The most recent issue of In Magazine has our write up about a great Mediterranean restaurant in town, Layla Grill.  I wanted to give you a few more behind the scenes details about this fine family establishment in Holladay.

The family behind Layla set aside their personal dreams and prefereces for years to make ends meet in the restaurants business.  They ran restaurants in styles from American to Italian style but never highlighting their own heritage of cooking until now.  They say the time was just right in opening up their first Mediterranean restaurant.  Currently, more and more locals are looking for unusual dining experiences and true ethnic foods.

While Layla still has some American flare to it’s menu, inlcuding it’s desserts and the American style fries you can get alongside your gyro, for the most part, their menu is filled with recipes passed on from generations in their family line.

A highlight of our meal at Layla included the Halloumi Cheese appetizer, grilled, almost squeeky cheese served on a bed of lettuce wtih pomegranate vinagrette- a must try if you go there! We also thoroughly enjoyed our entrees and the pistachio baklava which was not overly sweet but perfectly nutty.  Here are some extra shots that didn’t make it to the magazine.

Layla Grill
4751 S Holladay Blvd
Mon-Fri Lunch 11:30-2pm • Mon-Thur  dinner 5–9:30p.m • Friday & Saturday dinner 5-10:00p.m

I tried Finca for the first time over lunch and I’m already planning a time soon to return!  A friend from work and I ventured over to try some tapas while we talked about her upcoming trip to Spain.  Of course we talked about an assortment of things, life in Utah, dating, our parents and siblings, and good food… tapas can bring about the best conversation!

The menu at Finca lists enough compelling options that its seriously hard to choose, lucky for the two of us we have similar tastes so we both leaned towards the tapas with either asparagus or mushrooms.  I think it’s best to eat tapas with people who are: 1- not picky and 2- have similar tastes as you, since you will be sharing everything you order.

We started by ordering the Mussels, recommended to me by a dear friend, which are served with chorizo but sadly they were out of them that day.  Luckily they still had the wild mushroom tapa served on toast with pinenuts and the sauteed asparagus served with a poached egg and ham, so we ordered up one of each of those.  And I feel you can’t have Spanish tapas without ordering croquetas so we ordered some of these as well. As our food came out, so did my camera, it was all bautifully plated, so inticing it’s hard to stop and take a photo before taking a bite.

As I took a bite of the crispy croquetas I couldn’t help but remember my summer in Spain and my first bite of true Spanish croquetas outside a bull fighting arena.  I remember the unusually cool summer evening, the plaza filled with restaurants and energetic people coming to and from the arena, and I recall and menu filled with tapas I could hardly read or understand but one that I knew would not disappoint: croquetas. And ever since then, I’ve been hoping for a similar bite to what we had that evening.  At Finca I found their flavor and style of cooking to be true to what I had that summer in Spain.

We enjoyed each of the tapas we ordered and would reorder them again if there wasn’t so much more on their menu that I would like to try!  Over the summer I’ll be returning to have more tastes of Spain right here in Salt Lake and lucky for my friend, she’ll be sitting on some beautiful plaza eating traditional Spanish food soon as well. Andwhen I do come back I’ll be having some cocktails too because I’ve heard their mixologist is especially good at his job!

Finca

Lunch: Mon-Fri: 11am-5pm
Dinner: Mon-Sat: 5pm-10pm
Brunch: Sat: 11am-3pm, Sun: 10am-3pm
Late night – Tapas & Cocktails: Fri & Sat: 10pm-12am

The long wait is over.  Caputo’s opened their doors at 15th and 15th so we can now fulfill our Caputo’s Market cravings at this cozy new deli.

This new location is more than a deli with the Caputo’s traditional subs and salads.  They also carry their most popular market items like balsamic vinegars, olive oils, LavAzza, Illy, and Pete’s coffees, a wide selection of olives, cheese, and deli meats, rare nuts and fresh pasta, and Crumb Brothers bread to name just a few.

Every Thursday they have a Locavore Market, selling even more local foods from farmers and small businesses.  You can read more about that here.

My choice for lunch at Caputo’s, Caprese Salad with fresh mozzarella, garden tomatoes, sweet basil, extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  This simple salad is light yet filling and perfectly tasty.  Sometimes the most simple things are the most valuable.  You can get a small Caprese Salad for just under $6.50. And for dessert, because all good meals end with a small bite of something sweet, you have to pick up a Poco Dolce Aztec Chile chocolate square.  It’s pricey for a small bite of chocolate but you’ll understand why when you bite into the salted & spicy bittersweet chocolate with the crunch of pumpkin seeds and a small hint of chile and cinnamon.  My favorite chocolate by a long shot, you have to try it!

Of course, you can also enjoy Caputo’s traditional sandwiches at this new location like the favorite meatball sub, or the Caputo with prosciutto, mortadella, salami, provolone, lettuce, and tomatoes on a Italian roll with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

And my favorite part about this new deli, a great patio with bright blue San Pellegrino umbrellas.  There’s just not much that compares with have a traditional Italian lunch al fresco in the cute neighborhood of 15th and 15th.

Caputo’s Market and Deli on 15th and 15th
1516 South 1500 East
lunch menu
Monday-Thursday 9:00-7:00
Friday-Saturday 9:00-9:00
Sunday 10:00-3:00

The rumor is the Buffalo Chicken Gyro is the thing to order…sounded a bit strange to me but I went for it, and it was much better than expected. I am not a big wings fan but the wing sauce on this Gyro was freshly made and pretty tasty. It was even still warm once I made it home. I also ordered a small Greek Salad, for a grand total of $5!

Their mini Gyros are only $2 and they come in several varieties from traditional to more fusion. They make all of their sauces from scratch and their vegetables and salads are very fresh.

I would say Greek Express has traditional Greek roots but with a modern American twist. I was told that the owner used to be in charge of the Greek Festival for many years. If you haven’t been to the Greek Festival, it is a must if you live in Salt Lake. We go every year and are never disappointed even as we wade through the crowds. It is every October and is at the Greek Orthodox Church downtown.

So, needless to say this new Cafe has a great foundation if it has roots in the Greek Festival. The casual bar-like atmosphere is great, with beers on tap, and late open hours. They had some of the friendliest service I’ve experienced in a long time and I work in the hospitality industry! They were especially kind seeing as I came it right as they were closing. I was mega impressed by this place and will be coming back to try another version of gyro and maybe some homemade baklava!



City Greek Express
660 South State Street
Tues-Fri 11:00am-9:00pm Sat- 2:00pm-9:00pm Closed Sunday/Monday

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