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Matthew Lake is a chef currently living and working in Salt Lake City. Lake’s first restaurant that came to prominence in Utah was Zy. Following the closure of Zy, Lake opened Alamexo in the same spot in downtown SLC. A second location known as Alamexo Cantina opened in the 9th and 9th. Both ultimately ended up shuttering replaced by Monarca and Tsunami respectively.
The downtown Alamexo closed in 2020 with Lake largely absent from the dining scene. In 2022 Lake was confirmed as the chef at The Coop, a new 21+ project from the team behind Rooster’s in Layton.
Carnitas this, al pastor that, sometimes I lament for humble tinga, a lesser seen protein. For my money it’s all too often overlooked. I was reminded of this fact when dining at Dos Olas lately (review incoming), when chef Carlos Segura‘s wheeled out his mom’s version of the dish. The dish can be summed up … Read more
The headline news – at least according to out of state onlookers and column inches – is the return of mini bottles in the Beehive. Last seen on shelves here in the 1980s, a vote at the July DABS meetup saw their re-instatement approved. Ho hum huh. Miniature liquor bottles of 50ml and wine of … Read more
Yesterday saw the momentous day of reckoning that we’ve been previewing since March. With the myriad updates to Utah’s liquor laws now in effect for for 2022, a once in a generation bounty of full bar licenses were up for grabs – ten to be precise. As commissioner Thue dubbed it,”barapalooza”. Let’s get straight to … Read more
It’s the time of the year that I usually put together the yearly run down of the dining scene – you can see previous years here: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016. The yearly State Of The Plate is a distillation of every best of list and readers choice award. This would have been the fifth installment … Read more
SLC Eatery celebrates Fresco For those long enough in the tooth, you might recall one of SLC’s finest dining gems – Fresco. Fresco ultimately became the home for Trestle Tavern, and most recently the third iteration of Finca Fresco was where the plotting and planning for SLC Eatery all began. Owner and chef Paul Chamberlain … Read more
By about about now you should be coming out of that blissful, holiday-induced haze. Wall to wall calories and carefree attitude to the calendar. Well, it’s time to put down the nog and consign the decorations to that big box in the closet for another year. Before you run back under the covers and pretend … Read more
A fairly quiet meeting over at the DABC for July. Highlights include licenses for the new Mazza in Sandy and our friends over at Saffron Valley and their new Riverton location. Oh, and some random company called Shake Shack got one too, never heard of em personally…anyway…here’s the full list of newly minted licensees for … Read more
DABC Licenses Causing more than a few column inches this month was the failure of Heart and Soul Karaoke to secure an On-Premise Beer Only license (aka recreational license). A little backstory; Heart And Soul is a successful karaoke business out of Provo, recently opening their sophomore location in downtown SLC – the space left … Read more
I’m not one to sugar coat things, so I’m going to give you it straight right now. Take a last glance at that list of NY resolutions and throw it in the trash. Then set fire to it. Then bury it in a deep dark hole. Maybe change address just to be sure. I know … Read more
BGR Sugar House – Fair warning this one will probably get a little messy, but hey, want a free burger? Head down to BGR Sugar House on Tuesday January 16th and you can get just that. According to this Facebook post the new business on Wilmington is giving away 500 free burgers. No word on … Read more
Spencer’s – Start the year right this Saturday night (January 6th) and join chef Sebastian Lowrey at SLC’s top steakhouse for a fun beer pairing dinner. Lowrey has created a six course tasting menu to pair with select Ballast Point beers; all at an unmissable price too I might add. The dinner is priced at … Read more
Alamexo – Celebrate Dia de los Muertos – aka Day of the Dead – on November 1st and 2nd at either Alamexo restaurant. Owner and head chef Matt Lake says of the traditional event: It’s actually a very happy celebration, a big party that dates back long into history. On the first day, families remember … Read more
Alamexo Cantina – Now open in the 9th and 9th area and by all counts, doing great business, and for good reason. Alamexo Cantina aims to be the more casual and relaxed twin to it’s downtown sibling Alamexo. The menu is still built around owner Matt Lake’s refined take on regional Mexican specialties, but is … Read more
Park City Cocktail Contest – Votes have been tallied, and drink enthusiasts have carefully chosen Bonnie Ulmer as the winner of this year’s Park City Area Restaurant Association (PCARA) Summer Cocktail Contest for the Spicy Watermelon Rosé Spritzer. Bonnie’s winning cocktail is offered at Royal Street Café, mid-mountain at Deer Valley Resort. Craft cocktail fans … Read more
In a new feature to the site, I will be sitting down with chefs from across Utah and through a mix of charm, persuasion and outright bribery – wrangling out their expert knowledge and experience in the kitchen. First up, chef Matt Lake of Alamexo in downtown Salt Lake City. Lake is a life long … Read more
Cantina De Alamexo – This new restaurant from Alamexo chef and owner Matt Lake isn’t quite ready for prime time just quite yet, but I couldn’t resist sharing a glimpse of what to expect after a recent preview meal I enjoyed; enjoyed is putting it mildly, I’ve done nothing since but sit in a drooling … Read more
Ever wondered what happens at those notorious DABC meetings? Well, if you didn’t know, they’re recorded and available online to listen to in full. And they can make for some fascinating and compelling listening. You can listen to the January 31st DABC commission meeting here. If you ain’t got time for that, I’ll be recapping … Read more
“There is such a mystique and so much misinformation about chiles,” says chef/owner of Alamexo Matt Lake. “I’m always asked about how to shop for them, how to prepare them and what parts to include in traditional Mexican cooking.” Which is the genesis for this weekends, Cooking With the Chiles of Mexico Class at Alamexo. … Read more
Manoli’s – Tomorrow night at 7.30 p.m. Manoli’s is teaming up with sommelier and owner of Bottleneck Wine And Spirits – Scott Cunningham. Price is $100 for a six course menu prepared with local ingredients – paired with boutique small batch wines ranging from Europe to California. Dishes include tuna sashimi, smoked salmon, duck breast … Read more
Alamexo – As we mentioned last week, taco Thursdays are now in full swing at chef Matt Lake’s refined Mexican restaurant. And what’s more they’re all a dollar, yep, a dollar. Changing each week, the bar area is offering both a meat and vegetarian taco, a dollar each, from 5-6.30 p.m. You could probably buy … Read more