Best restaurants in SLC?

[Guba]

@concerned

…That is hilarious and right in my neck of the woods. When I was growing up, that Chevron was a Harmon’s Kentucky fried chicken full service restaurant with a big monument sign of Col. Sanders on the corner. Was the second or third one in the country (after State St. inSandy). When they tore it down, the moved the KFC kitty corner, where it is now.

Interesting tidbits about KFC: Shortly after Harland Sanders teamed up with Pete Harman to start KFC Sanders went up to Alberta to meet up with an old friend, a guy by the name of Sven Erickson. Sven was a local restauranteur and all around interesting character who ran a couple of hotel kitchens at the time. Sanders and Erickson set up the first KFC in Canada and eventually Sven ran all of the franchises in Southern Alberta. Sometime in the 1960’s Sven opened a fine-ish dining restaurant called Erickson’s Family Restaurant. A unique feature was that he had the license to serve KFC recipe chicken in the restaurant. If you ate in his restaurant it was common for Sven to stop by each table to chat with the customers. I remember him stopping by our table when I was a young kid. One of the other things that KFC in the area was known for was their catering menu. It was popular to get KFC chicken for large events and our family would often order enough for the 100 people or so that would attend our reunions. When I later went to university in Edmonton I discovered that the menu for the Sven Erickson KFCs was quite different from other KFCs. Sven focused on meals for the large farm families that were common at the time around Lethbridge due to heavy Catholic, Mormon and Dutch reformed religious influence. For a long time dinner rolls, french fries, pies from an onsite bakery and other items were only available at the KFC locations run by Erickson. My grandmother liked to send my brother and I down the street to the closest KFC to pick up a bucket of chicken, dinner rolls and a banana cream pie when we came to visit.

[SkinyUte]

@RockerUte

Italian: Olive Garden - Across the street west of Sugar House Park
Seafood: Red Lobster - Conveniently next to the above Olive Garden
Steak: Sizzler - A little north and esat across the street from Olive Garden
Burger and Fried Chicken: KFC/A&W - This place has it all, really. You can get both a burger and fried chicken in the SAME BAG! Across the street north of Sizzler, which is North and East of Olive Garden.
Mexican: Taco Bell - You are going to feel like you’ve slipped across the border both with the flavor and the immediate diarrhea you’ll get. This is in the same complex as Olive Garden and Red Lobster, just north of them.
Authentic Chinese: Panda Express - Don’t let the “express” or the surly teenagers working there throw you. The orange chicken is other-worldly and also likely to induce diarrhea. In fact, let’s be honest, all of these places will do that in just the right way. It is just west of Olive Garden by Barnes and Noble.
Best Pizza: Well this is a virtual tie among many titans, but I’ve got to give it to Papa Murphys - get the cowboy pizza. Honorable mention to Little Ceasars which has taken the bold move of just abandoning human interaction altogether and giving pizza through a vending machine in the store (which if I’m actually being honest for a minute - for a guy like me is a major plus). Both of those are about a mile east up 2100 S from Olive Garden.
Best overall: Chevron - Now if you are looking for a place that simply has everything anyone could want - which lets admit is a tough thing to pull off on a menu just right, may I recommend this delightful little secret on the corner of 2100 S and 1300 E. They have food on rollers, eggs in plastic and they do this wonderfully humorous thing with their fountain drinks where the fountain will burp suddenly sending your drink foaming and going over the side of your cup. More of a coffee drinker than a soda drinker? I’m told their coffee is fantastic and you can chose from an assortment of packaged sweeteners and tiny containers of cream artfully scattered across the counter. North of Olive Garden.

Now some locals might try to trick you and tell you to go to places around there like Kimi’s Chop house or the Dodo or Wasatch Brew Pub or the Belgian Waffle place - don’t listen to them those places are awful.

(although I do love me a Papa Murphy’s cowboy pizza)

[ironman1315]

@Steggys_Mixtapes

Anyone here like Sushi? I have been to Yellow Fin, Naked Fish (closed), Blue Fish in So. Jordan and Fat Fish in WVC. Still have yet to go to Takashi. Have been to a few sushi burrito places.

Japanese is probably my favorite kind of food.

Itto sushi is pretty good.

[ironman1315]

@Steggys_Mixtapes

I was going to mention Sicilia Mia. That and Stanza are the two best Italian places in the city.

That fiery cheese wheel is amazing!!!

[utefansince79]

Would think some of the downtown motels would have some sort of rooftop restaurants.

[Steggys_Mixtapes]

@RockerUte

…y, this is going to sound weird, but Huntsman Cancer Institute has a cafeteria at the top that they have chefs from different great restaurants come in and rotate through. Food is great, view is amazing… but you are eating at a cancer hospital.”I don’t think they took my recommendation. Can you guys think of one? Kind of amazing to think about - I think people would eat there just for that alone.

If you’re looking for something scenic Panda Express on second south has some great views of the homeless shelter. You can also get a pretty decent view of the I-80 from Olive Garden off of 21st. Very romantic for a date.

[ironman1315]

No.

[salUTE]

It is odd that there are not any nice restaurants with a nice view in SLC. There used to be one:

Nino’s

Not sure how long ago it closed, but used to be one of my favorites. We often went there for my birthday (at the end of April), only downside being that the place would be filled with teenagers having dinner before the prom.

There are also GREAT views to the west from the meeting space on the upper floors of the tower at Rice-Eccles. I’ve been there for a few Catholic Church events and fund raisers. Too bad there is not a high quality restaurant in that location.

[PugetUte]

Bohemian was fantastic when I went last year.

[utefansince79]

@RockerUte

…just gives a view of downtown, not the sweeping valley views they were looking for. You might be able to pull that off from Porcupine Grill in Big Cottonwood Canyon - but not really. I honestly don’t know. A while back they put in a new restaurant in the Olympus Hills shopping mall parking lot which would have been perfect - except they didn’t put any seats or windows on the valley facing side???

What you do is pack yourself a nice lunch and plenty of liquid. Hike to the top of Mount Olympus, and settle down for a picnic. Great views of the valley. Grandeur Peak is a bit easier climb. Of course admittedly this isn’t for everyone.

[Carolina_Cycling_Ute]

@Diehard_Ute

The same people are still at Bohemian, the Porcupine/Dodo group just owns it. They are expanding the beer production to use in the other places which is nice.

This is good news.

[LAUte]

I posted this in the wrong thread, when the thread veered into a discussion of burger places.

---

No love for Hires? Not a gourmet burger place by any definition, but still – what I like about it:

• The Big H and its variations. Tasty, never disappoints.

• You always know what you’ll get, and it will always be the same quality.

• The root beer freeze. One of my Achilles heels when trying to watch what I eat.

• Friendly people — feels like family there.

[Guba]

I have been to Hires a few times but was never overly impressed. Crown is just as good and closer to my house. Our go to for a better burger has been Tony Burger lately.

[LAUte]

We like Crown too. I don’t think I’d go to any one place – including Hires – every time. Too boring. I’ll have to try Tony’s sometime.

[Diehard_Ute]

@RockerUte

…y, this is going to sound weird, but Huntsman Cancer Institute has a cafeteria at the top that they have chefs from different great restaurants come in and rotate through. Food is great, view is amazing… but you are eating at a cancer hospital.”I don’t think they took my recommendation. Can you guys think of one? Kind of amazing to think about - I think people would eat there just for that alone.

Cliff Dining Pub in Draper

[UTEFAN]

Tacos: Taqueria 27

[salUTE]

@UTEFAN

Tacos: Taqueria 27

This is my wife’s favorite taco restaurant, but she always orders to go, cause their margaritas can’t compare to mine

[UTRUTE]

I agree on the Cliff in Draper for views/food. The Ridge Cafe in Suncrest is really good too with nice views.
Oak Wood in Draper for the south valley trifecta.

[Steggys_Mixtapes]

Any thoughts on the Cotton Bottom? I’ve had a garlic burger or two there. They were ok.

What about Log Haven?

[TheThrill]

@RockerUte

…y, this is going to sound weird, but Huntsman Cancer Institute has a cafeteria at the top that they have chefs from different great restaurants come in and rotate through. Food is great, view is amazing… but you are eating at a cancer hospital.”I don’t think they took my recommendation. Can you guys think of one? Kind of amazing to think about - I think people would eat there just for that alone.

Porcupine Grill has good views of the valley, good food too.