It was the night before Rachel was leaving the country for 11 days (nothing criminal) and we were busy with a lot of last minute things. I was craving pizza but nothing sounded good. Not the usual places that I order from nor anything that I could think of. What I really needed was some good pizza that night with enough leftover for random meals for the next couple days.

Doing some research online, it appeared that the place I had in mind was no longer in business. I then came across Wasatch Pizza. An old friend use to order from here about twice a week. He loved it and so I thought, why not.

They have some fabulous options on their menu. I went with the Pepperoni Arezzio and the Widowmaker: Ham, Salami, Pepperoni, Italian Sausage, Seasoned Beef & Black Olives topped with a layer of Mozzarella with their famous Wasatch Marinara.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Snack

This is some heavy pizza. One slice and you are wondering if it’s worth it to go for another.   You will pay more at Wasatch compared to others, but the high quality is apparent with the first bite.

Also, their Marinara sauce is pure heaven. They have a delicious combination of spices that left my mouth watering for more. I love a good marinara. Be sure to order of the Cheese Bread with Marinara for Dipping. Even the cheese bread is of utmost quality. The herbs are not dry and shaken on from a bottle of Italian Seasoning, they are fresh and delicious.

Here are some of their other Pizza options: Garlic Tomato, Maui Wowie, Great Scott, Mt. Nebo, Mt. Olympus, Lone Peak, King’s Peak, Mt. Wolverine, Grizzly Gulch and Cajun Queen among others. I had better set aside some money to try all these creations.

Wasatch Pizza, all I can say is “WOW,” and I can also be grateful that I have leftovers in my fridge. Cold pizza for breakfast anyone?

Wasatch Pizza 
Downtown/University Location
820 East 400 South
Salt Lake City, Utah, 84102

Happy Eating

Normally, Tony Burgers is not a place that I would try; it’s showy, trendy, and you wonder if it will be around in a few years. I did stop, however, because I was on my way to Rachel’s work, this restaurant was on that path, and the hunger pains were calling.

Even though it was trendy looking inside, I did like the feel of the place. I ordered a Tonyburger with American cheese, raw onion, tomato, pickles, Tony sauce, a side of fries and a drink. They advertise the fact well that their meat is a mixture of sirloin, chuck and brisket. Apparently the Owners criss-crossed the country doing research in preparation for opening this joint. They must have met up with Michael Symon of Food Network fame; he does a similar thing (mixing the types of meat) with his burgers.

The burger really is delicious. Mixing the different types of meats gives it a stronger, fresher flavor. The website says that it’s “addicting” and I would have to agree. Often the only flavor some burgers have is the condiments-maybe that is why they got rid of “pink slime.” The fries were also wonderful. They are hand cut and cooked twice in the perfect blend of oil. It does seem to be an imitation of Hires’ fries. Not as greasy’, but I will still give Hires the upper hand.

You will spend over $10 for a combo; about average given a gourmet burger place these days. That is a tough psychological hurdle-to be over $10 for a burger combo. Probably not a place I will frequent, but good food nonetheless. Their salads and shakes look good and would likely make it worth a return trip.

Happy Eating

This is one of those restaurants that I drive past often and always think “I should go there soon.” Saying you should do things soon or do things when you have time is the same as saying that you will save whatever money is leftover at the end of the month. It never happens. Unless you block out time to do it, the opportunity will pass you by.

Not wanting this to be one of the biggest regrets on my deathbed, I scheduled to meet a client at Stella Grill. Over the course of a few weeks, we actually met here twice. He had been raving about the place.

The first time we went, I got the Pub Club sandwich. I use to get these often at Hopper’s until that place declined. There were some good ingredients in Stella’s Pub Club but you had to search for them. The bread really overpowered everything else.

Enchiladas

For our next business lunch (I can think of no better way to conduct business than over food), I was torn over the Tacos, Fajitas or Enchiladas. That was until the waiter mentioned that the Enchiladas had chocolate as one of the ingredients. Sold! The next concern: Beef, Chicken, Veggie or Cheese; and 1, 2 or 3 Enchiladas. Ordering 3 was only $1.00 more than 2, so why not; my daughter’s college fund can wait. I got 2 chicken and 1 beef.

The presentation was so beautiful that you almost hated to ruin it. But with hunger pains setting in, it was time to indulge. The Enchiladas were served with Southwest corn succotash, black beans, guacamole and pico de gallo. The succotash was phenomenal. It was corn, onions, green and red bell peppers along with garlic and butter. I could have eaten a tub of this stuff.

The enchiladas were extremely delicious. When they mentioned the chocolate, I had visions of a crepe with soft, warm chocolate sauce oozing onto the plate. It was not quite like that; it is added into the Mole sauce and is very sublte but adds a nice sweet component.

Both the chicken and beef were very tender, moist and flavorful. Wrapped in a delicious corn tortilla and smothered with cheese and mole sauce, this was a work of art.

Open Face Hangar Steak

My friend got the Open Face Hanger Sandwich: crimini mushrooms, bleu cheese, basil mayo, demi glace on ciabatta bread. With a lack of ettiquete, I stared at his plate with that beautiful, medium-rare steak sprinkled with mushrooms and bleu cheese. It must be what people do when they first see the Grand Canyon: “It’s Beautiful.”

I am sure that whatever business we transacted will work out just fine; assuming we did any at all. Now how soon can I get back and try the Hanger Steak Sandwich?

Happy Eating

Last March I went to Back East Cheesesteaks. I really enjoyed the food and attempted twice more to eat there; both without success. There was a sign in the window that they were “closed for skiing” or “closed on mondays.” I did not attempt to go back again for a while. Driving by last month I noticed that a new sign had been put up. It was now called “Salt City Cheesesteaks.” Time to go back I told myself.

Tuesday was the day and I arrived with my good friend who joins me weekly for lunch. The workers are all excited, happy, passionate, kind people. I asked the girl taking our order what happened to Back East. She said that they went out of business and then pointed to the kitchen and said that these were the new owners.

The menu gave you a choice if you wanted a Cheesestead for every day of the week and 2 for each day of the weekend: Salt City Classic, American Steak, Whiz Steak, Pepper Steak, Chicken Philly, Sweet Pulled Pork, Bleu Bacon Steak, Garlic Mushroom Steak, French Dip and Veggie. It was a little overwhelming. Ultimately I decided on the least appetizing sounding sandwich: Whiz Steak, whiz cheese, onions and steak.

My friend ordered the Blue Bacon Steak and we split some City Fries and Onion Rings. We weren’t going to leave here hungry.

The steak was tender and drowning in Whiz. It’s all tucked into an  8″ roll. You knew that this was going to be a gut buster from the first bite. Add the fries and onion rings and you can cancel your afternoon appointments. It will be nap time.

There was a little too much whiz, it was a lot of bread to bite through and the steak had a strong pepper taste. High quality ingredients, they are all just fighting each other for the limelight and in the process seem to take away from the overall show.

The fries and onion rings were spectacular however. They are beer battered, crispy and extraordinarily delicious. That really made the meal. Salt City also has their own “Bang-A-Rang Jalapeno Sauce.” Wow, there is some power here. Please use in moderation.

Being in a Cheesesteak mood lately after eating at Joni’s, I was excited about this new place. They certainly have passion. Will I return? I don’t know! With some things, all the thrill seems to be in the anticipation.

Happy Eating.   

Today we had family photos. Having skimped on breakfast, I was thinking about where to eat after the photos. Red Butte Garden came to mind. I didn’t make it there however as it felt too far away for my hunger. Having reviewed it last January, I thought that re-posting we keep me happy in the meantime. This might be making it worse.

Just off Foothill Dr. towards the University of Utah is one of the greatest food experiences in Salt Lake. For many years, Red Butte Cafe and Bakery was in the shadow (literally but not in taste or experience) of TGI Fridays as they shared a building. Fridays was upstairs and Red Butte was downstairs. For anyone passing by on Foothill Dr., you would never see it unless you were looking for it. Fridays had all the frontage and exposure. The processed, microwavable food served upstairs could never compete with the fresh, delicious food downstairs; So much so that Fridays is now closed. 

 Why does this make me happy? It wasn’t likely that I would go to Fridays anyway so why should I be concerned? Because it’s now easier to get a parking space for Red Butte Cafe in an already crowded Foothill Village Shopping Center. 

Rachel had the great idea last Friday of dropping Ruby off at her Sister’s house so we could go out to eat. We did ask her Sister’s permission beforehand. It had been a long time since we had been to Red Butte and it sounded delicious. Rachel was already giddy about the steak sandwich. 

The restaurant was crowded but with a party of 2, we were seated in 15 minutes. Reviewing the menu only took about 2 minutes. Rachel was definitely going with the Herb Marinated Top Sirloin Sandwich. It’s served open faced on Fococcia Bread with Crimini Mushrooms, Caramelized Mushrooms, Gorgonzola, and Basil Aioli. I will have to take Rachel’s word that it was delicious. She put a piece of sandwich for me to taste on my salad plate. When I was finished with my dish, I looked down and it was gone. I took too long! 

 I can tell you for certain however, that the Beer Battered Fish Tacos were wonderful. They are served with Jalapeno Remoulade, Roasted Salsa, Cabbage, Black Beans and Spanish Rice. A Remoulade is a mayonnaise based sauce. The Chefs here don’t hold back when the add the Jalapeno. You had better have a large glass of water nearby. Each bite of taco requires at least 2 swigs of water. 

Each taco is served with a hearty amount of fish wrapped in 2 corn tortillas. The Salsa has a sweet, addictive bite to it. I was becoming obsessed with figuring out what ingredient was in that “bite.” No luck but no problem; this is a great reason to return. Only way to make it better: crispier tortillas. They fall apart very quickly. 

 Another reason to return is to try every item on the dessert menu. The Bakery has definitely become a larger part of their business. How do any of the following sound: Three Layer Chocolate Cake, Bourbon Pecan Pie, European Cheesecake, Fresh Fruit Tart, Turtle Cheesecake, White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake, Chocolate Decadence, Chocolate Aztec Tart, Seasonal Fruit Poppy Seed Cake, Orange Chocolate Mousse Cake? I can hear myself gaining weight but also gaining happiness. 

We were going to get some dessert but the waiter never returned. We already had the check so we paid up front and picked up Ruby. As Rachel was describing the goodness of the individual ingredients in her sandwich she asked: “What more could you ask for, chocolate?” After eating at Red Butte Cafe and Bakery, there isn’t much more you could ask for. 

Happy Eating. 

Last month at a Conference, I shared that I have a love affair with food. This definitely got everyone’s attention. It’s one of those affairs that you don’t need to keep secret. Often people ask me where they should go to eat and they are a little confused when I don’t immediately have an answer. That is because I like to get the look & feel of the place, a restaurant that really calls you from within. I have described it as looking for “intangibles;” meaning, I don’t know what I am looking for but will know it when I see it.

Lately I have been restaurant hunting. While running errands or on my way to an appointment, I will give myself extra time and take a route not previously driven. I will keep my eyes open with those reticular activators Dan mentions. It may sound childish but I have so much fun doing this. And the biggest benefit: I find some amazing restaurant. They are off-the-beaten-path and are the Chef and Owner are usually the same person. They are often the Server also.

This week I was blessed to have an article published about such a place here in Salt Lake. You would think that it should be a Mechanic’s Shop given the location but it’s one of the best Philly Cheesesteaks in the City. Please enjoy:

Joni’s Deli: Heavenly Philly at a Hidden Gem

 appreciate any feedback and ratings on the article. That keeps me at the top of their list of Contributors.

I am having so much fun with this and the enthusiasm is contagious. One friend is asking every week which place we are eating at next. He has started sending my recommendations. I love it.

Thank you for being on this journey with me.

Happy Eating

The first impression of Pat’s is definitely wondering why it’s in that particular location. It’s an industrial part of town with a few shabby homes. This building likely use to be a warehouse. However, it’s proximity to I-15 and many surface thoroughfares, 2100 S., 300 W., and State St. make this a perfect location to draw a huge number of followers. If you arrive around noon, you will find that indeed, there are many followers and few places to park. Dinner has less of a following and is a more relaxed setting. Lunch or dinner, the food is fabulous.

Another impression is the atmosphere: picnic tables and rolls of paper towels on the tables. There are also three types of BBQ sauce on each table: Sweet, Spicy, and Savory. I liked the Savory sauce as it’s mustard and vinegar based; just like in South Carolina.

Smoked Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes and Corn Bread

Pork Ribs, Brisket and Pulled Pork

Creole Black Beans and Rice

I have to also give a shout out to the Creole Black Beans and Rice. The name alone is the reason I ordered it. Thinking that it would be great for my daughter, I quickly learned after one bite that this would not be the case. It is very spicy with some strong Cajun seasoning. It’s a very filling dish loaded with beans, sausage and rice. You can’t help but to take a big swig of water after each spoonful.

All of this made me feel like I was back at the Blues City Cafe in Memphis, Tennessee. Back in Heaven is another way to describe it. This is the BEST BBQ in Utah. Sugarhouse BBQ is great but Pat’s takes it to the next level. Only question for me: how much of our income should we allocate to this food?

Pat’s BBQ
155 West Commonwealth Ave.
South Salt Lake, Utah, 84115

Happy Eating