Massive food truck extravaganza, pie n beer day, fine dining – events coming up

Food Truck Face Off

This Saturday (July 8th) sees more than two dozen food trucks descended on leafy Liberty Park – all pitching up to raise funds for three local charities. The gathering of some of the best known names in food truck land commences at 4.00 p.m. and runs through till 10.00 p.m. Accompanying the live music and beer, the following rolling restaurants will be in attendance:

• Abiyaki Hibachi Grill
• Bruges Waffles
• Comfort Bowl
• Deep Sea Bites
• El Sarten Burger
• El Taco Rapido
• Falafel Tree
• Fry Me To The Moon
• Green Chile House
• Hangry
• Happy Tummy
• Haute Burgers & Fries
• Hungry Hawaiian
• Jamaica’s Kitchen
• Kafé Mamai
• Kona Ice
• Mambo Nectar
• The Pizza Bus
• Portena Gourmet Empanadas
• Red Food Truck
• Salt City Barbecue (pictured)
• The Salty Pineapple
• Strippin Dippin Chicken
• Thai Rex
• Umani
• Yoshi’s Enso Grill

The event is free to attend and supports Fourth Street Clinic, Utah Community Action and The Children’s Center Utah. Those making a full day of it can enjoy live music, a beer garden, and a Traeger grill prize drawing too. More details on their website at foodtruckfaceoffslc.org.

Hearth And Hill Celemin wine dinner

Those preferring AC-tempered climes might want to investigate this upcoming wine dinner at one of Park City’s finest. Guests will enjoy five courses paired with wine selections produced by Celemin winery. The menu with the various pours is as follows:

• Seared ahi tuna, watermelon gazpacho, cucumber caviar, marcona almond tuiles
  • Esteban Celemin Verdeja “Le Dicen” 2021
• Salmorejo, cold tomato soup made with ripe heirloom tomatoes, peaches, jamón, fried leeks
  • Esteban Celemin Albillo “Señora Vale” 2021
• Seafood paella, shrimp-stuffed eggplant, mussels, chorizo
  • Esteban Celemin Tempranillo ‘Canicas’ 2020
• Pork tenderloin, patatas bravas, Swiss chard, padrón peppers, red wine & coriander gastrique sauce
  • Esteban Celemin Tempranillo ‘Melquiades’ 2020
• Flan de elote
  • Vieira de Sousa Fine Tawny Port

Tickets for this feast are available here, priced at $140 per person, including wine pairings.

Pie N Beer Day

With one gunpowder and drone fueled festivity behind us, there’s still one more to look forward to. With the State’s official holiday quickly approaching, many have asked me where they can celebrate Pioneer Day this year. Sorry, I mean pie ‘n beer day. Here’s what I’ve seen so far, starting with the biggest of the bunch.

Beer Bar – Starting at noon and running through to 4.00 p.m. This year’s grand pairing event at the downtown bar is expected to see more that 10,000 slices of pie served; ably supported by 25 breweries and 25 different food vendors. Cost to attend is $40 per person which according to organizers affords six pairings. Presumably there will be an option to also purchase more. At the time of writing, tickets can be purchased in person on the day itself.

Powder Mountain – Celebrate Pioneer Day with food and drunks at the original Bower Lodge. Attendees can enjoy a special pizza menu, table service and new drink menu on July 24th.

VFW Sugar House – Pie n’ Beer day at the VFW will feature special food selections, “cheap beer” and music from Celtic fusion band Callanish.

Hops On The Hill

Looking to escape the heat? This yearly series of beer-paired al fresco events is now back again at Deer Valley’s Stein Eriksen. Each Tuesday night sees a a duo of breweries pour suds to pair with chef Zane Holmquist’s creations.

Attendance is priced at $80 per ticket which includes food tastings and specialty beer pours. A $40 “Food Only” ticket will be available for purchase at the door too. The local breweries featured each week include:

• July 11 – Squatters / Bohemian
• July 18 – Uinta / Bewildered
• July 25 – Offset / Scion
• Aug 1 – Wasatch / Mountain West / Salt Lake Brewing Co
• Aug 8 – Templin Family / Fisher
• Aug 15 – Level Crossing / Mad Fritz

Advance reservations are recommended as these events do sell out. Purchase tickets on Resy, or call (435) 645-6455 or The Glitretind host stand at ext. 83. Visit steinlodge.com/hops-on-the-hill for the most up-to-date event information.

Other useful links

• Free newsletter – signup and receive our weekly newsletter for free
• Food talk group – chew the fat with other like-minded Utah foodies over on Facebook.
• Best of SLC 2024 – what you can’t miss in the Beehive right now.

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.