Our first visit to the Tin Angel Cafe was way back in April, when we popped in to sample a quick lunch. For our previous review please see the bottom of the page. Based on that meal, we had subsequently tried many times to return for dinner. Sadly all of our attempts were spur of the moment ideas, typically schemed up at the last minute on a weekend evening. As a result, we had always been thwarted by the bustling crowds. Tin Angel definitely requires a reservation for dinner on weekends, as the indoor dining space (a converted pioneer house) itself is fairly small and intimate.

A couple of weeks ago, as we drove past, we spotted a few empty tables out on the patio. The weather was just about comfortable, so we chanced our hand and stopped by to see if we could snag a table. As chance would have it, the tables were free and we jumped at the opportunity to try Tin Angel’s dinner menu.

To quickly recap the original review, Tin Angel Cafe focuses on a seasonal new-American (I know, I don’t like the phrase either, but it’s suitably apt) menu, with as many nods to locally sourced products as possible. The decor is quirky, hip and reminiscent of any number of neighbourhood eateries in cities like Seattle and San Francisco.

I started the meal with a glass of a fruit-laden Tempranillo ($7), from the relatively small (but perfectly functional) wine selection. I did note the odd patron bringing in their own wine, so corkage is an option, although I do not know the cost. I wouldn’t expect it to be too much.

We decided to share the Breasola Carpaccio as our appetizer (served with Fresh Arugula, Shaved Parmesan, and drizzled with Lemon, Olive Oil, Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper, $9):

Breasola is an air-dried and salted beef, harder in texture to a regular carpaccio of beef. I had previously tried this during our last lunch as part of a sandwich. At night, this deep red hued beef is served as an appetizer in it’s own right, and quite delicious it was. The serving was not messed around with and was prepared simply with arugula and a little salt.

Wendi chose one of the specials of the night, the Halibut:

The Halibut came with a side of couscous, seasonal veggies and a tomato-based sauce. The fish was cooked well, essential with the delicate nature of this very mild fish. The accompanying tomato sauce was light enough as to not overpower.

It’s not often one raves about a side of vegetables, but one of Wendi’s statements during the meal epitomized the whole ethos and endeavour of the Tin Angel Cafe. After biting into the green beans she declared “wow, that might be the best green bean I have ever tasted”. High praise indeed from a lapsed vegi of nearly 10 years. It was clear to both of us that the effort to source local and top quality organic produce was evident in all aspects of the meal.

I chose the Achiote Pork Loin ($24 Garlic and Achiote Marinated Pork Loin with White Polenta Cake, a Roasted Green Pepper Mojo and Seasonal Baby Vegetables):

This was one of those dishes that took me completely by surprise. It looked pleasant enough on the menu, but I quickly found one of the most enjoyable dishes I have eaten in a long while. The pork was perfectly cooked, loaded with juice, demanding I finish every last mouthful. The achiote rub on the exterior accented the meat very well, adding a touch of heat and depth to the overall flavour. This was elevated all the more by the delicious green pepper mojo (for which the good folks at Tin Angel assure me a recipe will be finding its way here soon!). The polenta cake was a welcome change of pace too, where one would normally expect to see some form of potato in it’s place.

By now, the sun had gone down and weather had started to change, the patio dining decision was looking like an increasingly brave (or foolish) idea. We started to debate leaving for warmer climes. After such a great meal though, dessert beckoned and we just couldn’t say no. We decided to ignore the dropping temperatures for one last plate. Ever on the quest for the World’s Best Bread Pudding, Wendi jumped at the chance to try the Tin Angel Cafe version ($6):

Tin Angel offers a variety of bread puddings, and the menu states to ask about the pudding of the day. If memory serves, ours was cranberry bread pudding topped with a berry sauce and a little vanilla ice cream. The pudding itself was wonderfully moist, not overly sweet, and was given top marks by Wendi.

Tin Angel Cafe gave us one of the best meals we have had in downtown Salt Lake City for many months. The restaurant is a great addition to the SLC dining scene, in fact, Tin Angel is exactly what Salt Lake needs. The next time I get a jibe about Utah’s culinary heights being nothing more than green jello, I can confidently counter with Tin Angel Cafe as an example. This little gem of a restaurant could happily exist in any major metropolitan city in the United States.

Tin Angel Cafe
365 West 400 South, Salt Lake City, Utah
(801) 328-4155
Website: Tin Angel Cafe
Our previous review: Tin Angel Cafe lunch review

The Left Fork Grill
68 W. 3900 South, Salt Lake City
(801) 266-4322

Ted Scheffler of the City Weekly heads North-wards this week. Burger Stop (Layton), Paisano’s Italian Grill (Layton), The CheeseSteak Deli (Sunset), Philadelphia Sub Shop (Clearfield), Boston’s Restaurant & Sports Grill (Layton), Little Taste of Britain (Layton) and Zucca Trattoria (Ogden) all get brief mentions, phew!

Rusted Sun Pizzeria
2010 S State St, Salt Lake City, UT 84115
(801) 483-2120
Review: Tribune review

In the Tribune Lesli J. Neilson, goes gaga over Rusted Sun Pizzeria’s stock in trade. Lesli comments: “While the Wasatch Front has plenty of pizza joints, Rusted Sun is a standout.”. High praise indeed! I doubt I’ll ever get to taste their delicious sounding Pizzas, what with having an overt aversion to cheese - I do love their name though.

Au Naturale
880 East 2100 South, Salt Lake City, Utah 84106
(801) 466-8888
Review: Deseret Morning News review
Website: Company website
GSLC review: Au Naturale

Probably the most talked about new restaurant in town is Sugarhouse’s Au Naturale. The Deseret Morning news is the latest to check out their healthy spin on fast food. The verdict? A big thumbs up from resident critic Stacey Kratz. Check out our recent review too.

Ginza Japanese Cuisine & Sushi Bar
715 E. 12300 South, Draper
801-495-9400
Review: In Utah This Week review

“Draperites” rejoice as downtown’s Ginza opens a second location in your neighbourhood. In Utah This Weeks’s Amanda Chamberlain says the new “spot flaunts a fresher face, with brand-new everything, such as contemporary furniture and light fixtures, as well as clean walls adorned by artwork”. Amanda’s review seems to indicate that the food maintains the quality of the original location.

Mind you, I’m not sure what these sushi traditionalist’s would have to say about the distinctly un-authentic sounding X-Roll and accompanying sauce!

Wing Coop
3971 S. Wasatch Boulevard, Salt Lake City, Utah
(801) 274-WING
Review: Your Heart Out Review
Website: Company website

Danny Kourianos’s ‘Dude Food’ spot on Your Heart Out, covers the wingalicious (I’m trademarking that phrase by the way) Wing Coop this week. If memory serves, the last I heard about the Wing Coop was in the Deseret News. Danny’s review concurs with that older report, both give high marks for the wings and mention-worthy array of 15 sauces.

Various Sushi
Review: Salt Lake Food Blog review

Finally, Krista Smith’s food blog samples various sushi delights, taking in Sapporo, Tsunami and I Love Sushi. Sushi is a hot topic right up there with religion and politics, so no comments from me on this one!

Come and discuss this post and other Salt Lake City restaurants on our new foodie discussion forum here.

Back from the blogging wilderness, Sense and Memory returns with an interesting review of Andinita’s Restaurante Venezolano. Venezuelan cuisine is a total mystery to myself, and I suspect many other people. Certainly worth a read.

Riley’s
8133 S. Redwood Road, West Jordan, 84088
(801) 566-4855
Review: Deseret Morning News
Website: http://rileyssandwiches.com/

Stacey Kratz takes the family over to Riley’s in West Jordan. Riley’s is a sandwiches and shakes joint and Stacey is rather nonplussed by her overall experience. The shakes seem to be the standout hit at Riley’s, with Stacey opining about the restaurant: “Nothing’s wrong with it, exactly, but nothing stands out”.

Stella Grill
4291 S. 900 East, Salt Lake City, 84124
(801) 288-0051
Review: City Weekly
GSLC review: Stella Grill review

Over in the City Weekly Ted Scheffler dines out at Stella Grill, the latest eatery by the Pub Group Restaurant chain. A mixed review from Ted as he largely enjoys his food but struggles with the service approach at Stella. In essence this seems to echo our own review back in January this year. Regardless of the service quirks, the restaurant seems to be massively popular, drive past any night and the place always seems to be busy.

Julia’s
51 S. 1000 West, Salt Lake City, 84104
(801) 521-4228
Review: Salt Lake Tribune

Vanessa Chang scopes out Julia’s restaurant, a restaurant long-championed by Ted Scheffler over at the City Weekly. Julia’s serves up “comida casera”, home style Mexican cooking to me and you. The place is a hole in the wall style restaurant and it’s a cash only joint too. By all accounts speaking a little Spanish wouldn’t hurt either. With all that in mind, everyone who eats there seems to rave about the food.

Little World Chinese Restaurant
1256 S State St, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
801-467-5213
Review: In Utah This Week

Little World Chinese restaurant on State Street is Ryan Michael Painter’s destination. Ryan is enthusiastic about Little World but I would have liked to see a bit more information on their non-common menu selections (Peking duck, organ dishes etc). I was however surprised to learn they have a drive through. I’ve never known drive through Chinese food before, that could cause me some serious lazy damage.

Au Naturale
880 East 2100 South, Salt Lake City, Utah 84106
(801) 466-8888
Review: Salt Lake City Food blog
Website: http://www.goaunaturale.com

Krista Smith’s local food blog is the latest to check out Au Naturale this week. Krista’s experience seems to be in-line with the general consensus on this new restaurant, in as much that they are still trying to find their feet.

Blue Plate Diner
2041 S. 2100 East, Salt Lake City, 84108
(801) 463-1151
Review: Your Heart Out
Website: http://www.myspace.com/blueplatediner

Finally Courtney Buell checks out the Food Network featured Blue Plate Diner. “eclectic comfort food” is the order of the day. Blue plate continually generates rave reviews (and large crowds!) for their killer breakfasts, but they serve much more, including dinner too.

Come and discuss this post and other Salt Lake City restaurants on our new foodie discussion forum here.

Salt Lake City has swathes of Italian eateries, myriads of Thai and Mexican restaurants, but French cuisine remains a relative rarity around here. As far as I know, The Paris is Salt Lake’s only French bistro style restaurant. With temperatures dropping and nights darkening, this is just the type of food we have started to crave. When the cravings for French comfort food finally became too much, we decided to put The Paris’ claims of “soul satisfying food” to the test.

The Paris occupies the south west corner of 1500 South and 1500 East, nestling into the neighbourhood with ease, almost like it’s been there for decades. From the outside, the place projects a warm welcoming vibe, which is replicated inside, with the soft lighting, white table clothes and simple bistro décor. Ambiance wise, The Paris is the perfect example of a neighbourhood eatery, inviting, cosy and comforting.

In addition to the main dining space, the Paris also features the more relaxed Zinc bar. We ourselves have never tried it, but my guess is the idea is you drop by, have a glass of wine and share a small plate or two. It’s a little late in the year for it now, but the outside also sports plenty of patio dining space, which is always very popular in warmer months.

We were here for the full Paris experience, so we made our way through to the main restaurant space, where we were quickly greeted, seated, and given menus. I started this particular meal with a glass of the Latour Valmoissine Pinot Noir ($8.95). The Paris complements the extensive food menu with a suitably large wine list featuring options for all budgets.

While feasting on complimentary bread and butter, we began to peruse the menu. We are both suckers for plates of mixed items, indecision be gone! As such, it took us only seconds to decide to share the Charcuterie Plate ($13.95) to start:

The picture above fails to show the array of delights lurking under the greens. Hidden away are Saucisson, Jamón Serrano, a small chunk of Pâté, Anchovy, Cornichon, segmented boiled Egg, mixed Olives and pickled red peppers. A veritable smorgasbord. The serving was plenty for two to share, indeed with the sodium-rich nature of many of the items, it might even be too much for just one person. The Paris’s charcutuerie plate is one of my favourite appetizers in town.

Wendi decided to try the Paris’ take on two French bistro classics, Onion Soup Gratinee ($8.95) and Pomme Frites ($5.95):

Wendi had been craving a French Onion soup for some time, and sadly the Paris’ didn’t hit the spot as she had hoped. A competent enough take on the dish, but not as good as another she had tried recently. She also felt the soup was a little too salty for her tastes. As for the fries, a generous portion meant we were both able to share them happily. We had mixed thoughts on the fries. Whereas I thought the fries were delicious and exceedingly addictive, Wendi thought them only average. I suppose fries are a contentious topic (and long may we keep ordering them to debate their relative merits!). We would have both liked to see a slightly skinnier cut of fry though.

I went with another French classic, the Duck Confit (served with puy lentils $16.95):

It isn’t very often I see Duck Confit on a menu in SLC, so when I saw it, I immediately had to have it. My heart almost sank when the waiter told me the one item on the menu they had run out of was the confit. Thankfully, he sensed the depth of my disappointment and was kind enough to run back to the kitchen and triple check. Somehow, he miraculously managed to secure me the very last confit in the house. I don’t think I have ever eaten puy lentils before, they added a nice bite and texture to the plate, a surprisingly tasty addition to the delectable duck.

The duck was everything I had hoped it would be. Melt-in-the-mouth tender duck leg that fell from the bone, augmented with delicate aromatic hints. We greedily tore the duck leg to shreds, battling each others forks for shreds of the tasty meat.

Chocolate Tarte ($8.95):

We also decided to share a glass of the rich, berry-laden Rosenblum Zinfandel ($8.50), which paired excellently with the rich chocolate and candied orange bites of the Chocolate Tarte. Chocolate cake, warm chocolate ooze, ice cream and candied orange all created an enjoyably rich finish to a mostly excellent meal.

Service was attentive and good natured, putting up with my ravings for duck confit always deserves special credit! Our waiter checked in just the right amount during the meal to keep water and wine topped up. One particularly pleasant feature of the Paris is the fact that they are open on Sunday evenings. In the wilderness of Sabbath dining that is Salt Lake City, this can often come as a welcome surprise. Indeed, our last two visits were both on Sunday evenings, and each occasion the restaurant was relatively crowded, buzzing with chatter and the clink of wine glass. As such I would heavily recommend reservations for The Paris, especially on weekends.

“Soul satisfying food” then? A big thumbs up from me, certainly to stave off those cold, miserable winter nights. Based on the ever present crowds, Eric DeBonis (owner, operator and chef of The Paris) looks to have a hit on his hands for many more winters to come.

The Paris
1500 S 1500 E, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84105
(801) 486-5585
http://www.theparis.net/

Come and discuss this post and other Salt Lake City restaurants on our new foodie discussion forum here.

This week in the Deseret Morning News, Stacy Kratz dines at Michelangelo Ristorante. Sadly she finds poor service on this one particularly night. She does howwever concede the food is markedly better. Sounds like they had an off night to me, our own visit a couple of weeks back was more than fine.

Kitty Pappas’ Steak House
2300 S. Main (Hwy 89), Woods Cross
(801) 295-9981

Ted Scheffler of the City Weekly checks out the intrigungly titled Kitty Pappas’ Steak House. There’s not really much I can add to Ted’s story on the place, it is one you need to read yourself.

Hong Kong Tea House & Restaurant
565 West 200 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
(801) 531-7010

After months without any local reviews The Gourmand Syndrome is back with two, starting with a review of Hong Kong Tea House & Restaurant, more specifically their Dim Sum. Some of the pictures in the review look delicious. Even better is the news that they open Sundays. I think I know where an up and coming lazy Sunday afternoon is going to be spent…

Tulie Bakery
863 East 700 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84102
(801) 883-9741
http://tuliebakery.com/

The second review from The Gourmand Syndrome is of the newly opened Tulie Bakery. The Salt Lake Magazine also briefly covers Tulie Bakery earlier in the week too. Both reviewers echo the same sentiments. Prices might be a little higher than normal, but the baked goods more than make up for it. Thumbs up all around.

Vienna Bistro
132 S. Main St., Salt Lake City
801-322-0334
http://www.viennabistro.com/

Vanessa Chang provides the latest review of Vienna Bistro in the Salt Lake Tribune this week. Apart from the odd under seasoned dish, or lapse in service, Vanessa adds to the chorus of plaudits for chef Frody Volgger’s authentic, house made Austrian fare.

Madeline’s Steakhouse
1133 W. 10600 South, South Jordan, Utah
(801) 446-6639
http://www.madelinessteakhouse.com/

Madeline’s Steakhouse is the focus of Your Heart Out’s review this week. A positive review all said and done, for an eatery I confess I had never even heard of. Interestingly, I note that “21 day aged” crops up on their menu. If they do indeed dry age their steaks, that is something of a rarity in Salt Lake City steakhouses. Even the big boys in town like Spencer’s and Ruth’s Chris don’t dry age, preferring the faster wet-aging approach.

Tsuanmi
2223 South Highland Dr. Salt Lake City, UT 84106
(801) 467-5545
http://www.tsunamiutah.com/

Krista Smith’s Salt Lake City food blog dines at the Sugar House branch of Tsunami. Krista gives the sushi bar a whirl and finds it spot on. I really enjoy Tsunami’s sushi, its just a shame about the average wait for it to reach your table, at least in the Sugar House outlet. Krista’s review seems to suggest the bar is the way forward. Has anyone tried their other locations, are they faster at all?

Au Naturale
880 E. 2100 South, Salt Lake City
(801) 466-8888
http://www.goaunaturale.com

Finally the much talked about Au Naturale is tested out by the In Utah This Week staff. They seem largely impressed by this new local company, who have some big ideas. See our discussion board for more information on Au Naturale SLC.

O’ Falafel Etc.
790 E 2100 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84139
(801) 487-7747

O’ Falafel Etc. sits in the spot of many a failed restaurant. It takes a brave (or maybe savvy?) restaurateur to take the site of so many unsuccessful establishments and open their own. The spot couldn’t be more ideal, sitting right on 2100 South with a billion eyeballs passing every hour.

We have driven past a number of times since their opening and there always seems to be a few people sitting inside. On the night of our visit, take out was our goal. As we entered, the friendly girl at the counter asked if we had been in before. We let her know we wanted to grab our food and run, so we sat at a table and browsed the menu.

What’s in a name? In the case of O’ Falafel etc., well, falafel, so we had to give their Falafel appetizer ($5.49) a go:

Personally, I found these a little too hard, dry, and crunchy. Wendi on the other hand expressed considerable happiness with them and their accompanying sauce. I guess maybe I’m not a falafel guy. She reckoned these were some of the best she had tried in a while. I decided to order the Grilled Kifteh with Basmati Rice ($9.95):

Grilled Kifteh (seasoned ground beef) was served with tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, steamed veggies and a big side of rice pilaf. A hearty meal for the price. The kifteh were surprisingly tasty, but I wasn’t overly taken with the tomato/veggie side, it seemed a little bland to me. The rice was cooked well enough. I’d definitely go back, but try something different next time.

Wendi chose the Vegetarian Okra ($9.95):

Sauteed Okra with garlic and onions in a ‘Mediterranean red sauce’ served with couscous pilaf. Wendi was fairly indifferent to the dish. The cous cous was cooked well but she felt the red sauce could have done with a little kick of herbs.

Dessert was a delicious baklava-like pastry, but we cannot for the life of us remember what it was called. An especially nice touch was the care and effort taken to detail reheating instructions on the side of the box:

A mixed bag from our first visit to be sure. I think we would both go back, but perhaps try some alternate selections. The dining space is clean and vibrant, I could see it as an ideal spot for a quick lunch.

Little Taste of Britain
1095 N Main St, Layton, UT 84041
(801) 543-5707

This week featured my first trip to Layton. An exciting destination to be sure, but when I had heard that an English ex-pat was cooking up some authentic Brit-style fish and chips, I was duty bound to pop in for a bite. Authentic fish and chips? Forget tired, old and bland halibut, throw out your breadcrumb coatings and instead rejoice in the deep-fried heavy, artery-clogging batter, wrapped around a juicy piece of cod. This my friends is how you get your fish in the UK. But in terms of authenticity how does Little Taste of Britain stack up.

Not too bad actually, on my recent visit we decided to share an order of the Fish and Chips ($7.50) to get a feel for the place:

Just as I hoped, deliciously thick batter coated the real deal, cod. The fish was perfectly moist and flavoursome, something that halibut often goes wanting for in the Americanized version. The side of chips weren’t amazing to my mind, certainly not exactly like a taste of home, but passable.

And that green pile of slop on the side of the plate? Mushy peas! For a full description see the Wikipedia entry on mushy peas here. Suffice to say, these are the things genuine fish and chip meals in the Uk are made of. What with ‘battered sausage’ and ‘pineapple fritters’ on the menu, I give them a thumbs up for authenticity.

The restaurant itself is an extension of an existing UK goods import store. A simple diner affair, pay at the counter, wait for a few moments and your food is brought out to you quickly with accompanying plastic knives/forks. The owner/operators (Nick & Mandy Island) were both present on this visit; both are very friendly and quick to offer any advice and tips you might want on their food.

Au Naturale
880 East 2100 South, Salt Lake City, Utah 84106
(801) 466-8888

Given its prominent location on 2100 South, I am sure a lot of people have noticed this new eatery in last few weeks. Au Naturale, which opened last week, is a very ambitious idea, and a laudable one too. Fast tasty food, and most importantly healthy fast tasty food. Located in the building of a former bank, then Christian book store, Au Naturale offers dine in, take out and even drive through. The menu is quite extensive ranging from salads, wraps, sandwiches, burgers through to items like sushi and baked oven fries.

The Au Naturale website even handily provides nutritional information. This is just one little detail that shows a lot of effort has gone into this place. We tried Au Naturale twice this week, both times taking the drive through option (Hey, if something healthy is going to replace our gyro/taco “bad days” then it had better be drive through…you know the days I’m talking about..). Our first visit happened to be on their first day in business, so understandably, they were working through a few tweaks, like menu items which were gone by the time we got there. That’s to be understood though.

Wendi was intrigued by the Normandy Flat Bread Pizza ($8.99):

The pizza was comprised of caramelized onions, mushrooms, asparagus, goat cheese and thyme on a whole wheat flat bread. Wendi noted that this much-healthier option could never replace a gooey cheesy thick-crust pizza, but that said it certainly fit the bill if you’re looking for something fresher, lighter and considerably healthier.

I went with the BBQ Pulled-pork Sandwich ($7.49):

The house smoked pork topped some fresh coleslaw and was slathered in BBQ sauce. The BBQ sauce was a smidgeon too sweet for me personally, but overall I really enjoyed the sandwich. The pork was very tasty and equally tender. In fact I had to fight off Wendi several times to protect my sandwich, which proved the hit of our two choices.

Our second visit this weekend was for lunch. Inside the restaurant, it seemed to be consistently busy, as it has since opening. Their operation had seemed to find it’s feet and the drive through process for a busy weekend lunch was smooth and easy.

I went with their Angus Beef burger ($6.99):

As well as the burger patty and whole grain bun (a nice tasty and healthy change), the burger featured grilled onions, romaine lettuce, tomato, pickles, choice of cheese and house-made ketchup. Sadly, by the time the burger got home, it was a little cold, so I wasn’t overly thrilled. I’m not sure if that’s my fault or the packaging fault. Suffices to say, I think our next visit is going to have to be an eat in attempt, to see how the food fares straight from the kitchen to table.

After her first flat bread pizza earlier in the week, Wendi wanted to try the Tuscan Chicken Pizza ($8.99):

Wendi found this version to again be a nice flavourful alternative to heavy pizza, albeit on the dry side. Of the two pizzas Wendi preferred this second chicken version. We also decided to share an order of the Oven Roasted Sweet Potato Fries ($2.99):

Again, by the time we got home (5 minutes) they had become a little soggy and cold. Nonetheless, Wendi really enjoyed them and the house-make ketchup was a big hit.

Over on our foodie discussion forum this restaurant has been the subject of some discussion, plus a review by someone else.

Rib Cage
3165 S 1300 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84106
(801) 638-2708‎

If your heading down 1300 East and see this man cooking up a storm, you might want to pull over and grab a bite:

His name is Mark and he cooks up some mean baby back ribs at his new venture, The Rib Cage. Right now the Rib Cage is operating out of the same building as Tony’s (the bar opposite Harmons on 1300 East and about 3100 South).

On this particular evening, I had a drinking date at a local bar, and I needed some bar friendly food to soak up my intended tipple, Cutthroat Pale Ale. After hearing raves about the Rib Cage from several people, an order of 1/2 rack of Baby Back Ribs ($9) seemed the perfect bar food to take along:

The ribs also came with two tiny pots of beans and potato salad. The ribs were oh-so-wonderfully tender. It says something that the meat was so fall off the bone soft that I managed to eat the whole 1/2 rack with the provided plastic fork and knife, in a dimly lit bar, surrounded by eager onlookers. My guess is that these ribs are slow cooked during the day and then finished off with a home-made sauce on the grill when ordering. Not the normal slow smoking of most SLC BBQ joints.

As I greedily chugged down my ribs, it seemed like half the bar wandered over to comment. Every last person mentioned how great they smelled. I could only reply with, “They taste even better”. In addition to those tender ribs, Mark also cooks up chicken, hot links and a number of combo orders. I can’t comment on those, but I certainly enjoyed my ribs. The sides were decent enough, but only an afterthought, the star here is the ribs.

Mark’s present operation is the definition of a hole in the wall joint, it’s a one man operation, it’s a cash only affair, and I am told he also happily delivers to the local neighbourhood. If you plan on eating there, he only has a few outdoor plastic tables and chairs, if your lucky, we might still have the odd warm day left in the year. If you plan on take out, it’s worth calling your order in, so he can have it ready on arrival.

*Phew* so that was our week of dining on the run. Hope we gave you some good ideas for your next to busy to eat day. And, we’d love to hear about your go-to place for quick cheap bites.

Come and discuss this post and other Salt Lake City restaurants on our new foodie discussion forum here.

Sawadee Thai
754 E. South Temple, Salt Lake City
(801) 328-8424

First up The Salt Lake Tribune’s Vanessa Chang heads down to Sawadee Thai. Thumbs up from Vanessa. My own experience of Sawadee was well over a year ago. I will say the service was excellent and the restaurant certainly a nice, sleek contemporary space. Although the food wasn’t bad, it didn’t rock my world. Sawadee does seem to be constantly packed out though, a second visit is probably in order.