of the cavates, dwellings carved directly into the volcanic tuff.

8 / VALLES CALDERA NATIONAL PRESERVE The remnants of what was once a supervolcano is now a glorious creek-filled basin, which is a lush habitat for wildlife. The preserve is also home to a network of over 80 miles of trails perfect for hiking and mountain biking.

9 / BISTI BADLANDS The 45,000-acre wilderness in

the San Juan Basin is an endless expanse of hillsides stained red, black, orange and beige. The otherworldly landscape is dotted with improbably-shaped spires and balanced rocks.

There’s a reason Georgia O’Keeffe wandered here in search of inspiration.

PHOTOS: (BISTI BADLANDS) ADOBE STOCK; (OJO CALIENTE MINERAL SPRINGS) COURTESY OJO CALIENTE MINERAL SPRINGS; (RIO GRANDE GORGE) COURTESY NEW MEXICO TRUE

2 / SUGARITE CANYON STATE PARK

(Clockwise from left): Taos Pueblo; interior of Loretto Chapel; Old San Miguel Mission in Socorro

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ARCHITECTURAL ADVENTURES

START: Taos Pueblo // END: Spencer Theater From iconic adobe architecture— which has endured through the centuries—to the shadowy installations at Los Alamos, New Mexico’s history is told through the buildings showcased in this cross-state adventure.

PHOTOS COURTESY NEW MEXICO TRUE

1 / TAOS PUEBLO The stunning Taos Pueblo is a piece of living history, preserving a Southwestern culture that’s centuries old. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the five-story Pueblo is built in an adobe style predating the arrival of Spanish explorers to New Mexico in 1540.

Taos Pueblo consists not only of the two multi-story structures

feat of engineering, appearing as a helix without any means of central support.

containing numerous private homes, but also seven kivas and a track for traditional foot races.

7 / OLD TOWN

2 / TAOS EARTHSHIPS The eclectic Earthships are artistically styled embodiments of sustainability. The buildings use thermal and solar heating and cooling techniques supplemented by photovoltaic and wind power systems for electricity. Recyclable water systems catch rain and snowmelt. An education center lets you experience the methods first hand.

3 / ORIGIN ART CAVE TOUR Subterranean surrealism lives in the Origin Art Cave. Dug by Ra Paulette, the hand-carved chamber is dug into a sandstone butte with towering designs and 20-foot windows.

4 / FULLER LODGE Famously a dining hall for scientists working on the World War II-era Manhattan Project, the Fuller Lodge is a massive pine log structure that’s been

Albuquerque’s Old Town was founded in the 1700s. Today ten blocks of historic buildings in the Pueblo-Spanish style stand as remnants of the era, punctuated by the San Felipe de Neri Church. transformed into a cultural center open to the public.

5 / SANTA FE OPERA The Crosby Theatre is an open-air wonder allowing visitors to take in sunsets over the Jemez and Sangre de Cristo Mountains while enjoying the opera. The curved roof enhances acoustics for the audience while doubling as rainwater catchment for the surrounding landscaping.

6 / LORETTO CHAPEL Early French immigrants to Sante Fe brought along Parisian architecture influences, resulting in a towering Gothic structure. The spiraling staircase inside the chapel is a remarkable

8 / OLD SAN MIGUEL MISSION IN SOCORRO Built on the foundation and frame of a church Franciscan missionaries constructed some 400 years ago, the Old San Miguel Mission was resurrected in the 1800s in the classic California Mission style.

9 / SPENCER THEATER IN ALTO A striking limestone wedge rising out of the Mesa, the Spencer Theater was designed by architect Antoine Predock to stand directly between Sunset and Sierra Blanca peaks on the summer sun’s axis on Fort Stanton Mesa. The $22-million arts center is home to theater, music and dance.

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(Clockwise from left): Craft Beer Bike Tour in Albuquerque; food at Rancho de Chimayo; the grounds at Ranch de Chimayo

allows him to teach classes focused on French, Spanish, Mediterranean and Italian cuisine, and he’s even cooked for the Dalai Lama. So he’s got that goin’ for him.

TOURING SOUTHWESTERN CUISINE

2 / HIGH ROAD TO RANCHO DE CHIMAYÓ

START: Cooking Studio // END: La Posta de Mesilla You may think you have Southwestern cuisine pegged, but no two green chiles are alike on this culinary exploration of New Mexico. Rest assured, you won’t be going home hungry.

1 / COOKING STUDIO TAOS Before hitting the road to try the local fare, learn to make some at home from James-Beardrecognized chef Christopher Maher. His varied background

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The Jaramillo family runs a James Beard Award-winning restaurant, Rancho de Chimayó, out of their ancestral home in the village of Chimayó. Family recipes featuring local pinto beans and chile are cornerstones of the menu.

3 / SAN MARCOS FEED STORE This local favorite is housed in a classic adobe adorned with murals. Stop in for the famous brunch, and don’t forget to say high to the flocks of peacocks, turkeys, ducks and other

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animals roaming around the five-acre property.

4 / CRAFT BEER BIKE TOUR IN ALBUQUERQUE Stop into Routes Rentals for an Albuquerque Bike and Brew Tour. Two different tour options allow thirsty attendees to pedal between six stops sampling a dozen tasty local microbrews along with appetizers.

5 / FARM & TABLE The name is literal at this restaurant, where 80% of ingredients come from local providers, much of it from the two-acre garden out the back

door. Former Executive Chef Carrie Eagle was even a winner on Food Network’s Chopped, so you can safely set your expectations sky high.

6 / TEQUILA TASTING AT LA POSTA DE MESILLA If a tequileria has been in business since 1939, it’s for good reason. La Posta has more than 100 tequilas available for tasting, including ultra exclusive options like the Herradura Private Reserve Double Barrel Reposado, which is hand harvested and roasted in clay ovens. Stop in for a few sips.

PHOTOS COURTESY NEW MEXICO TRUE

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Pecos. These days it’s still a literal oasis and is even a destination for scuba divers and swimmers who want to cool off in the 60-degree waters.

4 / WHITING BROTHERS SERVICE STATION Four brothers opened a company in 1926, the same year Route 66 was created, eventually running 100 filling stations, many along Route 66. This Moriarty service station is one of the last of its kind still running, replete with its original sign.

(Clockwise from top): Richardson’s Trading Post; Tee Pee Curios; Route 66 Monument; Santa Rosa Blue Hole

5 / MIDWAY TRADING POST Interstate 40 opened in the 1970s, rerouting Route 66 traffic and leading to the closure of the historic Midway Trading Post. It was resurrected in 2013, recalling the area’s 1950s glory days with curios and good eats for weary travelers.

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ENCHANTED ROUTE 66

6 / ENCHANTED TRAILS RV PARK AND TRADING POST START: New Mexico Route 66 Museum and Sculpture // END: El Rancho Hotel The curious, the eccentric and lovers of the open road have plenty to explore along Route 66. The enchanted side of The Mother Road awaits in New Mexico.

1 / NEW MEXICO ROUTE 66 MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE Start things off at the monument memorializing Route 66. There’s a signed Loretta Lynn guitar, vintage jukebox, gas pumps from another era and a towering sculpture of tire, road, tread and chrome that’s a tribute to the golden era of automobiles.

PHOTOS COURTESY NEW MEXICO TRUE

2 / TEE PEE CURIOS All the Route 66 kitsch you could ever want in a vintage curio shop that’s still operating today.

3 / BLUE HOLE An 81-foot-deep sinkhole filled with crystal-clear blue water near Santa Rosa long restored Native tribes and travelers of all strips headed for the

Stop for the night as this 1940s relic, originally called Hill Top Trading Post. Hook up your own RV or rent a vintage trailer for the night, whether a ’69 Airstream, a ’63 Winnebago or a ’56 teardrop.

7 / RICHARDSON’S TRADING POST An old-school trading post in a modern era, Richardson’s is home to painted kachina dolls, more than 3,000 Navajo rugs, pottery, contemporary Native jewelry and more. They even do a bustling pawning business.

8 / EL RANCHO HOTEL Once the height of luxury on Route 66, the El Rancho Hotel has housed Hollywood stars like John Wayne, Ronald Reagan and Katherine Hepburn over the years. That vintage glow still shines for visitors, whether they stay for the night or just for a fresh-squeezed margarita at the 49er Lounge.

For more travel ideas visit NewMexico.org.

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Let Spark Solutions Group be your partner for restaurant success!

ONLINE ORDERING | HANDHELD POS | MOBILE PAYMENT SOLUTIONS

801-486-2151

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6790 South 1300 East | Cottonwood Heights, UT 84121

ON THE TABLE

PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

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Facil Taqueria is one of three former food trucks to open a brick-andmortar shop. For more, see page 92

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WHEN A NICE TACO TRUCK SETTLES DOWN Come home to unique flavors at Fácil Taqueria, Red Tacos and The Smoked Taco

BY JOSH PETERSEN

M

Dallas Olson, co-owner of Fácil Taqueria

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Fácil Taqueria

FÁCIL TAQUERIA Holladay’s Fácil Taqueria is owned by married couple Dallas Olson, a former chef de cuisine at Pago, and Spencer Herrera, who tended bar at East Liberty Tap House. When the couple found out they were expecting a child, they quit their jobs, bought a food truck and grew a following feeding beer snobs outside Fisher Brewing and TF Brewing.

The menu, helpfully divided into “tacos” and “not tacos,” shows off the unique culinary chops that Olson honed at Pago. The Nashville hot chicken, flavored with a mix of punchy but not overwhelming spices and an agave glaze, would be a great piece of fried chicken even without the tortilla and fixings. Vegetarian tacos, one with mushrooms and an ancho orange glaze and another with

cauliflower, avocado and carrot hot sauce, provide options for herbivores that never feel like an afterthought.

Olson calls his brisket taco with chipotle buttermilk dressing a “labor of love”—he and his team go through the labor-intensive process of smoking two full briskets a day to keep the fan-favorite dish on the menu.

4429 S. 2950 East, Holladay faciltaqueria.com / 801-878-9969

RED TACOS There’s basically one thing on the menu at Red Tacos—birria. Birria— which originated in Jalisco, Mexico— is meat (in the U.S., usually beef) stewed in a flavorful broth of spices until it’s impossibly juicy and tender.

The photo-ready dish became a trend on TikTok and Instagram, but for Red

PHOTOS ADAM FINKLE

aybe there’s been one too many mad scrambles for the best parking location during the downtown lunch rush, or the long hours working in a cramped food truck kitchen at the mercy of Utah’s summer heat are not as thrilling as they once were. Whatever the reason, there comes a moment in the life of every food truck when it’s time to put it in park— permanently. Perhaps that’s why three popular Utah taco trucks have recently made the step from hell-on-wheels to brick-and-mortar. After earning their stripes, and a cadre of regulars, parked around the Valley, these restaurants have found new homes where their appeal— no-frills, affordable Mexican food—lives on.

Red Taco

the faint of heart—one of their signature tacos is positively overflowing with pork, teriyaki sauce, coleslaw and peppers. Even the “healthy nachos” (what some people would call a salad) are loaded with ranch dressing, fried onions and smoked meat, and that’s not to mention the decadent churro fries for dessert. Come with an open heart, empty stomach and plenty of wet wipes.

933 W. 500 North, Ste. 102, American Fork @thesmokedtaco_ / 801-821-5550 The Smoked Taco

Tacos’ co-owners Nancy Garcia, Martin Buenrrostro and Jesus Mendoza, this recipe has been in the family for years.

While the dish was usually reserved for quinceañeras and weddings, the family shared it with the masses when they opened the Red Tacos food truck, which they sill operate, in January 2020.

The queso tacos are probably what most people imagine when they think “birria.”

Served on crunchy corn tortillas with griddled cheese and hot broth, these good-and-greasy tacos are simple crowd-pleasers. Three sauces—a mild tomatillo, hotter chile de árbol and very hot habanero—flavor street tacos, and birria shows up in pretty much every other imaginable variation, from quesadillas to Mexican ramen. The signature queso tacos are a good place to

start, though—when I visited, Buenrrostro estimated that he ate the dish four times a week, including a couple for a late breakfast before the restaurant opened that day.

1077 S. 750 East, Orem @red_tacos / 801-362-2338

THE SMOKED TACO The smoker behind the register should be a big clue—this taqueria isn’t here to uphold any traditions. The Smoked Taco co-owners Jeff McFadden and Gary Hanson aren’t pretending to serve authentic cuisine. The two, who also own the local BBQ chain Wallaby’s, brought their love of smoked meats to a Gringoified menu of Tex-Mex (heavy emphasis on the Tex) creations. Their food is not for

The Smoked Taco owners Jeff McFadden (left) and Gary Hanson

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ON THE TABLE

CONTROCORRENTE (AGAINST THE CURRENT) At Mástra, Italian food is authentic but not snobbish

BY CAITLYN NICHOLS

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PHOTO CAITLYN NICHOLS

S

o, here’s the thing: I spent a year and a half as a missionary living in Southern Italy, and that means I ate a lot of good food. Like, a lot. From street vendors, small shops and restaurants, but mainly in the homes of Italian families, eating homemade Italian meals. You tell yourself when you go to Italy that you won’t come back a pasta snob…but you do.

That’s not to say good Italian food doesn’t exist in Utah. The most delicious of these restaurants, though, are usually more upscale—fancy ingredients, complex recipes and, most notably, high prices. I’ve been missing the simple goodness of homemade Italian pasta.

I finally found it.

Màstra Italian Bakery and Bistro is owned by Jonathan Cagnacci, a born-and-raised Italian man who has brought his talents as a chef and professional baker to Utah. Growing up in Genova (known as “Genoa” in English), Cagnacci says he has always been a foodie. “When I was just two years old, I was waking up in the middle of the night and walking around home, just looking for food. Sometimes my mom found me in the morning under the kitchen table, sleeping with a piece of bread in my hand,” Cagnacci says. “I just love food.”

As a teenager, he started working in a bakery in Genova. He later married and moved with his wife to Rome, but, to find opportunity outside of a struggling Italian economy, the couple made the move to Utah in the mid-2010s.

In 2016, Cagnacci and his wife started selling homemade focaccia and tiramisu at local farmer’s markets. As their traditional Italian fare grew more popular each season, it felt only natural to open a restaurant. In January 2021, the couple opened Màstra in American Fork.

Cagnacci designed and remodeled the interiors of Màstra’s strip mall location, even building the tables himself. The atmosphere is bright, clean and casually comfortable—broad corner windows spill sunlight onto the light-colored furniture and décor while a

WHERE TO EAT A select list of the best restaurants in Utah, curated and edited by

SALT LAKE CITY & THE WASATCH FRONT American Fine Dining ARLO 271 N. Center St., SLC, 385-266-8845. arlorestaurant.com

Chef Milo Carrier has created a destination in a small, charming house at the top of the Marmalade neighborhood. A fresh approach and locally sourced ingredients are the root of a menu that bridges fine and casual dining, at once sophisticated and homey.

BAMBARA 202 S. Main St., SLC, 801-363-5454. bambara-slc.com

The menu reflects food based on sustainability and the belief that good food should be available to everybody. Prizing seasonally driven dishes sourced from local farmers, he turns out dishes with a community-minded sensibility.

THE CHARLESTON 1229 E. Pioneer Rd., Draper, 801-550-9348. thecharlestondraper.com

Offering gracious dining in Draper, Chef Marco Silva draws from many culinary traditions to compose his classic and exciting menu—artichoke souffle, braised halibut, ratatouille. The setting, in a historic home surrounded by gardens, is lovely and we love his high standards: No kids under 11 Friday and Saturday evenings and an indoor dress code.

GRAND AMERICA

he also has a way with healthy, low-calorie, high-energy food. And he’s an expert with local and foraged foods.

555 S. Main St., SLC, 801-258-6708. grandamerica.com, laurelslc.com

Grand America Hotel’s Laurel Brasserie & Bar is one of the dinner/nightlife stars of the city, and the kitchen makes sure other meals here are up to the same standard. The setting here is traditionally elegant but don’t be intimidated. The food shows sophisticated invention, but you can also get a great sandwich or burger.

HSL 418 E. 200 South, SLC, 801-539-9999. hslrestaurant.com

The initials stand for “Handle Salt Lake”—Chef Briar Handly made his name with his Park city restaurant, Handle, and now he’s opened a second restaurant down the hill. The place splits the difference between “fine” and “casual” dining; the innovative food is excellent and the atmosphere is casually convivial. The menu is unique—just trust this chef. It’s all excellent.

LA CAILLE 9565 Wasatch Blvd., Sandy, 801-942-1751. lacaille.com

Utah’s original glamour girl has regained her luster. The grounds are as beautiful as ever; additions are functional, like a greenhouse, grapevines and vegetable gardens, all supplying the kitchen and cellar. The interior has been refreshed and the menu by Chef Billy Sotelo has today’s tastes in mind. Treat yourself.

HAofLL

LOG HAVEN

FA M E 6451 E. Mill Creek Canyon Road, SLC, 801272-8255. log-haven.com

Certainly Salt Lake’s most picturesque restaurant, the old log cabin is pretty in every season.

Chef Dave Jones has a sure hand with American vernacular and is not afraid of frying although

This selective guide has no relationship to any advertising in the magazine. Review visits are anonymous, and all expenses are paid by Salt Lake magazine.

Listings

Salt Lake magazine

HAofLL

FA M E

Dining Award Hall Of Fame Winner

PAGO 878 S. 900 East, SLC, 801-532-0777. pagoslc.com 341 S. Main St., SLC, 801-441-2955. pagoslc.com

Tiny, dynamic and food-driven, Pago’s ingredients are locally sourced and reimagined regularly. That’s why it’s often so crowded and that’s what makes it one of the best restaurants in the state. The list of wines by the glass is great, but the artisanal cocktails are also a treat.

PROVISIONS 3364 S. 2300 East, SLC, 801-410-4046. slcprovisions.com

With Chef Tyler Stokes’ bright, fresh approach to American craft cuisine (and a bright, fresh atmosphere to eat it in), Provision strives for handmade and local ideals executed with style and a little humor.

SLC EATERY 1017 S. Main St., SLC, 801-355-7952. slceatery.com

The SLC Eatery offers culinary adventure. Expect equally mysterious and delightful entrees and exciting takes on traditional dishes.

TABLE X 1457 E. 3350 South, SLC, 385-528-3712. tablexrestaurant.com

A trio of chefs collaborate on a forward-thinking thoroughly artisanal menu—vegetables are treated as creatively as proteins (smoked sunchoke, chile-cured pumpkin, barbecued cannelini beans) bread and butter are made in-house and ingredients are the best (Solstice chocolate cake.)

Expect surprises.

Quintessential Utah

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IF YOU GO 476 N. 900 W St., Ste. D, American Fork | 385-221-9786 | mastraorders.com

from Pleasant Grove’s Snuck Farm.

Cagnacci spent months finding the right basil to refine the pesto. “All the scratch ingredients I can find local, I buy local.

Otherwise, stuff like prosciutto or Parmigiano, you just need to import it,” he says.

To begin the meal, tables are set with baskets of fresh and light, crusty Italian bread, with olive oil and a flavorful balsamic vinegar from Modena for dipping. On Cagnacci’s recommendation, I ordered the lasagna al pesto, which is not a dish you commonly find in Utah. It may look a little sloppy, but that means it’s real—lasagna in Italy isn’t neatly stacked in wavy layers like we find it here.

Mástra’s version has six-plus layers of pasta with a delicious medley of pesto,

besciamella sauce and melted cheeses.

For dessert, try the sweet and smooth panna cotta, freshly made in-house and topped with a tangy blueberry sauce.

With authentic, filling pasta dishes for about $10, Cagnacci says he has had customers tell him he could charge more for the food, but he keeps the prices at what he thinks is fair while still making a profit. Maybe it’s a little “controcorrente,” or “against the current,” as he says, but he doesn’t care. Cagnacci says he created Mástra “to share his culture and to offer people the real Italian experience for the right price.”

“I love this place,” Cagnacci says. “I designed it and built it myself, so when I have people coming here, I feel like I’m having friends coming for dinner.”

PHOTOS CAITLYN NICHOLS

blend of classic and modern Italian music plays on the overhead speakers. Ephemera illustrates the story of Cagnacci and his love of Italian culture: a traditional stone mill sits by the entrance; the walls feature a map of the Liguria region in Northern Italy and Italian art depicting the history and techniques of baking; nearby, pizza stones hang on the wall, which Cagnacci used to bake his first loaves of bread in the Beehive State.

Màstra’s menu maps Cagnacci’s family heritage with dishes representing various Italian regions. The lasagna al pesto, pesto Genovese and salsa di noci (walnut sauce) are Genovese in origin. The cacio e pepe and the carbonara speak to his wife’s Roman heritage.

The lasagna al ragu is inspired by his grandmother, who hails from EmiliaRomagna. The menu includes both regular mainstays and new dishes. “I like to change so that people can have a different experience every time,” Cagnacci says. The carbonara is the crowd favorite, and diners particularly love Màstra’s pasta. They make the noodles from scratch in-house with their pasta machine from Italy, which can make 10 different pasta shapes.

Cagnacci uses a mix of ingredients sourced locally and from his homeland. Lehi Mills provides flour, and some vegetables come

American Casual BLUE LEMON 55 W. South Temple, SLC, 801-328-2583. bluelemon.com

Blue Lemon’s sleek interior and high-concept food have city style. Informal but chic, manyflavored but healthy, Blue Lemon’s unique take on food is a happy change from downtown’s food-as-usual.

BRICK & MORTAR 228 S. Edison Street, SLC, 801-419-0871. brickmortarslc.com

Brick & Mortar is a bar and restaurant in the heart of downtown (where Campos Coffee used to be). It’s a gastro pub with a mean brunch game, but the lunch and dinner (and afterdinner drinks) won’t disappoint.

CAFE NICHE 779 E. 300 South, SLC, 801-433-3380. caffeniche.com

The food comes from farms all over northern Utah, and the patio is a local favorite when the weather is fine.

CITRIS GRILL 3977 S. Wasatch Blvd., SLC, 801-466-1202. citrisgrill.com

Most dishes come in either “hearty” or “petite” portion sizes. This means you can enjoy a smoked salmon pizzetta or fried rock shrimp appetizer and then a petite order of fire-roasted pork chops with adobo rub and black bean-corn salsa. Expect crowds.

COPPER KITCHEN 4640 S. 2300 East, Holladay, 385-237-3159. copperkitchenslc.com

A welcome addition to Holladay, Ryan Lowder’s Copper Kitchen reprises his downtown Copper Onion and Copper Common success with variations. The menu is different, but the heartiness is the same; the interior is different but the easy, hip atmosphere is the same, and the decibel levels are very similar.

COPPER ONION 111 E. Broadway, Ste. 170, SLC, 801-355-3282. thecopperonion.com

An instant hit when it opened, constant crowds attest to the continuing popularity of Ryan Lowder’s Copper Onion. Though the hearty, flavorful menu changes regularly, some favorites never leave: the mussels, the burger, the ricotta dumplings. Bank on the specials.

CUCINA 1026 E. 2nd Ave., SLC, 801-322-3055. cucinawinebar.com

Cucina has added fine restaurant to its list of descriptors—good for lunch or a leisurely dinner. The menu has recently expanded to include small plates and substantial beer and wine-bythe-glass lists.

THE DODO 1355 E. 2100 South, SLC, 801-486-2473. thedodorestaurant.com

It’s hard even to update the review of this venerable bistro. So much stays the same. But, like I always say, it’s nice to know where to get quiche.

And our raspberry crepes were great. Yes, I said crepes.

EPICURE

means that you can stay in one place all evening.

Their kitchen serves up everything from duck confit nachos to their signature 12-ounce Niman Ranch ribeye.

MOOCHIE’S MEATBALLS 232 E. 800 South, SLC, 801-596-1350; 2121 S. State St., South Salt Lake, 801-487-2121; 7725 S. State St., Midvale, 801-5621500. moochiesmeatballs.com

This itty-bitty eatery/take-out joint is the place to go for authentic cheese­steaks made with thinly sliced steak and griddled onions glued together with good ol’ American cheese and wrapped in a big, soft so-called French roll.

NOMAD EAST 1675 E. 1300 South, SLC, 801-883-9791. nomad-east.com

American food here borrows from other cuisines. Save room for pineapple sorbet with stewed fresh pineapple.

Nomad East is cousin to the original, now-closed Nomad Eatery. It’s in the charmed location on 1300 South where Eggs in the City used to be.

Everything here is cooked in a pizza oven, even the roasted chicken (a must-have.) Chef Justin is a salad wizard. Fun and excellence combined.

HUB & SPOKE DINER

OASIS CAFE

707 E. Fort Union Blvd., Midvale, 801-748-1300. epicureslc.com

1291 S. 1100 East, SLC, 801-487-0698. hubandspokediner.com

This contemporary diner serves the traditional three a day with an untraditional inventiveness applied to traditional recipes. Like, artisanal grilled cheese with spiked milkshakes. And mac and cheese made with spaetzle. Breakfast is king here—expect a line.

LEFT FORK GRILL 68 W. 3900 South, SLC, 801-266-4322. leftforkgrill.ipower.com

Every booth comes with its own dedicated pie shelf. Because no matter what you’re eating— liver and onions, raspberry pancakes, meatloaf or a reuben—you’ll want to save room for pie.

Tip: Order your favorite pie first, in case they run out. Now serving beer and wine.

LITTLE AMERICA COFFEE SHOP 500 S. Main St., SLC, 801-596-5708. saltlake.littleamerica.com

Little America has been the favorite gathering place for generations of native Salt Lakers. Weekdays, you’ll find the city power players breakfasting in the coffee shop.

LONDON BELLE SUPPER CLUB 321 S. Main St., SLC, 801-363-8888. londonbelleslc.com

151 S. 500 East, SLC, 801-322-0404. oasiscafeslc.com

Oasis has a New Age vibe, but the food’s only agenda is taste. Lots of veg options, but meat, too. The German pancakes are wonderful, but its evening menu suits the space­—being both imaginative and refreshing.

OQUIRRH 368 E. 100 South, SLC 801-359-0426. oquirrhslc.com

Little and original chef-owned bistro offers a menu of inventive and delicious dishes—whole curried lamb leg, chicken confit pot pie, milkbraised potatoes—it’s all excellent.

THE PARK CAFE 604 E. 1300 South, SLC, 801-487-1670. theparkcafeslc.com

The Park Cafe has been serving up breakfast to the Liberty Wells neighborhood since 1982.

Right next to Liberty Park, the cafe’s location is hard to beat.

PIG AND A JELLY JAR 401 E. 900 South, SLC, 385-202-7366; 227 25th St., Ogden, 801-605-8400; 1968 E. Murray Holladay Rd., Holladay, 385695-5148. pigandajellyjar.com

Great chicken and waffles, local eggs, and other breakfasts are served all day, with homestyle additions at lunch and supper on Thursdays through Sundays.

It’s a combo deal—restaurant and bar. That means you have to be over 21 to enter but it also

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ON THE TABLE

CAN YOU MAKE BBQ VEGAN?

Chris Blatchford is proving that it’s possible

BY CHRISTIE PORTER

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PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

A

beautiful weekend in May calls for dining outdoors. The whole shebang: chairs moved to the backyard, vinyl tablecloths stretched over folding tables, tubs of pre-prepared side dishes—coleslaw, potato salad, baked beans—plastic forks and paper plates stacked three deep to support a mountain of barbecued meats. Well, not meat, exactly.

For this occasion (a 15-year-old feline’s quinceañera, if you must know), we picked up an order from Blatch’s Backyard BBQ in Salt Lake City, a vegan barbecue joint.

“It all started with some mostly veggie friends. Barbecues really suck for them.

Maybe they can eat the salad but not dressing,” says Chris Blatchford, the owner and pitmaster of Blatch’s Backyard BBQ. “A smoked jackfruit—a pulled meat equivalent— was the first thing I started when I ventured into this,” says Blatchford says. “I would bring the smoked jackfruit and pulled pork to parties. There would be only one or two vegans at the party, but the jackfruit would be all gone before the pork.” It seemed he was onto something.

Blatchford spent months developing his recipes, showing the same love and care as any devoted pitmaster would to preparing animal protein. Perhaps more. Out of his home/storefront, Blatchford makes his own seitan—a food derived from gluten, the main protein in wheat—for two of his most popular dishes, vegan brisket and Korean BBQ. The process includes (but is not limited to) creating a broth in a pot as big as his stove, smoking the protein, flavoring it with the broth, slathering it in sauce or a dry rub, smoking it again, then back into the broth and back in the smoker one final time. He grows many of the ingredients for his homemade broth, dry rubs, smoked salts, hot sauces and barbecue sauces—like Korean

PORCH

TRADITION

CARLUCCI’S BAKERY

11274 S. Kestrel Rise Rd., Bldg. G, South Jordan, 801-6791066. porchutah.com

501 E. 900 South, SLC, 385-202-7167. traditionslc.com

314 W. 300 South, SLC, 801-366-4484. carluccisbakery.com

A chef-owned restaurant in the new urban community of Daybreak, this sleek little cafe was conceived by Meditrina owner Jen Gilroy and focuses on locally-sourced cuisine with southern touches.

Plan your meal knowing there will be pie at the end of it. Then snack on pigs-in-blankets (sausage from artisan butcher Beltex) and funeral potatoes. Fried chicken, braised pork, chicken and dumplings are equally homey. Then, pie.

Plus a few hot dishes make this a fave morning stop. For lunch, try the herbed goat cheese on a chewy baguette.

PORCUPINE PUB AND GRILLE

VESSEL KITCHEN

1860 S. 300 West, D, SLC, 801-359-2239. 192 E. 12300 South, Ste. A, Draper, 801-572-5500. citycakescafe.com

3698 E. Fort Union Blvd., Cottonwood Heights, 801-942-5555. porcupinepub.com

905 E. 900 South, SLC, 801-810-1950; 1146 E. Fort Union Blvd., Midvale, 801-337-5055; 11052 S. State St., Sandy, 801-349-2544; 1784 Uinta Way, #E1, Park City, 435-2008864. vesselkitchen.com

Gluten-free that is so good you’ll never miss it.

Or the dairy—City Cakes has vegan goodies, too. And epic vegan mac ‘n’ chezah.

With 24 beers on tap available for only $2 every Tuesday, Porcupine has practically created its own holiday. Chicken noodle soup has homemade noodles and lots of chicken. Burgers and chile verde burritos are good, too.

ROOTS CAFÉ 3474 S. 2300 East, Millcreek, 801-277-6499. rootscafeslc.com

A charming little daytime cafe in Millcreek with a wholesome, granola vibe.

RUTH’S DINER 4160 Emigration Canyon Rd., SLC, 801-582-5807. ruthsdiner.com

The original funky trolley car is almost buried by the beer garden in fine weather, but Ruth’s still serves up diner food in a low-key setting, and the patio is one of the best. Collegiate fare like burgers, BLTs and enchiladas rule here.

The giant biscuits come with every meal, and the chocolate pudding should.

SILVER FORK LODGE 11332 E. Big Cottonwood Canyon Rd., Brighton, 801-533-9977. silverforklodge.com

Silver Fork’s kitchen handles three daily meals beautifully. Try pancakes made with a 50-year-old sourdough starter. Don’t miss the smoked trout and brie appetizer.

STELLA GRILL 4291 S. 900 East, SLC, 801-288-0051. stellagrill.com

A cool little arts-and-crafts-style café, Stella is balanced between trendy and tried-and-true.

The careful cooking comes with moderate prices. Great for lunch.

TIBURON 8256 S. 700 East, Sandy, 801-255-1200. tiburonfinedining.com

Servings at Tiburon are large and rich: elk tenderloin was enriched with mushrooms and demi-glace; a big, creamy wedge of St. Andre came with pork belly. In summer, tomatoes come from the garden.

Each of Vessel’s four locations is in an area of Utah they feel they can engage with the local populace through straight-forward, fast, casual cuisine that’s also healthy. Online ordering and curbside takeout are available at every Vessel restaurant.

Bakeries THE BAKING HIVE 3362 S. 2300 East, SLC, 801-419-0187. bakinghive.com

Tucked behind Provisions restaurant, this homespun bakery uses real butter and cream. Classes allow kids to ice and decorate their own cakes and they offer gluten-free options, too.

THE BAGEL PROJECT 779 S. 500 East, SLC, 801-906-0698, bagelproject.com

“Real” bagels are the whole story here, made by a homesick East Coaster. Of course, there’s no New York water to make them with, but other than that, these are as authentic as SLC can get.

THE BIG O DOUGHNUTS 248 W. 900 South, SLC, 385-770-7024. bigodoughnuts.square.site

Vegan. Doughnuts. Need we say more? Blueberry-lavender, tofutti cream cheese, etc.

BISCOTTS BAKERY & CAFE 1098 W. Jordan Pkwy. #10, South Jordan, 801-890-0659; 6172 W. Lake Ave., South Jordan, 801-295-7930. biscotts.com

An Anglo-Indian teahouse, Lavanya Mahate’s (Saffron Valley) latest eatery draws from intertwined cultures, serving tea and chai, English treats and French pastries with a hint of subcontinental spice.

CITY CAKES & CAFE

EVA’S BAKERY 155 S. Main St., SLC, 801-355-3942. evasbakeryslc.com

A smart French-style cafe and bakery in the heart of downtown. Different bakers are behind the patisserie and the boulangerie, meaning sweet and daily breads get the attention they deserve. Go for classics like onion soup and croque monsieur, but don’t ignore other specials and always leave with at least one loaf of bread.

FILLINGS & EMULSIONS 1475 S. Main St., SLC, 385-229-4228. fillingsandemulsions.com

This little West-side bakery is worth finding—its unusual pastries find their way into many of Salt Lake’s fine restaurants. Pastry Chef Adalberto Diaz combines his classical French training with the tropical flavors of his homeland. The results are startlingly good and different.

GOURMANDISE 250 S. 300 East, SLC, 801-328-3330, 725 E. 12300 South, Draper, 801-571-1500. gourmandise.com

This downtown mainstay has cheesecakes, cannoli, napoleons, pies, cookies, muffins and flaky croissants. And don’t forget breads and rolls to take home.

GRANARY BAKEHOUSE 1059 E. 900 South, SLC, 385-212-4298. granarybakehouse.com

The cases of this bakery are filled with some of the best laminated pastries in town. Granary Bakehouse doesn’t skimp on the quality of the baked artisan breads, either, and sources with local ingredients.

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IF YOU GO 186 I St., SLC blatchsbackyardbbq.com Pre-orders accepted through 5 p.m. Thursday or until sold out.

Place orders by text: 385-2105029. Friday pickup 3–6 p.m.

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BBQ sauce and sweet and spicy raspberry jalapeño sauce—in his home garden.

Here’s the thing—it’s really good. The seitan brisket and Korean BBQ were favorites of the crowd, which included omnivores. The dishes were more flavorful and juicy than most smoked animal protein and with a satisfying texture and weight that some vegan meat substitutes lack. The sides were a big hit as well, especially the wood-fired rolls (pile those high with the smoked jackfruit for a little barbecue sandwich) and the smoked poblano potato salad, which elevates the common, often humdrum side dish to new heights with the tasty combination of spicy, smoky and tangy.

At this point, Blatchford is used to hearing vegan customers say things like, “You have no idea how excited I am. I have not had barbecue in more than 40 years.”

He says, “I love being able to give them that.

That’s the reason why I’m doing it.”

Blatch’s Backyard BBQ is available only by-order for weekly pick-up, but word is spreading fast. “In the past I would sell out two-thirds to half of the time. Now I’m selling out at least a week out,” Blatchford says, and he has had to add a waitlist and grow his operation to keep up with the demand. “Before I started, I had two barbecue pits,” he says. “Now I’m up to five smokers and I might need two more.” He’s also expanded his home garden from 1,500 to 2,000 square feet. It’s all concealed behind the doors of a blue bungalow in the Avenues—a sign hanging on the front porch that indicates you’ve come to the right place.

If you’re hesitant to try the vegan barbecue, Blatchford sells a classic meat option as well. “The coolest thing about this is being able to dish up delicious food,” says Blatchford. “I don’t care if it’s vegan or not vegan…if it tastes good, that’s all that matters. If you’re satisfied—who cares?”

PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

ON THE TABLE

LA BONNE VIE

VOSEN’S BREAD PARADISE

DESERT EDGE BREWERY

555 S. Main St., SLC, 801-258-6708. grandamerica.com

328 W. 200 South, SLC, 801-322-2424. vosen.com

273 S. Trolley Square, SLC, 801-521-8917. desertedgebrewery.com

Cuter than a cupcake, Grand America’s pastry shop has all the charm of Paris. The pretty windows alone are worth a visit.

This German-style bakery’s cases are full of Eifelbrot, Schwarzbrot, Krustenbrot and lots of other Brots as well as sweet pastries and fantastic Berliners.

LES MADELEINES

Barbecue & Southern Food

216 E. 500 South, SLC, 801-673-8340. lesmadeleines.com

The kouign aman still reigns supreme among Salt Lake City pastries, but with a hot breakfast menu and lunch options, Les Mad is more than a great bakery.

MRS. BACKER’S PASTRY SHOP 434 E. South Temple, SLC, 801-532-2022. mrsbackers.com

A Salt Lake tradition, Mrs. Backer’s is a butter cream fantasy. Fantastic colors, explosions of flowers, most keyed to the current holiday created from American-style butter cream icing, fill this old-fashioned shop.

PASSION FLOUR PATISSERIE 165 E. 900 South, SLC, 385-242-7040. passionflourslc.com

A vegan-friendly cafe located in an up-andcoming neighborhood. They offer coffee and tea lattes and a variety of croissants: the crust is flaky and buttery (despite the lack of butter).

They also bake up some deliciously moist custom vegan cakes for any occasion.

RUBY SNAP FRESH COOKIES

PAT’S BARBECUE 155 W. Commonwealth Ave., SLC, 801-484-5963; 2929 S. State St., SLC, 385-528-0548. patsbbq.com

One of Salt Lake City’s best, Pat’s brisket, pork and ribs deserve the spotlight but sides are notable here, too. Don’t miss “Burnt End Fridays.”

R&R BBQ 307 W. 600 South, SLC, 801-364-0443.

Other locations. randrbbq.com

Owned by brothers Rod and Roger Livingston, winners on the competitive barbecue circuit. Ribs and brisket star, but fried okra steals the show.

THE SUGARHOUSE BARBECUE COMPANY 880 E. 2100 South, SLC, 801-463-4800. sugarhousebbq.com

This place is a winner for pulled pork, Texas brisket or Memphis ribs. Plus killer sides, like Greek potatoes.

Bar Grub & Brewpubs (Also check bar listings.)

770 S. 300 West, SLC, 801-834-6111. rubysnap.com

The Trudy, Ruby Snap’s classic chocolate-chip cookie. But it’s just a gateway into the menu of delicious fresh cookies behind the counter at Ruby Snap’s retro-chic shop on Salt Lake’s west side.

SO CUPCAKE 4002 S. Highland Dr., SLC, 801-274-8300. socupcake.com

Choose a mini or a full cake, mix and match cakes and icings, or try a house creation, like Hanky Panky Red Velvet.

TULIE BAKERY 863 E. 700 South, SLC, 801-883-9741; 1510 S. 1500 East, SLC, 801-410-4217. tuilebakery.com

You can get a little spiritual about pastries this good on a Sunday morning, but at Tulie you can be just as uplifted by a Wednesday lunch.

AVENUES PROPER PUBLICK HOUSE 376 8th Ave., SLC, 385-227-8628. avenuesproper.com

It’s a restaurant and brewpub, with the emphasis on small plates and late hours. The food is inventive, the beer is good and—big plus—they serve cocktails as well as brew at this neighborhood hot spot.

BOHEMIAN BREWERY 94 E. 7200 South., Midvale, 801-566-5474. bohemianbrewery.com

Bohemian keeps a firm connection to its cultural history—so to go with the wonderful Czech beer, you can nosh on potato pancakes, pork chops and goulash. There’s also plenty of American beer fare.

Good pub fare and freshly brewed beer make this a hot spot for shoppers, the business crowd and ski bums.

LEVEL CROSSING BREWING CO. 2496 S. West Temple, SLC, 385-270-5752. levelcrossingbrewing.com

Going out to grab a beer with your closest circle, your homies, in South Salt Lake. Crafted beers come with a light fare menu offering a vegan wrap, BLT or classic Italian hoagie.

RED ROCK BREWING 254 S. 200 West, SLC, 801-521-7446; 6227 State St., Murray, 801-262-2337; 1640 Redstone Center Dr., Park City, 435-5750295. redrockbrewing.com

Red Rock proves the pleasure of beer on its own and as a complement to pizzas, rotisserie chicken and chile polenta. Not to mention brunch. Also in the Fashion Place Mall.

SQUATTERS PUB BREWERY 147 W. Broadway, SLC, 801-363-2739; 1763 S. saltlakebrewingco.com

One of the “greenest” restaurants in town, Squatters brews award-winning beers and pairs them with everything from wings to ahi tacos.

WASATCH BREWPUB 2110 S. Highland Dr., SLC, 801-783-1127. saltlakebrewingco.com

Part of the same mega “boutique” group that produces Squatters and Wasatch beers and runs the pubs in Salt Lake City and Park City with those names, this extension is everything you expect a brewpub to be—hearty food, convivial atmosphere, lots of beer and a great late-ish option.

Breakfast/Lunch Only THE DAILY 222 S. Main St., Ste. 140, SLC, 801-297-1660. thedailyslc.com

Chef Ryan Lowder’s only non-Copper restaurant (Onion, Commons, Kitchen) is open all day for breakfast, lunch and noshing. Call in and pick up lunch, stop in and linger over Stumptown coffee, take some pastries to go and don’t miss the biscuits.

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ON THE TABLE EGGS IN THE CITY

PRETTY BIRD CHICKEN

CAFFE D’BOLLA

2795 S. 2300 East, SLC, 801-581-0809. eggsinthecityslc.com

146 S. Regent St., SLC; 675 E. 2100 South, SLC; prettybirdchicken.com.

249 E. 400 South, #100, SLC, 801-355-1398. caffedbolla.com

A familiar face in a whole new space—the favored breakfast joint has moved to Millcreek.

Hip and homey, all at once.

Chances are you’ll still have to wait in line for Chef Viet Pham’s Nashville hot chicken. There is really only one thing on the menu—spicy fried chicken on a bun or on a plate. Go early—Pretty Bird closes when the kitchen runs out of chicken.

John Piquet is a coffee wizard—a cup of his specially roasted siphon brews is like no other cup of coffee in the state. His wife, Yiching, is an excellent baker.

FINN’S CAFE 1624 S. 1100 East, SLC, 801-467-4000. finnscafe.net

The Scandinavian vibe comes from the heritage of owner Finn Gurholt. At lunch, try the Nordic sandwiches, but Finn’s is most famous for breakfast (best pancakes in town), served until the doors close at 2:30 p.m.

MILLCREEK CAFÉ & EGGWORKS 3084 E. 3300 South, SLC, 801-485-1134. millcreekcafeandeggworks.com

This spiffy neighborhood place is open for lunch, but breakfast is the game. Items like a chile verde-smothered breakfast wrap and the pancakes offer serious sustenance.

PROPER BURGER AND PROPER BREWING 865 S. Main St., SLC, 801-906-8604. properburgerslc.com

Sibling to Avenues Proper, the new place has expanded brewing and burger capacity, two big shared patios. And ski-ball.

PUBLIK KITCHEN 931 E. 900 South, SLC, 385-229-4205. publikcoffee.com

Same ownership as Publik coffee, only the Kitchen has a more extensive menu. Don’t miss the BLT, made with tomato jam.

Burgers, Sandwiches & Delis

SHAKE SHACK

DIVERSION

The national favorite has landed in Utah and surely there will be more to come. Danny Meyer’s all-American favorite serves burgers, mediocre fries and milkshakes, along with other fast food faves. Play board games and try one of their super cool shake flavors.

535 N. 300 West, SLC, 801-657-7326. diversioneatery.com

Much-needed neighborhood eatery serving burgers, dogs, chili and fries. Try the “burger bowl”—just what it sounds like and twice as messy.

2005 E. 2700 South, SLC, 801-906-0369. feldmansdeli.com

Finally, SLC has a Jewish deli worthy of the name. Stop by for your hot pastrami fix or to satisfy your latke craving or your yen for knishes.

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

A biker-bar-inspired burger joint, Lucky 13 has won first place for burgers in the World Food Championships. You can choose from the regular menu of 11 burgers, ranging from the foot-tall “Big Benny” with its 28 ounces of ground chuck to the “Ring of Fire,” topped with jalapeños and habaneros to the Fungus Amongus, featuring mushrooms sauteed in red wine. With so many choices, you’re bound to find one you like. This is a 21+ establishment.

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175 W. 200 South, SLC, 385-207-8362; 1476 Newpark Blvd., Park City, 801-462-9475. cuplacoffee.com

The menu at Cupla reflects the owners’ lifestyle of a low-carb and low-sugar diet, without sacrificing taste for health. They roast their own coffee beans, rotated seasonally.

LA BARBA 155 E. 900 South, SLC; 9 S. Rio Grande, SLC, 385-429-2401; 13811 Sprague Ln., Draper, 801-901-8252. labarbacoffee.com

Owned by locally owned coffee roasters—a favorite with many local restaurants—this little cafe off of George serves coffee, tea, chocolate and pastries.

LOGOS COFFEE 1709 E. 1300 South, SLC, 801-657-1383. logos.coffee

Logos is a small batch specialty coffee roaster that operates a mobile espresso cart (check social media for location) and a coffee bar that’s open 7 a.m.–2 p.m. everyday.

PUBLIK 502 E. 3rd Ave., SLC, 385-229-4836; 975 S. West Temple, SLC, 801-355-3161; 210 S. University St., SLC, 385-549-1928. publikcoffee.com

The only German deli in town is packed with customers ordering bratwurst, wiener schnitzel, sauerkraut and spaetzle.

Serving the latest in great coffee; the old-school java joint made for long conversations; a neo-cafe where you can park with your laptop and get some solo work done.

TONYBURGERS

URBAN SAILOR COFFEE

613 E. 400 South, SLC, 801-419-0531; Other Utah locations. tonyburgers.com

LUCKY 13

SALTLAKEMAGAZINE.COM

SIEGFRIED’S DELICATESSEN 20 W. 200 South, SLC, 801-355-3891. siegfriedsdelicatessen.com

FELDMAN’S DELI

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11020 State St., Ste. B, Sandy, 385-276-3910; 6123 S. State St., Murray, 801-448-9707; shakeshack.com

CUPLA COFFEE

This home-grown burger house serves freshground beef, toasted buns, twice-fried potatoes and milkshakes made with real scoops of ice cream.

Coffee 3 CUPS COFFEE 4670 S. Holladay Village Plaza #104, Holladay, 385-237-3091.

3cups.coffee

With a slick, modern interior, 3 Cups transitions seamlessly from a neighborhood coffee shop by day to a wine and cheese bar by night. This family establishment boasts of roasting their own beans and baking their own goods.

1327 E. 2100 South, SLC, 385-227-8978. urbansailorcoffee.com

Urban Sailor Coffee opened its first sit-down coffee shop in Sugar House after originally serving Anchorhead specialty coffee from a mobile coffee cart and Steve Smith tea from a URAL sidecar motor.

SALT LAKE ROASTING COMPANY 820 E. 400 South, SLC, 801-363-7572. roasting.com

SLC’s original coffee shop owner John Bolton buys and roasts the better-than-fair-trade beans.

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ON THE TABLE Central & South American AREMPA’S

HONG KONG TEA HOUSE & RESTAURANT 565 W. 200 South, SLC, 801-531-7010. hongkongteahouse.yolasite.com

350 S. State St., SLC, 385-301-8905. arempas.com

Happy, casual Venezuelan food—arepas, tequenos, cachapas—basically everything is cornmeal filled with pulled beef, chicken or pork and fried. But—also the same fillings between slices of plantains. And a chocolate filled tequena.

Authentic, pristine and slightly weird is what we look for in Chinese food. Tea House does honorable renditions of favorites, but it is a rewarding place to go explore.

J. WONG’S BISTRO 163 W. 200 South, SLC, 801-350-0888. jwongs.com

Meat, meat and more meat is the order of the day at this Brazilian-style churrascaria buffet.

Drawing from their Thai and Chinese heritage, J. Wong’s menu allows you to choose either.

Lunch—Chinese or Thai—isn’t a good deal. It’s a great deal. Don’t miss the ginger whole fish or the Gunpowder cocktail. Call ahead for authentic Peking duck.

RODIZIO GRILL

French & European

BRAZA GRILL 5927 S. State St., Murray, 801-506-7788. brazagrillutah.com

600 S. 700 East, SLC, 801-220-0500. rodiziogrill.com

BRUGES WAFFLE AND FRITES

The salad bar offers plenty to eat, but the best bang for the buck is the Full Rodizio, a selection of meats—turkey, chicken, beef, pork, seafood and more—plus vegetables and pineapple, brought to your table until you cry “uncle.”

Chinese & Pan-Asian

336 W. Broadway, SLC, 801-363-4444; 2314 S. Highland Dr., 801-486-9999. brugeswaffles.com

The original tiny shop turns out waffles made with pearl sugar. Plus frites, Belgian beef stew and a gargantuan sandwich called a mitraillette with merguez. Other locations have bigger menus.

CAFÉ MADRID

ASIAN STAR

Indian BOMBAY HOUSE 2731 E. Parley’s Way, SLC, 801-581-0222; 463 N. University Ave., Provo, 801-373-6677; 7726 Campus View Dr., #120, West Jordan, 801-282-0777. bombayhouse.com

This biryani mainstay is sublimely satisfying, from the wise-cracking Sikh host to the friendly server, from the vegetarian entrees to the tandoor-grilled delights. No wonder it’s been Salt Lake’s favorite subcontinental restaurant for 20 years.

CURRY IN A HURRY 2020 S. State St., SLC, 801-467-4137. ilovecurryinahurry.com

The Nisar family’s restaurant is tiny, but fast service and fair prices make this a great takeout spot. But if you opt to dine in, there’s always a Bollywood film on the telly.

HIMALAYAN KITCHEN 360 S. State St., SLC, 801-328-2077; 11521 S. 4000 West, South Jordan, 801-254-0800. himalayankitchen.com

Indian-Nepalese restaurant with an everexpanding menu. Start the meal with momos, fat little dumplings like pot stickers. All the tandoor dishes are good, but Himalayan food is rare, so go for the quanty masala, a stew made of nine different beans.

7588 S. Union Park Ave., Midvale, 801-566-8838. asianstarrestaurant.com

5244 S. Highland Dr., Holladay, 801-273-0837. cafemadrid.net

KATHMANDU

The menu is not frighteningly authentic or disturbingly Americanized. Dishes are chefdriven, and Chef James seems most comfortable in the melting pot.

Authentic dishes like garlic soup share the menu with port-sauced lamb shank. Service is courteous and friendly at this family-owned spot.

3142 S. Highland Dr., SLC, 801-466-3504; 250 W. 2100 South, SLC, 801-935-4258; 863 E. 9400 South, Sandy, 801-9818943. thekathmandu.net

FRANCK’S

BOBA WORLD 512 W. 750 South, Woods Cross, 801-298-3626. bobaworld.blogspot.com

This mom-and-pop place is short on chic, but the food on the plate provides all the ambiance you need. Try the scallion pancakes, try the Shanghai Fat Noodles, heck, try the kung pao chicken. It’s all good.

324 S. State St., Ste. 150, SLC., 385-477-4975. gingerstreet.com

Chef Tyler Stokes, who owns Provisions, owns Ginger Street indulging his passion for Southeast Asian food, and providing an alternative for downtown diners. The fast-casual concept offers spins of classic dishes like dan-dan noodles and dumplings.

SALTLAKEMAGAZINE.COM

Founding chef Franck Peissel’s influence can still be tasted—personal interpretations of continental classics. Some, like the meatloaf, are perennials, but mostly the menu changes according to season and the current chef ’s whim.

MONSIEUR CRÊPES

GINGER STREET

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6263 S. Holladay Blvd., SLC, 801-274-6264. francksfood.com

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1617 S. 900 East, SLC, 787-358-9930. monsieurcrepesut.us

This French-style creperie offering both savory—Brie, prosciutto, tomato—and sweet— whipped cream, fruit, chocolate—fillings. The famous Gallic pancake evolved from a food truck into a charming cafe with a very pretty patio.

Try the Nepalese specialties, including spicy pickles to set off the tandoor-roasted meats.

Both goat and sami, a kibbeh-like mixture of ground lamb and lentils, are available in several styles.

ROYAL INDIA 10263 S. 1300 East, Sandy, 801-572-6123; 55 N. Main St., Bountiful, 801-292-1835. royalindiautah.com

Northern Indian tikka masalas and Southern Indian dosas allow diners to enjoy the full range of Indian cuisine.

SAFFRON VALLEY EAST INDIA CAFE 26 E. E St., SLC, 801-203-3325. saffronvalley.com

Lavanya Mahate has imported her style of Indian cooking from South Jordan to SLC. Besides terrific lunch and dinner menus, East Indian Cafe offers regular celebrations of specialties like Indian street food or kebabs. Stay tuned.

ON THE TABLE SAFFRON VALLEY 1098 W. South Jordan Pkwy., South Jordan, 801-438-4823. saffronvalley.com

Highlighting South Indian street food, one of the glories of subcontinental cuisine, Lavanya Mahate’s restaurant is a cultural as well as culinary center, offering cooking classes, specialty groceries and celebration as well as great food.

SAFFRON VALLEY 479 E. 2100 South, SLC, 801-203-3754. saffronvalley.com

Yet another iteration of Lavanya Mahate’s vision of her homeland, this Saffron Valley location combines the best of her other three restaurants: Indian street foods, classic Indian and the Indian-Anglo bakery.

TANDOOR INDIAN GRILL 3300 S. 729 East, SLC, 801-486-4542; 4828 S. Highland Dr., Holladay, 801-999-4243. tandoorindiangrill.com

Delicious salmon tandoori, sizzling on a plate with onions and peppers like fajitas, is mysteriously not overcooked. Friendly service.

Italian & Pizza

CAPUTO’S MARKET AND DELI 314 W. 300 South, SLC, 801-531-8669; 1516 S. 1500 East, SLC, 801-486-6615; 4670 Holladay Village Plaza, Holladay, 801-272-0821. caputos.com

A great selection of olive oils, imported pastas, salamis and house-aged cheeses, and the largest selections of fine chocolate in the country. The deli menu doesn’t reflect the market, but is a reliable source for meatball sandwiches and such.

CARMINE’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT

PIZZERIA LIMONE 613 E. 400 South, SLC, 801-953-0200; 1380 E. Fort Union Blvd., Cottonwood Heights, 801-733-9305; 11464 S. Parkway Plaza Dr., Ste. 100, South Jordan, 801-495-4467; 42 W. 11400 South, Sandy, 801-666-8707. pizzerialimone.com

CUCINA TOSCANA 282 S. 300 West., SLC, 801-328-3463. toscanaslc.com

This longtime favorite turns out Italian classics like veal scaloppine, carbonara and a risotto of the day in a chic setting. A tiny cup of complimentary hot chocolate ends the meal.

2148 S. 900 East, SLC, 801-485-3699; 156 E. 200 South, SLC, 801-363-2366. estepizzaco.com

Chic pizza in Bountiful. Arella’s pies appeal to pizza purists, traditionalists and adventurers, with wood-fired crusts and toppings that range from pear to jalapeño.

Try the “pink” pizza, topped with ricotta and marinara. Vegan cheese is available, and there’s microbrew on tap.

NUCH’S PIZZERIA 2819 S. 2300 East, Millcreek, 801-484-0448. nuchspizza.com

1465 S. 700 East, SLC, 801-953-0636. brickscornerslc.com

Bricks is the sole purveyor of Detroit-style pizza in Salt Lake City, baked in a steel pan and smothered in cheese, some might think it resembles a lasagna more than a pizza. You’ll want to come hungry.

CAFÉ TRIO 680 S. 900 East, SLC, 801-533-8746. triodiningslc.com

Pizzas from the wood-fired brick oven are wonderful. One of the city’s premier and perennial lunch spots. Be sure to check out their weekly specials.

CAFFÉ MOLISE AND BTG WINE BAR 404 S. West Temple, SLC, 801-364-8833. caffemolise.com

The old Eagle building is a gorgeous setting for this city fave, with outdoor dining space and much more. Sibling wine bar BTG is under the same roof. Call for hours.

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Students can live, think and even thrive on a diet of pizza, beer and soft drinks, and The Pie is the quintessential college pizzeria.

While the original is a University neighborhood instituion, more locations have popped up around the valley to serve more than just the collegiate crowd.

Carmine’s has a robust menu of Italian classics, including housemade pasta, Neapolitan pizza and a wine list expansive enough for picture-perfect pairings.

535 W. 400 North, Bountiful, 801-294-8800. arellapizzeria.com

BRICKS CORNER

1320 E. 200 South, SLC, 801-582-5700; 3321 S. 200 East, South Salt Lake, 801-466-5100; 7186 Union Park Ave, Midvale, 801-233-1999; 10627 Redwood Rd., South Jordan, 801-495-4095. thepie.com

2477 Fort Union Blvd., SLC, 801-948-4468. carmines.restaurant

ESTE PIZZA

ARELLA PIZZERIA

THE PIE PIZZERIA

A New York-sized eatery (meaning tiny) offers big flavor via specialty pastas and wonderful bubbly crusted pizzas. Ricotta is made in house.

OSTERIA AMORE 224 S. 1300 East, SLC, 385-270-5606. osteriaamore.com

An offshoot of the ever-growing Sicilia Mia group, the food here is not highly original —expect carpaccio, fried octopus, all kinds of pasta and pizza in the nicely redesigned space.

PER NOI TRATTORIA 3005 S. Highland Dr., SLC, 801-486-3333. pernoitrattoria.com

A little chef-owned, red sauce Italian spot catering to its neighborhood. Expect casual, your-hands-on service, hope they have enough glasses to accommodate the wine you bring, and order the spinach ravioli.

The signature pie at this local chain features thinly sliced lemons. Service is cafeteria-style, meaning fast, and the pizza, salads and gelato are remarkably good.

PIZZA NONO 925 E. 900 South, SLC, 801-702-3580. pizzanono-slc.com

Small, kick-started pizzeria in 9th and 9th neighborhood has a limited but carefully sourced menu, a small but good list of wine and beer and an overf lowing feeling of hospitality.

SALT LAKE PIZZA & PASTA 1063 E. 2100 South, SLC, 801-484-1804. saltlakepizzaandpasta.com

And sandwiches and burgers and steak and fish. The menu here has expanded far beyond its name.

SETTEBELLO PIZZERIA 260 S. 200 West, SLC, 801-322-3556. settebello.net

Every Neapolitan-style pie here is handshaped by a pizza artisan and baked in a wood-fired oven. And they make great gelato right next door.

SICILIA MIA 4536 S. Highland Dr., Holladay, 801-274-0223; 895 W. East Promontory, Farmington, 385-988-3727. siciliamiautah.com

A family-run restaurant with a huge number of fans who love the food’s hearty and approachable style, friendly service and touches of show biz—famous for its pasta carbonara, prepared in a wheel of Parmesan. The third in a trio of family-owned restaurants. They all recall Italian food of yesteryear.

Three locations, Salt Lake City, Holladay and Ogden.

Open 7 days a week for dine-in, takeout and delivery through Doordash.

WB’s CBD Oil Isolated Spectrum Citrus

WB’s Eatery, we’re casual in every way; cocktails in the shaker, CBD Oil for dosing...your spot to kickback with friends, and live the lifestyle!

ON THE TABLE SIRAGUSA’S TASTE OF ITALY 4115 Redwood Rd., Taylorsville, 801-268-1520. siragusas.com

Another strip mall mom-and-pop find, the two dishes to look out for are sweet potato gnocchi and osso buco made with pork.

STANZA 454 E. 300 South, SLC, 801-746-4441. stanzaslc.com

Chef Jonathon LeBlanc, brings a happy flair to this Italianesque restaurant. And Amber Billingsley is making the desserts. Va tutto bene!

STONEGROUND ITALIAN KITCHEN 249 E. 400 South, SLC, 801-364-1368. stonegrounditalian.com

The longtime pizza joint has blossomed into a full-scale Italian restaurant with chef Justin Shifflet in the kitchen making authentic sauces and fresh pasta. An appealing upstairs deck and a full craft bar complete the successful transformation. Oh yeah, they still serve pizza.

TUSCANY 2832 E. 6200 South, SLC, 801-277-9919. tuscanyslc.com

This restaurant’s faux-Tuscan kitsch is mellowing into retro charm, though the glass chandelier is a bit nerve-wracking. The double-cut pork chop is classic, and so is the chocolate cake.

473 E. 400 South, SLC, 801-876-5267. yokoslc.com

3947 S. Wasatch Blvd., SLC, 801-277-2928. kobeslc.com

This is Mike’s place—Mike Fukumitsu, once at Kyoto, is the personality behind the sushi bar and the driving spirit in the restaurant. Perfectly fresh fish keeps a horde of regulars returning.

Mediterranean & Middle Eastern

KOBE JAPANESE RESTAURANT

CAFÉ MED

KYOTO 1080 E. 1300 South, SLC, 801-487-3525. kyotoslc.com

The service is friendly, the sushi is fresh, the tempura is amazingly light, and the prices are reasonable. Servings are occidentally large, and service is impeccable.

Get the mezzes platter for some of the best falafel in town. Entrees range from pita sandwiches to gargantuan dinner platters of braised shortribs, roast chicken and pasta.

FENICE MEDITERRANEAN BISTRO

NOHM 165 W. 900 South, SLC, 801-917-3812. nohmslc.com

A genius Japanese and Korean restaurant specializing in robata and sushi. Chef-owner David Chon is more daring with his menu than most—this is a place for exploring. If you see something you’ve never tasted before, taste it here. Servers are happy to help.

HAofLL

420 E. 3300 South, SLC, 801-493-0100. medslc.com

TAKASHI

126 Regent St., SLC, 801-359-4500. fenicebistroslc.com

The owners of Silver Star Café are behind this Mediterranean bistro with a smaller, intentional menu featuring just the favorites like fire-sherried grapes.

LAYLA 4751 S. Holladay Blvd., Holladay, 801-272-9111. laylagrill.com

Layla relies on family recipes. The resulting standards, like hummus and kebabs, are great, but explore some of the more unusual dishes, too.

801-519-9595. takashisushi.com

173 W. Broadway, SLC, 801-521-4563. valtersosteria.com

Valter Nassi’s restaurant overflows with his effervescent personality. The dining room is set up so Valter can be everywhere at once. Old favorites include a number of tableside dishes.

Takashi Gibo earned his acclaim by buying the freshest fish and serving it in politely eye-popping style. Check the chalkboard for specials like Thai mackerel, fatty tuna or spot prawns, and expect some of the best sushi in the city.

TOSH’S RAMEN 1465 S. State St., SLC, 801-466-7000. 1963 E., Murray Holladay Rd., Holladay.

VENETO RISTORANTE 370 E. 900 South, SLC, 801-359-0708. venetoslc.com

This small place, owned by Marco and Amy Stevanoni, strives to focus on one of the many regional cuisines we lump under the word “Italian.” Hence the name; and forget what you think you know about Italian food except the word “delizioso.”

Japanese KAZE

Chef Tosh Sekikawa is our own ramen ranger.

His long-simmered noodle-laden broths have a deservedly devoted following—meaning, go early. Now with a second location.

TSUNAMI 1059 E. 900 South, SLC, 385-900-0288; 7628 S. Union Park Ave., Midvale, 801-676-6466; 10722 River Front Pkwy., South Jordan, 801-748-1178; 1616 W. Traverse Pkwy., Lehi, 801770-0088. tsunamiutah.com

Besides sushi, the menu offers crispy-light tempura and numerous house cocktails and sake.

65. E. Broadway, SLC, 801-800-6768. kazesushiut.com

Small and stylish, Kaze has plenty to offer besides absolutely fresh fish and inventive

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YOKO RAMEN More ramen! Utahns can’t seem to slurp enough of the big Japanese soup—Yoko serves it up for carnivores and vegans, plus offers some kinkier stuff like a Japanese Cubano sandwich and various pig parts.

FA M E 18 W. Market St., SLC,

VALTER’S OSTERIA

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combinations. Food is beautifully presented and especially for a small place the variety is impressive. A sake menu is taking shape and Kaze is open until midnight.

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LAZIZ KITCHEN 912 S. Jefferson St., SLC, 801-441-1228. lazizkitchen.com

There are so many reasons to love Laziz Kitchen.

Some are obvious—their top-notch Lebanesestyle hummus, muhammara and toum.

HAofLL

MAZZA

FA M E 1515 S. 1500 East, SLC, 801-484-9259. mazzacafe.com

Excellent. With the bright flavor that is the hallmark of Middle Eastern food and a great range of dishes, Mazza has been a go-to for fine Lebanese food in SLC before there was much fine food at all.

MANOLI’S 402 E. 900 South, Ste. 2, SLC, 801-532-3760. manolison9th.com

Manoli and Katrina Katsanevas have created a fresh modern approach to Greek food. Stylish small plates full of Greek flavors include Butternut-squash-filled tyropita, smoked feta in piquillo peppers and a stellar roast chicken.

PADELI’S 30 E. Broadway, SLC, 801-322-1111. padelisstreetgreek.com

One of Salt Lake’s original Greek restaurants, Greek Souvlaki, has opened a contemporary version of itself. Padeli’s also serves the classic street fare, but these excellent souvlaki come in a streamlined space modeled after Chipotle, Zao and other fast-but-not-fast-food stops. The perfect downtown lunch.

SPITZ DONER KEBAB 35 E. Broadway, SLC, 801-364-0286. spitz-restaurant.com

This California transplant specializes in what Utahns mostly know by their Greek name “gyros.” But that’s not the only attraction. Besides the food, Spitz has an energetic hipster vibe and a liquor license that make it an after-dark destination.

Mexican BARRIO 282 E. 900 South, SLC, 801-613-2251. barrioslc.com

A slick new taco bar with a slightly punk Mexican theme, Barrio offers the usual selection of tacos—everyone’s favorite food, outdoor seating on nice days, margaritas, beer and a selection of serve yourself salsas.

BLUE IGUANA 165 S. West Temple, SLC, 801-533-8900. blueiguanarestaurant.net

This colorful downtown restaurant has a charming downstairs location and patio, and has been a Salt Lake staple for decades. Enchiladas, tacos, and “jengo” nachos—piled high on a platter—are all good, as are the margaritas. A nifty addition: phone chargers on every table.

CHILE TEPIN 307 W. 200 South, SLC, 801-883-9255. chile-tepin.com

Popular for its generous servings of Mexican food, this place usually has a line on Friday nights. Heavy on the protein—the molcajete holds beef, pork and chicken—but cheese enchiladas and margaritas and other staples are good, too.

CHUNGA’S 180 S. 900 West, SLC, 801-953-1840; 1895 S. Redwood Rd., SLC, 801-973-6904. chungasmexican.com

These tacos al pastor are the real deal. Carved from a big pineapple-marinated hunk, the meat is folded in delicate masa tortillas with chopped pineapple, onion and cilantro.

LONE STAR TAQUERIA 2265 E. Fort Union Blvd., SLC, 801-944-2300. lstaq.com

Lone Star serves a burrito that’s a meal in itself, whether you choose basic bean and cheese or a special.

HAofLL

FA M E

RED IGUANA 736 W. North Temple, SLC, 801-322-1489; 866 W. South Temple, SLC, 801-214-6050. rediguana.com

All locations are a blessing in this City of Salt, which still has mysteriously few good Mexican restaurants. Mole is what you want.

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ON THE TABLE RIO GRANDE CAFÉ

Creek, plus Bluepoints. Crab and shrimp are conscientiously procured.

258 S. 1300 East, SLC, 801-364-3302. riograndecafeslc.com

As bustling now as it was when it was still a train station, this is a pre-Jazz favorite and great for kids, too. Dishes overflow the plate and fill the belly.

Southeast Asian CHABAAR BEYOND THAI 87 W. 7200 South, Midvale, 801-566-5100. chabaarbeyondthai.com

TAQUERIA 27 149 E. 200 South, SLC, 385-259-0940; 4670 S. Holladay Village Plaza, Holladay, 801-676-9706; 6154 S. Fashion Blvd.

Ste. 2, Murray, 801-266-2487; 1688 W. Traverse Pkwy., Lehi, 801-331-8033. taqueria27.com

One of Annie Sooksri’s parade of restaurants, this one features what the name implies: a solid menu of Thai favorites plus some inventions based on Thai flavors.

Salt Lake needs more Mexican food, and Todd Gardiner is here to provide it. Artisan tacos (try the duck confit), inventive guacamole and lots of tequila.

CHANON THAI CAFÉ

Seafood CURRENT FISH & OYSTER HOUSE 279 E. 300 South, SLC, 801-326-3474. currentfishandoyster.com

An all-star team made this cool downtown restaurant an instant hit. Excellent and inventive seafood dishes plenty of non-fishy options.

HARBOR SEAFOOD & STEAK CO. 2302 E. Parleys Way, SLC, 801-466-9827. harborslc.com

A much-needed breath of sea air refreshes this restaurant, which updates their menu frequently according to the availability of wild fish. A snappy interior, a creative cocktail menu and a vinecovered patio make for a hospitable atmosphere.

KIMI’S CHOP & OYSTER HOUSE 2155 S. Highland Dr., SLC, 801-946-2079. kimishouse.com

Kimi Eklund and Chef Matt Anderson are bringing a touch of glam to Sugar House with their high-style, multi-purpose restaurant: It’s an oyster bar, it’s a steakhouse, it’s a lounge. However you use it, Kimi’s makes for a fun change from the surrounding pizza and beerscapes, with dramatic lighting, purple velvet and live music.

MARKET STREET GRILL 48 W. Market St., SLC, 801-322-4668; 2985 E. Cottonwood Pkwy., SLC, 801-942-8860; 10702 River Front Pkwy., South Jordan, 801-302-2262. marketstreetgrill.com

SLC’s fave fish restaurants: Fish is flown in daily and the breakfast is an institution.

THE OYSTER BAR 48 W. Market St., SLC, 801-531-6044; 2985 E. Cottonwood Parkway (6590 South), SLC, 801-942-8870. marketstreetgrill.com

This is one of the best selection of fresh oysters in town: Belon, Olympia, Malpeque and Snow

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278 E. 900 South, SLC, 801-532-1177. chanonthaislc.com

A meal here is like a casual dinner at your best Thai friend’s place. Try curried fish cakes and redcurry prawns with coconut milk and pineapple.

FAV BISTRO 1984 E. Murray Holladay Rd., Holladay, 801-676-9300. bestthaifoodinutah.com

Cross-cultural food with a menu of fusion dishes based on Thai flavors.

INDOCHINE 230 S. 1300 East, 801-582-0896. indochinesaltlake.com

Vietnamese cuisine is under-­represented in Salt Lake’s Thai-ed up dining scene, so a restaurant that offers more than noodles is welcome. Try broken rice dishes, clay pots and pho.

MI LA-CAI NOODLE HOUSE 961 S. State St., SLC, 801-322-3590. lacainoodlehouse.com

Mi La-cai’s noodles rise above the rest, and their pho is fantastic—each bowl a work of art. The beautiful setting is a pleasure. It’s even a pleasure to get the bill.

MY THAI 1425 S. 300 West, SLC, 801-505-4999. mythaiasiancuisine.com

My Thai is an unpretentious mom-and-pop operation—she’s mainly in the kitchen, and he mainly waits tables, but in a lull, she darts out from her stove to ask diners if they like the food.

Yes, we do.

OH MAI 850 S. State St.,SLC, 801-575-8888; 3425 State St., SLC, 801467-6882, Other Utah locations. ohmaisandwichkitchen.com

Fast, friendly and hugely flavorful—that sums up this little banh mi shop that’s taken SLC by storm.

Pho is also good and so are full plates, but the banh mi are heaven.

PHO TAY HO 1766 S. Main St., SLC, 385-240-0309. photayho.com

One of the best Pho broths around is served out of an unassuming house on the southside of Salt Lake City. Pho Tay Ho is the real deal. The family-owned-and-operated noodle house keeps their menu small but full of flavor.

PLEIKU 264 S. Main St., SLC, 801-359-4544. pleikuslc.com

This stylish downtown spot serves a selection of Vietnamese dishes made from family recipes and served tapas-style. Note the pho, which is brewed for 36 hours and served in a full-bowl meal or a preprandial cup.

SAPA SUSHI BAR & ASIAN GRILL 722 S. State St., SLC, 801-363-7272. sapabarandgrill.com

Charming Vietnamese stilt houses surround the courtyard. Sapa’s menu ranges from Thai curries to fusion and hot pots, but the sushi is the best bet.

SAWADEE THAI 754 E. South Temple, SLC, 801-328-8424. sawadeethaiutah.com

The menu goes far outside the usual pad thai and curry. Thai food’s appeal lies in the subtleties of difference achieved with a limited list of ingredients.

SKEWERED THAI 575 S. 700 East, SLC, 801-364-1144. skeweredthai.com

A serene setting for some of the best Thai in town—perfectly balanced curries, pristine spring rolls, intoxicating drunk noodles and a wellcurated wine list.

TEA ROSE DINER 65 E. 5th Ave., Murray, 801-685-6111. bestthaifoodinutah.com

Annie Sooksri has a mini-empire of Thai and Asian restaurants across the valley—Tea Rose has been a favorite since 2007 and offers a menu of Thai staples and American breakfast dishes.

SOMI VIETNAMESE BISTRO 1215 E. Wilmington Ave., SLC, 385-322-1158. somislc.com

But there’s also Chinese food and a cocktail menu at this stylish Sugarhouse restaurant.

Crispy branzino, pork belly sliders on bai and braised oxtail are some of the highlights to the menu, which also includes the standard spring rolls and pho.

THAI GARDEN 868 E. 900 South, SLC, 801-355-8899. thaigardenbistroslc.com

Paprika-infused pad thai, deep-fried duck and fragrant gang gra ree are all excellent choices— but there are 50-plus items on the menu. Be tempted by batter-fried bananas with coconut ice cream.

KRUA THAI 212 E. 500 South, SLC, 801-328-4401. kruathaiut.com

Curries and noodle dishes hit a precise procession on the palate—sweet, then sour, savory and hot— plus there are dishes you’ve never tried before and should: bacon and collard greens, red curry with duck, salmon with chili and coconut sauce.

ZAO ASIAN CAFE 400 S. 639 East, SLC, 801-595-1234; 2227 S. Highland Dr., SLC, 801-467-4113; Other Utah locations. zaoasiancafe.com

It’s hard to categorize this pan-Asian semi-fast food concept. It draws from Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese traditions, all combined with the American need for speed. Just file it under fast, fresh, flavorful food.

Steak CHRISTOPHER’S PRIME 110 W. Broadway, SLC, 801-890-6616. christophersut.com

The menu is straightforward, chilled shellfish and rare steaks, with a few seafood and poultry entrees thrown in for the non-beefeaters.

FLEMING’S PRIME STEAKHOUSE 20 S. 400 West Ste. 2020, The Gateway, SLC, 801-355-3704. flemingssteakhouse.com

This local branch of a national chain has a famously impressive wine list. With more than 100 available by the glass, it has selections that pair well with anything you order.

RUTH’S CHRIS STEAKHOUSE 275 S. West Temple, SLC, 801-363-2000. ruthschris.com

This former bank building has inner beauty. Stick with classics like crab cocktail, order the wedge, and ask for your butter-sizzled steak no more than medium, please. Service is excellent. Eat dessert, then linger in the cool bar.

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ON THE TABLE SPENCER’S

350 MAIN

ROYAL STREET CAFÉ

255 S. West Temple, SLC, 801-238-4748. spencersslc.com

350 Main St., Park City, 435-649-3140. 350main.com

7600 Royal St., Silver Lake Village, Deer Valley Resort, Park City, 435-615-6240. deervalley.com

The quality of the meat and the accuracy of the cooking are what make it great. Beef is aged on the bone, and many cuts are served on the bone—a

luxurious change from the usual cuts.

Vegetarian & Vegan

Now run by Cortney Johanson who has worked at the restaurant for 20 years, this mainstay cafe on Main Street is seeing another high point.

With Chef Matthew Safranek in the kitchen, the menu is a balanced mix of old favorites and soon-to-be favorites like Five Spice Venison Loin in Pho. Amazing.

FIREWOOD

RAWTOPIA 3961 S. Wasatch Blvd., SLC, 801-486-0332. rawtopia.com

306 Main St., Park City, 435-252-9900. firewoodonmain.com

Owner Omar Abou-Ismail’s Rawtopia is a destination for those seeking clean, healthy food in Salt Lake—whether you’re a vegan, vegetarian or omnivore. Desserts are amazingly indulgent— like chocolate caramel pie and berry cheesecake.

Chef John Murcko’s place on Main Street is all about cooking with fire—his massive Inferno kitchen grill by Grillworks runs on oak, cherry and applewood, depending on what’s cooking.

But each dish is layered and nuanced, with global influences. Definitely a star on Main Street.

VERTICAL DINER

GLITRETIND

234 W. 900 South, SLC, 801- 484-8378. verticaldiner.com

Vertical Diner boasts an animal-free menu of burgers, sandwiches and breakfasts. Plus organic wines and coffees.

ZEST KITCHEN & BAR 275 S. 200 West, SLC, 801-433-0589. zestslc.com

Zest has sophisticated vegan cooking plus a cheerful attitude and ambience fueled by creative cocktails. Pulling flavors from many culinary traditions, the menu offers Cuban tacos, Thai curry with forbidden rice, stuffed poblano peppers as well as bar noshes and an amazing chocolate-beet torte—all vegan. The menu changes frequently.

This is a 21+ establishment.

7700 Stein Way, Deer Valley, Park City, 435-645-6455. steinlodge.com

The service is polished, and the menu is as fun or as refined or as inventive as Chef Zane Holmquist’s mood. The appeal resonates with the jet set and local diners. The wine list is exceptional. But so is the burger.

GOLDENER HIRSCH 7520 Royal St., Park City, 435-655-2563. aubergeresorts.com/goldenerhirsch

A jazzed up Alpine theme—elk carpaccio with pickled shallots, foie gras with cherry-prune compote and wiener schnitzel with carawayspiked carrot strings.

MARIPOSA AT DEER VALLEY 7600 Royal St., Park City, 435-645-6632. deervalley.com

PARK CITY & THE WASATCH BACK American Fine Dining APEX 9100 Marsac Ave., Park City, 435-604-1402. montagehotels.com/deervalley

Apex at Montage exudes luxury in an understated and comfortable way. No need to tux up for pampered service; the classy lack of pretension extends to the menu—no unpronounceables, nothing scary or even too daring—just top-of-the-line everything. Quality speaks for itself.

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(Open seasonally) Don’t miss the lobster chowder, but note the novelties, too. In a new take on the classic lettuce wedge salad, Royal Street’s version adds baby beets, glazed walnuts and pear tomatoes.

VIKING YURT 1345 Lowell Ave., Park City, Park City Mountain Resort, 435-615-9878. thevikingyurt.com

Arrive by sleigh and settle in for a luxurious fivecourse meal, featuring a healthy introduction to the nordic beverage aquavit. Reservations and punctuality a must.

American Casual BLIND DOG GRILL 1251 Kearns Blvd., Park City, 435-655-0800. blinddogpc.com

The kitchen offers imaginative selections even though the dark wood and cozy ambience look like an old gentlemen’s club. Don’t miss the Dreamloaf, served with Yukon gold mashed potatoes.

THE BLUE BOAR INN 1235 Warm Springs Rd., Midway, 435-654-1400. theblueboarinn.com

The restaurant is reminiscent of the Alps, but serves fine American cuisine. Don’t miss the award-winning brunch.

THE BRASS TAG 2900 Deer Valley Dr. East, Park City, 435-615-2410. deervalley.com

(Open seasonally) Try the tasting menu for an overview of the kitchen’s talent. It’s white tablecloth, but nothing is formal.

In the Lodges at Deer Valley, the focal point here is a wood oven which turns out everything from pizza to fish and chops, all of the superior quality one expects from Deer Valley. Open seasonally.

MUSTANG

EATING ESTABLISHMENT

890 Main St., Park City, 435-658-3975. mustangparkcity.com

A duck chile relleno arrives in a maelstrom of queso and ranchero sauce. Braised lamb shank and lobster with cheese enchiladas share the menu with seasonal entrees.

317 Main St., Park City, 435-649-8284. theeatingestablishment.net

Claiming to be the oldest, this restaurant is one of Park City’s most versatile. On weekend mornings, locals line up for breakfasts.

FLETCHER’S ON MAIN STREET RIME SEAFOOD & STEAK 2300 Deer Valley Dr. East, Park City, St. Regis, Deer Valley, 435-940-5760. srdvdining.com.

Acclaimed Chef Matthew Harris heads the kitchen at this simply brilliant restaurant at the St. Regis—meticulously sourced meat and seafood from his trusted vendors, perfectly cooked.

562 Main St., Park City, 435-649-1111. fletcherspc.com

Fletcher’s has a casual approach designed to suit any appetite, almost any time. Talented Chef Scott Boborek’s carefully sourced dishes range from burgers to Beef Wellington—with lobster mac and Utah trout.

HANDLE 136 Heber Ave., Park City, 435-602-1155. handleparkcity.com

Chef-owner Briar Handly offers a menu, mostly of small plates, with the emphasis on excellent sourcing—trout sausage and Beltex Meats prosciutto, for example. There are also full-meal plates, including the chef’s famous fried chicken.

HEARTH AND HILL 1153 Center Dr., (Newpark), Park City, 435-200-8840. hearth-hill.com

This all-purposse cafe serves lunch, dinner and weekend brunch, focusing on bright, approachable American dishes with a kick.

HIGH WEST DISTILLERY 703 Park Ave., Park City, 435-649-8300. highwest.com

Order a flight of whiskey and taste the difference aging makes, but be sure to order plenty of food to see how magically the whiskey matches the fare. The chef takes the amber current theme throughout the food.

SAMMY’S BISTRO 1890 Bonanza Dr., Park City, 435-214-7570. sammysbistro.com

Down-to-earth food in a comfortable setting. Sounds simple, but if so, why aren’t there more Sammy’s in our world? Try the bacon-grilled shrimp or a chicken bowl with your brew.

SILVER STAR CAFE 1825 Three Kings Dr., Park City, 435-655-3456. thesilverstarcafe.com

Comfort food with an upscale sensibility and original touches, like shrimp and grits with chipotle or Niman Ranch pork cutlets with spaetzle. The location is spectacular.

SIMON’S AT HOMESTEAD RESORT 700 N. Homestead Dr., Midway, 800-327-7220. homesteadresort.com

Simon’s boasts a robust menu of smoked meats, wood-fired pizza and local craft beer, while the Milk House offers both classic and unexpected flavors of ice cream, coffee and treats.

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SQUATTERS ROADHOUSE

220 N. Main St., Heber City, 435-654-0251. spincafe.net

1900 Park Ave., Park City, 435-649-9868. squatters.com

Housemade gelato is the big star at this familyowned café, but the food is worth your time. Try the pulled pork, the salmon BLT or the sirloin.

Everyone loves the bourbon burger, and Utah Brewers Co-op brews are available by the bottle and on the state-of-the-art tap system. Open for breakfast daily.

ZERMATT RESORT 784 W. Resort Dr., Midway, 435-657-0180. zermattresort.com

The charming, Swiss-inspired resort hosts both the high-end, but straight-forward, Z’s Steak & Chop Haus and the less formal Wildfire Smokehaus, home to smoked meats and draft beer.

Bakeries & Cafés PARK CITY COFFEE ROASTERS 1764 Uinta Way, Park City, 435-647-9097. pcroaster.com

The town’s fave house-roasted coffee and housemade pastries make this one of the best energy stops in town.

WASATCH BAGEL CAFÉ 1300 Snow Creek Dr., Park City, 435-645-7778. wasatchbagelandgrill.com

Not just bagels, but bagels as buns, enfolding a sustaining layering of sandwich fillings like egg and bacon.

WINDY RIDGE BAKERY & CAFÉ 1750 Iron Horse Dr., Park City, 435-647-2906. windyridgebakery.com

One of Park City’s most popular noshing spots— especially on Taco Tuesdays. The bakery behind turns out desserts and pastries for Bill White’s restaurants as well as take-home entrees.

Bar Grub & Brewpubs BURGERS & BOURBON 9100 Marsac Ave., Park City, 435-604-1402. montagehotels.com/deervalley

Housed in the luxurious Montage, this casual restaurant presents the most deluxe versions of America’s favorite foods. The burgers are stupendous, there’s a great list of bourbons to back them, and the milkshakes are majorly good.

RED ROCK JUNCTION 1640 W. Redstone Center Dr., Ste. 105, Park City, 435-5750295. redrockbrewing.com

The house-brewed beers—honey wheat, amber ale or oatmeal stout, to name a few—complement a menu of burgers, brick-oven pizzas and rotisserie chicken.

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WASATCH BREWERY 250 Main St., Park City, 435-649-0900. saltlakebrewingco.com

This was the first brewpub in Utah, and it serves handcrafted beer and family-friendly fare without a hefty price tag. Everyone loves Polygamy Porter, and the weekend brunch is great, too.

Breakfast DEER VALLEY GROCERY & CAFE 1375 Deer Valley Dr., Park City, 435-615-2400. deervalley.com

The small lakeside spot serves sandwiches and lunch specials, plus it’s a great place to stock up on deer Valley classics to take home—think classic Deer Valley turkey chili.

WOODLAND BISCUIT COMPANY 2734 E. State Hwy. 35, Woodland, 435- 783-4202. woodlandbiscuitcompany.com

Breakfast is the real deal here so pile on the bacon and eggs but if you sleep late, not to worry— burgers, sandwiches and tacos are good too.

Continental & European CAFÉ TERIGO 424 Main St., Park City, 435-645-9555. cafeterigo.com

This charming café is the spot for a leisurely meal. Chicken and bacon tossed with mixed greens and grilled veggies on focaccia are cafégoers’ favorites.

COURCHEVEL BISTRO 201 Heber Ave., Park City, 435-572-4398. courchevelbistro.com

Named after Park City’s sister city in the Savoie region of France, which happens to be the home turf of Chef Clement Gelas and is he having some fun with his mother cuisine. Be guided by him or your server and try some French food like you haven’t had before.

Italian & Pizza FUEGO 2001 Sidewinder Dr., Park City, 435- 645-8646. fuegopizzeria.com

Off the beaten Main Street track, this pizzeria is a family-friendly solution to a ski-hungry evening. Pastas, paninis and wood-fired pizzas are edgy, but they’re good.

GHIDOTTI’S 6030 N. Market St., Park City, 435-658-0669. ghidottis.com

Ghidotti’s evokes Little Italy more than Italy, and the food follows suit—think spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna and rigatoni Bolognese. Try the chicken soup.

GRAPPA 151 Main St., Park City, 435-645-0636. grapparestaurant.com

Dishes like osso buco and grape salad with gorgonzola, roasted walnuts and Champagne vinaigrette are sensational, and the wine list features hard-to-find Italian wines as well as flights, including sparkling.

Japanese/Pan-Asian SUSHI BLUE 1571 W. Redstone Center Dr. Ste. 140, Park City, 435-575-4272. sushiblueparkcity.com

Find the yin and yang of Asian-American flavors in Bill White’s sushi, excellent Korean tacos, crab sliders and other Amer-Asian food fusions, including the best hot dog in the state, topped with bacon and house-made kimchi.

YUKI YAMA SUSHI 586 Main St., Park City, 435-649-6293. yukiyamasushi.com

Located in the heart of Old Town Park City, Yuki Yama offers both traditional japanese dishes and more modern plates. It’s all guided by the steady hands of Executive Chef Kirk Terashima.

Mediterranean REEF’S 7720 Royal St. East, Park City, 435-658-0323. reefsrestaurant.com

Lamb chops are tender, falafel is crunchy, and the prices fall between fast food and fine dining. It’s a den of home cooking, if your home is east of the Mediterranean. Open seasonally.

Mexican & Southwestern BAJA CANTINA 1355 Lowell Ave., Park City, 435-649-2252. bajaparkcity.com

The T.J. Taxi is a flour tortilla stuffed with

chicken, sour cream, tomatoes, onions, cheddar-jack cheese and guacamole.

BILLY BLANCO’S 8208 Gorgoza Pines Rd., Park City, 435-575-0846. billyblancos.com

Motor City Mexican. The subtitle is “burger and taco garage,” but garage is the notable word. This is a theme restaurant with lots of cars and motorcycles on display, oil cans to hold the flatware, and a 50-seat bar made out of toolboxes. If you’ve ever dreamed of eating in a garage, you’ll be thrilled.

CHIMAYO 368 Main St., Park City, 435-649-6222. chimayorestaurant.com

Bill White’s prettiest place, this restaurant is reminiscent of Santa Fe, but the food is pure Park City. Margaritas are good, and the avocado-shrimp appetizer combines guacamole and ceviche flavors in a genius dish.

EL CHUBASCO 1890 Bonanza Dr., Park City, 435-645-9114. elchubascoparkcity.com

Regulars storm this restaurant for southof-the-border eats. Burritos fly through the kitchen like chiles too hot to handle—proving consistency matters.

TARAHUMARA 1300 Snow Creek Dr., Ste. P, Park City, 435-645-6005. tarahumararestaurant.com

Some of the best Mexican food in the state can be found in this Park City cafe. Don’t be fooled by the bland exterior; inside you’ll find a full-fledged cantina and an adjoining family restaurant with a soulful salsa bar.

Seafood FRESHIE’S LOBSTER CO. 1915 Prospector Ave., Park City, 435-631-9861. freshieslobsterco.com

After years as everyone’s favorite summer food stop at Park Silly Market, Freshie’s has settled into a permanent location selling their shoreto-door lobster rolls all year round.

RIME SEAFOOD & RAW BAR 9850 Summit View Dr., Park City. rimerawbar.com

Such a hit on the slopes that Chef Matt Harris took the concept inside and Rime is an anchor restaurant inside the St. Regis, Open Thurs-Sun.

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ON THE TABLE Southeast Asian

American Casual

Bar Grub & Brewpubs

SHABU

HEARTH ON 25

THE BEEHIVE PUB & GRILL

442 Main St., Park City, 435-645-7253. shabuparkcity.com

195 Historic 25th St. Ste. 6 (2nd Floor), Ogden, 801-399-0088. hearth25.com

255 S. Main St., Logan, 435-753-2600. thebeehivegrill.com

Cool new digs, friendly service and fun food make Shabu one of PC’s most popular spots.

Make reservations. A stylish bar with prizewinning mixologists adds to the freestyle feel.

The charming upstairs dining room is a great setting for some of the best and most imaginative food in Ogden. Handmade hearth bread, espresso-rubbed yak, killer stroganoff—too many options to mention here—this is really a destination restaurant.

An indirect offshoot of Moab Brewery, the Grill focuses as much on house-brewed root beer as alcoholic suds, but the generally hefty food suits either.

KUCHU SHABU HOUSE 3270 N. Sundial Ct., Park City, 435-649-0088. kuchushabu.com

The second shabu-style eatery in PC is less grand than the first but offers max flavor from quality ingredients.

Steak BUTCHER’S CHOP HOUSE & BAR 751 Lower Main St., Park City, 435-647-0040. butcherschophouse.com

The draws are prime rib, New York strip and pork chops—and the ladies’ night specials in the popular bar downstairs.

GRUB STEAK 2093 Sidewinder Dr., Prospector Square, Park City, 435-6498060. grubsteakparkcity.com

Live country music, fresh salmon, lamb and chicken, and a mammoth salad bar. Order bread pudding whether you think you want it or not. You will.

EDGE STEAKHOUSE 3000 Canyon Resort Dr., Park City, 435-655-2260. westgateresorts.com

This beautifully fills the beef bill at the huge resort, and the tasting menus take you through salad, steak and dessert for $45 to $60, depending on options.

NIÑO VIEJO 160 W. Promontory, Farmington, 801-451-1967. ninoviejoutah.com

Niño Viejo serves up Latin food coooked in the old-world way. Meats are marinated for 18 hours and fill out a menu of tamales, flautas and tacos with elevated contents like lobster and Wagyu beef. The birria tacos with red chili dipping broth is the most popular item, and every table comes with complimentrary chips and salsa (spicy variety available on request).

PRAIRIE SCHOONER 445 Park Blvd., Ogden, 801-392-2712. prairieschoonerrestaurant.com

Tables are covered wagons around a diorama featuring coyotes, cougars and cowboys— corny, but fun. The menu is standard, but kids love it.

TABLE 25 195 25th St., Ste. 4, Ogden, 385-244-1825. table25ogden.com

A bright, contemporary space in Downtown Ogden has a patio right on Historic 25th Street.

The elevated yet approachable menu includes Spanish mussels and frites, ahi tuna and a classic cheeseburger.

UNION GRILL 315 24th St., Ogden, 801-621-2830. uniongrillogden.com

NORTH SALT LAKE & BEYOND American Fine Dining THE HUNTINGTON ROOM AT EARL’S LODGE 3925 E. Snowbasin Rd., Huntsville, 888-437-5488. snowbasin.com

Ski-day sustenance and fireside dinner for the aprèsski set. In summer, dine at the top of the mountain.

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The cross-over cooking offers sandwiches, seafood and pastas with American, Greek, Italian or Mexican spices.

WB’S EATERY 455 25th Street, Ogden, 385-244-1471. wbseatery.com

Part restaurant, part bar, part coffeehouse, WB’s Eatery is located inside The Monarch, a hip maker and market space for artists. A hybrid space as well, the eatery sells CBD oil, as well as serving up cocktails, bites and boards of meat and cheese.

Burgers, Sandwiches & Delis CAFFE IBIS 52 Federal Ave., Logan, 435-753-4777. caffeibis.com

Exchange news, enjoy sandwiches and salads and linger over a cuppa conscientiously grown coffee.

MADDOX RANCH HOUSE 1900 S. Highway 89, Perry, 435-723-8545. maddoxfinefood.com

Angus beef steaks, bison chicken-fried steak and burgers have made this an institution for more than 50 years. Eat in, drive up or take home.

Chinese MANDARIN 348 E. 900 North, Bountiful, 801-298-2406. mandarinutah.com

The rooms are filled with red and gold dragons.

Chefs recruited from San Francisco crank out a huge menu. Desserts are noteworthy. Call ahead.

Italian & Pizza SLACKWATER PIZZA 209 24th St., Ogden, 801-399-0637. slackwaterpizzeria.com

The pies here are as good as any food in Ogden.

Selection ranges from traditional to Thai (try it), and there’s a good selection of wine and beer.

ROVALI’S RISTORANTE 174 E. 25th St., Ogden, 801-394-1070. rovalis.com

This friendly family-owned place on Ogden’s main drag serves hearty Italian fare and housemade pastry, plus a creative bar menu and live music.

Japanese RAMEN HAUS 2550 Washington Blvd., Ogden, 801-393-0000. ramenhausogden.com

Sergei Oveson’s experience with ramen master Tosh and Shani Oveson’s at Naked Fish shows all over their restaurant in Ogden. Simple but stylish sums the space and terrific is the only word for the ramen. Do not leave without ordering the honey toast even if you think you don’t want dessert.

TONA SUSHI 210 25th St., Ogden, 801-622-8662. tonarestaurant.com

The charming old space on Ogden’s main drag houses a meticulously top-notch sushi restaurant.

Owner Tony Chen grows herbs and sprouts in the basement and the plates he presents show an artist’s touch. Ask about the secret menu.

Mexican SONORA GRILL 2310 Kiesel Ave., Ogden, 801-393-1999. thesonoragrill.com

A big, beautiful Mexican restaurant, the kind you see in Texas or New Mexico, Sonora serves great chips and salsa, a famous margarita, several kinds of ceviche and all the dishes you love as well as vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options.

Southeast Asian THAI CURRY KITCHEN 582 25th St., Ogden, 385-333-7100. thaicurrykitchen.com

Chic and sleek counter service offering bright from-scratch curries and salads plus locally made kombucha.

PROVO & CENTRAL UTAH American Fine Dining COMMUNAL 102 N. University Ave., Provo, 801-373-8000. communalrestaurant.com

Food is focused on the familiar with chef’s flair—like braised pork shoulder crusted in panko. Attention to detail makes this one of Utah’s best.

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ON THE TABLE THE TREE ROOM 8841 Alpine Loop Scenic Byway, Sundance Resort, Sundance, 866-627-8313. sundanceresort.com

Sundance Resort’s flagship is known for its seasonal, straightforward menu and memorable decor, including Robert Redford’s kachina collection. Try the wild game—spice-rubbed quail and buffalo tenderloin.

local mushrooms and arugula on ciabatta are equally stellar.

Vegetarian GINGER’S GARDEN CAFE 188. S. Main St., Springville, 801-489-1863. gingersgardencafe.com

Tucked inside Dr. Christopher’s Herb Shop, Ginger’s serves truly garden-fresh, bright-flavored, mostly vegetarian dishes.

American Casual CHOM BURGER 45 W. 300 North, Provo, 385-241-7499. chomburger.com

Colton Soelberg’s (Communal, etc.) low-key high-end burger place has an eye towards infusing high-quality ingredients into America’s favorite sandwich. Inexpensive, innovative and delicious burgers and shakes, as we have come to expect from Soelberg who has a knack for elevating comfort food.

MOAB & SOUTHEAST UTAH

THE FOUNDRY GRILL

HELL’S BACKBONE GRILL

8841 Alpine Loop Scenic Byway, Sundance Resort, Sundance, 866-932-2295. sundanceresort.com

The café in Sundance Resort serves comfort food with western style—sandwiches, spitroasted chickens and ­steaks. Sunday brunch is a mammoth buffet.

STATION 22 22 W. Center St., Provo, 801-607-1803. station22cafe.com

Ever-hipper Provo is home to some cutting-edge food now that the cutting edge has a folksy, musical saw kind of style. Station 22 is a perfect example of the Utah roots trend—a charming, funky interior, a great soundtrack and a menu with a slight Southern twang. Try the fried chicken sandwich with red cabbage on ciabatta.

American Dining 20 N. Highway 12, Boulder, 435-335-7464. hellsbackbonegrill.com

Owners Blake Spalding and Jen Castle set the bar for local, organic food in Utah. Now the cafe has gained national fame. They garden, forage, raise chickens and bees, and offer breakfasts, dinners and even picnic lunches.

SUNGLOW FAMILY RESTAURANT 91 E. Main St., Bicknell, 435-425-3821.

This pit stop is famous for its pinto bean and pickle pies. Yes, we said pickle.

Mediterranean IL POSTO ROSSO AT THE RADCLIFFE MOAB

BOMBAY HOUSE

477 S. Main St., Moab, 435-355-1085. radcliffemoab.com/dining

Salt Lake’s biryani mainstay has several sister restaurants worthy to call family.

Il Posto Rosso has a modern, Mediterranean-inspired menu with protein and other ingredients sourced from a variety of local farms, gardens and ranches.

Bar Grub & Brewpubs

Italian

MOAB BREWERY

PIZZERIA 712 320 S. State St., Ste. 185, Orem, 801-623-6712. pizzeria712.com

686 Main St., Moab, 435-259-6333. themoabbrewery.com

The pizza menu reaches heights of quality that fancier restaurants only fantasize about.

Not only are the blister-crusted pizzas the epitome of their genre, but braised short ribs,

A beloved watering hole for river-runners, slickrock bikers, red-rock hikers and everyone who needs a bite and a beer, which is nearly everyone in Moab. All beer is brewed on site.

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American Fine Dining KING’S LANDING 1515 Zion Park Blvd., Ste. 50-A, Springdale, 435-772-7422. klbzion.com

In the Driftwood Inn, some of the finest food and the finest view in Utah. The kitchen is ambitious—seasonal, vegan, gluten-free are all covered. Mushroom tart involves mushrooms, caramelized onions, butternut squash and grapes with burrata and basil, but the flavors meld into harmony.

PAINTED PONY

Indian 463 N. University Ave., Provo, 801-373-6677; 7726 Campus View Dr., West Jordan, 801-282-0777; 2731 E. Parley’s Way, SLC, 801-581-0222. bombayhouse.com

ST. GEORGE & SOUTHWEST UTAH

2 W. St. George Blvd., Ste. 22, St. George, 435-634-1700. painted-pony.com

The kitchen blends culinary trends with standards like sage-smoked quail on mushroom risotto. Even “surf and turf ” has a twist—tenderloin tataki with chile-dusted scallops.

SPOTTED DOG CAFÉ 428 Zion Park Blvd., Springdale, 435-772-0700. flanigans.com/dining

Relax, have some vino and enjoy your achiotebraised lamb shank with mint mashed potatoes on top of rosemary spaghetti squash.

VERMILLION 45 210 S. 100 East, Kanab, 435-644-3300. vermillion45.com

Who would expect a fine restaurant with a French chef in Kanab. But here it is, and it’s excellent.

American Casual MOM’S CAFÉ 10 E. Main St., Salina, 435-529-3921. famousmomscafe.business.site

Mom’s has fed travelers on blue plate standards since 1928. This is the place to try a Utah “scone” with “honey butter.”

OSCAR’S CAFÉ 948 Zion Park Blvd., Springdale, 435-772-3232. oscarscafe.com

Blueberry pancakes, fresh eggs, crisp potatoes and thick bacon. We love breakfast, though Oscar’s serves equally satisfying meals at other times of day.

PEEKABOO CANYON WOOD FIRED KITCHEN 233 W. Center St., Kanab, 435- 689-1959. peekabookitchen.com

Complementing Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, this casual eatery serves vegetarian cuisine—artisanal pizza, local beer, craft cocktails and a rocking patio.

RED ROCK GRILL AT ZION LODGE Zion National Park, 435-772-7700. zionlodge.com

Try eating here on the terrace. Enjoy melting-pot American dishes like smoked trout salad with prickly pear vinaigrette. And you can’t beat the red rock ambience.

WHIPTAIL GRILL 445 Zion Park Blvd., Springdale, 435-772-0283. whiptailgrillzion.com

Tucked into an erstwhile gas station, the kitchen is little, but the flavors are big—a goat cheese-stuffed chile relleno crusted in Panko and the chocolate-chile creme brulee.

XETAVA GARDENS CAFÉ 815 Coyote Gulch Court, Ivins, 435-656-0165. xetava.com

Blue corn pancakes for breakfast and lunch are good bets. But to truly experience Xetava, dine under the stars in eco-conscious Kayenta.

Mexican THE BIT AND SPUR 1212 Zion Park Blvd., Springdale, 435-772-3498. bitandspur.com

The menu stars Southwestern cuisine—ribs, beef and chicken—as well as chili verde.

A longtime Zion favorite, there’s almost always a wait here, but it’s almost always a pleasant one with a view and a brew in hand.

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B A R S

21 & OVER BARS Jacob Sloan Hall mixes a drink at The Pearl’s bar

Forget about navigating the state’s labyrinth of liquor laws—the more than 20 bars and pubs listed here prioritize putting a drink in your hand, although most of them serve good food, too.

Restricted to 21 and over. (Be prepared to show your I.D., whatever your age. This is Utah, after all.)

All bars listed in the Salt Lake Bar Fly have been vetted and chosen based on quality of beverage, food, atmosphere and service.

This selective guide has no relationship to any advertising in the magazine.

Review visits are anonymous, and all expenses are paid by Salt Lake magazine.

Central Ninth’s latest bar combines Vietnamese street food with expert mixology

BY AVREY EVANS

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OT LONG AGO, Salt Lake’s rich nightlife scene was sanctioned to Main Street’s busy sidewalks and the surrounding downtown area. Now, cocktail connoisseurs and certified foodies are venturing further south to the Central Ninth neighborhood. The thriving district boasts acclaimed spots like Water Witch, Nohm, Laziz Kitchen, Scion Cider Bar, Central 9th Market and Milk+. The most recent addition to Central Ninth’s roster is The Pearl, a hip

PHOTOS ADAM FINKLE

WHEN THE WORLD IS YOUR OYSTER, YOU HEAD TO THE PEARL

+++___AC

225 W. 200 South, SLC, 385-722-9600. achotels.marriott.com

The Euro-styled hotel has a chic lobby bar and a secret menu of drinks inspired by movies filmed in Utah, like Dumb and Dumber and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

THE AERIE

9320 Cliff Lodge Dr. Ste. 88, Snowbird Resort, 801-933-2160. snowbird.com

Floor-to-ceiling windows mean drinkers can marvel at nature’s handiwork while feasting from the sushi bar.

The menu is global with live music some nights.

ALIBI BAR & PLACE

369 S. Main St., SLC, 385-259-0616. alibislc.com

Located along SLC’s bar line on Main Street, Alibi has a sleek, hip vibe and is generally filled with happy hipsters, especially when they have theme nights.

BAR X

155 E. 200 South, SLC, 801-355-2287. barxslc.com

This was the vanguard of Salt Lake’s new cocktail movement, serving classic drinks and creative inventions behind the best electric sign in the city.

BEER BAR

161 E. 200 South, SLC, 385-259-0905. beerbarslc.com

Ty Burrell, star of ABC’s small-screen hit Modern Family, co-owns Beer Bar, which is right next to Bar X. It’s noisy, there’s no table service, but there are 140+ brews to choose from, plus 13 kinds of wurst.

THE BAYOU

645 S. State St., SLC, 801-961-8400. utahbayou.com

This is Beervana, with 260 bottled beers and 32 on draft. The kitchen turns out artichoke pizza and deepfried Cornish game hens.

BEERHIVE PUB

128 S. Main St., SLC, 801-364-4268. @beerhive_pub

More than 200 beers­­—domestic, imported and local—with a long ice rail to keep the brew cold, the way Americans like ’em, are the outstanding features of this cozy downtown pub.

BTG WINE BAR

404 S. West Temple, SLC, 801-359-2814. btgwinebar.com

BTG stands for “By the Glass” and though BTG serves craft cocktails, specialty beer and good food, the pièces de résistance are the more than 50 wines by the glass.

Order a tasting portion or a full glass.

CAMPFIRE LOUNGE

837 E. 2100 South, 801-467-3325. campfirelounge.com

The laid-back feeling of sitting around a campfire is what the owners were aiming for, with or without flames. Campfire is a relaxed neighborhood joint with affordable drinks. And s’mores.

CASOT WINE + WORK

1508 S. 1500 East, SLC. 801-441-2873. casotwinework.com

In a town with a dearth of neighborhood bars and bars that want to be neighborhood bars but for a lack of location in an actual neighborhood, Casot is the real deal. Located in the established 15th and 15th hood, this small wine bar is a welcome addition featuring a Spainish forward list from Pago’s Scott Evans.

space serving craft cocktails and Vietnamese street food.

Conceived by the same minds behind downtown hot spot Alibi Bar, The Pearl is owned by Tommy Nguyen, Jacob Sloan Hall, Michael Askerlund, Chase Worthen and Oliver Shea Lewis. “The Pearl has been a dream of ours for several years now,” says Hall. “We’ve built a great family at Alibi, and creating another community in the 9th South area was a no-brainer for us.” But instead of recreating the Alibi blueprint, the group wanted to pursue the culinary focus that has become a defining feature of the Central Ninth area. “Every one of these businesses have their own unique experience and approach to food,” says Hall. “We’re excited to fill a different niche.”

So what exactly does The Pearl bring to the table? Enter Chef Nguyen, whose Vietnamese heritage has inspired a street food-style menu with items like banh mi sandwiches, caramel pork belly and chicken pho. “I’ve always wanted to pay homage to the food I grew up with,” says Nguyen. “Learning how to cook with my mom are some of my best memories.” Each item is crafted with care, and best paired with a cocktail made by the knowledgeable bartenders. Try the Roundabout Whale, a citrusy concoction featuring yuzu, lemongrass-chili syrup and gin, or the Saigon Sling that highlights all the pleasant feelings of a beach cocktail. My personal favorite way to experience a new spot—leaving your fate in the hands of bartenders as they craft a one-of-akind drink suited to your taste.

Vietnamese motifs showcased in the menu extend throughout The Pearl, which was fashioned after Southeast Asian restaurants and bars. Sleek industrial furnishings and a finished concrete floor serve as contrast to the wood ceiling panels and cool-toned accents.

Hand-painted tile imported from Vietnam adorns one side of the space, and on the other is a mural designed by Vietnamese artist Quynhhuong Nguyen and painted by Shley Kinser. The nautical wall-art embraces the bar’s namesake symbols, featuring two pearl divers and a giant clam pearl. Of course the

Jacbo Sloan Hall (left) and Tommy Nguyen, co-owners of The Pearl

space is also filled with potted plants and handcrafted wood surfaces—an Alibi favorite.

The Pearl’s light-filled interior is perfect for enjoying a sunny afternoon, and reveling in a little daytime fun (and day drinking) is exactly what the owners intended for the bar. “We’ll host events at the Pearl,” says Hall. “But they will be more focused on daytime activities on our patio—brunch during the weekend, community fundraisers and holiday parties.” Of course The Pearl also caters to the late-night crowd, offering their satisfying dishes to anyone in search of a good meal after 10 p.m.

Welcoming The Pearl to the Central Ninth neighborhood is just another sign of the area’s up and coming status as Salt Lake’s latest hotspot. So stop by the next time you’re in the mood for a boozy libation and savory snack. Open Thursday–Saturday.

IF YOU GO 917 S. 200 West, SLC @thepearlslc

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H

E

COPPER COMMON

U REG LARS

111 E. Broadway #190, SLC, 801-355-0543. coppercommon.com

Classic

Copper Common is a real bar—that means you don’t actually have to order food if you don’t want to. But on the other hand, why wouldn’t you want to? This bar has a real chef.

THE COTTON BOTTOM

2820 E. 6200 South, SLC, 801-849-8847. thecottonbottom.com

Remember when this was a ski bum’s town? The garlic burger and a beer is what you order.

Junior’s Tavern

DICK N’ DIXIE’S

479 E. 300 South, SLC, 801-994-6919. @dickndixies

The classic corner beer bar where cronies of all kinds gather regularly to watch sports, talk politics and generally gossip about the city and nothing in particular.

A place where everyone knows your name, but won’t tell

EAST LIBERTY TAP HOUSE

850 E. 900 South, SLC, 801-441-2845. eastlibertytaphouse.com

Junior’s owner Greg Arata

BY JEREMY PUGH AND GLEN WARCHOL

Half a dozen beers on draft and 20 or more by the bottle, and the rotation changes constantly. The menu does clever takes on bar food classics.

EIGHT SETTLERS DISTILLERY

7321 Canyon Centre Pkwy., Cottonwood Heights, 385-900-4315. eightsettlersdistillery.com

WHO’S THERE: Plumbers, high-paid lawyers, media types, old-timers and community activists, all getting along WHAT’S SO SPECIAL?: A giant, wellthumbed encyclopedia of films that regulars use to spark spontaneous movie trivia games.

In a world overrun with hipsters and artisan cocktails, classic SLC neighborhood bars survive and thrive. When you walk into Junior’s Tavern downtown, you’re greeted by four booths, a dozen bar stools, a solitary TV and a pool table. The guy next to you is chasing a shot of vodka with Guinness and watching the Saints squeak one out against the Panthers. The crowd includes millennials, Gen Xers and codgers, mostly drinking beer.

There isn’t a whiff of any watermelon cocktails, sriracha margaritas or limoncello collins, and you won’t find autumnal gin or chocolate bitters behind the bar.

“I wanted the kind of old-school bar that exists in every other town—except in Salt Lake City,” says owner Greg Arata. “Salt Lake is a weird town.” By that, Arata is referring to downtown’s glut of handmade cocktail lounges with the dive bars only in its periphery as much as the demonization

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of drinking. “I wanted a neighborhood joint,” he says.

Junior’s is one of several classic bars that survive and prosper, despite eschewing “hip,” as defined by highfalutin cocktails and craft beers.

Everyone knows your name, of course, but they won’t tell.

Junior’s opened in 1975 as a beer-only tavern across the street from the old City Library (now The Leonardo). In 2005, Arata moved to the heart of downtown at 300 South and got a full liquor license and started booking jazz groups. But he proudly detours from the growing “handmade” cocktail route. “Some of our bartenders will make some fancy drinks— I don’t,” he says. “It’s not our bread and butter, and I, personally, don’t like to pay $10 for a drink.”

Still, Junior’s is anything but a dive. Its regular drinking crowd includes a chatty assemblage of media types, local crusaders, lawyers and historians. “You can voice your opinion here without somebody getting pissed off and wanting to fight you,” Arata says. “And women don’t have to worry about being hit on.”

IF YOU GO 30 E. Broadway, SLC 801-322-0318, juniorstavern.com

The distillery is entrenched in and inspired by the history of the Cottonwood Heights area and so are the spirits.

Take home a bottle from the store or stay and enjoy a taste of the past at the themed, on-site restaurant.

FLANKER

6 N. Rio Grande, The Gateway, SLC, 801-683-7070. flankerslc.com

A little bit sports bar, a little bit nightclub and a little bit entertainment venue, with a parlor and bowling alley, private karaoke rooms and a golf simulator.

GARAGE

1199 N. Beck St., SLC, 801-521-3904. garageonbeck.com

Everyone compares it to an Austin bar. Live music, good food and the rockingest patio in town. Try the Chihuahua, a chile-heated riff on a margarita.

THE GIBSON GIRL LOUNGE

555 S. Main St., SLC, 801-258-6778. grandamerica.com

Grand America’s inimitable style is translated into a cushy but unstuffy bar, the antithesis of the current hipster style. You can actually wear a cocktail dress to this cocktail bar.

GOOD GRAMMAR

69 E. Gallivan Ave., SLC, 385-415-5002. goodgrammar.bar

The crowds playing Jenga on the patio, the decor, full of pop celebs and heroes, and a soundtrack of eclectic old- and alt-rock, makes a space that bridges old and young imbibers.

GRACIE’S

326 S. West Temple, SLC, 801-819-7565. graciesslc.com

Play pool, throw darts, listen to live music, kill beer and time on the patio and upstairs deck. Plus, Gracie’s is a gastropub.

PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

WHAT’LL IT BE? A cold Pabst Blue Ribbon with an Evan Williams back

GREEN PIG

31 E. 400 South, SLC, 801-532-7441. thegreenpigpub.com

Green Pig is a pub of a different color. The owners use eco-friendly materials and sustainable kitchen practices. The menu star is the chili verde nachos with big pork chunks and cheese.

HIGH WEST SALOON

703 Park Ave., Park City, 435-649-8300. highwest.com

The bartenders at Utah’s award-winning distillery concoct different cocktail menus for every season focusing on High West’s spirits, although the bar stocks other alcohol.

called Killer Queen. Drink a sling—or order a La Croix with a shot poured into the can.

RABBIT HOLE

155 W. 200 South, SLC, 801-532-2068. lakeeffectslc.com

Downstairs in Lake Effect, the gaslit Rabbit Hole takes you to a different time, especially on Wednesday nights which are devoted to jazz. The Rabbit is a real listening room—you don’t talk over or under the music. This rare respect and a top notch bar makes this a very unusual hare.

SCION CIDER BAR

916 Jefferson Street, SLC. scionciderbar.com

ICE HAUS

7 E. 4800 South, Murray, 801-266-2127. icehausbar.com

Ice Haus has everything you need from a neighborhood bar and a purveyor of German cuisine: a wide selection of pub fare and plenty of seating in the beerhall inspired location. The menu has a strong number of vegan options.

Cider has often taken a back seat to its more prevalent siblings, wine and beer, but not at Scion. It’s another soon-to-be favorite bar in the Central Ninth with a wide variety of 20 hard ciders on tap.

Street” because it was lined with so many pubs and bars. A 42-foot-long cherry wood bar encourages you to bend the elbow.

WHY KIKI

69 W. 100 South, SLC, 801-641-6115. whykikibar.com

A tropical beach-themed club to get away at with a fruity drink in a tiki glass (or bowl!) or shake it on the dance floor. Don’t miss Taco Tuesday or the regular drag shows.

ZEST KITCHEN & BAR

275 S. 200 West, SLC, 801-433-0589. zestslc.com

Zest offers hand-crafted fresh juice cocktails with the same emphasis on local and organic ingredients as the food—try an original concoction like the Strawbubbly Lavender Martini.

SEABIRD BAR & VINYL ROOM

Beers & Brews BOHEMIAN BREWERY

155 W. 200 South, SLC, 801-532-2068. lakeeffectslc.com

Great little locally owned bar in the Gateway with great views, a fun little patio, friendly bartenders and more style than the place can hold.

An eclectic bar and lounge with a fine wine list and full menu. Live music many nights; open until 1 a.m.

THE REST AND BODEGA

LAKE EFFECT

7 S. Rio Grande, The Gateway, SLC, 801-456-1223. seabirdutah.com

331 S. Main St., SLC, 801-532-4452. bodegaslc.com

LAUREL BRASSERIE & BAR

555 S. Main St., SLC, 801-258-6708. laurelslc.com

Laurel Brasserie & Bar’s food focuses on classic European cuisine with an American approach. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but the real star is the Happy Hour menu with items like Pumpkin Arancini and The Smokey Paloma cocktail.

The neon sign says “Bodega;” drink a beer in the phone booth–sized front or head downstairs to the The Rest.

Order a cocktail, settle into the apparently bomb-proof book-lined library, or take a booth and sit at the bar.

THE SHOOTING STAR

7350 E. 200 South, Huntsville, 801-745-2002. shooting-star-saloon.business.site

152 E. 200 South, SLC, 801-953-0156. curryupnow.com/mortarandpestlebar

More than a century old, this is gen-you-wine Old West.

The walls are adorned with moose heads and a stuffed St. Bernard. Good luck finishing your Star Burger.

A small cocktail-forward bar on Edison Street that draws a big crowd on weekend nights. Best to go early.

VARLEY

MORTAR AND PESTLE

63 W. 100 South, SLC, 801-203-4124. varleyslc.com

OYSTER BAR

48 W. Market St., SLC, 801-531-6044. marketstreetgrill.com

The nightlife side of Market Street seafood restaurant, the Oyster Bar has an is a place to begin or end an evening, with an award-winning martini and a dozen oysters—half price on Mondays.

THE PINES

837 S. Main St., SLC, 801-906-8418. @thepines.slc

From the owners of Dick N’ Dixie’s, The Pines is an elevated neighborhood bar with a cool interior and even cooler bartenders. Stop by to taste their solid range of brews, or visit the bar on a weekend for a new wave discotheque.

POST OFFICE PLACE

16 W. Market St., SLC, 801-519-9595. popslc.com

Post Office offers craft cocktails, multicultural small plates and the largest selection of Japanese whisky in the state. Ask for a “special delivery” if you’re up for a boozy adventure.

QUARTERS ARCADE BAR

5 E. 400 South, SLC, 801-477-7047. quartersslc.com

Nostalgic for all those Gen Xers and gamer geeks, Quarters features retro gaming pinball and a game

A craft cocktail bar and lounge situated right next to its companion restaurant The Ivy. The modern aesthetic pairs well with a classic cocktail and conversation.

THE VAULT

94 E. 7200 South, Midvale, 801-566-5474. bohemianbrewery.com

Enjoy the lagers beloved by Bohemian’s owners’ Czech forebears, following the ancient Reinheitsgbot or German Purity Law.

BEWILDER BREWING

445 S. 400 West, SLC, 385-528-3840. bewilderbrewing.com

In a building decked out with an awesome Trent Call mural, Bewilder Brewing set up shop next to the bygone nightclub Area 51. Try the house-made sausages and a beer list that skews toward traditional German styles.

DESERT EDGE BREWERY

273 S. Trolley Square, SLC, 801-521-8917. desertedgebrewery.com

The constantly changing variety and Beer School set Desert Edge apart from all the others. This classic Salt Lake bar (and restaurant) continues to innovate its brews.

EPIC BREWING COMPANY

825 S. State St., SLC, 801-906-0123. epicbrewing.com

Epic exclusively brews high-alcohol content beer. The brewing facility moved to Colorado, but you can still buy cold beer to-go at the taproom.

202 S. Main St., SLC, 801-363-5454. bambara-slc.com/the-vault

A quintessential hotel bar, with big windows overlooking pedestrian traffic. Special cocktails may be themed to what’s on stage across the street at Capitol Theatre.

WAKARA BAR

480 Wakara Way, SLC, 801-581-1000.

FISHER BREWING COMPANY

320 W. 800 South, SLC, 801-487-2337. fisherbeer.com

Fisher takes its name from a brewery originally founded in 1884, but the brews and low-key atmosphere are strictly right now. One of the few in town that has cask ale occasionally.

One of the few bars on the west bench, Wakara serves craft cocktails and hosts live music, trivia nights, liquor education and even, occasionally, drag queens.

KIITOS BREWING

WATER WITCH

A rising star, Kiitos brews are on several menus around town. But if you stop by the brewery to taste, you can play pinball, too.

Three of Utah’s leading bartenders join forces in this charming tiny bar. Whether you want a classic drink, a draft or glass of wine, or a cocktail custom-designed to your taste, this is the place to belly up.

LEVEL CROSSING BREWING CO.

WHISKEY STREET

Opened by home brewer and photographer Chris Detrick, Level Crossing is long on games (like darts), good food and of course good beer.

163 W. 900 South, SLC, 801-462-0967. waterwitchbar.com

323 S. Main St., SLC, 801-433-1371. whiskeystreet.com

608 W. 700 South, 801-215-9165. kiitosbrewing.com

2496 S. West Temple, SLC, 385-270-5752. levelcrossingbrewing.com

This stretch of Main was once dubbed “Whiskey

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SPIRITED FLOATS

MOUNTAIN WEST CIDER

425 N. 400 West, SLC, 801-935-4147. mountainwestcider.com

With handcrafted ciders ranging from dry to sweet, all named for Utah’s iconic natural features, the people at Mountain West Cider know their craft and their community.

Rich, refreshing and a classic summertime favorite, the ice cream float loses its innocence.

BY MARY BROWN MALOUF

PROPER BREWING CO.

857 S. Main St., 801-953-1707. properbrewingco.com

From the same proper folks who brought you the Publick House, Proper Brewery and Burgers hugely expands the brewing capacity of the original.

NO ONE’S KNOCKING root beer floats, but you’ve probably been away from summer camp long enough to crave a more grown-up take on the classic concoction. This season, let the kids chase the ice cream truck while you serve easy-to-make spiked floats as the perfect ending to your summertime get-togethers.

RED ROCK BREWERY

254 S. 200 West, SLC, 801-521-7446. redrockbrewing.com

A longtime favorite for tippling and tasting—the pub draws on 45 recipes for its rotating selection.

ROHA

30 E. Kensington Ave., SLC, 385-227-8982. rohabrewing.com

LIMONCELLO DREAM

The name comes from the owners two names: Rob Phillips and Chris Haas, former brewer for Red Rock Brewery.

Pour one ounce of limoncello and 1/2 ounce of Grand Marnier into a tall glass.

Fill the glass with champagne or soda and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Garnish with a lemon slice.

SALTFIRE BREWING

2199 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake, 385-955-0504. saltfirebrewing.com

Located in a distilling and brewery hub of South Salt Lake, SaltFire has grown alongside its contemporaries, bringing a punk/metal edge and the tonguein-cheek labels of its tasty craft brews, including “crushable” collaborations with the Heavy Metal Shop.

SALT FLATS BREWING CO.

2020 Industrial Circle, SLC, 801-828-3469. saltflatsbeer.com

Born in a garage—the Garage Grill to be exact—Salt Flats’ drinkable beers each takes its name from racing and motorsports culture. This is beer brewed to celebrate the racecar driver in all of us.

SHADES BREWING

154 W. Utopia Ave., South Salt Lake, 435-200-3009. shadesbrewing.beer

A mom-and-pop brewery supplying many local restaurants—check the website—stop by their tap room.

SQUATTERS/WASATCH

MELBA FLOAT

147 W. Broadway, SLC, 801-363-2739; 2110 Highland Dr., SLC, 801783-1127; 1763 S. 300 West, SLC, 801-466-8855. saltlakebrewingco. com

Fill a glass with cold semisweet Riesling and add a scoop of raspberry sorbet.

Garnish with a sprig of mint.

Salt Lake’s original breweries merged to form Utah Brewers Cooperative and are now in the hands of Salt Lake Brewing Company. Squatters and Wasatch are the most popular watering holes in Salt Lake.

TF BREWING

TF stands for Templin Family. Brewmaster Kevin Templin has a long history in Salt Lake’s beer scene.

Expect meticulously made German-style beer and don’t miss game night.

UINTA BREWING COMPANY

1722 S. Fremont Dr., SLC, 801-467-0909. uintabrewing.com

Founder Will Hamill says, “We make beer. Period.”

Uinta produces certified organic beers and beer in corked bottles.

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PHOTOS ADAM FINKLE

936 S. 300 West, SLC, 385-270-5972. tfbrewing.com

CARAMEL STOUT

Fill a mug 3/4 full with stout and plop in a scoop of Ben & Jerry’s Triple Caramel Chunk ice cream.

LAST PAGE

DELICATE ARCH Yes. It’s worth it.

BY JEREMY PUGH

T

H E T R A I L T O O N E of the

To those for whom such questions are anathema, the reward for the quick hike up a cairn-marked stretch of slickrock toward the arch is great.

The arch appears from around a blind corner, and it is common among those who revere such rarities to hear gasps of delight and wonder. The arch sits above a sandstone bowl, and visitors find (increasingly rare) quiet spots on its edge from which to regard it. There is a hushed, reverent atmosphere at Delicate Arch.

The arch’s appeal is its intense fragility and the knowledge that,

one day, the wind and rain that have

carved this unique structure will end its time on Earth. It is an impossible structure. It simply should not still be standing there so fragile, and yet it does. It invites the viewer to contemplate his own short mortality in comparison to the incomprehensible eons it took to form. One day the arch will fall and be lost. That one day will probably not come in our lifetimes.

But then, maybe it will. And that thought—of its possible demise—gives your time with the arch an internal sigh. “I got there. I saw this.” There is an urgency at work here. The Grand Canyon will only grow deeper, but Delicate Arch will one day be no more.

You’re on the clock and, yes, it’s worth it.

PHOTO CREDIT TK

most sacred spots in Utah’s landscape is three miles long.

It’s an easy trail really, although for tour-bus types it can be daunting. At the parking area at its base, it is common to overhear sweating Midwesterners just off the bus querying hikers coming down with: “Is it worth it?”

Is it worth it? What a dumb thing to ask.

The Delicate Arch is a national treasure. One of the most unique and beautiful objects of nature. Edward Abbey, who wrote passionately about Arches National Park in his soaring masterpiece Desert Solitaire, rolls over in his grave each time that question is voiced.

Is it worth it? Nope. Get back on the bus.

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