Faustina
For years I’ve enjoyed going to Faustina. I love the cozy neighborhood setting toward the east end of 300 South, which has always been inviting and centrally located. There is plenty of off-street parking and I like the bar area. While waiting for my whole group to gather, we were served a very succulent, little Adami Prosecco, which seems to be all the rage these days at Italian restaurants. It was delightful. Next we were served a lamb chop starter: perfectly...
Dojo
Friday night I had a very delicious dinner at Dojo close to downtown Salt Lake City. Dojo is at 423 W. 300 South, near the old Rio Grande train depot. I scolded the owners—only a friendly scold—regarding the hidden signage. Dojo has a recessed front between two new buildings, and if you blink you can miss it. There is plenty of parking though, both under the building and on several side streets. Once you're inside, Dojo is gorgeous. The floors are stone terrazzo and the rounded kitchen and sushi bar are also covered in carefully placed stone. There are booths and regular tables and a few alcove tables with attractive curtains attached. I really like the look of the place.
Nuch’s Pizzeria
Just one word sums it up — wow! For nearly two years now I’ve driven past Nuch’s Pizzeria & Restaurant on my way to work. Sort of hidden, at the top of 2300 East in Millcreek, Nuch’s exterior belies what’s going on inside. One thing I noticed right away was the sumptuous aroma the minute I stepped out of my car. It reminded me of Little Italy in San Diego, and when I walked into the simple but elegant dining room it was like a bell ringing. This is a special place!
ZY Restaurant
Last Wednesday night I went to dine at ZY restaurant in downtown Salt Lake City. This was a very special evening because my dining partner was my friend and former roommate Lee Williams. In the early 1980s we shared a very cool bachelor pad high above the city on De Soto Street on Capitol Hill. We held the original meetings of Affirmation there; much to the dismay of our many LDS neighbors. Our home was a gathering place for a throng of gays seeking fun and enlightenment at a time when few were out of the closet. Those years were the best of times.
Vuz
Perched on a hill in Draper, with Cactus and Tropicals right next door, Vuz is a very impressive installation – similar, if not equal, in beauty to the glitzy bars and restaurants in the new hotels in Deer Valley and Park City. As you walk through this cavernous space it seems that no expense has be spared. Everywhere you look the creators of Vuz have detailed and customized the decor including the walls, floors, ceilings and a beautiful, round, open kitchen that is seen from every angle as are the expansive vistas of the Salt Lake Valley to the west. When I was able to shut my jaw again, I started really noticing what was going on.
Sun & Moon Cafe
Driving up Emigration Canyon was such a trip into the past for me. When I was a little boy, my mother’s uncle Claude and aunt Mary had a cabin up there. It wasn’t the first time I checked out each little lane, wondering if that was the one we used to take to get to the small dwelling. I guess now I’ll never know since anyone who used to go up there has long since passed on.