2013 Salt Lake Magazine Dining Awards

2013 Dining Awards Winners

Last night saw some of the brightest lights in the Utah dining world come together at the Natural History Museum to celebrate the best of Utah’s increasingly excellent culinary world. The yearly event courtesy of SL Magazine produced a few head scratchers as usual, but it was great to see wonderful operations like Oh Mai and Finca rewarded.

The full list of winners is below and also of note and interesting to compare are the SL Magazine readers pick for best across similar categories here.

Best Mediterranean/Middle Eastern
Aristo’s (pictured above also being inducted into Hall Of Fame)

Best Bakery
Harmons Grocery

Best Lunch
Caffe Niche

Best Chinese
J. Wong’s Asian Bistro

Best Asian
Plum Alley

Golden Spoon for Hospitality Award
SuAn Chow

Best Restaurant (SLC)
Copper Onion

Green Fork Environmental Award
Heirloom Restaurant Group: Pizzeria 712, Communal, Mountain West Burrito

Best Restaurant (PC)
Talisker on Main

Best Japanese
Naked Fish Japanese Bistro

Best Italian
Sea Salt

Best Mexican
Frida Bistro

Best Indian
Saffron Valley

Best Breakfast
Roots Cafe

Best Comfort Food
Pig and a Jelly Jar

Best Discovery
Taqueria 27

Best Wine List
Finca

Best Pastry Chef
Amber Billingsley, Vinto

Best Design
Pallet

Best Chefs
Viet Pham and Bowman Brown, Forage

Best New Restaurant
Vivace

Best Northern Utah
Jasoh

Best Southeastern
Hell’s Backbone Grill (also Hall of Fame inductee)

Best Southwestern Utah
Painted Pony

Best Central Utah
Pizzeria 712

Community Service Award
Jorge Fierro, Rico Brand

Best Mixologist
Scott Gardner, Finca

Best Quick Eats
Oh Mai Vietnamese Sandwich Kitchen

Food & Wine Education Award
Francis Fecteau, Libation

Hall of Fame
2013 – Aristo’s (pictured above)
2013 – Hell’s Backbone Grill
2011 – Squatters
2010 – Takashi
2009 – Log Haven
2008 – Red Iguana
2008 – Mazza
2008 – Cucina Toscana

Stuart Melling

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”.

Want to know more? This is why I am the way I am.