One of our favorite local chefs recently made a shift to a brand new restaurant in town, Stanza. We’ve followed Phelix Gardner as he’s helped open new restaurants and changed up menus over the years, always enjoying what he comes up with, so, in a way, we knew we would love Stanza.

Not too long before Stanza opened our favorite ‘special occasion’ restaurant closed, Fresco.  This cosy spot had been our place to enjoy a comforting bowl of house-made pasta for years, celebrating anniversaries, pregnancies, and birthdays.  All that to say, not only were we excited about Stanza because of Phelix but we also we’re suddenly in the need for a new special spot for pasta.

We instantly enjoyed our Italian meal at Stanza, quickly throwing back big bites of cheese filled arancini, followed by a healthful bowl of arugula salad then onto our main squeeze… pasta.  I tried the agnolotti, small pillow-like pastas filled sometimes with cheese but in this case with pureed peas and served with fresh shrimp, early summer green veggies and topped with a shellfish sauce. It was elegant and tasteful and perfectly comforting, filling my pasta void. 

My masculine date ordered the special of the day, Bolognese, also served on housemade pasta.  He ate it up as if he were in Italy for the first time (he loves Italy and eats all of the Bolognese style pastas he can possibly find while we’re there!).

Finally, we ordered dessert, whether or not we saved room for it because… cherry buckle with buttermilk gelato, who can resist that?! We also tasted a few other gelato flavors, spicy honey and thai basil, both nearly stole the show at the end of our very tasty evening.

So, did we like Stanza?  Not only like but NEED!  There was a sudden void for good pasta and gelato in our lives and Stanza came through with flying colors!

Stanza
454 East 300 South

While I certainly don’t need an excuse to return to Vinto, their summer menu items definitely enticed me for another visit.

Vinto Pizzeria is one of our staples in Salt Lake.  Their prices entice as much as their food.  Whether I’m in the mood for a light salad or a few slices of hot pizza, they deliver (not literally but they do offer great take-out!).  We have our favorites on the menu but when a seasonal special gets into the rotation, I like to try out something new.

When the warm weather hit, they also quickly alter their cocktail list.  There was no hesitation after a quick glance at the menu. The Sprezzatura was an easy choice with limoncello, peach nectar, fresh huckleberries, mint and lime. The name literally means easy to drink, and it is!

The Ubriaco includes dark run, campari, sweet vermouth, and fresh orange, an perfect match for campari lovers. Ubriaco translates to drunkard so as the name warns, this one is boozy!

We started with proscuitto wrapped melon salad, a fresh and flavorful beginning to the meal with a sprinkle of grey sea salt and a garnish of fresh mint. Then, we had their Verdura Chopped Salad which is currently loaded with all of the best spring veggies. The chopped salad alone is a dish I return for.

On this particular visit they had a lasagna special that caught our eye (photo at the top). Their Spring Lasagna was loaded with veggies like asparagus, zucchini and squash, between layers of fresh pasta, and topped with crispy cheese and garlic oil. We literally fought over the last bite, it was that good.

Summer pizza options at Vinto include toppings such as pear and brie, mushrooms and shrimp, and spinach and artichoke hearts.

Every meal at Vinto must end with either a scoop of their famous house-made gelato or the Butterscotch Budino.  It’s a hard choice, so you should really just order both!

Though the house favorites remain, it’s nice that they keep things fresh at Vinto, this way I have more reason to come back!

Vinto Pizzeria
418 East 200 South
Mon-Thurs 11am-10pm
Fri-Sat 11am-11pm
Sun 4pm-9pm

From Scratch is a perfect place to meet up for lunch on these cool spring days. The delicious house-made dough, crispy and warm from the wood-fired oven, hits the spot. Tucked into a space on Gallivan Ave, just off of 3^rd south, the dining space is casual yet trendy, with restored wood walls and tables and chairs reminiscent of a European café. The restaurant is all about making as much as possible from scratch. The in-house Austrian flourmill provides a fresh base for the pizzas, pastas, and breads. Cooks whip up condiments such as ketchup, mayo, mustard, and jam.

The Risotto Cake was a hearty appetizer. The golden-brown patty was topped with arugula and fire roasted red pepper sauce that we couldn’t get enough of. Luckily we kept the plate so we could dip our pizza crusts in it later- we didn’t waste a drop!

The salads all sounded good, but we settled on the Honey Apple Salad because the combination of creamy ricotta on crisp apples sounded incredible- and it was! The salad went fast, next time we might have to double up on the greens.  I’m looking forward to trying the Fire Roasted Beet Salad with goat cheese and candied pecans.

We had trouble deciding on just one pizza as well, but agreed that we couldn’t go wrong with mushrooms, caramelized onions, goat cheese, and mozzarella.  Now you may be wondering- does freshly milled flour actually make a difference taste-wise, or is this just another hip but relatively unremarkable fad? The taste of that pizza crust convinced me that fresh flour is no publicity stunt. That dough is something special. Yum!

Don’t like pizza? From Scratch also offers a burger, short ribs, and pasta.

From Scratch

62 East Gallivan Ave

When we dine at Fresco, we usually dine camera-less, free from even the thought of work or food photography.  It’s hard but I put my phone away and just savor every moment of our drawn-out meal together. Even if we come in early in the evening we can’t help but stay for a couple of hours just enjoying each course, each sip, and the refreshment of falling back in love with food all over again.  We go to reconnect with each other and remember why we plunged into the local food industry in the first place.  Food comforts us and we hope for it to comfort others.

At Fresco we, without fail, are comforted by the food set in front of us.  On this particular trip, we did bring our camera and jotted down a few notes, because we felt we needed to share some of the inspiration that this little cafe has given us.  This season Fresco is really showing off using some of the most interesting fresh ingredients like sunchokes, parsnips, Kabocha squash, Brussels Sprouts, fennel, and wild mushrooms.  Here’s what we chose on our special occasion –

Roasted beets with citrus, pinenuts and basil oil.

Creamy Sunchoke Soup with Roasted Brussels Sprouts.

Baby Kale Salad with local squash, goat cheese, marcona almonds and honeycomb vinaigrette.

A little amuse buche from the chef to cleanse our pallet before enjoying our entrees. (Fresco always serves little bites in between courses to all of their guests!)

Sweet Potato and Chestnut Ravioli topped with Brussels Sprouts, black currants, and ricotta salata.

Ricotta Cavatelli with lamb and calabrian sausage ragu and Pecorino.

Fresco had a recent remodel which could easily go unnoticed unless your a frequent diner there.  They changed up the color of the walls, hid some sound absorbing materials in the wall and put up some new decor.  The atmosphere is simple but that’s what we find charming.  They are willing to be small. When we go, we love to reserve the seat by the fireplace- I sit closest to the fireplace and keep my feet cosy warm and Josh grabs the seat by the window. We could sit and talk there for hours and now, with the new changes, intimate conversations of the diners are more hidden and private.

We also learned a few new things about our favorite little restaurant on this trip. Like the fact that it used to be the home of the neighboring gas station’s owner (what’s now the Kings English).  After that, the home was turned into a cafe that served a famous pot roast. I like to this the legendary food continues and Fresco will always have food that people come back for – like their gnocchi (my favorite in town), and their Polenta with Wild Mushrooms appetizer (a dish we get on every visit).

Dinner at Fresco could not be complete without a cup of coffee (there now serving Charming Beard which is awesome!!) and a jar of their Chocolate Almond Crema. It’s smooth, rich and so creamy that I just want to slowly eat every bite to fully enjoy it. We usually have to literally split it down the middle so we can each enjoy our half. On this visit we also tried their Zeppole, cinnamon sugared donuts, served with lemon curd and dates.  These were so good that I may have to add them to our regular order.  The lemon curd was just right, not too creamy or gelatinous and the donuts were cooked perfectly, almost doughy in the center, and the perfect match to the tart curd.

Oh my oh my!!  What a truely magical meal.  I always leave with a smile on my face and more excited about food and the food industry in Salt Lake than ever.  Thank you Fresco for what you are doing in our little community and for the little times of refreshment that you have given my husband and I!

Fresco

1513 South 1500 East

Claiming the award of Salt Lake City’s Best Italian Food Restaurant called me in for a second visit to Sea Salt.  My first dining experience at Sea Salt was when they first opened and although I did enjoy it, I found it to be a bit pricey so I hadn’t been back since.  On this visit, we went for lunch and still paid a pretty penny but enjoyed our meal none the less.

From the looks of these photos you’ll notice two things, 1) I dined with all women so we may have ordered lighter than the average crowd and 2) Sea Salt serves up lots of fresh produce!   Several of us ordered salads, veggies, and soups all loaded with crisp fresh vegetables served in traditional Italian style.

All entrees were enjoyed but the gnocci truly stood out. They have three different gnocchi options on their lunch menu: Gnocchi ai Cinque Formaggi – (5 cheese gnocchi) gorgonzola dolce, fontina, robiola bosina, rocchetta alta langa, and grana padano, garnished with rosemary; Gnocchi alla Bolognese con Funghi – (gnocchi with wild mushrooms) salsa bolognese, wild mushrooms, and grana padano;  Gnudi al Burro e Salvia – a larger gnocchi made with Tuscan ricotta and spinach, topped with a sage brown butter.   Throughout the table we had at least one of each of these and everyone who ordered the gnocchi agreed that it was amazing!

For lunch at Sea Salt you’ll also find, antipastas, pizzas, soups, salads, and pasta.  The great thing about their pizzas is that they’re pretty customizable with over 25 toppings that you can add on, from anchovies to house fennel sausage.  As for the salads, we tried the Vegetable Crudo with raw beet, carrot, fennel, celery, arugula, sea salt, preserved lemon and extra virgin olive oil; a simple salad but like much of the best Italian food, the simplest is often the best. If you’re more of a panini fan, I highly recommend the Grilled Chicken Breast, Artichoke Heart and Aged Provolone Panini served with kalamata olives, oven dried tomato pesto and arugula.

Expect top quality ingredient and freshness as well as friendly service and a bright and open environment.  We came in expecting a lot after they were given such an honorable award by Salt Lake Magazine.  If you dine at Sea Salt for lunch expect to pay dinner prices.  You’ll be very satisfied at the end of your meal.

Sea Salt
1709 East 1300 South
Lunch – Monday – Friday 11:30-2pm
Dinner – Monday – Thursday 5-9pm, Friday – Saturday 5-9:30pm

Behind these three happy pigs, on the corner of 300 West and Broadway, sits a comfortable Italian cafe, Vivace.  Vivace opened its doors in 2012 and has been serving our city authentic Southern Italian food at affordable prices ever since.  This past month we wrote about Vivace in In magazine.  Here are a few photos and notes from our experiences there.

Now, Josh and I have been spoiled to good Italian food, having recently spent over a week in Italy and tasting some of the best foods at the hands of Italian chefs. One thing we loved about Italy was the slower pace of eating.  Most meals were eaten family style, sharing many dishes as well as a small carafe of house wine and could last throughout an entire evening.  Vivace shares that true Italian mind-set of sharing, slow paced meals, and plenty of wine.

We started our tasty journey that night with one of the crudo dishes (small plates). The shrimp carpaccio came highly recommended but we went out on a limb and tried their escolar carpaccio, since we had never tasted or even seen this deep water fish.  The dish was light with citrus and avocado on top yet bold with fresh fish flavor.

From there we decided to go with the Vivace Signature Supper Choice.  If there’s an opportunity to let the chef pick your dinner, I always choose it. I find it to be a exciting way to experience a meal and chef’s often choose better than I would.  The Signature Supper comes with 3 courses (antipasti, pasta, and meat) for $22 a person.  The antipasti proved to be my favorite part of the experience, getting to try a full assortment of sautéed and marinated vegetables (pictured above).

The pasta came next.  This was a perfect example of the chef knowing best.  He chose the Bucatini alla’Amartriciana, a spicy tomato sauce with crispy pancetta served over thick round noodles.  I would never have known to choose this yet ever since having the dish, I can’t wait to return to Vivace to order it again!

We then moved on to meat…porchetta, turkey, roman style lamb, lamb chops, and skewers of sausage.  This dish could have easily fed a family of 4 or more yet we managed to make our way through most of it.  The flavors in each meat were just too great to pass up.  But, I will admit, we did take a decent sized to-go box with us home that night.

If you find yourself at Vivace, and you must, you should definitely order family style and let the chef select your chose your delicious journey for the night. After the night’s end, you will be just as happy and full as the chubby statues outside their doors.

 Vivace
308 W 300 S
<a href=”http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/54/1697714/restaurant/Downtown/Vivace-Salt-Lake-City”><img alt=”Vivace on Urbanspoon” src=”http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1697714/minilogo.gif” style=”border:none;padding:0px;width:104px;height:15px” /></a>

This month I had the pleasure of writing an article for In Magazine about a Salt Lake City Italian restaurant, Cannella’s.  If you have a chance to pick up the magazine please do, but today I’m going to tell you a little more of the inside scoop of the Italian family behind this Salt Lake City dining staple.

There’s just something about family owned Italian restaurants that trumps every other Italian restaurant in my book.  While Josh and I traveled Europe we were constantly on a search for family run establishments, or Trattorias, as they like to call them. Cannella’s is exactly that, a family run Italian restaurant in the heart of Salt Lake City. The restaurant opened its doors by the current owner’s father and grandfather in 1978.  After a lease ran out on the grandfather’s local bar, he had to close its doors, saying he would never lease a space again, so this time they bought a building and Cannella’s was born.

The father-son partnership continued and eventually, Joe’s son also got involved.  He moved back from LA to help start a lounge area in the restaurant and  in the meantime helped with some re-decorating of the restaurant including placing photos up of his dad and mom around the restaurant. Within weeks, his dad unexpectedly passed away and the photos on the wall became an even more significant part of Cannella’s rich history.  Now,  he says the photos are one of the most important parts of the restaurant, as they let his family heritage live on inside the walls. After his father’s passing, he decided to make a home in Salt Lake and carry on his father and grandfather’s legacy by continuing to make Cannella’s one of the best Italian restaurants in town.

To this day you can sample some of the family inspired recipes including their Italian Salad which is topped with Italian Sausage. Some other highlights from our meal was the Tuscan Chicken with Asparagus, the Meatball, and their Cioppino stew (served as a special on Fridays).  Here are more photos of the delicious foods we enjoyed while dining at Cannella’s.

More of the inside scoop on Cannella’s:

• Taco and Margarita Night every Wednesday to pay homage to the chef
• Happy Hour Menu from $5-$9, including discounted wine and cocktails
• Cannella’s makes their own sourdough bread and baguettes in their pizza oven
• Saturday at lunchtime they serve up a tasty breakfast sandwich
• Private Room available seating 20 people

Cannella’s
204 East 500 South, Salt Lake City

For a while I didn’t think Salt Lake had any good traditional Italian Restaurants. I mean non-chain, family run trattorias where you can really have a taste of Italy for an evening.  Then we found Per Noi. Per Noi is a small neighborhood Italian restaurant with fair prices and legitimate Italian food.

The owner literally stands at the entrance of his restaurant to greet you.  He was so friendly that I knew I would like the restaurant before I even sat down. Basically, everything after that was just as wonderful as our welcoming entrance.

We started with arancini, a fried risotto ball the size of your fist, served with pipping hot housemade marinara sauce. Then we popped open the wine that we brought in to accompany our meal (the corkage fee at Per Noi is only $7!). We toasted our foodie friends, who joined us, To finding such a great Italian restaurant in Salt Lake.

For entrees, we all pretty much went for the gnocchi (pictured at the top). Smooth pebble-like potato dumplings that are a true statement of traditional Italian cooking.  I mean how often do you get fresh gnocchi in Utah?!  And it was delicious. Every bite.  You can choose to order it with meat sauce (Bolognese) or with Tomato Sauce (Marinara). I chose tomato, Josh chose meat… typical right?!

The only other item we tried was their Linguini Pescatore, a big bowl full of seafood, spaghetti and marinara sauce.  Also, a good choice.

We ended the meal right with a cannoli, filled with fresh cream and a sprinkle of powdered sugar on top.

Nothing too fancy at Per Noi, just pure deliciousness and a friendly family with a desire to serve Salt Lake something true to their Italian culture.  And for that, I’m thankful!

Per Noi
1588 East Stratford Avenue

Also check out Wasatch Food Review of Per Noi

Fresco. Oh Fresco. If you’ve ever asked me the million dollar question about what my favorite restaurant in Salt Lake City is, I probably first looked at you a bit overwhelmed. Then I probably listed off five to ten of my favorite restaurants, not limiting it to just one favorite. Why? Because I believe that you must get to know a person before you recommend something to them. What I like may not be the thing you would like best.  Keeping that in mind, if you must know my favorite restaurant, I’ll tell you. Fresco Italian Cafe won my heart the first time I went. Josh and I have been going there for a while and every time it’s been beyond good. We constantly compare meals in other cities to what we’ve tasted at Fresco and not much has compared. I was thrilled to hear that Fresco won Best Restaurant this year in the Salt Lake Magazine Dining Awards so I thought it timely to share with you why why I love Fresco so.

The setting of Fresco is simple, nothing frilly or extravagant, just a few tables and chairs in a charming setting. The Cafe hides between the book store and a gallery in an historic neighborhood of the city. A small sign framed in green vines will lead us to the front door, where the aroma of divine flavors await. Even if we don’t get seated immediately, we can order a cocktail (the ginger martini is my favorite) and wander around the quaint little bookstore next door, The King’s English. Just walking around the bookstore will make me fall in love with our city all over again. Then, THEN we sit down in a cozy dining room to enjoy a meal which we know we will savor every bite of.Fresco is a special occasion restaurant for us. We don’t go often. When we go we are not trying to save money. We usually order an appetizer and dessert to share with our meal and maybe some cocktails or wine as well. Their menu seems to change every time we visit but we always find gnocchi somewhere on the list. It used to be served as an appetizer but is now under their pastas, but either way you can’t go wrong. They perfectly create their gnocchi, tender and chewy, served in a creamy sauce alongside earthy wild mushrooms.And for dessert… I could lie and say I don’t want any or am too full but Josh and I’ve been married long enough for him to know that I would leave a bit sad if I didn’t have a little decadence to end the evening. Upon our last visit, we chose the Chocolate Almond Crema, a custard-like dessert topped with whipped cream, chocolate almond cookie crumbs and candied almonds. We literally had to draw a line down the middle of the dessert so that we wouldn’t smuggle a bite over to the wrong side. You can bet that if a creamy, pudding-like dessert resides on the dessert list, it will be the one I choose over cake or cheesecake any-day. And this one specifically prevailed as a delicious choice.