Latest menu updates rolling out at popular local restaurants

Squatters

Several updates have hit the menu at the iconic downtown brewpub. A highlight for some will be the new pizza offerings which follow significant R&D by the kitchen team. “Our chefs and CEO visited almost all of the pizza places in Salt Lake, and to places as far as Chicago to research the best pizza”, Rick Seven from the brewpub tells me. “Since then, we created a new recipe for the dough and perfected the rising time. We bought new pans to bake the pizzas in that keep the dough from getting soggy. We have developed a few new pizzas like the Polychronis (a Greek-style pizza) and the hot honey and sausage, and the cheese and toppings are applied under our new pizza mantra – crust to crust.”

Moreover, every Monday through Friday from 11.30 p.m. to 4.00 p.m. stop by the restaurant for a pizza happy hour where you can snag one of the new pies for just $9. The full new menu rollout is as follows:

• The Polychronis pizza, spinach, artichoke cheese sauce, mozzarella, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, kalamata olives, feta cheese, fresh basil, roasted tomato oil, $17
• Hot honey & sausage pizza, hot honey sauce, mozzarella, cheddar, homemade seasoned sausage crumble, fresh pineapple, red onion, roasted tomato oil, $16
• Meat lover’s pizza – bacon, carnitas, sausage, pepperoni, Jack, cheddar Cheese $17.00
• Ute burger – beef patty, pastrami, red onions, cheese sauce, brioche, $20 (pictured top)
• Italian deli sandwich – capicola, soppressata salami, pepperoni, provolone, tomato, red onion, shredded lettuce, vinaigrette, lemon aioli, fresh herbed focaccia, $18
• Lightly crisped ahi spring rolls, wasabi aioli, ponzu dipping sauce, $19

Felt Bar & Eatery

The latest refresh has hit the menu at Felt, and it’s a big one, featuring more than a dozen updates (see our early intro and preview here). Here’s a quick look at what’s new, including the permanent addition of those fabulous crab cakes:

• Marinated olives, tangerine & chile green olive, smoked kalamata olive, candied pecans, toasted almonds, gorgonzola, $7
• Hokkaido scallop crudo, raw scallop, yuzu-kosho vinaigrette, carrot-ginger puree, Fresno chile chimichurri, roasted serrano, Maldon salt, $22
• Asian pear sashimi, compressed golden pear, pomegranate-orange vinaigrette, golden raisins, toasted pecans, gorgonzola, nori, $14
• French onion soup, brandy caramelized onions, French baguette, manchego cheese, parsley, $10
• Jumbo lump crabcakes, Creole remoulade, lemon gelee, smoked trout roe, radish-cucumber slaw, $20
• Caputo’s burrata, butternut squash puree, sundried tomato pesto, arugula, balsamic, reduction, toasted pinenuts, nutmeg, French baguette, $18
• Akaroa New Zealand 7oz salmon, pistachio tarragon crust, toasted cumin vinaigrette, wilted spinach, asparagus, shaved fennel, basil oil, $38
• Wagyu & frites, 8 oz baseball top sirloin, salsa macha compound butter, ghost pepper aioli, roasted poblano & corn chimichurri, $38         
• Moroccan harissa carrots, harissa-honey glaze, vanilla mint yogurt, curry pickles, parsley, $12
• Matcha crepe, fresh berries, Aperol cream, orange-honey mascarpone, pistachio dust, $10
• Pumpkin cheesecake, Jameson chocolate ganache, graham cracker crust, house-made ice cream, nutmeg chantilly cream, $12

Tweaks continue with other menu favorites too. The fried chicken sandwich is now available in two options (Nashville or classic), as is the impressive Pub Burger (classic or bleu bacon). Flip the roster and you’ll find the drinks menu has been given a seasonal reworking too.

Marcato Kitchen

Chef and owner Kyle Williams has recently updated the menu at Marcato Kitchen (check out this article on the business from earlier this year). Two new specials include:

• Short rib stromboli sandwich – 8oz of short rib, house giardiniera, kale caesar, parmesan reggiano, plum BBQ glaze
• Hot fried chicken stromboli sandwich – house pickles, pickled Fresno chiles, fermented cabbage, roasted chili crema

Ths specials will run till the month’s end. The business also recently confirmed on social media that Frederick Del Mar has also now joined the team – the chef formerly behind the much-praised Peruvian eatery, Del Mar Al Lago.

Flanker Kitchen & Sporting Club

The massively popular Christmas parlor is back again for the season at this Gateway bar. This week sees the grand unveiling of the latest refresh for the curated cocktail bar. It’s guaranteed to be the most eye-popping yet. Do note that last year The Christmas Parlor was sold out throughout the holiday season so reservations are highly recommended to avoid missing out.

This year’s theme will feature holiday pop-culture references along with interactive Santa’s workshop decor. The immersive, magical holiday parlor will be the hot spot for Utahns to sip festive holiday cocktails, visit with friends, and even enjoy a live DJ on select evenings.

The new special menu of holiday cocktails is created by mixologist and Carver Road Hospitality VP of Beverage, Francesco Lafranconi. The newly-curated cocktail menu features playful tributes to holiday moments, including the decadent Nakatomi Office party, a creamy peppermint blend garnished with a festive candy cane, and Clark’s holiday shenanigans, a rich, twist on traditional eggnog. “Each cocktail comes with a unique, festive cocktail glass and garnishes that punctuate the holiday atmosphere,” says Lafanconi.

The holiday dining menu at A Christmas Parlor features nostalgic comfort food. Highlights include Little Neros cheese pizza, crafted with traditional red sauce and premium mozzarella, festive jumbo holiday wings glazed in cranberry chili sauce, and roasted turkey sliders complemented by cherry-bourbon jam and rosemary au jus.

Gerome’s Market

If you missed this one last year, time to swot up. TL;DR: Craig Gerome makes the best sausage in Utah, and has once more opened his online store for the Winter months. That means you can select from a mesmerizing cast of flavors – everything from lamb merguez to pork with truffle, parmesan, and rosemary – from the comfort of the couch. Better yet, Gerome delivers right to your door.

Small bites

Grand America – Chef Xavier Baudinet’s extravagant seasonal gingerbread house is back for 2024. This year’s house, named “Chateau de Louis” after his 3-year-old grandson, stands 15 feet long and 12 feet tall, adorned in a vibrant palette of pinks, blues, and greens. Stop by the hotel to take in the creation that includes dizzying stats. In the build: 2,000 eggs, 1,600lbs of flour, 500lbs of sugar, 200 quarts of molasses, 300lbs of Rice Krispies, 300lbs of royal icing, 1,000 gumballs, 600 macarons shells, “and 1,500 hours of love!”

Mar Muntanya – A new seasonal menu has now rolled out at the Hyatt Regency’s signature Spanish restaurant. The menu features seasonal gin cocktails with new dishes including Catalan winter greens, crispy Brussels sprouts trout Avellana, and peach butter cake.

Ritual Chocolate – The local chocolate maker has three new updates for you this holiday season: gingerbread toffee crisp oat milk chocolate bar, hygge drinking chocolate, and gingerbread hot cocoa drops.

Viking Yurt – Located mid-mountain at Park City Mountain Resort, this seasonal favorite will begin its signature sleigh ride and 6-course gourmet dinners this December. The Viking Yurt will operate December 13th through April 5th. Guests meet at Legacy Lodge at 5.45 p.m. to depart up to the yurt, and dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. Regular pricing is $225 per person, and holiday pricing (December 18th – January 1st) is $295 per person.

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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.