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