Authors: Heck Fork Grief
Saigon Subs Invade Redwood Road
Bánh mí (or Saigon subs as they are called in America) are a kind of submarine sandwich, that might also be a rite of passage for a secret society. If you haven’t had one, you don’t know what I’m talking about, and if you have, you probably have buddies with whom you share your passion for this amazing dinner-sized, snack-priced foodie favorite. They are cheap, delicious and like no other sandwich. … read more
No, honey, it’s good for you. City Dogs
City Dogs is Salt Lake’s premier vegetarian/vegan hot dog cart. Could there be anything niftier than a bike ride downtown on a sunny afternoon made complete with some delicious and healthy lunch eaten while sitting on some grass? Why eat a veggie dog or vegan taco? Well, as my veggie girlfriend says, “We already have the bun, we might as well use it.” … read more
Food Review: Vertical Diner – January 2011
Set in the Meat Packing District a mile or so south of downtown, the Vertical Diner is a recycled space with a comfortable retro-post-punk vibe and uncompromising vegan diner-style food. A large part of the success of this place, for me, is that it doesn’t feel preachy about its do-gooder agenda. Being vegan requires a strict set of principles, but Vertical Diner doesn’t radiate any angry or groovy moral attitude. It’s like an artsy diner from the ‘80s in a big city like Kansas City or San Francisco. … read more
Johnny Kolache: Friends Wanted Here
Johnny Kolache is a little coffee shop-sized pastry joint serving Czechoslovakian pastries in a number of fine and tasty ways. The white walls of the joint are covered with the enthusiastic autographs and mementos of many happy customers. Johnny Kolache might be the most intentionally unpretentious place in Salt Lake, and yet everything about the eats and the friendly help says that there’s a lot of pride behind this family and their homestyle food. … read more
Food Review: Da Hotdog King
Troy King is called Da Hotdog King––as are his fleet of hotdog carts. As Salt Lake’s only genuine Chicago hotdog cart, this newest soon-to-be Utah legend sits on the corner of 400 South and Main Street on weekday afternoons. The proud owner of two carts in Chicago and two in Atlanta, King is the friendliest high-powered executive you’re ever likely to chat with over a steam table. … read more
Korean For Beginners
I asked several of my foodie friends to take me to Korean restaurants, and, independently, each ordered exactly the same thing for our meal: Beef Bul Go Gi and Dol Sot Bop along with the customary bowl of rice and various kimchee and vegetable side dishes. The meals were delicious and easy. Bul Go Gi is a Korean style beef barbecue; it is salty-sweet and not too spicy. It is sold everywhere in Korea, even at the 7-Eleven.
… read more
The Copper Onion: Dinner at a Friend’s House
If I had to eat out every day, and could only pick one place in town to eat at, it would be The Copper Onion. The Copper Onion’s food flies against the wind of contemporary dining—it is simple, serious and from scratch. While one could complain that it is almost sentimentally traditional—think homemade fruit cream pies and hand-minced meat loaf—it’s tradition from a time passed and a place gone. I feel less like I am in a restaurant, and more that I am at a friend’s house, and they really know how to cook the hell out of cooking. … read more
The Tin Angel Café
Now starting their fifth year, The Tin Angel began with the ambition of Kestrel Liedke and her best friend Robin Fairchild, who dreamed about the project for years. The dream became a reality when Kestrel married chef Jerry Liedtke. Jerry, having set up more than a few restaurants and having worked in fine kitchens in Europe and at resorts had a firm idea about what makes a kitchen succeed. Thus was born one of Salt Lake’s culinary no-brainers. … read more
What Awesome Tastes Like: Curry Fried Chicken
What do superheroes eat after a hard day of do-gooding? Shawarma, of course. If you saw Joss Whedon’s latest movie, The Avengers, and you stayed for the second, post-credit end scene, you know what I’m talking about. Where do the local superheroes get a genuine shawarma in our little home of vice and virtue? Well, there is only one answer: Curry Fried Chicken. … read more
Thai for Two: Tasty Thai
Tasty Thai specializes in curries dominated by strong flavors that have the ancient earthiness of Thai, but also a tang of vinegar and fresh ingredients, sunlight-bright on the tongue and sour enough to draw happy tears. Fresh rainforest smells dominate the vocabulary of many of the more common dishes served here, and some of the more uncommon dishes are great versions of what I think of as homey. … read more