A city can never have enough breakfast and brunch spots. At least in my opinion they can’t!  Hub & Spoke Diner just opened in a cosy Salt Lake City neighborhood, and their menu is just as cosy as their food. Chef Phelix Gardner brings a modern spin on Southern Diner foods like Shrimp and Grits, Kentucky Brown and Sweet Potato Pancakes (or flapjacks if your from the South).

I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to stray from their breakfast menu (and lucky for me it’s served all day) but if you’re not the breakfast type, there are lots of other great options.  Try their Fried Chicken Salad made with house-made buttermilk ranch, or the Patty Melt with Russian Dressing.  Also, you don’t have to eat like a Southerner here, they also offer plenty of lighter options like their Kale Tabbouleh Salad or the Tuna Melt.

While I’ve already given many reasons to make a visit to Hub & Spoke I’ll leave you with just a few more… pie, boozy milk shakes, and great coffee!  Pastry Chef Courtney McDowell has mastered the Southern classic pies like Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, French Silk, and Banana Cream Pie. Also, who does’t want to try a boozy milk shake, especially when they have flavors like Grasshopper and Irish Coffee.  Speaking of coffee, they serve our very biased favorite La Barba. No need to say more

Hub & Spoke Diner
MONDAY — SUNDAY:  7AM — 9PM
1291 South 1100 East

With a new baby in tow, we aren’t doing much traveling this summer but we did get our fix with a few short stay-cations. Last week we drove just a few minutes and checked into pure extravagance, the Grand America hotel. This being one of our first nights away from home with a new baby, it was also nice to know we were only a short drive away if we forgot anything. Our minds at ease, we fully relaxed, feeling as if we were miles away in some exotic destination.

The Grand America makes you feel like you are somewhere dreamy, somewhere new and distant, somewhere not-Salt Lake. Just look around, all of the details from the flourished iron railings on each patio, to the fountains, gold frames, and extravagant chandeliers, all of these are definitely giving a boost to what you think of when you imagine Utah travel.

The first thing we did after arriving was change into our swimsuits to sit by the pool.  Sipping on cocktails, and getting updated in the latest issues of our favorite magazines, we enjoyed being poolside for at least a few hours.

A bonus for us was that we could stay in a suite with a kitchen, so we could make a couple meals inside and enjoy the peacefulness of being alone. For dinner that evening, we made an easy vacation meal, Apricot and Almond Couscous Salad, you can find the recipe on the Vintage Mixer blog.

Also, the accommodations came with everything we needed for a baby, so we could leave all of the baby gadget we just acquired at home (crib, baby bath, rocker, and they even provide a stroller!).

A trip to the grand, would not be complete without one of La Bonne Vie, the hotel bakery, French macarons. And you should have a few… our favorites were the pistachio, salted caramel, and vanilla. Oh and we had some white chocolate pistachio dipped strawberries too. It was, in fact, a vacation, even just for a day!

Food-wise, the real extravagance came from the Garden Cafe for lunch the next day.  We devoured a beautiful Peach Salad topped with granola, yogurt, and honey (a brilliant lunch-take on the fruit and granola we all enjoy for breakfast!). We also grazed the buffet, finding it hard to choose with all of the well prepared dishes. Some favorites were the trout, mediterranean pasta saladd, and of course the bread pudding with caramel sauce.

We found Grand America to be the perfect getaway close to home. Spoiled and full, we returned home in a matter of minutes!

More goodies at La Bonne Vie