Contributors

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Red Rock Brewery

Bias alert -- We love Red Rock Brewery. It’s one of our favorite brew pubs for dinner & beer. So, it was a natural choice when we were looking for a fresh way to do Sunday brunch.

Sweetie: I arrived, having thrown my unwashed hair in a bun and skipping makeup except for red lipstick. I was trying to fit in with all the women who I suspected would show up looking disheveled, having spent the night at their boyfriends’. Turns out, I assumed wrong. Most women looked like they had showered.

Spicy Girl: Wow, Sweetie, you sure put a lot of thought into your disheveled look. I guess I'm just naturally disheveled. The atmosphere at the Red Rock is always casual -- but it's definitely not a seedy dive.

Sweetie: I guess I spend too many Sunday mornings at lowbrow coffee shops and cafes.

Spicy Girl: Well, enough small talk. Let’s get down to the food.

Sweetie: We both ordered fresh-brewed coffee for $1.99. Of course, I added cream and sugar.

Spicy Girl: It was nice that the waitress brought us a fresh brew instead of old bottom-of-the pot mud. The waitress also kept us topped off throughout our breakfast. I decided to be a bit adventurous and order something unusual. I got the “Eggs in Purgatory” for $9.99. This dish was comprised of fried eggs served in Tuscan bread and topped with marinara. The menu said “spicy tomato sauce” but it was just your standard marina. Not even a smidgen of heat. But still an unexpectedly tasty combination, especially after adding a little spice with some Cholula (they also offer Tobasco).

Sweetie: No smidgen of heat? I had to suck down my water after a bite of your dish. I thought the marinara tasted like it had hot sauce mixed in. For my dish, I was craving the Classic Eggs Benedict for $9.99. The eggs were perfectly poached, the English muffins were crispy, the Canadian bacon was salty and the Hollandaise sauce was rich, but rich in a good way. They could have used less sauce, however.

Spicy Girl: I agree, the Hollandaise sauce was rich and creamy. But there was a bit too much of it. My breakfast also came with bacon, which was the thick slab kind -- nice and crispy. Both of our dishes also came with breakfast potatoes. They were very soft, almost a bit overcooked. But the flavoring was good for potatoes, and adding Cholula was a nice enhancement.

Sweetie: I didn’t like the potatoes. They were too soggy. I think the best breakfast potatoes in town are the Market Street potatoes, because they are perfectly flavored and crispy. Our dishes also came with orange slices. I wish there had been more citrus.

Spicy Girl: I’ve never tried the Market Street Potatoes. But you are giving me some ideas for our next outing … Oh, I almost forgot. We had a special guest with us, SGBF.

SGBF: I ordered the Smoked Turkey Sandwich for $8.49 and a side of the soup of the day, mushroom and leek for $2. I wasn’t very impressed. My soup was only lukewarm but was seasoned well and not overly salty. The portion was ample, with plenty of mushrooms. The leeks were cut julienne-style, which aided the visual presentation, but the stringy-ness made it difficult to eat. The sandwich was mostly bun, and the mayo was plain, not the gourmet stuff you’d expect for an $11.50 meal. I felt the value for the money would have been better if the soup were a $2 addition and not a $2 substitute for the other side options. And I was jealous, because I didn’t have coffee and the waitress was not as adept at filling my water glass as she was at filling the coffee mugs.


Spicy Girl: For the three of us, the bill came to $37 including tax, but before tip. If you like to imbibe with your brunch, there are $2 Bloody Mary and Mimosa specials on Saturdays.

Red Rock is downtown at 254 S. 200 West. There is also a Park City location and we are anxiously awaiting the new Fashion Place Mall location (supposedly opening this summer). They are open every day for lunch and dinner. The weekend brunch hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Check them out at www.redrockbrewing.com.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Our tribute to City Weekly

This blog entry is dedicated to City Weekly’s “Best of Utah.” We love City Weekly and we love that it gives us ideas for new restaurants to try. Yet, we think the ratings missed a few categories and we also think a few of our favorite gems were forgotten. Some of the restaurants listed here are our list for upcoming reviews. Let us know if you think we’ve left out any must-eat locations …

Here are our top forgotten categories:

Best Bathroom
. Circle Lounge. Sweetie says: They've got awesome red rock sinks. I'd want one in my home -- assuming I were a homeowner and assuming I were rich.

Best Place to Have an Affair: Market Street Oyster Bar. Sweetie says: The oyster selection is fab. And the clam chowder is the creamiest I've ever tasted. But, let's be honest: You're not at the Oyster Bar for the food. You've chosen the OB to keep a low profile -- the black leather round booths, circa 1982, and the mirrors on the walls. You can grope your secretary while drinking highballs like JR Ewing!" Spicy Girl: Hey, I’m all for sultry affairs and cocktails, but please don’t make me eat an oyster!

Best restaurant decorated by ex-Disney Employees: The Cheesecake Factory.

Best Surly Service: Piper Down. Spicy Girl says: Piper Down is … Pub Quiz, Sunday Brunch, and a popular Irish pub to hang out at. But don’t expect friendly service. If you try to move a chair, the bar tender will chide you, if you order food, expect one person at the table to be waiting while everyone else is served. And, double-count your change if you pay with cash (yes, Spicy Girl was shorted here). Surly service aside, the food is surprisingly edible for pub food. But stick to beer or wine if you don’t want a watered down drink. Why do we keep coming back for the abuse? Maybe it’s Pub Quiz, or the fact that lots of people always seem to want to meet here. Sweetie: I think you are underrating the food. It’s delicious. Period. It’s also the only place in Utah where I’ve seen Poutine, the French-Canadian fries-with-gravy-and-cheese-curds dish.

Now, more seriously, here are few of our top eateries that really should have received a nod from the City Weekly's readers and staff. If you haven’t checked out these places yet, you should.  They are among our favorite local finds:

Sweetie’s Picks:
Best Cheese Fries: Training Table. The dipping sauce, a take on “fry sauce” by mixing barbecue sauce and mayonnaise together, is good with the fries. I’m not much of a burger person so I just get the salads, which are generous in portion.

Best Everything: The Dodo. I love the Dodo, especially the drinks and desserts. Tollhouse Pie, chocolate mousse, tortes – their desserts change each day. A drink tip: Order the Parley’s Steamer – which has steamed milk, Bailey’s, Kahlua and vodka, topped with whipped cream – but ask them to add coffee. Delish! Their green salads are also good, perfectly tossed with the house dressing and with chopped almonds.


Spicy Girl's Picks:
Best New Restaurant: Layla Grille & Mezze. This Mediterranean grill opened last August, and I think it rivals Mazza in its food and atmosphere. The small plates are exquisite – especially the Mediterranean Crab Cakes (yes, you heard me right Mediterranean crab cakes). And the best part is they actually take reservations. Yes, it is possible to get amazingly good Mediterranean in Salt Lake, without having to choose between eating at old-people time or waiting for an hour. If you don’t feel like making reservations, you can always sit in the bar area.

Best Asian Fusion: Rice. All I can say about this place is “yum!” I have never had anything that I didn’t enjoy there. I love the sushi happy hours (Monday to Wednesday, 4 to 10 p.m.) and also love their Asian dishes. I’d recommend one of the curries.

Best Takeout: My Thai. This place has amazing Thai food, and most of the dishes are under $10. This is a mom-and-pop with nice owners who will customize your order to your preferred level of spicy-ness. (They'll give you chili flakes on the side on request). The reason I’m listing this as best “take out” is that I usually get take out there. The atmosphere is a bit lacking for an eat-in experience and they do not have a liquor license (it’s small, in a strip mall). But lots of people must disagree on the eat-in experience as there are usually more than a few enjoying an eat-in experience. My favorite here is the red curry with tofu.


Sunday, March 27, 2011

Salt Lake Pizza & Pasta

The title of this restaurant is self-descriptive. They do pizza, they do pasta. There is a decent selection of beer, wine and spirits. The atmosphere is sports bar meets family pizza joint -- a little loud if you are planning a romantic evening out. A dinner for two costs about $50 if you get drinks and dessert.

Sweetie: I ordered a glass of Mirassou Pinot Noir at $6 a glass. It was sweet without being overly sweet. It paired well with my pasta.

Spicy Girl: My drink was the Outlaw Red, Moab '06 for $6. It was described as "peppery." It had a little bite and a crisp fruity flavor. Before getting into the food, I thought the waitress was friendly, but the service was a bit slow. After delivering our tasty beverages, it seemed like a while before she came back to take our orders.

Sweetie: I disagree. I thought the service was just fine. I was annoyed by one of the families and their wild-ass kids running around the restaurant.

Spicy Girl: We both ordered side salads for $3.50 with the house dressing -- a creamy basil vinaigrette. The salad was HUGE for a side salad, and the dressing was good. However, you needed a knife to cut it, and it was a bit skimpy on the veggies -- nearly all lettuce, spinach, carrot slices, and onions. There was just one tomato and one cucumber. But it was redeemed by the cute and warm bread stick.


Sweetie: I thought the salad was good, but missing veggies, too. I also think the dressing, while delish, wasn't tossed well and had a tablespoon too much lobbed on top.

Spicy Girl: I agree. Next time I'll order the dressing on the side. For dinner, I had the 9" sun-dried tomato and roasted garlic pizza for $11. Normally I prefer a thick crust. But the pizzas here have a thin crust that is still soft inside, which is good too. I thought the roasted garlic was a nice touch. Still, it was a little thick on the cheese and I had to add red pepper flakes, twice (to their defense, they do have the flakes on the table and they have some pizzas with jalapenos -- I guess I was in one of those Mediterranean moods, so will try a spicy pizza next time).

Sweetie: I thought your pizza was good, Spicy Girl, and the cheese was just enough. I normally don't like feta but I guess when it melts it's less, um, goaty. The crust was also good. I picked off my roasted garlic pieces, of course. Also for $11, I ordered a special, spinach and ricotta ravioli. I was expecting something like cannelloni, but it wasn't anything like that mainly because of the creamy rose sauce that sort of overpowered the taste of the spinach and ricotta. I don't know how I feel about the sauce. I liked the creaminess but maybe it would have been better with a traditional marinara. It didn't need to be topped with Asiago cheese, either -- but I generally don't like cheese on top of cheesy pasta. The ravioli itself was huge and perfect, although as I've already explained I didn't taste much of the spinach. It tasted more cheesy than spinachy.

Spicy Girl: I agree, Sweetie, that there could have been a bit more spinach in the ravioli. The sauce was a little creamier than I was used to but did not taste too rich. I thought the parsley was a nice touch. Now, onto dessert.
Sweetie: Which is what I live for. We chose the tiramisu. It was a large rectangle. Creamy, custardy, lady fingery, and espressoy. Me likey.

Spicy Girl: I also liked the tiramisu -- always a favorite dessert of mine. I thought the presentation was beautiful and it tasted great too. My only critique is that it could have had a little more espresso flavoring.
Sweetie: Now that you bring it up, you’re right. There wasn’t enough of the “bite” that you expect from the coffee. It was still good. And when the bill came, we got to be altruistic!


Spicy Girl: Oh yeah. That is nice. This is a conscientious restaurant. They are taking donations for the Japan earthquake victims – with a raffle entry for a dollar donation. It’s good to know the management care about people. Overall, this was a fun place to get our Italian on. I give it a :)

Sweetie: Yeah, but I think it’s more Italian-American.

Here is a link to their site if you want to check them out:

They're at 1063 E. 2100 S. And are open every day, with brunch on Saturday and Sunday.