Taco Of The Month from Chow Truck
The Chow Truck continues its ‘Taco Of The Month’ adventure with chef Ryan Lowder’s (The Copper Onion) creation during the month of April. Chef Lowder is devotee of succulent pork belly, and regularly sells out of menu specials featuring the fatty, crackly favorite at The Copper Onion. His Chow Truck Spring Pork Belly Taco is a luscious combination of ginger-marinated carrots, scallions, mint, cilantro, jalapeno wheels and “Snake River Farm” pork belly sprinkled with crunchy sesame seeds. The taco is priced at $5.00.
While the Chow Truck asks guest chefs to create tacos with an Asian twist, it’s not always mandatory. The guest chef concept debuted in March with two specials from Salt Lake City-based brothers Roger and Rod Livingston of R&R Barbecue: top contenders in the 2010 Kansas BBQ Society. Their beef brisket taco was piled high with apple cider vinegar-laced coleslaw, avocado, their secret BBQ sauce and a sprinkling of feta. The brothers’ second creation, a shredded pork butt used in a quesadilla with their secret BBQ sauce, roasted pasilla peppers and caramelized onions on a chipotle tortilla with a mango salsa, was equally as popular.
The concept looks set to go from strength to strength with upcoming guest chefs including Michael Richey of Pago, Takashi Gibo of Takashi, Viet Pham of Forage, and Romina Rasmussen of Les Madeleines.
Chow Truck
Location changes daily, check website
Website: www.chowtruck.com
New Christopher’s location
Hot on the heels of their downtown move, Christopher’s Prime Steak House & Grill has opened a second location at 12300 South 1300 East in the Hidden Valley Shopping Center in Draper. The Christopher’s Steak House in Draper will offer guests a full-service restaurant, including the Sunset Bar, complete with large-screen televisions and a range of private rooms to accommodate seating for meetings, banquets and parties.
“Serving our patrons top-of-the-line, fresh seafood and USDA Choice and Prime beef with outstanding customer service has been our number-one priority for 16 years,” said Christopher Patterson, owner of Christopher’s Steak House & Grill. “We’re committed to contributing to the Draper community and will continue our tradition of premium quality and service as we serve the residents and businesses in the area.”
Christopher’s Prime Steak House & Grill in Draper is open Monday through Saturday for dinner from 4:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Christopher’s Prime Steak House & Grill
12300 S 1300 E, Draper, UT 84020
(801) 572-2639
Website: www.christophersutah.com
Bayleaf Cafe is now Bayleaf Bar and Grub
With their new full liquor license in hand, the Bayleaf Cafe has changed its name to Bayleaf Bar and Grub. Their full bar now allows you to enjoy a cocktail with your Big Bubba. Or you can just have one or the other. Hours have extended too. From Tuesday to Thursday Bayleaf is open from 11am to 1am. The kitchen stays open until midnight too. Bayleaf’s unique 24 hour weekends are still in full swing too – the restaurant opens 11am Friday and stays open through till Sunday 1am, with the kitchen being open continuously until Sunday at midnight.
Bayleaf Bar and Grub
159 South Main St, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
(801) 359-8490
Website: www.bayleaf-cafe.com
April Events at Zucca
Ogden’s Zucca Trattoria continues to put on a range of interesting culinary events, April seems to be an especially bumper month. Of particular interest is the celebration of Utah’s own Morgan Valley Lamb. Specifically, the Pairing event from April 14-23 will features a week of Lamb Based Cuisine exploring the different techniques and possibilities of a local favorite paired with wines from the Piemonte Region by Winemakers Bruno Rocca, Tenuta Garetto and Malvira.
Tastes of Italy 04/06/2011 – 5/10: The Veneto is a large stretch of land in northeastern Italy, leading up to the Dolomites and east to the Venetian lagoon. Fish, cheese, rice, and polenta reign supreme.
Pairing event 04/13/2011 – Uinta Brewery Beer & Food Series | Pizza & Beer 5×5 | An evening with Uinta Beer Seasonal Beers & Crooked Line + Gourmet Pizzas. Joe Mastrorocco & Elio Scanu.
Pairing event 04/14/2011 – 04/23/2011 | Morgan Valley Lamb Week | A week of Lamb Based Cuisine exploring the different techniques and possibilities of a local favorite paired with wines from the Piemonte Region by Winemakers Bruno Rocca, Tenuta Garetto and Malvira.
Holidya event 04/24/2011 | Easter Sunday Dinner | Lamb, Barbaresco & Nebbiolo | A Four Course Dinner with Morgan Valley Lamb & Barbaresco & Nebbiolo Wines of Piemonte to Celebrate Easter. Sarah Adams, Marco Stevanoni & Elio Scanu.
Zucca Trattoria
1479 East 5600 South, South Ogden, UT 84403
(801) 475-7077
Website: www.myzucca.com
Mini’s Cupcake Cookbook now available
Leslie Fiet has announced the release of Utah’s first cookbook based on the recipes from Utah’s first cupcake shop, Mini’s Cupcake. In this decadently sweet cookbook, Leslie Fiet, baker and owner of Mini’s Cupcakes in Salt Lake City, shares more than sixty cupcake, frosting and decoration recipes for adorable miniature cupcakes. Whip up a batch of Key Largo Lime goodness or Chocoholic simplicity. Or for an even more amazing experience, enhance those recipes by adding in some Margarita Cream Cheese Frosting, tequila, white sanding sugar and lime zest for decoration to escape to Margaritaville or salted caramel filling, dark chocolate ganache frosting, rock salt and mini pretzel garnish for the Twisted Sister. In addition to the recipes, Mini Cupcakes also shares helpful tips on making, baking, and decorating these tasty treats.
Mini’s Downtown
800 South 14 East, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111
(801) 363-0608
Website: www.mini-cupcakes.com
Cucina Vanina Opens
Reported over in the Tribune recently is the opening of new Italian restaurant, Cucina Vanina.
Full details so far are sparse, but Kathy Stephenson of the Trib reports on the opening of a new Cottonwood Heights restaraunt in Cucina Vanina:
“Owner Vanina Pirollo, grew up in Italy and moved to the United State several years ago with her husband. She worked as a personal chef until she opened Cucina Vanina. The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and early dinners.”.
A quick browse of their online menu suggests a promising restaurant. The business also operates a small Italian grocery onsite too, with products such as daily fresh backed Foccacia and imported olive oil.
Cucina Vanina
1844 Fort Union Boulevard, Suite 16-17, Cottonwood Heights, UT 84121
(801) 938-9706
Website: www.cucinavanina.com
Top honours for Forage chefs
Finally, a shout out to chefs Viet Pham and Bowman Brown of Forage. They recently secured a prestigious award from Food and Wine magazine. The two chefs were among 10 winners of the ‘Best New Chefs’ award. Previous winners of the award include such luminaries as Thomas Keller and Rick Bayless.
Heres hoping Utah can hold on to these guys, two exceptionally talented chefs. Congrats guys!
Forage
370 East 900 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84111-4316
(801) 708-7834
Website: www.forageslc.com
Hi, I’m Stuart, nice to meet you! I’m the founder, writer and wrangler at Gastronomic SLC. I’m a multiple-award winning journalist and have written in myopic detail about the Salt Lake City dining scene for the better part of seventeen years.
I’ve worked extensively with multiple local publications from Visit Salt Lake to Salt Lake Magazine, not least helped to consult on national TV. Pause those credits, yep, that’s me! I’m also a former restaurant critic of more than five years, working for the Salt Lake Tribune. I’m largely fueled by a critical obsession with rice, alliteration and the use of big words I don’t understand. What they’re saying about me: “Not inaccurate”, “I thought he was older”, “I don’t share his feelings”.
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