Cool Co-op options

Among the many great local grocers and food suppliers here in the Wasatch Valley, there are also a good number of co-ops which make it easy to consume and support locally made produce and products. One of these co-ops, The Community Food Co-Op,  is closing after 6 years of service.  I have never used this co-op but am considering attending their Farewell Open House tomorrow at 1726 S. 700 W as 15 of their 17 vendors will be present with food samples. You can read the flyer for the event here. Also, their last newsletter with a list of suppliers and other co-ops can be found here. 

I have subscribed to a co-op like business, Winder Farms, in the past and was quite pleased and only disabled my service because I travel quite a bit and was rarely home to enjoy the spoils because, they were spoiled by my return. Winder Farms offers local foods and produces their own milk, delivering it in a glass jar at your doorstep 50s style. And no need to worry about one of your kids looking uncannily like the milkman, he comes at about 4 in the morning. One can purchase their milk at the grocery store but is only available in a plastic jug on the shelves. I am seriously reconsidering re-subscribing this month to get the milk again. There is a minimum order amount each week or you can postpone your delivery for a period of time. It is easy to make weekly selections online and it is also a nice service to have food delivered. The food costs more but this is due to the delivery service and the local and quality aspect of the products offered. When I had this service, I subscribed to get an assortment box each week and thought it was a fun challenge to come up with creative meals based on what they had available and included in the box. 

I have wanted to try Calis Natural Foods, a co-op established by Ian Brandt, the owner of famous and wonderful vegan restaurants in Salt Lake, Sage's Cafe and The Vertical Diner. Other recommendations which I have seen for co-ops are  Utah Co-op, Utah Farms, Schwan's and Bountiful Baskets. While this is not a co-op, but rather a farm, a favorite of mine is Farnsworth Farms where I go to pick up apples, pears, pumpkins and their famous Apple Cider which is oh-so-tasty and distributed in a few local shops. If there additional co-ops or farms which I have not included, feel free to add them in the comments section.


Co-ops are also a great way to sustain local food producers until  the farmer's markets are in full swing in the summer. The main farmer's market, The Downtown Farmer's Market, which I swear is mainly for arts & crafts with a few produce vendors sprinkled in, starts up in June so it is still a ways out from now. I hear the Tuesday night market (which starts in August) is better for actual produce shoppers than the Saturday market.There is also a Park City farmer's market called Park Silly and I have wanted to venture up there one of these Saturdays to check it out but I'm not sure how many food vendors they have on site. I'd like to hear if my reading audience knows of other farmer's markets locations (I have heard there is one in Murray Park too).

But the best local produce, in my opinion, is in one's own yard. I bought a house 4 years ago with a third of an acre of land with a strong intent on growing my own vegetables and I have been able to accomplish that each year. I grew up always having a garden and living in an apartment did not suit me because I could not run outside to pick fresh tomatoes off of the vine or  mint for a salad. Each year I have loftier goals to grow new and peculiar specimens like soybeans, hops or tea plants.  I accomplish roughly a third of these plans each year but have still been doing a good job of trying different heirloom varieties of tomatoes, eggplant and all sorts of other vegetables in my garden. My favorite local supplier of seeds and starter herbs and plants is Kenyon Organics.  This company was started by a former employee of a Salt Lake charity who was forced to find new works when the recession hit. Instead or working for someone else, she began growing herbs and vegetables in her own backyard and I discovered her at a Green Fair which my work sponsored. I was drawn to her tent because of the wide array of beautiful and colorful tomatoes she had on display, many of which I had been planning on purchasing through an other seed catalog, Baker Creek, which features the widest variety of heirloom seeds that I have ever seen.  I will always shop local first and only buy from Baker Creek if my local provider doesn't offer what I need. 


My seed/planting recommendations are to try white or green eggplant, Black tomatoes (especially the cherry ones which taste like chocolate fruity treats!) and rainbow colored carrots. Start your graden planning now and if you live in an apartment, you can still grow your own tomatoes in a planter and get a full-spectrum light bulb. I think that I am going to try to grow some tomatoes indoors during the winter and see how they perform. But winter will soon be over, thank God, and crops will be ready to start indoors and some outdoors starting in March. So purchase your seeds now in preparation and please try planting something for the first time or something new this year. And if you're not up for that task, there are plenty of ways to support those that do grow food at a local level as mentioned above.

2012 should be a good year... at least for eating and drinking

I have been doing a good job of keeping my new years resolution to commit to an active workout schedule in order to curtail the calories I consume while engaging in one of my favorite activities which as you can guess by the title of this blog is eating and drinking. However, my other resolution, which is to get out of debt, conflicts with my desire to eat well. Regardless of being pulled between saving my pennies and splurging on delights such as Kopi Luwak, which yes, I did spend $30 for 8 tbs of coffee whilst in London last week, recommitting myself to this blog is another resolution I have made.  I have gone to a number of restaurants in 2011 for the purpose of writing about it in this blog and ended up with an idea in my head that never came into fruition, notes and pictures are stored in a folder somewhere on my computer which will never make its way to this page and I even got so far as some half-written blog posts. Friends tell me they miss reading about my adventures and also the way that I tell those adventures and new people I have met even asked if I am a food writer because they can tell through a quick discussion that my passion for this topic runs deep - maybe because the places I shop are local and I have time to talk to the cheese mongers and food sample reps about something deeper than a name of a product and taste such as a history, culture and phenomenon that has grown out of every type of food and spirits and that is what I aim to explore and understand.

This blog post is a teaser of what is to come in the new year: foodie book and media reviews, a cheese journal and even vlogs with yours truly uncovering Salt Lake's food and drinking scene on a grass root level like you may not even expect. I will also be posting on a secondary blog which highlights my food experiences in basically any place except Salt Lake, including my global travels. Some posts may even feature some concoctions from my own kitchen which I am happy to announce, is getting a total remodel this year. There are exciting new food venues opening this year which are shaping Salt Lake's food scene to be more on par with major food destinations. I'm not going to deny that Salt Lake is still behind the trends but maybe not by ten years now... I'd go so far as to half that estimate.

Just to name a few openings of which I am most anticipating: The owners and chef from The Copper Onion have opened up a new restaurant, Plum Alley, which ties in their American-inspired cuisine and New York restaurant business experience with South-East Asian panache. The name was inspired by a half-block in Salt Lake which was dedicated to Asian wares and food and donned the name Plum Alley. The reviews look good already from Yelp but the real taste test will be when I review them for the blog. The Copper Onion has been named a favorite restaurant in Salt Lake and I admit, their food is good but my favorite restaurant award goes to Pago. Simply perfection every meal there. Wonderful wine pairings, utpmost professional staff and intimate atmosphere and and did I mention that the food is fantastic? I have heard that Pago's main chef has gone to Snowbird so I have not been there since change so I have reason to visit them again alongside their new culinary offspring, Finca, which is much larger, accommodating space than its parent restaurant located close by 1300 South and 1100 East with a focus on Spanish flavors and wine.

Penultimately, we have our very own pop-up restaurant originating out of Salt Lake, The Mist Project, which just launched two days ago on January 19th and will run until February 19th and is focused on reviving endangered cooking practices according to their description on their website. I am intrigued as to what this really means. Many people that I have told about this event have asked "What is a pop up restaurant?" It is a restaurant which sets up shop for a month or two and then travels to another city. It has buzz around it, always full seating because people are curious and can charge high prices due to its exclusivity- in fact $187 (gratuity included). I don't think that the 15 course pairing which takes place over the span of four hours even includes wine due to Salt Lake's insane liquor laws which limit the sale of liquor licenses to new restaurants so other sources have recommended bringing in your own bottle but perhaps that means that the wine selection is limited. Despite the price and legal limitations, this is a one-of-a-kind experience that will be vanishing quickly from the location of 173 W. 300 South (where the The Metropolitan was formerly before its unfortunate closing) and reappearing next in San Francisco this summer.

And ultimately, I am most pleased at the construction of the largest Harmons yet which is even more over-the-top than the Bangerter store and will be open in 24 days according to the large counter on the website. I am sure Whole Foods at Trolley Square is very worried about this strong contender setting up shop close in proximity at 135 East 100 South. It is three stories and looks to be the size of an Ikea. Am I going to be able to buy a mattress in addition to artisan cheese now? Harmons is a local grocery food chain which has blown up in a very good way with now 16 stores. The success of Harmons is a strong Buy Local movement in the area, offering regular items in addition to specialty products like honeycombs, obscure chocolate and I could dedicate an entire blog post to their cheese selection.  They have taken note of what Whole Foods does in terms of layout and food selection and improved upon this concept. I go to Harmons liturgically every week in lieu of church for local produce, to mail packages from their USPS kiosk, to eat their gelato which is some of the best in Salt Lake, to get some good quick sushi or to sit next to a fire, yes a fire, on their second floor next to their kitchen for cooking classes and watch the shoppers below. One can even bank here - well not bank but use a local credit union rather. Not all Harmons are created equal - each has some items which other stores don't carry and some stores have different demographics and models. For instance, Harmons took up shop at the Old Emigration Market and made a corner market which is European in style in that you can go for your basic needs and my friend, The Iconoclast, even mentioned that it is "so cute that if this store had cheeks, he would squeeze them".  I know that I could definitely hug most of the employees who make the experience that much better with their knowledge and cheerful attitudes.

I think that the largest success of a growing foodie, and hopefully drinking scene, is that Salt Lake is surprisingly full of gastrophiles who have grown out of the basic needs of fulfilling hunger and now have an appetite for innovative cuisine that goes beyond dropping truffle oil in a dish to call it gourmet. We are coming into our own... finally.

We did it for the experience

A friend of mine recommended that I visit Los Machetes, a Mexican restaurant in Old Town Midvale and include the experience, a "unique" one as he phrased it, in a blog post. I asked him if it was good Mexican food and he said it wasn’t particularly so but I should just go anyways. Intrigued, I invited him out and several other friends (“The Hippies”, the spa specialist and her date and the Good Midwestern Boy) to see what this was so unique and discover exactly what kind of experience this restaurant delivers. The restaurant is in a run down part of of the west side of town, an area of which I am quite unfamiliar. The ownership is fairly new, having been the third reincarnation of a restaraunt in the building which used to be a bank. That's right, you read correctly; the building used to be a bank and the owners have made no effort to hide that fact. Teller windows still line the walls and a vault in the back stays open and its current use is to store supplies like mops, etc. It wasn’t a particularly nice bank. I’d say one step up from a payday loan center. The best way to describe the dining atmosphere is part of it felt like a Mexican diner. The tables and stools had a vintage flair, and not the cute kind either. I say it partly was a diner because the other part of this facility is a pool hall. It was almost as if there couldn’t be a more strange combination than a group of eight gringos walking into a Mexican restaurant/pool hall/converted bank.

The cuisine was also interesting. The menus are in Spanish with English translation. While we were perusing the offerings, chips (which weren’t fresh) were provided alongside three types of salsa. The salsa was decent and at least two of them were spicy. One I would guess was tomatillo and jalepeños, the other habañero and the third was a mild tomato and pepper salsa. For my main dish, I chose the zucchini flower quesadilla. The Good Midwestern Boy chose something something vegetarian that I could eat, the poblano and potato pepper quesadilla, which I ended up liking better than my dish; it had a smokey taste and mine was simply devoid of flavor. The spa specialist's date ordered steak with mole poblano, a dark Mexican chili sauce. Most of us sampled the mole and I thought was the best tasting item in the place, aside from the Dos Equis Negro cerveza that we were pounding.










One of the hippies ordered the “Sangria” which was nothing like Sangria. The drink consisted of beer mixed with Tapatio sauce and chili and lime dusted on the rim. It was an interesting take on a Bloody Mary. My advice is to stick with Bloody Marys. The same Hippy also didn’t realize that her smothered burrito contained pork. Pork was not mentioned on the menu according to her. Perhaps this important piece of information was lost in translation or maybe just not included on the menu. We chose not to play pool there since we could not get strong drinks which is actually a bit of a travesty that no margaritas are offered. Plus, all six pool tables were in use by locals that seem befuddled by our presence in such a place. We waited for the waitress to come to give us our bill but we never saw her again. Apparently, one needs to pay at the cashier. The meal was priced according to what I would expect but the experience itself... who can put a price on that? The food was not inedible but that’s really all I can say. There is nothing that will pull me back but I would actually recommend going there with a group of friends once. Oddity can certainly be alluring.

One last note on the ambiance. I took a quick glance at the bathrooms and noticed that the handicapped stall did not have a lock nor toilet paper. The women's bathroom was decent but the men's was in lesser shape with a carpet have turned up and gang tags on the wall. Yes, I went in to the men's bathroom. I was curious.

We left one adventurous experience behind only to find another one ahead of us. The Three Alarm Saloon was close by and I just knew that it would fit perfectly with the experience of the night. I did live at Remington Apartments across the street from the Three Alarm Saloon for a year but never ventured inside. Perhaps it was literally “too close to home” for me or maybe because the place makes no effort to hide that it is a dive bar. I cannot imagine that the peppermint style paint job on the building draws in many passersby and the name… it does not take much thought to come to the conclusion that this is not a top tier wet spot. I do admit that I have in recent years developed an appreciation for dive bars and the type of atmosphere entailed. These places deliver an experience that help build character and make one more well-rounded. The second we walked in, we knew this was the type of place that would be entertaining. In fact, it was a bit of sensory overload.



First of all, we were greeted by a likely return patron, Crazy Mike (pictured above). He asked from whence we had come, well, not quite in those exact words. In short, we were clearly not the regular coral. Crazy Mike was a bit alarming (no pun intended) and we quickly brushed past him to tour the place. The layout is a bit cozy with room to spread out a bit. The group saddled up to the bar and took note that drink selection was not the most wide ranging but they had whiskey so it would appease this crowd. A shot of Hennesy at room temperature was my way of breaking into this joint. We found a table in the back which is devoted to karaoke and dancing. Unfortunately for us, Karaoke is held on Thursdays and this was a Friday. There was a jukebox though. In fact, there were a lot entertainment devices like a “test your strength” grip machine which told me I was basically weak (using only one hand), a virtual bowling alley (don’t know how that is suppose to work nor did I venture to try), a pinball machine, a hunting game similar to duck hunt, a real legitimate poker game taking place in the corner with a tough looking crowd, mainly the elderly cleaning lady who meant business, and three pool tables. The Hippy and I put in some dollars and picked out tunes on the Internet wired Jukebox. We selected Shakira, Duran Duran and Bob Dylan but were scared away by Crazy Mike, who came up to us to seek our approval for his taste in Led Zepplin. We ran from him and he literally chased us back to our table to ask which artists we chose on the music machine. If it is not obvious by now, we were not interested in conversing with this character who is well-deserving of his self-assumed moniker. He was somehow cerebral enough through his non sequitor, drunken state, that I assume he has been in for a long time, to pick up on our disinterest and he disappeared, yet, his unbearable body odor still lingered.

But do not fret, that was not the last of Crazy Mike. He sought our friendship another time when we moved over to the pool table section. Mike knew that neither myself or the Hippy was interested in him so he introduced himself to Amber, who in turn introduced him to her husband, Jerome. Jerome played the part and told Crazy Mike that he was going to “Tap that Amber's ass later tonight”. Jerome kept up the gig and starting rapping about how he likes to wear chains and hit up on the dames. For those of you not in on the joke, Jerome’s name is not Jerome and he is not married. Nor is he a rapper. This was a bit of a rouse from a white boy from Alabama. Perhaps Jerome felt emboldened by the flavored shots that the waitress brought to us at the pool table. The selection she offered included jello shooters and concoctions named the likes of “wet pussy”. What the hell… we embraced the “experience” and each ordered a shot. The shots tasted like otter pops and was lacking in alcohol content. The Jello Shooters, I hear, had a stronger taste. Fortunately, I had another warm Hennesy to use as a chaser. We all would have liked Chivas Regal but this bar does not stock it. There was an OK beer selection which included Cut Throat, a Cherny, Murphys and I'm sure it had the other beers like Coors, Bud that I do not even consider drinking. I am not one for Irish beer so Cut Throat it was; it's a good local "go to" beer put out by Uinta brewing company. The DJ took over the Jukebox at 9 and we played a few rounds of pool. The shot lady came by again hoping to get more money out of us and we gave in one more time.

What could I ask for… a night our on the cheap with good friends. I definitely had a an experience and a fun one at that. It was not high class but some of the best nights are in places that are the least sumptuous.

Out of Key on Main

Tosha needed a night out desperately. We had already planned to see the short-lived 3 performance/ 2day Broadway touring stint of Spring Awakening at Kingsbury hall on Saturday. We arrived looking like a hot pair and speaking of hot, the theater was blazing warm so I started the night's drinking escapade with a two dollar bottled water being sold at the entry. I had to see this musical because it was a favorite of my uncle, who was a talented musician with perfect pitch and could play at least 5 different instruments and speak 3 languages. He would have liked this agenda so here’s a glass raised in his honor.

Diverging for just a moment, the musical itself is an modern adaptation of the 1890 banned play The Awakening of Spring: A childhood tragedy. It was written by Frank Wedekind and the topics range from suicide to abortion and honestly, these are topics that have been present since since Adam and Even first realized they were naked. The concepts posed by Wedekind are those that ask what is the origin of shame... is it not taught to us? Sexual origin is natural and therefore should not be a shameful act. It was very much a kid vs adults story. The music written by Dunkan Sheik is extremely catchy and the poetic lyrics by Steven Sater are piercing.

We had a desire to keep in the theme of theatrics and proceed over to Keys on Main, a dueling piano bar that opened after the success of the original Salt Lake dueling piano bar, The Tavernacle. The concept, in case you are unaware, is two talented musicians can either play against each other or with each other with tunes that range from the nightly tautological performance of Billy Joel’s "The Piano Man" to current pieces like any hit from Lady Gaga or the hilarious rendition of  the SNL skit “I’m on a boat”. Requests come in from bar patrons attached with a tip. Depending on the amount of the tip, your song could be a top priority and will continue to play out to the end unless someone approaches a pianist demanding the current song be ceased and trumped with theirs... naturally a larger tip is required. This can go back and forth between people who have to hear their song played and is also can end up being a saving face battle.

This was Tosha's first experience at a dueling piano bar and it was my first time at this particular bar. I used to really like going out to The Tavernacle with friends until the crowd was infiltrated with pale-pink-popped-collar-polo shirts adorned with sideways ball caps covering the frosted spikey hair of horny twenty-something-year-old guys. The other half of the customer base consists of augmented and enhanced women of all ages, particularly cougars or unattractive lesbians who also wanted to be part of the entertainment and put sex toys in their mouth. Not my idea of a piano bar but maybe what I would envision as a feature attraction on the HBO's Real Sex. After hearing that scene was becoming an increasing occurrence, I just have not been back in over two years. Plus, I was tired of hearing Tenacious D's "Fuck Me Sweetly" each time I went. I thought Keys on Main might be a little classier, but after tonight, I have to report that am not convinced. I would say the better part of Keys is that the view is better and it's a larger space. But The Tavernacle does feel more personable and like you're really a part of the fun.

I determined that I was in a Gin mood and this is not uncommon since Gin is one of my favorite beverage of choice. The juniper is a great flavor and it goes down smooth, not too dry. I ordered a Hendricks Gin and Tonic and Tosha, a Cape Cod. Tosha and I spotted an opening at the bar, only one, so we shared a seat. Neither one of us had eaten and were pleased to find that some pub type food is served until one in the morning. I ordered a Caesar salad which filled the hunger and Tosha ordered a Caesar chick wrap. I have to point out that our bartender stood out and not for good reason. He asked if he could have a chip from Tosha's plate. Is that a weird way of hitting on us? Excuse me, but that’s just a bartender faux paus just beneath the no-no of drinking my drink and surely you can come up with a better pick up line than that. There were other men who approached Tosha and me dripping with desperation. I think I may have heard the worst pick up line ever from a patron… “I do blow… you should be afraid of me”. I responded “trust me, I am” and made it clear that he was not getting anywhere with me by turning my back to him. He then followed suit to the girls next to us and starting spouting Russian poetry, I'm sure.

I needed more to drink… a lot more to get through this. I ordered a sweet gin martini. The bartender, who made a note of saying earlier that he had been a bartender for ten years, asked me how to make it. I informed him to use sweet vermouth instead of dry. He didn’t ask which gin I wanted – at least he chose Bombay instead of Sapphire. It was a good martini though. I am not really a fan of dirty martinis and especially not ones made with vodka. He seemed to like me since I was “a girl who knew exactly what she wanted”. At that point, someone had too much to drink and made the party foul of throwing up in the bar. Sometime around that momentous occasion, one of the smug piano players decided to have a shot at Tosha and strike up a conversation. Tosha, unknowingly, dissed him, which I find funny because he just seemed cocky and he also seemed disinterested in her interest of Celine Dion. We nonetheless put in a request but put in a back up of Dire Straits which I thought he would play instead and the outcome was as predicted, we were soon swaying back and forth to the melodies of “Juliet” and “Money for Nothing”.

Tosha was picking up a number of men and a Swede visiting on business was twirling her around the dance floor. Meanwhile, I had my new friend, the hungry bartender, requesting that I kiss the girl next to me. I looked at her...the poor young thing, eager to please and gain attention of anyone and anything nearby. She encouraged me to press my lips to hers. I looked back in dismay at her and the bartender and told him if he kissed one of his male bar tending buddies, we might have a deal. He did a poor job of convincing his friend that this spectacle was worth them sacrificing anything and I told him he didn’t have a bargain. The girls proceeded to kiss themselves and the bartender and everyone seemed rather proud of themselves for this seemingly big accomplishment. The other bartenders at the other bar was looked to me to be more fun and less harassing. I will sit on the left side if I come back again.

I needed some more gin at this point. I asked for a Negroni. My hungry bartender of ten years said “hey, is this test the bartender night?” I informed him he was the one who had the long career of mixology, not me. He asked if there was Campari – bingo. I also told him there was bitters and gin. He said they did not have Compari so it was a no-go. He suggested a Greyhound and I was not keen on that idea… I would have to think on this. What was another drink with Gin that I liked… I decided on a Long Island Iced Tea. It was strong and I think it was too late in the night to enjoy it. I entertained the Swede for a bit and Tosha and I left as the lights turned on and the pianists were making their exit. The talent and showmanship is what one would expect, the food was convenient and the scene...painstanking yet amusing to some point. The night started on the high end of the scale and ended on a lower note. At least I left with the hottest girl in the bar. Keys on Main is a far cry from a place like Yoshi's in San Francisco and Oakland or even Brandy’s, a quaint, small gay piano bar which carols show tunes. Brandy’s has character and Yoshi’s class. I am still looking for a place like that in this town.

Drum Roll Please

I know all of the readers have been anxiously awaiting the results for the "best of the cheap beer" poll. The results have been posted and the winner is...



This crisp and refreshing light beer has been a good option to please a wide audience on the cheap since 1844, although the recipe may have been altered since then. It surely beats the alternative(s).

Mimosas Made in Mormontown

I love Mimosas. It is a standard that is widely consumed and liked by many, perhaps because it has refreshing citrus flavors and celebratory associations. When I have had a weekend of over-the-top partying, typically spent out of town, it is a requirement of mine to find a breakfast spot that serves this Sunday hangover remedy. Last Sunday, I had not necessarily reached my party limit over the course of the weekend, nonetheless, drinks were required this particular morning. The Mountain Man and I had been half-heartedly planning to hang out since I’ve been back stateside for two months. We pondered where to go – Ruth’s? A favorite but usually packed. The Tin Angel? It serves local produce and features local artwork in the restaurant not to mention has a fun drink menu, but is unfortunately closed on Sundays.

We landed at the Wild Grape, a place I’ve been to a few times but the MM had not yet experienced. This restaurant has been in business for two years and they also offer local produce like cheese from Beehive Cheese and keep their dishes seasonal. They also have wine events where big players in this industry, like Robert Mondavi, stop by to offer his opinions on the matter of his expertise. Impressive he came through actually. I encourage you to check out upcoming events they are hosting, typically wine related. Next Wednesday, December 29th, the winemakers behind the company Donkey & Goat will be present between 6:30-9 to speak about their product and select Syrahs will be paired with a meal. You can bet I will be there before I jet off to California to celebrate the coming of the new year.

It was also a pleasant surprise to discover from a placard at the entrance that The Wild Grape was voted “Best Mimosa” from The City Weekly. After seated, my friend and I browsed through the culinary offerings but the real fun came when we spotted the Mimosa selection on the menu… nine different Mimosas are featured! Not knowing which to choose, we asked that we be served each one of them. Unfortunately, drinks can only be served after noon and we had to be served one glass at a time. Really Utah lawmakers.. stop trying to be a pain for libation lovers! We began breakfast at eleven and enjoyed conversation over coffee and a just-right runny eggs Benedict (mine made vegetarian) with disappointingly over-seasoned hash browns. We also enjoyed the view of some of the hottest boots I have ever seen sported on a confident, edgy and, might I add, just plain sexy woman sitting across the restaurant. The restaurant has large windows which adds such great natural light into the capacious space. Noon came and our friendly waitress knew we were eagerly awaiting our version of Sunday sacrament and jutted out of the back two flutes filled with nitid colored bubbling beverages. We had the following flavors: Strawberry, Prickly Pear, Pineapple, Mango, Peach, Pomegrante, Blackberry and Kiwi. There was one flavor which we forgot to try which was the Blood Orange. I guess I will just have to come back one Sunday to try them all again….darn. Now for the ranking:

Mildred's picks:
1. Strawberry
2. Peach
3. Mango
4. Kiwi
5. Blackberry
6. Pomegrante
7. Prickly Pear
8. Pineapple

The Mountain Man's picks:
1. Peach
2. Kiwi
3. Strawberry
4. Mango
5. Prickly Pear
6. Pomegranite
7. Blackberry
8. Pineapple

While our rankings differed, we did like the same drinks in general opting for the drinks that were not as sweet tasting. The drinks that we did like, oddly enough, were made mostly with syrup while the sweeter drinks, like the Blackberry, were made mainly with fresh fruit puree. The pineapple was bland, hence why it received the lowest score from both of us. The sparkling wine used was Andre, a California extra dry variety. It is a cheap standard but I admit was a good choice which complimented these particular versions of a classic drink. My favorite of this type of beverage is Pierrier-Jouet. I have also tasted Don Perignon once and it tastes surprisingly well with or without orange juice after not having been refrigerated after an all night drinking fest (ahem NYE 2008). That particular New Years, I went to the Bubble Lounge in San Francisco which is one of the only places that you can order DP by the glass. But I also had an open bottle waiting for me at the flat in which I was staying and worked on finishing it the next morning alongside my dark, unflavored coffee. Perhaps on my next visit to France, I will stop getting wasted in Paris and will take a day trip to the Champagne region and further educate my palette for this drinking varietal.

But back to the present story at hand. The Mountain Man and I questioned the waitress if anyone else has been so bold to order every single Mimosa on the menu and she said she has only seen it done one other time where a fun gay group ordered a rainbow spread of Mimosas (since there were 8 people they could order all of the Mimosas at once). I will definitely need to come back with a group and replicate this event. We were feeling really swell after this outing and soon after brunch, I took a nap to recover from all of the work of drinking and judging the various Mimosas. I especially like that I spent the following Sunday downing 8 Mimosas as well! I am agreeable to the idea of keeping this newly found tradition of drinking not only one, but many Mimosas on a Sunday morning.

Sushi in the Desert

I admit that for the past week, I have visited too many drinking holes to have time to jot down a few reflections on those experiences. I have some catching up to do. Last Thursday, “The Girls” and I met for sushi. Interestingly, Utah has quite a tally of sushi restaurants given that we are in the desert and are land-locked. It seems to me that there are at least 100. Contrast this with other major land-locked cities like Dallas and Denver which have over 200 while sea-faring cities like San Francisco and New York have sushi restaurants in the thousands. But considering the population comparison… I'd say we have a fair amount of sushi restaurants in the area. Some have faded away, others are strong contenders, then there are the trendy spots and of course those that are cheap and satisfy a craving on the go. Well for “The Girls” night out, we tend to go on the higher end of the scale. In the past, we have met at other acclaimed sushi restaurants Mizumi, Tsunami, Ichiban and Mikado. I wanted to try something new so I did some research on Yelp and Takashi showed as the #1 reviewed restaurant. With everyone’s approval, we were off to Market Street which hosts some of the most highly reviewed restaurants in Salt Lake like the New Yorker and the eponymous Market Street Grill.

Takashi is an intimate restaurant that seats about 80 people by my assessment. It has a modern, chic atmosphere created by Rothko-meets-Warhol type paintings on the wall and a large, mesh fish sculpture hanging from the ceiling complimented by Ikea-like bubble chandeliers. The sushi chefs are visible from the brightly lit bar working rapidly and efficaciously on their award-winning concoctions. There isn’t any music lulling in the background which I appreciate so as not to distract from any interlocutions. The crowd consists of range from hip, 30 somethings to a select amount of business folks. It doesn’t seem to have an air of pretension – the staff are professional, prompt and staying busy. Valet parking is available or you can park in the lot across the street for $5.

It is important to note that your whole party needs to be present to be seated. One may conveniently sit at the bar and order appetizers and drinks while waiting for your party. Take a look at the cocktail menu which features some unique mixtures and ingredients; it is clear that the Mixologist is adventurous. One of The Girls ordered the Shima Saketini which is “inspired by Caribbean painkillers”. I just love that description. It has an odd but still appetizing combination of Saketini with orange, coconut and cinnamon. I ordered a drink which was basically spiked salsa. I’ll update the blog later once I find out the name of it. It had jalapeno, cilantro and Japanese rice vodka. The rolls which are equally experimental as the drinks as they are a fusion of unlikely culinary marriages.




I was in a punchy mood so I wanted to continue the spicy theme from my drink to my food. I ordered the Shishito peppers (the sauce has fish so I just ate them with soy sauce). Now they aren't really that spicy, although this is coming from someone who originates from cajun country and has a higher tolerance for heat than the average Utahn. I am vegetarian, not a pescatarian mind you, but can always find some great veggie rolls at any sushi restaurants. Takashi is no exception as they feature some great options for those of my eating persuasion. My favorite roll was the the Buddha, a fried roll containing sweet potatoes which was flavorful and hearty. Takashi features a number of spicy entrees including their hyped “Strawberry Fields”, located on the Beatles section of the menu which has other famous tunes you can eat like “Yellow Submarine”. "Strawberry Fields" has the obvious ingredient of strawberries but what you might not expect are the other food pairings of chili peppers, almonds and eel sauce. One of The Girls interjected throughout the conversation calling out the spiciness of the roll.

For you non-vegetarians, the fish eaters were very pleased with the meal and said they would come back again. Takashi has fish flown in daily – although I hear that fish just does not taste the same after 6 hours from being caught. Takashi cooks a sizeable amount of their menu offerings, however, and indicated which rolls are cooked with an asterisks; this proved helpful for the pregnant women at the table. I went back to Takashi two nights ago with some co-workers visiting from out of town, one of whom used to be an experienced sushi chef from Cleveland via the Bay area. Given that he offers a thumbs up and comes back consistently when in town, sushi goers can be rest assured that Takashi has received rave reviews for a reason.

How does Takashi compare to others sushi restaurants in Salt Lake? Well I used to frequent Ichiban on a weekly basis and while their rice is incredible, their rolls are unimaginitive in comparison. It can house a lot of people though and is therefore a good option for large parties. Tsunami tastes great and has creative rolls and I would put it just below Takashi. But remember, I am vegetarian and have a limited opinion on this matter of sushi restaurant rankings. I like Mikado for their sake samplers and Mizumi has good Purple Haze but I think Takashi takes the cake for creative cocktails and a variety of good sake. But there are some places I have yet to try like Shamu Shamu and the Naked Fish which are also acclaimed by locals.

Readers, if you would, place a comment stating 1. Your favorite sushi restaurant 2. Why you like it 3. Which has the best drink menu/and or sake offerings and 4. Best cheap and/or quick sushi. Also, how do you think sushi in Salt Lake compares to that of other cities? Where is the best sushi you have ever had in your life?

The Girls and I do this at least once a quarter to catch up on our lives as they have changed through the years and our conversations typically revolve around dating, marriages, babies and work, which is where we all met some years ago. I am the only single one of the bunch so I think they invite me along to hear lively tales about my travels, encounters and my sometimes outlandish behaviors. While I travel to a fair degree, it’s nice to have some exotic places to go to in my own back yard and I place Takashi in the category of a nice getaway in one's own city.