I recently returned from a trip to New York City, and one of the things I love about that town is that around every corner it seems like there’s a great neighborhood restaurant waiting to be discovered. This, unfortunately, isn’t the case in Salt Lake. Fast food joints abound of course, but restaurants seem to cluster together far away from most neighborhoods for some reason, and so when I noticed a new restaurant had opened fairly close to my house I had to try it.

Nuch’s Pizzeria is located on 2300 East right before the on-ramp to I-80. I’ve now been to Nuch’s four separate times and would have reviewed them before now, but the first time we went I forgot my camera. The second time we ordered takeout and forgot to take pictures because we were starving. Luckily, the third time and forth time I took pictures.

On that third visit we ate in and started with the Bubble Bread ($3.25). We’d had that the first time we were there and were craving it again. This is the perfect example of a simple food being the tastiest food. This delicious, crunchy appetizer is simply pizza dough, brushed with garlic and olive oil. I could probably just have one of these and a salad and be completely happy. But then I’m a bread fanatic. The next appetizer we ordered was Shannon’s Exquisite Zucchini ($5.95). Very yummy, but we thought a bit small for the price.

That night I was tempted to try one of their special pastas, Japanese Yam Ravioli with Shrimp Poached in Garlic Olive Oil ($17.95). There were a couple of problems with this right off the bat. First, and I think you can see it in the picture, the ravioli was cold and the little knobs of butter resting on them didn’t melt like I think they were supposed to. The ravioli was very good, just cold. The shrimp on the other hand were cooked perfectly, but were almost flavorless, and still had quite a bit of olive oil. The plate looked beautiful, but the food just didn’t live up to the presentation.

Jason ordered another special, the Crepes Florentine. More like a manicotti with ricotta and spinach in a tomato sauce, his review was something like, “It’s nothing special.”

These two meals are really in sharp contrast to our experience with Nuch’s pizza. As I said we’ve ordered takeout pizza twice and each time we’ve been really happy with the food. This last time I got their Ultimate White 12” pizza (12″ $17.50, 16″ $25.00). The house-made ricotta makes this pizza, and instead of cooking the hell out of the Prosciutto de Parma like lots of other places do, at Nuch’s they tuck it lovingly under a layer of mozzarella so the flavor stays put.

Jason ordered the Plain 12” with pepperoni and we both really liked the pepperoni they use. I have to also rave a bit about their pizza crust. It’s full of flavor and satisfyingly crunchy. You can’t really fold it like most New York style pizzas, but it’s a small price to pay.

I do feel compelled to mention a couple of quirky things about Nuch’s here. First, it’s in what I would call a first-generation strip mall and the space is really a bit awkward. On one side of the narrow space the tables are set quite close together, and on the other side the tables and miniscule waiting area are wafted with cold air when the door is opened. Second, is that when you get takeout there you usually have to stand in the aforementioned miniscule waiting area, and trying to sign a credit card receipt while juggling pizza boxes and dodging coming or going patrons is at best humorous.

All that said, these little idiosyncrasies wouldn’t prevent me from eating in or getting take out from Nuch’s again. I do think I’ll stick to the pizza though, oh and the bubble bread. Don’t forget that bubble bread.

Nuch’s Pizzeria and Restaurant
2819 South 2300 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84109
(801) 484-0448
Website: www.nuchspizzeria.com

Sometimes it’s tough following the local restaurant scene so keenly. Okay, “tough” is a slight exaggeration, it’s not exactly like working in a mine or anything. But sometimes, the analytical nature of the whole thing means it’s hard to dine out without some preconceptions. Due to following local food reviews so closely, I usually form a detailed idea of a restaurant will be like in my mind, before I walk inside and sit down.

Bay Leaf Cafe is a great example of this. By the time I finally dined at Bay Leaf recently, I had already heard so much feedback, opinion, and information, I felt as if I knew exactly what to expect. I had heard nothing but universal praise. When we sat down to dine, I was expecting so much already, it probably wasn’t fair to expect Bay Leaf Cafe to hold up to the dreamy image I had in my mind.

For those of you who don’t know about Bay Leaf Cafe, let me bring you up to speed. It opened downtown in late 2009, with a couple of very unique concepts, namely the menu and the opening hours. The menu is a mix of comfort foods straddling both East and West. Meatloaf and chicken fried chicken sit happily on the menu alongside congee and adobo chicken.

The second interesting element of Bay Leaf Cafe are the operating hours. The cafe is open Monday through Thursday from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., and then Friday from 6 a.m. clear through till Sunday at 6 p.m., offering breakfast and lunch for the downtown office crowd during the week and 24-hour dining through the weekend for late night revelers. Denny’s no longer needs to be your only 4am Saturday morning option.

First impressions of the service at Bay Leaf Cafe weren’t great. There were approximately three or four tables of people in the restaurant. It wasn’t at all near capacity or particularly busy. We walked in and waited at the entrance ready to be greeted. We noticed a sign asking us to wait to be seated and after hanging around confused for a few moments, a waiter clear over at the other side of the restaurant, finally took notice of us and pointed arms length at a table. Walking over to say hello was seemingly a bit too much of an effort for him. We weren’t completely sure what his gesticulation implied, so we walked on over. It appeared he meant that was to be our table for the night, although he still kept completely silent, as menus were tossed onto the table and he quickly departed. Okay, then. (We later learned that he could in fact speak as he shouted random requests to the musician performing that night at regular intervals.) Thankfully, our actual waiter, who was entirely more friendly, appropriate, and verbose approached the table next.

The general mood of the cafe is casual and relaxed, unless of course like us you are seated right under the nose of the musician. Despite many tables being free we were seated inches away. I think we were still a little in shock from our abrupt ‘greeting’. I sheepishly grinned at Wendi, who isn’t thrilled or delighted by live performers during meals, as we started mulling over our menus. We had that creeping feeling that we might regret having come through the door.

Our waiter was engaging and energetic though, and things started to look up. We ordered a jasmine tea ($1.50) each and placed our food orders. As our waiter walked away, we noted he didn’t tell us about the day’s specials we had noticed (and since forgotten) on the blackboard up front. Darn.

We started with the Fried Pickles ($4.99). Our waiter remarked upon our ordering these, that they were his favourite. After a few bites, we both saw why. Indeed we both promised to each have no more than a few bites, given the salty/fried goodness of the dish. Several ‘oh just one more then’ moments later and we had demolished the whole plate, with lots of guilty pleasure. Far from the worlds healthiest dish, but dipped in the accompanying aioli for extra unhealthiness, oh so good.

For our main dishes, I went with the Chicken Fried Chicken ($8.99) with sides of hoppin john and mashed potatoes. Wendi rejoiced in breakfast for dinner and went for the Goat Cheese Mushroom Omelet, grits, and english muffin ($8.99)

My chicken fried chicken was great. Being a complete novice to the “chicken fried” concept, I didn’t know what to expect. Wendi mentioned she thought the chicken might be ground and then fried, but instead it was a moist chicken breast with an enjoyable crunchy breading, perfect. The creamy gravy topping was deliciously rich. The two sides brought mixed reactions. The mashed potatoes were wonderfully creamy with small hunks of bacon scattered on top. A healthy meal this was not. The hoppin john was a first for me. I’ve never tasted this dish before, but I felt it needed to be a lot more spicy than it was, so judicious use of Tabasco was in order.

Wendi described her omelet as average. She enjoyed her cheesy grits, but commented that they should be described as cheesy grits on the menu because she prefers her grits sweet with butter and touch of maple syrup.

Things went from bad to better throughout the meal. Service remained bright and the guy on guitar, who was quite good, but again, live entertainment just isn’t out thing, soon packed up and left us able to actually talk to one another. Water (served in mason jars) was kept full and the check came up nice and fast. Our meal of an appetizer, two main courses, and two teas was a pocket friendly $28.01 before tax and tip. Heck, I don’t think there was anything on the menu much more than $10. The place is very affordable. Neither of us completely cleaned our plates either, portions are filling without being over the top.

Initial service gripes aside, our main server was attentive and genuinely friendly. The food came up pretty quickly, and I loved every bite. If I hadn’t heaped on so much expectation prior to my visit, I would have been far less disappointed with a few of the issues we had. I’m assuming for the mainstay of their business hours (breakfast and lunches) there is no live music.

Speaking of the cafe’s hours, I’m still not convinced. The continual weekend opening is brave, does SLC really have the foot traffic downtown to support the concept. Moreover, only opening for dinner service ‘properly’ on Friday and Saturday just doesn’t feel right to me. I have an issue with restaurants that seem to open only on a whim. If you walk past at 5 p.m. on a Thursday, and note the Bay Leaf Cafe closed, are you really going to come back at the same time on a Friday night, or will you assume it’s closed?

The Bay Leaf Cafe takes the traditional American diner concept, throws it in the blender with a variety of Asian fare, and the result is tasty comfort food, a casual atmosphere and very reasonable prices. If I worked downtown, I’d certainly be checking them out for breakfast and lunch. Needless to say, next time I find myself with a late night/early morning craving after a weekend night out in SLC, I’ll definitely turn to Bay Leaf Cafe before considering Denny’s, which can only be a good thing.

Bay Leaf Cafe
159 South Main Street, Salt Lalt City, 84111
(801) 359 8490
Website: www.bayleaf-cafe.com

First a little word about this tasty annual event though. The Market Street Crab Festival begins January 12 at all Market Street locations and runs through the end of February, offering five different kinds of crab served at least a dozen different ways. Along with mouthwatering Dungeness crab from Oregon, there is Alaska King Crab, Maryland Lump Crab, Snow Crab, and Rock Crab. It’s truly the time for enjoying crab, no matter which variety you prefer.

For diners who love sweet Dungeness crabmeat, they will find this year’s catch especially succulent. According to Nick Furman, Director of the Oregon Crab Commission, “The Oregon Dungeness crab season’s got off to a roaring start with 10 million pounds of the prized crustacean crossing the docks already, and we’re only at the beginning of the harvest.” He added: “The quality’s been excellent so far. The Dungeness are full of meat and larger than usual in some areas of the coast.”

Quality and bounty are also hallmarks of this year’s Alaska King Crab harvest. Claudia Hogue, Foodservice Marketing Director of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, says, “Alaska fisherman braved the icy water of the North Pacific and Bering Sea to harvest a wonderful catch of Alaska King Crab, timed to ensure optimum quality and sustainability. No other shellfish makes quite the impression of Alaska King Crab which is unmatched for its sweet flavor and rich texture. Alaska Crab delivers on the ‘wow’ factor.”

Market Street diners can enjoy menu choices featuring crab in appetizers, salads, and entrees with selections like Crab Ravioli, Maryland Lump Crab Cakes, Three Crab Combination (with King, Snow and Dungeness), Market Street’s Famous Large Alaska Red King Crab Legs, and a 6-Ounce Center Cut Filet King Crab Oscar – to name just a few of the delicious crab menu specials.

To put your name in the hat for the $50 gift card, all you need to do is complete the following sentence:

“Now that it is 2010, my new years resolution is…”

Post your answer as a comment on this story, at the bottom of the page. We will pick a random winner next weekend. Good luck!

Market Street Grill & Market Street Oyster Bar
2985 East 6580 South, 942-8860
48 West Market Street, 322-4668
10702 South River Front Parkway ~ 302-2262

Market Street Broiler
260 South 1300 East, 583-8808

Website: www.gastronomyinc.com/msg

Restaurant openings seem to be coming as thick and fast in 2010 as they were in 2009. First up is Frida Bistro. This new upscale Mexican eatery is owned and operated by Jorge Fierro of Rico foods; while Rick Bruno (former sous chef at Meditrina) is heading up the kitchen. Stephanie Bailey-Hatfield, formerly of Wild Grape Bistro will also be heading up the liquor aspect of the menu, so expect a solid wine offering too, featuring select Spanish and South American options.

Right now only lunch is served 11am through 3pm, but dinner is coming any day now too I am informed. I have high hopes for Frida Bistro from the brief snippets of info I have heard so far.

Kathmandu
3142 Highland Dr, Salt Lake City, UT 84106

Masala Indian Grill
2223 S. Highland Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84106

Two new Indian options are set to hit the highland drive area shortly. First of all is Kathmandu, an Indian and Nepalese restaurant. This will be in the location now vacated by the defunct Bangkok Thai Talay. No real details have surfaced yet, but after several drive car journey’s past, they seem all set to open their doors.

Masala Indian Grill meanwhile is being opened by the good folks who run Curry In A Hurry on State Street. It appears Masala will likely be in a similar fast-food vein too. Owner Saifar Nisar told the Salt Lake Tribune the restaurant will be “a totally new concept.” Tandoori chicken wraps will be the specialty but there will be other options such as Naan, Kabobs etc. Delivery is also mentioned too.

The Copper Onion
111 E 300 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
(801) 355-3282

News of The Copper Onion hit my desk this week. The restaurant which will offer up “casual New American” is the latest in a seemingly endless revival of downtown SLC. The head chef Ryan Lowder certainly seems to have the cooking chops, returning to his native SLC via way of NYC including a stint working at Jean Georges. I came across an interesting blog post which seems to show Ryan cooking for friends, and gives a good indication of what the Copper Onion menu will look like. One to watch.

Red Iguana 2
866 W South Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84116
Website: www.rediguana.com

There surely isn’t much left to say about Red Iguana. Every single news outlet in SLC (even Fox news) has seemingly reported on the opening of their second location, just around the corner from their first. We actually tried to pop by last Friday night, and guess what. That’s right, queues out of the door…anyone for Red Iguana 3?

Lugano
3364 South 2300 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84109
(801) 412-9994
Website: www.luganorestaurant.com

Next week sees Lugano celebrate is tenth birthday, with a series of special set menu dinners. The series starts on January 20th with the ‘annual piemonte dinner’, an opportunity to experience Italy’s Piemonte district right here in SLC. Chef’s Aldo Vacca and Maurizio Albarello will be cooking a six course menu with optional Barbaresco wine pairing. Reservations are required and the six course menu will cost $59 with the wine pairing an additional $45. Two further celebratory meals are also planned in February and March.

Smashburger
542 E University Pkwy, Orem, UT 84097
Website: www.smashburger.com

Smashburger continues to make inroads throughout Utah. The latest location to open is in Orem. We were lucky enough to be invited to check out their Sugarhouse location last year. And if you are an Orem resident, you can also do the same too, completely for free.

Orem residents can log on to www.smashburger.com/sneakpeek_orem.php to register to attend the “Sneak Peek event”. Attendees will be able to bring up to three friends and enjoy Smashburger for free. This event is strictly for area residents who register online, first come first served.

Tipica
314 West 300 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
(801) 328-0222
Website: www.tipicacaputo.com

And finally, a little sad news, that was just announced. Tipica, the latest culinary home to Adam Kreisel is set to close its doors in the coming weeks. It seems Salt Laker’s just didn’t take to the innovative menu featuring offal selections like heart, tongue and sweetbreads. Caputo’s will instead be extending the hours of their deli operation into the evening.

Naked Fish Japanese Bistro is the restaurant now occupying the space that once housed the downtown location of “>Mikado (Mikado currently has Bountiful, Southern Valley, and Cottonwood locations). With Mikado practically being a Salt Lake City institution, the new owners and operators of the space were faced with the challenge of filling some seriously big sushi-heavy shoes. Having recently visited Naked Fish, I’m not 100% certain that much, besides the ownership, has changed.

During our recent visit to Naked Fish, we were pleasantly surprised to find many of the excellent aspects we had come to expect from dinging at Mikado. We quizzed our server regarding just what, other than the name, had been effected by the changes at the restaurant. In truth, not a great deal has changed. From a diner’s perspective, Naked Fish seems like an equally appealing version of Mikado, rather than a complete revamp.

There are also still some familiar faces at Naked Fish. The experienced head chef Toshio Sekikawa still fronts kitchen operations. The menu itself remains a contemporary take on Japanese, from flair sushi to smaller tapas-style plates. The restaurant space seems just slightly changed from what I could recall. This is no bad thing mind you; I always enjoyed Mikado’s upscale urban feel. Fortunately, the row of TV sets above the sushi bar, which I have always found a little strange, were set to mute.

On our recent visit, we were warmly greeted by what was a continually professional and warm service staff. Something else that has thankfully not changed. After being seated we were handed a vast array of menus (four including the wine list). The restaurant has broken down their small plates and entrees, traditional sushi selections, and more modern sushi selections into different menus. I must confess to not being a fan of the ’stack-o-menus’ approach. I much prefer perusing one simple, nicely structured list of choices. A very small complaint though and perhaps the only real one.

We started by ordering a bottle of Dreamy Clouds ($55.00) Sake and then (as we were dining with friends) ordered a slew of food to share. As the plates came out one by one, we all dug in.

First up, a selection of smaller appetizer plates, Sunomono ($4.50) with crab ($2.00), Kurobuta Pork Ribs ($12.50) and a Vegetable Tempura ($6.50):

I found the ribs exceptionally tasty. They were juicy, rich and lip-smackingly moreish. The tangy, citrus-based sauce that covered the ribs was equally delicious and never strayed into the cloying ‘too sweet zone’. The Sunomono was great too, a perfect light and refreshing start to a meal. The crispy tempura also received plenty of praise.

After these smaller plates, our sushi rolls began to arrive. Play Boy Roll (tempura shrimp, topped with tuna, avocado, spicy aioli and sweetened soy glaze, $11.95) and On Death Roll (spicy tuna, cucumber, romaine, habanero extract, $8.95)

The On Death Roll particularly appealed to me and my spice addiction. The roll itself wasn’t actually too hot, despite cries of pain to the contrary from our dining companions. The accompanying hot sauce mind you, was scorching. That’d be the habanero extract at a guess. A friend insisted on trying Naked Fish’s version of the Playboy Roll; and a very happy person he was after scarfing it down covetously.

A few more rolls appeared in the form of the Funky Roll (tuna, salmon, avocado, tempura fried and topped with wasabi ailoi and unagi sauce, $8.95), Spicy Jin Jin Roll (spicy tuna, tempura, jalapeno, sweetened soy glaze, $9.95) and Connect Roll (white tuna, crab salad, cream cheese and siracha, tempura fried with Teriyaki sauce, $11.95):

Only the Connect Roll failed to impress. The other two rolls were gobbled up quickly. All in all the rolls were well constructed, beautifully presented, and most importantly tasted great.

It was at this stage we were about to order a roll containing Kobe beef. Disappointingly, the waitress came from the kitchen offering apologies and informing us that they had no more Kobe in stock. We finished instead with an order of the Calamari Karaage ($8.50)

We had a few of the calamari-hesitant in our group. Mostly due to the fact it can often be rubbery and bland. The dubious were easily assuaged by Naked Fish’s preparation, which was crispy on the outside and soft, tender and tasty inside. The dish’s charms did wane as it cooled down though, so this is one to eat quickly.

Naked Fish Japanese Bistro was an enjoyable surprise. The new management clearly haven’t tinkered too much with what is for me, a winning formula. It isn’t the cheapest sushi in town, but the quality is consistent and the menu does feature some interesting and unique options. In addition, you get a relaxed, hip atmosphere and contemporary, well-presented food all served up with great professional service. In a town that at times seems to have more sushi restaurants than people, Naked Fish Japanese Bistro definitely stands out from the crowd.

Naked Fish Japanese Bistro
67 West 100 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
(801) 595-8888
Hours:
Mon-Fri 11:30 AM – 2:00 PM (Lunch)
Mon-Fri 5:00 PM – 9:30 PM (Dinner)
Fri & Sat: 5:00 PM – 10:30 PM (Dinner)
www.nakedfishbistro.com

At this time of year I get so overloaded by the ridiculous amount of food at my office, in gifts, and at various events I’m barely able to think about eating out. It seems like weaving through the landmines of chocolates, cocktails, and candies is an Olympic sport, and forget about cooking. Most days grabbing a quick meal is all I can hope for. This year, however, I decided to set aside some time to finally try Forage.

On a recent Saturday night 4 of us decided to slap down the $85.00 per person to try their tasting menu (I considered that a Christmas present to myself). We did not choose to do the additional $45.00 per person for wine pairings, but really I didn’t mind. Let me first apologize a bit for the picture quality. It was fairly dark in the restaurant and my Photoshop skills are pretty meager. And let me also mention that the courses were coming so fast and furious that I probably don’t have the exact descriptions for most of the dishes. I’ll repeat what the menu said things were, but I’m probably getting some of it wrong. It was a heady meal.

For example, we started out with a little amuse-bouche and I can’t for the life of me remember what it was. I think it was a mushroom puree that they froze and then it liquefied when they fried it. Whatever it was, it was an unexpected combo, crunchy and liquid, and also very tasty. The next amuse was a real treat, soft scrambled eggs with maple syrup in the bottom. I’m not a maple syrup fan, and I thought this was delicious.

We were also served a wonderful rye bread – you can see in the picture I didn’t hold back on the fresh butter. I was pretty hungry by this point The first “real” course was arctic char sashimi style with exotic citrus. Although this dish had fairly subtle flavors, it was a good start to the rest of the meal.

Next was a lovely soup that came out without the broth and they poured it on table side. My only real complaint is that I felt they were pretty stingy with the broth and even with the small amount I got they ran out when they got to our fourth person and didn’t come back with more. But I digress. The soup was diver scallop (perfectly cooked), truffle broth (maybe that’s why they didn’t give us more?), truffled turnip relish, toasted rice, braised green onion, and soft quail egg. That egg was amazing.

Next came the “vegetable garden with herbs of the season.” The radish and beet were really flavorful, and we all agreed this was one of our favorite dishes. I, personally, could have done without the celery, but that was just me. Next was the “house-made farmer’s cheese in buckwheat pasta with smoked beet, dill, and preserved mushrooms.” I love pasta of all kinds, but this sort of left me flat. The foam was fun, but this dish didn’t have the punch of flavor I’d hoped for.

The entrée courses were next. We had beef striploin, with beef cheeks in savoy cabbage, and vadouvan potatoes; wild north American sturgeon, parsnip (I think), baby carrots and mustard cream;

Braised Colorado lamb, cauliflower puree, Meyer lemon marmalade, toasted buckwheat; smoked maple farms duck, tokyo turnips, roasted shiitake, and glazed chestnuts. These dishes were all very good, my favorite was the lamb though. I loved the Meyer lemon marmalade.

I have to say that at the end of all those tiny bites, I was beginning to get a little, well, bored. Everything sort of blended together, and I think that’s more an issue with the tasting menu than with the food. I’d go back anytime for that lamb though. This might also be a good place to mention that all the bringing and taking away of silverware and plates was distracting. The service was great, but I easily could have kept my silverware for a couple of courses. We were seated in a table in the corner so we constantly had someone scooting behind us or reaching past us to take things. Not really a complaint here, more of a comment. The dessert courses started with a wonderful cheddar cheese, apples, and crostini. The apples were preserved, or confitted, or infused (I can’t remember which exactly) and were delicious (as you can probably tell, I was full into food coma at this point). Next came the “amino ocumare chocolate pave, with pomegranate, hibiscus pudding, and cranberry sorbet.” Loved the sorbet and also the coffee they served with it in its own French press.

Next was poached local quince, preserved meyer lemon cake, quince flower yogurt, hazelnuts, and the second most amazing thing I had all night – the earl grey ice cream. I love tea, hate earl grey though (too bergamotty for me), but absolutely loved this ice cream. Finally, the best thing I ate all night, the cinnamon, or nutmeg, or some spice marshmallow with a light and perfectly sweet cookie.

As you can probably tell from this description, I’m not doing this meal justice. Sometimes, as a reviewer, you just have to stop worrying about getting all the details right and just eat. This was that meal for me. I can’t say I’d do the tasting menu again, but I would definitely go back for the maple eggs, the soup, the lamb, and both the earl grey ice cream and marshmallows. I bet you can guess what I asked Santa for.

Forage
370 E 900 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
(801) 708 7834
Website: www.foragerestaurant.com
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday from 5.30p.m.