Pago

WHAT I HAD: Chef's special bruschetta, Gnocci with sundried tomatoes, cauliflower, and corn, Chocolate souffle

Address: 878 S. 900 E. SLC

I'm just going to say it, Pago was hands down, the best restaurant experience I've ever had.

There's no lead in necessary, no opening statement or introductory paragraph here. All you need to know is these guys do it right. We had a great waiter, WONDERFUL food, and the atmosphere was superb. Yes, superb.

I really liked the rustic look they had going on in this vintage building (is there such thing as a vintage building?). They had exposed brick, tables that appeared to be made of reclaimed wood, modern abstract art, and all the waiters wore black. But not "we're goth black" more like "we're not here, but let me take care of all your needs" black.

We started out with the bruschetta. But the bruschetta you will order won't be the same as what I ordered because this chef experiments and uses what ever is fresh at the time and what ever he feels is inspiring him at the time. I'm sure yours will be just as flavorful and satisfying as ours was. Only the appetizers on this menu are single serving so don't think "Oh they always say that we can just get one". That is what we did and we were fighting over the last few bites.

ES ordered the Kobe steak with some kind of fois gras on it. Which I thought was butter, and being a psychologically picky eater I never would have tried it. Thankfully I was ignorant to the fact and ate one of the best things I've ever tasted. Who would have thought this fish and meat feared girl would be devouring duck liver paste?

I ordered the safer meal of course and it was delicious. Gnocchi, sun dried tomatoes, corn, and fried cauliflower. Unusual, but so very good.

Then we had a chocolate souffle with cardamum cream that was of course delicious. It was a little cakier than I expected, but the cream seriously made it. I decided that I'm going to add that to cream whenever I do a chocolate dish. It really added a sophisticated touch to the souffle. Yum.

The Robin's Nest

WHAT I HAD: The Natural- Portabello Mushrooms, Sweet Roasted Red Peppers, Artichoke Hearts, Red Onion, Spinach, Provolone, a Roasted Garlic Spread all on Ciabatta

Address: Heart of downtown Salt Lake. 311 South Main.

Many times at lunch I am starving (well that is everytime) but I can't put my finger on something I want to eat. Cafe Rio? Just had that. 5 guys? Too fattening. McDonalds? I'm not that starving. Once I visited the Robin's Nest I found my muse for lunch. Something intelligent, not too greasy, and not too ordinary.

You walk in and there is a wall of people. I would like to describe the decor/atmosphere. But being 5'3" all I saw was hair and coats. I think that had something to do with it being noon. Robin's Nest is deli style where you order, pay, they call out your name and you pick it up. For having so many people inside, I thought we'd be waiting forever, but they were surprisingly fast. We even found a seat. Their menu is mostly sandwiches, but I think they had a few salads and maybe a soup of the day. I ordered the Natural (they all have cheeky names) and that came with a side and a cookie. And that is not potato chips and some thawed out chocolate chip cookie. I had a delicious orzo pasta salad with a Mexican wedding cookie. My sandwich was vegetarian, but it had tons of flavor and great texture. I just ordered a half sandwich and ate every bit of it. A perfect amount of food for relatively cheap ($8).

I can finally end this quest for a cheap, fast, and most importantly, delicious, lunch.

Tasty Thai

GUEST BLOGGING TODAY: One of my favorite eating partners, my one and only, ES.



WHAT WE HAD: Gang Dang (red curry), Pad Thai, Pad Phed (Red Curry), & Veggie Dumplings for appetizers.

Address: 1300 South 500 East, Salt Lake City

Tasty Thai! The name says it all. Among all of the Thai restaurants that I have eaten at, Tasty Thai is both the most authentic and delicious. It is a small family-run restaurant, that uses only the freshest of ingredients. Located near Liberty Park at 13th South and 5th East, Tasty Thai boasts delicious entrees and appetizers at an extremely reasonable price. The staff at Tasty Thai are extremely friendly and the atmosphere is low-key, with an open kitchen and several window views of the park. And whether you prefer curry options (which are fantastic), or are in the mood for soups or vegetarian dishes, Tasty Thai will not disappoint. Either way, I look forward to many more meals at Tasty Thai!

Faustina

WHAT I HAD: House Salad, Spinach stuffed chicken with roasted red bell peppers and feta, served over soft polenta, asparagus and a chorizo broth, Crème brûlée and Strawberry Sabayon

Address: 300 South 454 East, Salt Lake City

After trekking several blocks through downtown Salt Lake trying to find a nice outdoor eatery, we finally came across Faustina. They have a lovely covered patio with a tiny waterfall and crisp landscaping. A perfect setting for the wonderful 70 degree evening we wanted to continue to enjoy.

If you have ever done Dine O'Round, you will recognize the flat rate three-course menu Faustina offers. It makes it easy to order and I also didn't mind being obligated to have my own dessert.

The meal premiered with foccacia bread and oil and vinegar. Nothing out of the ordinary for an Italian restaurant. Then I had my house salad with these beet chips and a simple dressing. It was so light and delicious with a nice salty, crunchiness added by the beet chips. It was a perfect start.

I did have a difficult time ordering. The menu isn't too large and nothing really stood out to me. I am a picky eater (one reason why I could never be an effective restaurant critic) and there were quite a few dishes that had seafood, which I don't do, there were a few pasta dishes, but they just sounded too heavy for a summer dinner at the moment, the beef medallions with gorgonzola and mushrooms sounded really good, but ES was ordering that. I finally settled on the Spinach stuffed chicken with feta, roasted red pepper and a chorizo broth with the help of the waiter. I was very surprised at how good that was. I never order chicken at a restaurant. Besides the fact that the chicken came out in the shape of a fallacy, it was moist and flavorful. The sauce was complex with multiple flavors revealing themselves one by one.

There are two desserts that come with the three-course menu, crème brûlée or strawberry sabayon. Other desserts are offered, but with a small price ($3?) to upgrade. ES and I decided to just get one each of the first mentioned. I usually don't order crème brûlée at restaurants because I can just make that at home, but it was very good and even better that I didn't have to make it. The sabayon tasted like anyone could make it. It was just a bowl of berries with a little sauce on it. The sauce was super mild, and not too much flavor. So we hurried and ate that one so we could enjoy the crème brûlée even more.

I think this place had much more to offer than the outdoor patio that brought us there. We will definitely come back, even in the winter.


Addendum:
We've gone back for several more visits and I have managed to contain myself and not eat my meal before I take a picture. Here is a picture of what we were eating the first one is the one that I said was ahm..."shape[ed] of a fallacy".


Spinach stuffed chicken with feta, roasted red pepper and a chorizo broth

Beef medallions with gorgonzola and mushrooms

Bruge's Waffles

WHAT I HAD: Cinnamon Waffle, Fresh Strawberries, Crème fraîche

Address: 336 West Broadway, Salt Lake City


Have you ever had a Belgian waffle? Oh you have a Belgium Waffle Maker you say? Well I'm sorry to say that doesn't mean you've had a Belgian Waffle.

Don't worry, you don't have to travel all the way over to Belgium to get an authentic waffle, Bruge's Waffles and Frites has some pretty authentic and definitely delicious waffles waiting for you only as far as Broadway.



We stopped by Bruge's on the way to the Farmer's market and enjoyed walking through the market almost as much as our cinnamon waffle, with fresh strawberries and crème fraîche. It was a steep $6 each, but the toppings were worth it. It was made the second I paid for it. They also have freshly made fries (or Frites) with a long list of gourmet toppings like Garlic Aioli, Beef Carbonnade, and of course Fry Sauce. I intended to post a picture of this delectable morning treat, but I ate it faster than I could say "Cheese". Guess I will have to get another one this Saturday!

Addendum: Lovely to have an excuse to get another! The third time I went back for another I finally remembered to take a picture!

Fresco Italian Cafe

Address: 1513 S 1500 E, Salt Lake City

ES and I went to dinner to Fresco Italian Cafe the other night for the very first time. It is located near a couple of our other favorite restaurants Mazza and Paris. So we've been meaning to try it sometime. It had the loveliest outdoor patio surrounded by a vines and trees. With cute little birds popping out every now and then. A gorgeous Utah summer night serendipitously added to the ambiance. The service was impeccable, I felt like we were her only table but a little on the stuffy side. She wasn't rude by any means, but she described the food to be "gorgeous" and "brilliant". Which I took note of as I am running out of adjectives for all these blog entries.

The chef, Mikel Trapp, has a seasonal menu, so it might not help to suggest what we had, but I will anyway. ES had the Lamb in this earthy rustic sauce. The lamb was cooked so perfectly and the sauce just complemented it so well. I think I ended up eating all of his. I ordered the strip steak. Me, trying to be more sophisticated, ordered the rarest I could handle, which was a measly medium. So of course that was also cooked perfectly and of course, it then grossed me out. So after eating around all the edges, ES ended up eating the rest of mine.

The dessert seriously was the most 'brilliant' thing I have ever eaten. As usual ES and I just ordered one to share, but I was totally regretting it. It was three small desserts, one was a banana beer budino (italian pudding) with an almond creme sauce, the next was this chocolate cake with candied almonds and a cinnamon cream sauce, and the last (my favorite) was a cinnamon gelato with dark chocolate coffee crumbles. If I wasn't surrounded by all tables occupied by well-bred, higher society, I would have grabbed the cake with both my hands and rammed it in my face, and then lick the whole plate clean. It was that good.

No More Soup for you! - A lesson on buying local

My favorite spot for soup is now closed for good according to Salt Lake Magazine. Although it was a little pricey, they still couldn't keep up with a down turning economy. Let's prevent any more of our favorite restaurants from going under and eat local!

I'm going to miss you Chicken Curry soup!

Stoneground

One thing about going out with friends for dinner for the first time is you don't know their eating out habits, how much they are comfortable with spending, what food they like, how far they are willing to drive...That is why whenever me and ES go out with new dining friends we always feel comfortable taking them to Stoneground. It is right in the center of Salt Lake, right across from the library. So it's close and easy to find. The prices are right there in the middle. Two can eat out easily for under $30.


The atmosphere is super casual. Exposed ceilings, cement tables, local modern art, give it a hip urban feel. Plus, I've never had a bad meal there. Italian is pretty universal, most people like it. Don't get me wrong though, this is no Olive Garden Italian. They put their modern twist on it.


Some of my favorites are the the bruscetta, a toasted baguette, topped with garlic, basil, marinated roma tomatoes, topped with asiago cheese and mixed with baby greens. Even the House Salad is awesome. Mixed greens tossed with a honey-balsamic vinaigrette, then topped with a trio of caramelized grapes, warm goat cheese, and candied walnuts. The Lemon Caper Linguini is also excellent.


But don't leave Stoneground without trying their pizza. It has that hearty artisan style crust and house made marinara sauce, so with whatever toppings you decide, it is sure to be delicious. As for desserts I have only tried their Tiramisu with a Raspberry sauce. Tiramisu can never be disgusting, so of course it was good, but it was no Le Nonne Tiramisu.