Evening delivery review

Imagine the scene: you’re hungry, there’s nothing in the fridge, the cupboards are completely bare and there’s not even a of sign of microwaveable frozen leftovers in the freezer. Its a weekend evening meaning everywhere out in the real world will be packed full, and you don’t have a reservation. You briefly flirt with the notion of doing a quick grocery run and cooking, but take only seconds to mock yourself for the clearly ridiculous notion as you’re obviously way too famished to exert such effort. Lastly, you toy with the dreaded fast food drive through option, but shortly realize that no food is better than awful, heart attack-causing grub. What to do!? Well, personally, lazy good for nothing that I am, I usually opt to turn to delivery when faced with this gloomy situation.

Things start to get a little brighter by this point, food is a distinct possibility. Sure the options essentially boil down to pizza or Chinese food, but at least starvation can be staved off for the evening. But wait! Not so fast! Put that Pizza Hut menu down, because for some time now, Salt Lake City has another option – Salt Lake City waiter.

The concept is fairly simple. Salt Lake City Waiter acts as a go between for a restaurant that does not provide delivery service and you, the hungry customer. Salt Lake City Waiter operate seven days a week, during lunch and dinner, and deliver from a wide array of restaurants. Pizza and sweet and sour chicken give way to a myriad of options: Greek, Indian, Thai, Japanese and more.

As we browsed the SLCW website, and decided on our order, we experienced all the normal fears of anyone calling in a delivery order:

Will my food get here reasonably fast?
Is it going to be hot and edible?
Will I get what I ordered?
Will condiments and sides be included?
Will the order be packaged neatly, or will I receive a leaking bag full of what was meant to be dinner?

So far we have used the SLCW service twice and we are happy to report that on both occasions, all five points were knocked out of the park. First the basics though. Ordering is a cinch, you can call up, but for perfect accuracy, order online. The SLCW website allows you to complete most of the ordering process online. If a certain dish has a nuance (say a spice level), you can clarify that online too. Once your order is in the system, an SLC representative calls you back within 15 minutes to double check the order and confirm payment.

Cash is fine, but you can pay by card too, which is perfect for when you don’t even have spare change on you. If you pay by card, the phone rep will take the details over the phone, and your delivery person will want to confirm by seeing the card in person too.

Our two orders to date have been once on a mid-Saturday evening (Star of India) and another time early Sunday evening (J. Wong’s Asian Bistro). On each occasion we were advised a wait of around 60-75 minutes by the phone rep, and each time our food was safely in our home around the 45-50 minute mark. Under promise and over deliver, leaves me happy and impressed every time.

Each visit saw a very professional, organized and friendly delivery person. With no offense to the pizza delivery guys out there (one of whom once took our money and proceeded to walk away with our pizza…) Salt Lake City Waiter’s delivery personnel are a cut above. Their whole approach to treating home delivery like service in a restaurant is quite apparent. With pleasantries out of the way, payment done and food in hand, it is time to dig in.

As for the food, we can happily dispel the remainder of the earlier mentioned fears. Everything was packed exceptionally well, so as not to spill or make a mess. And where needed, it was handily marked up too. Here’s a picture of a meal ready to be devoured from Star of India:

On that same order we tried Vegetable Samosas ($3.85):

A Green Salad came with:

the Star Tandoori Mixed Grill ($18.65):

an order of Naan ($2.15):

accompanied a Bengan Bhartha ($9.85) which isn’t pictured. The food order was exactly what we ordered, packaged perfectly as mentioned, and impressively, still quite warm. We picked Indian for our first order, as many aspects of the cuisine suit microwave reheating, just in case the delivery time fell through.

We were quite impressed, which in time, led us to our second order, this time from J Wong’s Asian Bistro. A restaurant we had reviewed in the past, and one of only a few we could order from later on a Sunday night, we ordered Imitation Crab and Cream Cheese Wonton ($6.55):

Goo-Ga-Borg (shrimp & bacon wrapped in a spring roll skin, $6.33):

Drunken Noodle (with tofu, $12.05):

Chicken Fried Rice ($7.98):

This order was a little more hit and miss. While still perfectly on time, and again packaged well, some of the items didn’t suit the extended delivery time. Fried items like the Goo-Ga-Borg had gone a little limp in transit, and the fried rice didn’t have that just out of the wok ’spark’. To be fair though, these are our own ordering faults, but one of the two potential caveats about the SLCW service, order with the fact that they have to go pick the food up and bring it to you in mind and you shouldn’t be disappointed. In both cases each item came with the relevant condiments, sides, napkins and utensils (just in case).

If you order wisely then, the only other downside is the price. For this level of convenience, you have to pay. Salt Lake City Waiter levies a delivery charge of $10.95. We had a paper menu delivered in the mail that came with a half off delivery coupon, and each subsequent order brought a new half off coupon with it. We’ve yet to pay that full price, and from talking to the delivery people, it doesn’t seem like many do. On top of the delivery charge, it’s obvious some percent markup is added to each menu item as well. Not only do prices like $6.33 just seem a little off, but from knowledge and comparing prices, its easy to see. Adding more to the price, is the fact that the SLCW FAQ advises tipping your delivery person as follows:

“At Salt Lake City Waiter, we feel that your Waiter/Drivers go to as much effort as a food server in a restaurant, probably more! They go to extensive measures to ensure your meal is complete and correct; they check, pack, carry, drive, locate you and park with your meal as fast and as carefully as possible. They sometimes use their own vehicles, equipment and gasoline. Most customers tip at the same rate they would to a server in a restaurant, from 10% to 15%.”

So perhaps don’t throw away your pizza and Chinese food menus just yet. Those options still represent good, quick, and affordable solutions to the problem. But do keep Salt Lake City Waiter’s service in mind for those days where you want something a little different or special, or just feel downright lazy and want a splurge, they represent a fantastic change when it comes to delivery.

Salt Lake City Waiter
(801) 288-2201
Website: www.slcwaiter.com

Hours Of Delivery
MON-THUR: 10AM—10:45PM
FRI: 10AM—11:45PM
SAT: 12:00 pm—11:45PM
SUN: 12:00 pm—9:45PM

If you are heading on down to SLC’s farmer’s market this weekend, you are in for a special treat. As part of Toyota’s farm to table tour, twelve of Salt Lake’s best chefs will create complimentary samplings for farmers market visitors using fresh local produce to highlight the amazing food available at the Salt Lake City Downtown Farmers Market.

Chef’s in attendance include: Ian Brandt of Sage’s Café and Vertical Diner, Justin Shifflett of Metropolitan, Brian Edwards of The Alta Club, Scott McDonnell of Donovan’s Steak & Chop House, Sam Greeno of Donovan’s Steak & Chop House, Jordan Wong of J. Wong’s Asian Bistro, Jerry Liedtke of Tin Angel Café, Jason Holzworth and Frody Volgger of Vienna Bistro, Fred Moesinger of Café Molise, Sean Wilde of Gracie’s and Jason Sanders of Stoneground Restaurant. The final chef line-up will be available at www.farmtotabletour.com.

In addition to complimentary tastings, visitors will have the opportunity to receive complimentary potted culinary herbs as well as enter for a chance to win a culinary trip to Santa Barbara. Market visitors will also have the chance to take a ride in a 2010 Prius, Prius Plug-in Hybrid, Camry Hybrid or Highlander Hybrid and take home a John Boos cutting board as a memento of the experience.

Salt Lake City Downtown Farmers Market
Historic Pioneer Park 300 South 300 West, Salt Lake City
Saturday August 21, 2010 –8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Should you be a fan of all thing Utahn and brewing, be sure to keep the 11th of September free in your diary next month. You won’t want to miss City Weekly’s first ever Beer Festival! This afternoon long event takes place at the Salt Lake City & County Building downtown.

Tickets are $25 in advance. For this measly sum of money, you can sample as many craft beers as your heart (and liver) desires. That’s right, one fee grants you unfettered access to over 40 of Utah’s award winning beers (including full strength varieties). Pourings will be 3 ounces in size and the event runs from 1PM to 6PM.

Tickets can also be purchased on the day of the event for $35 and are available from the city weekly website or smithtix.

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Local First. So what better way to support all things local, kicking back in the late summer sun, while sipping on some of the best brews Utah has to offer.

Utah Beer Festival
The City & County Building
451 S. State, Salt Lake City

Once again, we have the pleasure to offer a great prize from our friends over at Market Street restaurants. We have a $50 gift certificate to give away to one lucky reader.

Right now, Market Street restaurants are celebrating all things Salmon. The fresh, wild Alaskan salmon season recently began, and all Market Street Grill, Oyster Bar, and Fish Market locations are joining in. The “all Alaska” salmon line-up will vary this season between the following selections:

Coho – Distinguished by its orange-red color, fine texture, and moist finish

Copper River – Recognized by some as the world’s best eating salmon with a firm, yet delicate, texture
and rich flavor

King – In terms of flavor and texture, it deserves its royal status

Sockeye – A sought-after salmon species, named for its distinctive deep red flesh and rich flavor

The season runs into early September with delicious selections available at lunch and dinner, and even at breakfast at the Market Street Grill/Downtown. Bill McArthur, Chef at Market Street Grill/Oyster Bar-Cottonwood says, “It’s no secret that salmon is loaded with the health benefits provided by omega-3 fatty acids. Studies have shown that if you’re looking to boost your omega-3 intake, even one serving a week of wild Alaska salmon helps lower cholesterol and the risk of heart disease.”. Fresh, wild Alaska salmon filets are available at all Market Street Fish Markets for the home chef. And customers can purchase Market Street’s own freshly prepared Cucumber-Dill Sauce by the half-pint to serve with their salmon filets. Salmon recipe cards are also available, free for the taking, at all Fish Market locations.

To put your name in the hat to win the $50 gift card, all you need to do is comment once on this post, letting us know the following: We all love to treat ourselves to a bad splurge here and there, but what’s your favorite healthy treat? We will pick a random winner from all replies, in a weeks time.

Market Street Broiler
260 S 1300 E ~ (801) 583-8808

Market Street Grill & Oyster Bar
Cottonwood 2985 E 6580 S ~ (801) 942-8860
Downtown 48 W Market St ~ (801) 322-4668
South Jordan 10702 S River Front Pkwy (700 W) ~ (801) 302-2262

Market Street Fish Markets
Cottonwood 2985 E 6580 S ~ (801) 942-8862
University 260 S 1300 E ~ (801) 583-8808
South Jordan 10702 S River Front Pkwy (700 W) ~ (801) 302-2271

Website: www.ginc.com

Pipa: Asian Tapas + Sake Bar

New to the West side area of downtown comes Pipa (pronounced pee-pah) which bills itself as “sake cocktails and Asian inspired small plates and appetizers”. Pipa is the work of Jenny To and David Tran (whose parents owned the East Sea restaurant) and will be serving up a range of Asian flavours, small plate style, with a keen eye on prices too. Looking over their facebook page they also seem to be trying to develop trendy vibe too, more reminiscent of Vegas than SLC.

Plates range from $4 to $8. Sake cocktails cost $4 and include a variety of flavors including Berry Crazy, Cucumber Cooler and Mango Mojito. Open Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to midnight.

Pipa: Asian Tapas + Sake Bar
118 North 900 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116
(801) 326-3639
Website: Pipa on facebook

Caputo’s on 15th

Caputo’s latest outlet finally opened late this week in the 15th and 15th neighborhood. No more will you have to drive downtown for your Caputo’s fix. The new outlet aims to be a concentrated version of the Tony Caputo’s Market & Deli in downtown Salt Lake. The market will feature hundreds of farmstead and artisan cheeses, cured meats and charcuterie, gourmet chocolates, olive oil, vinegar, pasta, grass-fed meats, and a wide-selection of Utah’s best seasonal foods.

The new business also replicates Caputo’s famed deli with seating both inside and out. This new causal neighborhood dining option will offer wide variety of sandwiches, salads, antipasti platters and lasagna for a both lunch or dinner. Wine and beer are available too.

Operating hours are Monday through Thursday 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m., and Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Parking is readily available in numerous on-street spaces, in the rear of the building or in the Einstein Brothers’ Bagels lot.

Caputo’s on 15th
1516 South 1500 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84105
(801) 466-6615
Website: www.caputosdeli.com

Sea Salt

Not too far away from the new Caputo’s operation comes Sea Salt; the work of Eric De Bonis, whom you may know from the ever popular Paris restaurant. What the Paris does for French food, Sea Salt aims to replicate for fresh, regional, authentic Italian dishes. With many recipes coming from Eric’s own family history.

Pizza and pastas range from $10-$17 with entrées averaging $18. Lunch is served Monday-Saturday 11:00 A.M. to 2:30 P.M. Dinner is served Monday-Thursday 5:30 P.M. to 9:30 P.M, Friday-Saturday 5:30 P.M. to 10:00 P.M, and closed on Sunday.

Sea Salt
1709 East 1300 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84108
(801) 349-1480
Webiste: www.seasaltslc.com

I am not a winter sports person, and believe me, I know this statement is pretty much blasphemy coming from a native Utahan.  This deficiency is definitely the only reason why I have never before visited Solitude Ski Resort’s famous yurt (http://www.skisolitude.com/dining/yurt.php). For over 20 years now people have cross-country skied or donned snow shoes and traveled into the woods to eat a fabulous meal. How romantic that sounds! (if you like snow). So, when I was recently invited to the summer version of the yurt, I jumped at the chance to finally give it a try.

Our group met in Solitude’s village square and our guide Nick (who turned out to be our fantastic server) led us in a fairly quick hike up to the new permanent location of the yurt (if you aren’t a hiker they can transport you to the yurt too).  Soon we were sitting on the deck outside of the yurt, sipping a perfectly chilled glass of wine, and watching the sunset, and this was only the beginning of what turned out to be one of the best meals I’ve had in ages.

The yurt holds about 18 people and the space reminded me a lot of a very well built tent. You get all of the benefits of eating outside without the bugs, and that was just the first reason I really liked it. The second, and main reason, was the food:

Here’s the menu we had:

Asparagus Soup with seared sea scallop

Fresh Pea and Watermelon Salad Drake’s Family Farm goat cheese, and Prosciutto di Parma, drizzled with mint infused olive 0il and pickled lime

Painted Hills Farms Beef Tenderloin Crusted in espresso, with rosemary-poached baby potatoes, warm fennel slaw, and lemon crème fraiche

Ginger Shortbread Balsamic-glazed fresh cherries and Chantilly cream

I really have no idea how Chef Matt Barrigar created such an amazing meal for us that night. The yurt doesn’t have any power other than the gas used to run the stove, but he kept wowing us. I’d really like to go back to the yurt again, pull up a stool and watch the magic, but on this night I was chatting away, eating, and drinking and completely oblivious to all the work going on just a few feet away from us.

Chef Matt not only cooked for us that night, but he also talked to us, describing what we were about to eat, telling us about the local produce he’d picked up that morning at the farmer’s market, as well as where he sources a lot of the ingredients he uses. I was in foodie heaven.

Now I need to admit here that I was invited to come on behalf of GastronomicSLC, but I would have gladly paid the $65.00 the yurt normally costs to have the experience.  The whole way down the canyon that night I kept trying to figure out when and which friends I could come back with, and I couldn’t even begin to imagine what new treats would be in store for us when we did. I think this destination would be a great place to come with family, friends, or even complete strangers (as I did), because in the end the location, the atmosphere, and the food make the evening something to remember.

Solitude Mountain Resort
12450 E Big Cottonwood Canyon Rd, Brighton
(800) 748-4754
Website: www.skisolitude.com/

Featured post: Kudos to Ted Scheffler of the City Weekly for covering the most excellent Tasty Thai recently. While Ted doesn’t find the dining space the most captivating, the food more than makes up for that. And we couldn’t agree more.

We covered Tasty Thai back in May of 2009 and have been going back consistently ever since. It is now our to go choice for an affordable and enjoyable meal. The restaurant also recently received their liquor license too, allowing those fiery curries to be washed down with an ice cold beer.

Other posts:

Squatters (SLC Examiner)

Other Place (Deseret News)

Ali Baba & Johnniebeefs (Tribune)

Sky Lodge (City Weekly)

Diva’s Cupcakes (My Salt Lake)

Little World (The Foodworks)

Curry In A Hurry (The Chinwag)

Pizzeria Toscano, Arella Pizzeria, NYPD Pizzeria (City Weekly)

Canella’s (In Utah)

Blue Iguana (Deseret News)

Cafe Trang (A Couple of Foodies)

Z’Tejas (Salt Lake City Food Critics)

Ruth’s Diner (SLC Examiner)

Caffe Niche (Tribune)

Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse (City Weekly)

Nacho’s Libre (In Utah)

Lucky 13 (My Salt Lake)

Naked Fish (Tribune)

Tonyburgers(In Utah)

Tony Caputo’s Market and Deli (My Salt Lake)

Davanza’s (In Utah)

Fresco Italian Cafe (City Weekly)

One Man Band (The Chinwag)

Pepper’s Pita (In Utah)

Talisker on Main (Vintage Mixer)

Whispers (In Utah)

Koi (The Chinwag)

Lucky 13 (SLC Examiner)

Cafe Paesan (The Chinwag)

Tin Roof Grill (My Salt Lake)

Diva’s Cupcakes (SLC Examiner)

Sea Salt (In Utah)

Evening dinner review

A few weeks ago someone asked me what my favorite restaurant in Salt Lake was, and I immediately responded that it was Fresco Italian Café in Sugarhouse. But I realized almost as soon as I said it that I hadn’t been to Fresco in almost two years and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why. Investigation was in order.

We made our reservations for Fresco through OpenTable.com, and I really like it when a restaurant uses this service. I admit I have absolutely no idea what’s involved in getting setup with them, but it sure makes things nice on my end. We arrived at 7:00 pm on a Saturday night and were quickly seated outside (as requested). As we perused the menu, a stack of delicious looking rolls were brought to the table and our drink orders were taken. There was a compound butter served with the bread as well (the server made sure to mention that when dropping it off), but if you can see from the picture there was probably a tablespoon of butter for four people. Normally I wouldn’t really complain about this since I always feel a little guilty about slathering butter on great bread, but the rolls were a bit dry and fairly tasteless. Butter would have helped.

We then ordered our meals and the bottle of wine we’d ordered was brought out (a delicious 2009 Isabel Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc). Jason and Justin ordered salads, and Laura and I ordered the Bruschetta appetizer for everyone to share.

The Bruschetta ($10.00) with chickpea puree, Bresola, tomato confit, ricotta salata, arugula, and a lemon vinagrette was very tasty, but hard to eat. One small side note here – we actually asked if the appetizer would feed four people, so when it arrived and there were three pieces it seemed a bit strange that the server said it would. Lots of geometry was involved in getting everyone an equal share.

Jason’s Café Salad ($8.00) had toasted almonds, fresh cherries, Rockhill Creamery Tomme cheese and a red-wine vinegar dressing, and although the cheese was really good, the salad was a bit bland. Justin’s Caesar Salad ($8.00) was a pretty typical version of the Caesar variety.

Next our entrees arrived. I ordered the Farfalle Ai Gamberi E Vongole ($23.00) with prawns, clams, and mussels with a white bean broth and tomatoes, basil, and pancetta. Very, very tasty, although I always want more seafood in these kinds of dishes. Jason ordered the red wine and cherry risotto special that night with duck (I completely forgot to jot down the price). My bite of the risotto was weirdly disappointing with very little flavor (and I admit I was expecting a punch with the cherries), but with the duck it was good.

Justin ordered the Pollo Piccata Alla Maria ($24.00), which was chicken, stuffed with fontina and asparagus on top of orzo with spinach and a lemon-caper-garlic sauce. He said it was good. Nothing spectacular, but good.

Laura ordered the pasta special which they called Summer Stroganoff (again, I blew it on getting the price), and it was very herby and light. One note with that though. It had chicken, pork, and beef in it, and although it was a stroganoff, the beef didn’t work at all in it. Just too heavy with the rest of the flavors.

We then ordered coffee and dessert. Jason ordered the Robiola Cheesecake ($8.00), and ate it all before I could even get one bite. I ordered the Berries & Balsamic ($8.00), and I really liked it, although I think I’d prefer a gelato here, with a bit more weight to it than the lighter, almost icy semi-freddo. The texture was just a bit off for me, although tasted great. Justin ordered the Cannoli ($8.00), and we all thought he’d only get one (he asked for
chocolate), but you get all three.

All in all we had a nice meal, and spent about $150.00 for the four of us with one bottle of wine.

I would note here though that the service was a little strange. For some reason our server seemed very uninterested in helping us much, but I don’t mean the service was bad, just disinterested. I’m not sure if he’d decided we looked like bad tippers right from the beginning of the meal, but he was barely there. We did get our water glasses refilled quickly by the bus staff though, so it really was fine. I suppose I can’t say Fresco is my favorite restaurant anymore. I do love the patio, and mostly really like the food. I know they’ve had some changes in the cooking staff recently, and maybe that was part of the problem that night, but Salt Lake has a lot of competition now and I hope Fresco steps up to the challenge. I’ll definitely be back to give it another try.

Fresco Italian Cafe
1513 South 1500 East, Salt Lake City, 84105
(801) 486-1300
Website: www.frescoitaliancafe.com

The latest development from upscale Mexican eatery Frida Bistro, is the opening of their new patio dining area. Now you can enjoy your Chile en Nogada al fresco while sipping on one of Frida’s signature cocktails.

To mark the event you can join Frida Bistro & Vida Tequila for a celebratory evening of food, tequila & music. Festivities begin at 5.30pm this Friday (9th July). Vida Tequila will have their ‘portable ultra-lounge’ on the patio & Nico Caliente & Felix Villar will be spinning Latin beats while food and great company abounds! Prices for the event are $30 (food) while drinks will be served up from a cash only bar.

Frida Bistro
545 West 700 South, Salt Lake City, 84101
(801) 983-6692
Website: www.fridabistro.com

Featured review: A review of The Metropolitan by ‘A Couple Of Foodies’ is our featured review in this edition of the review round-up. An in depth review with some great photos of a Salt Lake City fine dining institution.

Other reviews: The Dodo (In Utah), Spoon Me (The Chin Wag), Ruth’s Diner (SLC Examiner), Cafe Trio (In Utah), Rickenbacker’s Bistro (Vintage Mixer), City Greek (In Utah), Tasty Thai (SLC Examiner), Blue Lemon (My Salt Lake), Marley’s Gourmet Sliders (Deseret News), Molca Salsa (In Utah), Les Madeleines (SLC Examiner), Five Guys Burgers and Fries (The Chin Wag), Mount Fuji Sushi Bar and Japanese Cuisine (SL Tribune), Blue Lemon (In Utah), Salsa Leedos (SLC Examiner), Smash Burger (The Chin Wag), Simply Thai (In Utah), Thai Siam (Amanda Eats), Sushi Express (SLC Examiner), Shogun (In Utah), Bruges Waffles and Frites (LDS Food Critic), Thai Siam (Amanda Eats), Park Cafe (In Utah), Chester Fried (The Chin Wag), Salsa Leedos (My Salt Lake), Liberty Park Grill (In Utah), Ekamai Thai Curry (SL Tribune), Blue Lemon (The Chin Wag), Cafe Trang (Amanda Eats), Sampan (In Utah), Lodge Bistro (City Weekly), Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana (My Salt Lake).