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The ladies of Hell’s Backbone Grill will return for the 2023 season renewed, refreshed, with a new reservation system (thank you) and with a new team member! Hell’s Backbone Grill & Farm Co-owners and Founding Chefs Blake Spalding and Jen Castle will be joined by Executive Chef Tamara Stanger (pictured, credit Blake Peterson). “We’re excited … Read more
* * * Click here to cast your vote *** You might’ve noticed (you didn’t) I took last year off from our Reader’s Choice Awards. Frankly, don’t you feel the format is getting a little long in the tooth (you do). Category after mind numbing category. Box upon demanding box draining a quickly sapping will … Read more
Tom Wheatley, founder of Utah Meat Collective, is on a mission to assist meat consumers on seeking out sustainable meat sources that stay true to traditional methods of butchery. Making a connection to the meat we consume through education is the main goal behind Utah Meat Collective. Bringing together the diverse group of farmers, chefs, … Read more
Sometimes it’s hard to see the woods for the trees. Or should that be gyro for the tzatziki. Feel free to insert your own edible idiom, then proceed onto this most mammoth of lists. Essentially a rough recap of the better plates of food that were placed before my greasy mitts in 2022. Stuck in … Read more
When I penned my first restaurant critique some near twenty years ago – the dining world was unrecognizably other. The cloistered society of the restaurant critic was an impenetrable thing; a lofty and venerated position in many circles. Anonymity was king, the New York Times’ Ruth Reichl famously took to restaurants under disguise. Six figure … Read more
Get there before noon on Saturday morning they said. It’ll be fun they said. They – the Downtown Alliance – clearly didn’t know I spend my weekends in a neanderthal state of dishevelment; a cave dwelling troglodyte, rarely venturing out without the safety of a setting sun and martini glass. But still they insisted I … Read more
Some big news today, so allow me if you will, to blow my own proverbial trumpet very briefly. Starting this week, Gastronomic SLC has entered into a content sharing partnership with the Salt Lake Tribune. Under this agreement you might see some of the stories published on this website appear online at the Salt Lake … Read more
We’re gonna need a bigger boat. Maybe two. Clocking in at somewhere close to 20,000 words, and recapping the unveiling of more than 160 bars and restaurants that opened across Utah this year – I give you our end of year monster. Please do note that this Frankenstein is cobbled together from a variety of … Read more
It’s that time of year when best of the year lists abound. 2022 will go down as the re-emerging of Utah, and the world, from the pandemic, with hope for new endeavors and the wish to sustain the things we love. In this vain, we bring you a round up of spirited drinks found at … Read more
It’s been a little over a year since I penned the sobering why your favorite might restaurant might be closing. In the intervening months, those keeping score could’ve optimistically countered by nodding to a slew of openings. Last year’s grand recap soared past 195, this year’s will handily top the 150 mark. I undoubtedly missed … Read more
It’s bizarre to think anything positive came from the Covid years. The pandemic seems to have been the catalyst for creating some cottage baking heavyweights in Salt Lake City. A wide variety of items like filled donuts, sourdough bread, and Middle Eastern sweets are suddenly available. All beginning from home kitchen in the last three … Read more
If your social feeds resemble mine, you’ve no doubt seen the words chili crisp emblazoned everywhere. You’ve also no doubt been spookily trailed around the web with dazzling ads promising fame, fortune and flavor unparalleled. I’m guessing you’ve also reeled at the cost too. $15? $20!? Bring me my fainting chair Jeeves. Moreover, if you’ve … Read more
The pancake has come a long way since its creation. Historically, Christians cooked pancakes to avoid wasted dairy products before lent. Now, the pancake is a staple include on most breakfast and brunch menus. Pancakes range from simple to gourmet. The humble pancake holds a special place in my heart. It’s simple, customizable, and packed … Read more
As a person who regularly and loudly tells the Internet what she’s eating (see, e.g., here, here, and here), I am frequently asked what my favorite food is. The answer is too easy. While there are countless things I love to put in my face, my ultimate, very best, if-I-could-only-have-one-food-I’d-pick-this-one-every-time is peaches. Fresh ones, specifically. … Read more
Hot on the heels of the trio of nods we garnered at this year’s Top of The Rockies in Colorado, I’m fizzingly-excited to share the news that this week, we nabbed four more shiny things to litter the mantle. This time around, a quartet from the obviously savvy folks at the Utah Society of Professional … Read more
Last night at the Denver Press Club, the 2022 Top of the Rockies journalism contest awards ceremony was held. Seventy-five media outlets plus a dozen freelancers from Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico entered this year’s contest, submitting 1,507 entries – and what’s that – we won two nods for our 2021 efforts. You can … Read more
Slimming down isn’t just for the gym anymore: it’s happening in restaurant menus as well. Rising food and labor costs, ingredient shortages and delivery issues are spurring both local and national eateries to reduce the number of menu items. According to a December 2021 Forbes article, Datassential (a food-industry market-research firm) found that 60% of the 4,800 menus … Read more
Restaurant menus are created for customers, but they also reflect the tastes of their creators. We asked a few restaurateurs and chefs: “What’s your favorite go-to dish on your menu?” You know, the one they could — and maybe do — eat every day? It’s not always the top-selling dish with customers, but there are … Read more
As the New Year beckons, so my mood curdles. Just like that eggnog you’ll uncover at the back of the fridge any day now. A forgotten relic of a Christmas past, merry turned misery. January demands my wine glass isn’t filled quite to the spilling brim, and my plate is more at home to salads … Read more
Hot on the heels of our recent readers choice awards, I bring you my favorite way to end the year – the sixth annual State Of The Plate; a look back over 2021 and what was hot, what was tepid and what I reckon will soon be whistling on the stove. You can see previous … Read more