Menu watch
Menus this weekend are turning their attention to matters of the heart. If you’ve still not secured a reservation you might still luck out if you’re quick. Check out our full roundup of Valentines specials here. Also, in other menu news, here are a few more to keep an eye on.
Flourish Bakery – What do you do when Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras both fall on ostensibly the same long weekend(ish)? You eat. You eat well. O.k. I mean, you buy cake, because thats the top of the food pyramid right. Right?
Check out those beauties (pictured above) from Midvale’s Flourish Bakery, the seasonally apt king cake and Persian love cakes. Not only is this one of the current locations you’ll find the impeccable-talents of Amber Billingsley at work – its also a barkey with a mission. Do you honestly need any more excuses to go stuff your face silly? No, no you don’t.
Cinder Pig – You’ll be hearing about these guys a lot more this year, but here’s a quick synopsis. Cinder Pig is Jerry Pacheco’s latest home-spun effort. Legit Carolina style pulled pork cooked luxuriantly over wood alone. Food lovers might well note Pachecho’s name from his days as sous at Bambara, Pallet before that, and the co-helm of the briefly excellent Blue Marlin too.
Anyway, the ‘pig have a special Valentines menu right now, namely:
- Blue hopi & golden bantam cornbread
- Crispy Brussels sprouts, bacon, shaved apple, cider vinaigrette
- Duck fat mac & cheese Beehive Promontory cheddar, toasted bread crumbs
- Wood fired whole hog pulled pork, mustard sauce or Lexington dip
- Cornbread bread pudding ‘Nilla Wafer streusel, buttermilk caramel sauce
Spitz – There’s a brand new dish at this Uber-popular Mediterranean street food joint. The new street greek gyro comes with choice of protein, feta, Berliner sauce, tzatziki, onion, tomatoes – and because why the hell not – fries wrapped up in a pillowy pita. Price is $8.50.
Mr Charlie’s Chicken Fingers – Over at the Murray’s based chicken-finger experts there’s also a brand new Chicken & Waffles to gobble up. The dish comes with a malted waffle, three of Charlie’s signature fingers, Vermont maple syrup and butter – price is $9.49. There’s a chicken-sans option with waffle only for $6.79 but what’s the actual point of life in that.
Speaking of which…
Penny Ann’s gobbles up half of Mr. Charlie
This little presser went under the radar the other week which I found pretty interesting. The Willey family behind the group of Penny Ann’s Cafe businesses are now 50% owners in Murray’s Mr Charlie’s Chicken Fingers; home to both the aforementioned Southern-style chicken fingers and many a Post Malone sighting.
The newly teamed duo write that the chief update will be to standardize the businesses hours – now set to 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. That and maybe some potential Charlie-expansion, Paul Willey noting, “We are excited to work with Bartley to help grow the business and open more locations.”
Savory Fund scores trio of nods
Another local group growing, albeit ones with bulging pockets of VC cash, Savory Fund. QSR magazine just name checked three of the businesses fast-casual concepts as ones to watch; R&R, Mo’ Bettah’s, and the as yet here in Utah, but you betcha it will be here soon, the wincingly-monikered Crack Shack.
In other news
- Salt Lake dining adapting to C19
- FREE online zoom cooking class for Chinese New Year
- FREE roll at Itto Sushi with TikTokker link up
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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