SLC Greek Festival
For nearly four decades, SLC’s Greek Festival has led many a foodie to cry “Opa!”. This year, the festival’s 38th year to be precise, should be no different. Running September 5th through September 8th the festival offers a delicious array of Greek Cuisine, offering up far more than common staples like gyro, souvlaki and baklava (although you can get those too!). Check out just a few of the great dishes on offer this year:
Dolmathes – grapevine leaves stuffed with rice and vegetables, meat is also often included.
Fasolakia – fresh green beans in tomato sauce.
Keftedes – baked meatballs with oregano and mint and tomato sauce
Pastitsio – a baked pasta dish with a filling of ground meat and a béchamel sauce top.
Stifado – beef stew with pearl onions, vinegar, red wine and cinnamon.
Spanakopita – spinach, feta cheese (sometimes in combination with ricotta cheese), onions or spring onions, egg and seasoning wrapped in phyllo pastry.
Loukoumades – similar to donuts or scones, loukoumades are fried balls of dough coated with honey and sprinkled with cinnamon.
Loukaniko – a greek pork sausage flavored with fennel seeds and orange peel.
Lamb Roasted On A Spit [ Arni Sti Souvla ] – a greek favorite. seasoned with garlic, oregano, lemon and oil and barbequed on a rotating spit over coals.
Tyropita – cheese triangle wrapped and baked in a flakey phyllo pastry.
Melomakarona – cookies soaked in syrup of diluted honey, then sprinkled with crushed walnuts.
Kourambiedes – cookies, butter and crushed roasted almonds, then generously dusted with powdered sugar.
Kataifi – a sweet made of very fine vermicelli-like pastry. it is sometimes known as shredded phyllo.
Pasta Flora – tarts with fresh fruit jam. can be made in all sizes.
Galotopita – custard puding baked in a flakey phyllo pastery. this sweet galatopita greek custard leaves a wonderful taste in your mouth.
Amigdalota – almond cookies, flavored with nutmeg and sprinkled with nuts.
Poutika – a moist cake made with cinnamon, wafer crumbs, chopped walnuts, coconut and topped with orange flavored syrup.
Flogeres – walnuts, butter and spices baked in a flakey phyllo pastery topped with chocolate syrup.
Of course there’s much more than just food (check the website link below) and admission is a mere $3 (food extra). Full festival hours:
Thurs Sep 5th 4pm – 11pm
Fri Sep 6th 11am – 11pm
Sat Sep 7th 11am – 11pm
Sun Sep 8th 11am – 8pm
SLC Greek Festival
279 South 300 West Salt Lake City, UT 84101
www.saltlakegreekfestival.com
South Salt Lake Restaurant Week
As part of South Salt Lake’s ’75 Days to 75 Years Diamond Celebration’, there are a handful of great deals to be had at several local eateries during the upcoming restaurant week, running August 25th through 31st. Some notable offers include:
Bon Appe-Thai – 41 West 3300 South
Pad Thai, $5.99
Left Fork Grill – 68 West 3900 South
Chicken schnitzel entree with beverage, $9.38
Chile verde smothered burrito with beverage, $9.38
Old Bridge Cafe – 249 East 3300 South
Two dolmas, two pepsi’s, and two apple cakes, $19.38
Zaika Grill N Kebab – 3540 South State St
Two entrees, two drinks for $12.99 to include a variety of food, tandoori, BBQ items with rice, curry, and vegetables.
Full details of all the offers at www.southsaltlakecity.com
Z’Tejas Chile Fest
Z’Tejas will host its 10th annual Chile Fest, showcasing the art of cooking with chiles, Sept. 3–16. More than 1,000 pounds of famous Hatch, N.M., green chile peppers will be roasted throughout the month and used in a special menu highlighting chile appetizers, entrees and even desserts.
During the festival, Z’Tejas will partner with the University of Utah Burn Camp and donate $1 to the Camp for each item purchased from the Chile Fest menu. The Burn Camp helps burn survivors cope with personal and emotional challenges that come after a severe burn. As a southwestern grill, Z’Tejas has strong influences from New Mexico, including the use of the Hatch chile pepper. In New Mexico, Labor Day marks the beginning of the chile pepper season, kicked off with the Hatch Valley Chile Pepper Festival. “Chileheads” (those who enjoy the flavor of chiles) flock to the festival every year for the best chiles in the world.
Z’Tejas Chile Fest Menu
Hatch Chile Onion Rings — Hatch Chiles and onion rings tossed in seasoned flour, fried crispy, topped with Cotija cheese and cilantro and served with Hatch Chile and barbecue dipping sauces.
Hatch Chile and Field Green Salad — Mixed greens tossed with a cumin vinaigrette, topped with grape tomatoes, sweet pickled Hatch Chiles, candied pecans and goat cheese.
Tamarind Chicken Salad — Mixed greens tossed with a cumin vinaigrette, topped with grape tomatoes, sweet pickled Hatch Chiles, candied pecans and goat cheese and tamarind glazed chicken breast.
Adobo Steak Relleno — Roasted Hatch Chiles stuffed with seared beef tenderloin, Jack cheese and caramelized onions, topped with a chipotle corn relish and served with Hatch Chile rice, spicy red beans and red chile sauce.
Chile and Herb Glazed Mahi Mahi — Hatch Chile and herb-glazed Mahi Mahi served with roasted vegetables, spicy red beans, Hatch Chile rice, New Mexico slaw and corn tortillas.
Pork Tenderloin Sliders — Pork medallions served on a jalapeno roll topped with green chile pineapple chimichurri, with a side of New Mexico slaw and a choice of sweet potato or steak fries or Hatch Onion rings.
Hatch Chile Coconut Flan — Served with fresh berries and whipped cream.
Smokin’ Margarita — Herradura Anejo, DeKuyper Peach, Grand Marnier, fresh lemon juice, agave nectar and an added kick.
Z’Smash — Herradura Anejo, fresh oranges, fresh lemons, mint and agave nectar.
Z’Tejas
191 S Rio Grande St Salt Lake City, UT 84101
(801) 456-0450
www.ztejas.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”.
Want to know more? This is why I am the way I am.
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