ON THE TABLE Chinese & Pan-Asian MEAT YOUR MATCH:
Asian Star –7588 S. Union Park Ave., Mid-
Pro Tips from Chef Nick Zocco
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.
CHEF NICK ZOCCO is the Executive Chef at Urban Hill near Downtown Salt Lake City. He loves the ancestral feeling that comes from grilling over a wood-fired flame. And he’s lucky enough to have one such grill in his restaurant kitchen. Chef Nick offered up some sage advice for grilling meat at home.
Hong Kong Tea House & Restaurant –565 W. 200 South, SLC,
801-531-7010. hongkongteahouse.yolasite.com. 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.
GRILLING WITH WOOD
PREPARATION IS KEY • You should never put cold meat on a grill. Instead, pull your meat out of the fridge, let it rest and come up to a warmer temperature. Cold meat will stick to the grill. •H ave everything ready that you need by the grill before you start cooking. That includes tongs, seasoning, oil, paper towels and a clean platter (because we don’t put cooked meat on the same platter with raw meat on it, right?). If you have to run inside for something you forgot, your food very well may burn.
J. Wong’s Bistro –163 W. 200 South, SLC, 801-350-0888. jwongs.com. 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.
French & European Bruges Waffle and Frites –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.
• S et up grill “zones”—some areas where your charcoal is built up and hot and areas where the grill is cooler and you can cook with indirect heat. For example, sometimes you want to start your meat off on high heat and then move it to cook slower on a cooler part of the grill. • I f you’re grilling fatty meat or burgers, watch for flare-ups if the fat drips onto hot coals. Move the meat away or off the grill so you don’t have big flames which will ruin your meat. Have baking soda on hand in case you need to put out a grease fire. • I f you are cooking a thick steak, pre-season it in advance with salt and let it sit on the meat for at least an hour. It takes time to get the seasoning into the meat. Urban Hill, 510 S. 300 West, SLC, 385-295-4200, urban-hill.com
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Café Madrid –5244 S. Highland Dr., Hol-
laday, 801-273-0837. cafemadrid.net. Authentic dishes like garlic soup share the menu with portsauced lamb shank. Service is courteous and friendly at this family-owned spot.
Franck’s –6263 S. Holladay Blvd., SLC, 801-
274-6264. francksfood.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.
Mar | Muntanya –170 S. West Temple, SLC, 385-433-6700. mar-muntanya.com. The rooftop restaurant, atop the downtown Hyatt Regency hotel, has a menu of Spanish-inspired cuisine with an emphasis on shareable tapas, Spanish gin and tonic cocktails and regional specialties with a little Utah twist. Monsieur Crêpes –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.
PHOTO ADAM FINKLE
•P ick clean-burning options like oak or apple wood if you are grilling over a wood-fired grill. They won’t put off a ton of smoke, which can ruin your food’s flavor. Instead, when they burn down, they should end up as very hot, clean-burning coals. • Th e wood itself doesn’t add a ton of flavor by itself, surprisingly. If you want to add flavor, add a little mesquite charcoal. •H eat your grill. The grates must be very hot so the meat doesn’t stick to them when you lay them down. You might need to start your fire an hour or two before to let the wood burn down and allow the grill to heat up and retain that heat.
vale, 801-566-8838. asianstarrestaurant.com. The menu is not frighteningly authentic or disturbingly Americanized. Dishes are chef-driven, and Chef James seems most comfortable in the melting pot.
