Duck tacos to elk osso bucco – updates hitting Utah menus right now

Carson Kitchen

One of the biggest menu refreshes of late, a robust Winter makeover for Carson SLC; the Utah offshoot of the award-winning Vegas hotspot. While taking a browse over the downtown restaurant’s new Winter menu it’s worth paying attention to chef and owner Cory Harwell’s notes about the revamp:

“I absolutely love the taste of duck and wanted to showcase its flavor profile in this new menu by creating a duck ga pao-styled taco. Our Pork Meatloaf sandwich challenges the norm, with pork taking center stage as beef is the traditional protein option. We invite our guests to join us on a culinary journey, where every bite tells a story of creativity and the joy of reinvention.” Start there and then work your way through the full list which includes:

• Duck tacos, ga pao style, basil cream
• Grilled oysters, bacon & leek butter
• Pork porterhouse, apple butter, mustard chutney
• Salmon, togarashi honey, Japanese yam
• Bok choy wedge, miso ranch, bacon, bleu cheese
• Warm spinach salad, maple sage vinaigrette
• Short rib flatbread, smoked gouda, pickled red onion
• Mushroom flatbread, artichoke pistou, black olive
• Latte cheesecake, cold brew liqueur, chestnut

From my own experiences, I find there are always a few extra surprises and smiles hidden amidst Harwell’s compositions. Here’s a previous story I wrote about Carson and their fun approach to their menu.

Also seeing a changeup is the cocktail menu, hoping to help you stave off those Winter blues. The “piper’s choice” comes with vodka, espresso liqueur, xocolatl bitters, and cinnamon cream. Meanwhile the playful “shut up, Cory!’ takes a spin on a classic Moscow mule with vodka, spiced cranberry syrup, lime, and ginger beer. A third new option is the “A must-try cocktail is the ‘”lucky #13” made with amaro, rum, fresh lemon, cinnamon syrup, herb bitters, and red wine float.

Bambara

Also downtown, chef Patrick LeBeau continues to make his mark at the Hotel Monaco’s signature restaurant. New on the menu for Winter, are a few new interesting selections as follows:

• Elk osso bucco, garlic confit, meyer lemon gremolata, parmesan polenta, roasted carrots, $46
• Whipped goat cheese tartine, spiced pumpkin butter, toasted pecans, Bread Riot sourdough, $17
• Smoked beef tartare, caraway crackers, beer mustard aioli, pickled turnips, mustard greens, $26
• Caramelized onion Dutch pancake, crispy pork belly, maple bourbon glaze, roasted fall squash, $22
• Truffle spaghetti alla chitarra, butternut squash cream sauce, pine nuts, crispy sage, brown butter, $32

Oquirrh

The latest menu refresh at Oquirrh (winner of Salt Lake Magazine’s outstanding restaurant award last year) – also includes a seasonal bent. New and tweaked plates now being served include:

• Winter squash, verjus, sabayon, parm rind glaze, candied seeds, herb oil, $15
• Warm chiciory salad, pomegranate vinaigrette, toasted walnuts, Grotte Caputo’s cheese, chives, $17
• Steamed PEI mussels, chicken broth, guanciale, seeded focaccia, confit garlic
• Roasted duck breast, creamy polenta, braised cabbage, duck jus, chervil, $42
• 8 oz wagyu center cut ribeye, French onion jus, cippolini, rapini, sourdough, Alpine cheese crouton, $66

Other menu updates

BTG – Currently, on the ‘feature board’ at the stellar wine bar, Alegal Garnacha from Salamanca, Spain. Only 500 bottles were made from century-old vines. As ever be sure to pick the brains of sommelier Louis Koppel and his well-drilled team.

Prodigy Brewing – Six new dishes are hitting the menu right now at this Logan brewer, more info.

Lake Effect – Lunch is now being served at this downtown bar, 11.00 a.m. daily.

Layla’s Grill – Likewise, I’m told by a reader this Holladay restaurant has also recently begun opening for lunch.

Roc.taco – The popular downtown taco shop recently released this new menu.

Grid City – Several weekly specials continue to run at the South Salt Lake brewer, with a “brewer’s brisket Thursday” catching my eye. According to the pit (brew) master in question, “The brisket underwent a dry brining process using a mixture of salt, pepper, and mustard as a binder. After that, I cut down the trimmed fat and infused it with confit garlic for the first two hours. I then injected this flavorful fat back into the brisket before smoking it for 18 hrs.” Other specials on the weekly menu include taco Tuesday, and wing Wednesday specials.

Fleming’s Steakhouse – Available for $63 a new nightly prix fixe that includes salad or soup followed by filet mignon, topped with a trio of garlic-roasted colossal shrimp.

RoHa Brewing – The local brewer recently released their first NA product, Hop Drop Sparkling Water; a refreshing sparkling water infused with a fresh hop blend.  Also, brand new for 2024, a cocktail menu that launches with a ange of classics.

Goldener Hirsch – available now until the end of the ski season, an all new apres ski offering for the Deer Valley spot. I’m told one of the hallmarks of the experience will be, “a cherry red, custom Bavarian pretzel cart (paying homage to the hotel’s Austrian roots), with curated music, plush furnishings and sheepskin rugs, outdoor fireplaces, a new food menu, glowing lanterns and plenty of specialty cocktails and libations to stay warm and clink cheers to a day on the slopes.”

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.