New neighborhood restaurant Violet opens south of Sugar House

The new restaurant Violet is in the middle of the quiet Highland Park neighborhood, just south of Sugar House. And that’s exactly how owners Myra and Troy Petersen like it.

Referring to their business as a “big fish” in a “small pond,” the Petersens had no interest in opening a restaurant in downtown Salt Lake City, Myra Petersen told The Salt Lake Tribune.

“We like the mom and pop vibe, we feel it’s really important to sort of get that feeling back into ... not only our food community, but just our independent, small local business community in general,” Petersen said.

Located at 1588 E. Stratford Ave. in Salt Lake City, Violet is a family business. Myra and Troy Petersen, who have been married 17 years, run the restaurant as partners and co-owners, with Myra creating the menu and Troy managing operations. Their three children, who range in age from 7 to 18, all work at Violet, with the youngest proclaiming himself to be “the boss,” Myra Petersen said.

And “anybody who’s not in our immediate family, we will treat like family,” Petersen said. “... Everybody’s working together, nobody is above anybody else.”

The Petersens said they hope to take that mom and pop attitude and create a true neighborhood spot, like the ones that tend to go by the wayside when “everything kind of nostalgic goes away,” Petersen said.

With their eclectic, “elevated casual” menu, they said they aim to make Violet a place “where you can hang out and know that ... you’re feeding the family that’s feeding you, not the huge corporations that are feeding themselves,” Petersen said.

The story of Violet

Violet’s story begins at another Violet in a bygone time. About 20 years ago, Myra and Troy Petersen met while they were both working at a restaurant named Violet in Santa Monica, California. She was a bartender and he was a server.

After their first daughter was born, the family moved to Utah, where the Petersens became involved in the industry locally as well as in the Utah food scene.

Troy Petersen, who grew up with the Caputo family and is a friend of Matt Caputo and the late Tony Caputo, worked at Caputo’s Market and Deli downtown and also helped open Caputo’s at 15th and 15th in about 2006, Myra Petersen said. While working at Caputo’s downtown, Troy Petersen worked with Matt Caputo to establish the store’s famous cheese cave.

Petersen also worked with Creminelli Fine Meats for a time as a lead in their sales department. And Myra Petersen waited tables at East Liberty Tap House while she went back to school and got her real estate license.

The family bounced between Los Angeles and Utah for a while, but eventually Myra and Troy Petersen decided that they wanted to raise their children in Utah, so they moved back for the final time in about 2012.

Once the Petersens were ready to open their own Violet in Utah, they contacted the restaurant’s previous owner, got his blessing to reuse the name, and went for it — creating the present-day Violet where Stratford Proper used to be.

Food influenced by home

At Violet, everything is made from scratch in their kitchen except for a few exceptions — the bread and ketchup are made elsewhere, for example. But every pastry, every marinade, every dressing and every dip is handmade. “I think that really comes through in the food,” said Myra Petersen, whose menu is carried out by kitchen head Teresa Torres.

An eclectic mix of Greek, Italian and American influences, Violet’s menu is made up of family recipes and foods that Myra Petersen and her husband grew up with and like to cook at home, as well as reimagined recipes from restaurants they used to be involved with, she said. For example, the Elevated Baked Mac n Cheese, made with heavy cream, leeks, prosciutto and Gruyere cheese, is a recipe that the Petersens learned while working at the old Violet in Santa Monica — with their own spin on it.

For brunch, choose from dishes like the “Oh Captain, My Captain,” which is French toast coated with Cap’n Crunch-style cereal and served with butter and syrup. Or the Not Your Grandma’s Deviled Eggs, topped with cornichons, pickled beet slivers and fresh dill — people have been drawn to those little bites the most, Myra Petersen said.

For lunch or dinner, start with the popular fried zucchini spears before sinking your teeth into the meaty and satisfying French dip sandwich, made with In-house sliced roast beef topped with Gruyere cheese, onion straws and horseradish aioli and served with housemade au jus.

The margarita pinsa (like pizza made on a fermented flatbread), made with San Marzano tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil and extra-virgin olive oil, is simplicity itself. The jerk chicken pizza, which is Violet’s play on a barbecue chicken pizza, Myra Petersen said, features a housemade barbecue sauce made with 17 different spices.

And even though Petersen isn’t vegan, she includes some vegan options on the menu, like the vegan egg salad sandwich made with tofu, and the coconut, corn and potato soup. “We just appreciate the flavors that you can pull from so many different products,” Petersen said. “When you start to learn how to cook vegan, you really realize how much of an effort it is to make good vegan food.”

For dessert, you have to try the berry cobbler. When I was there, it was made with blackberries, blueberries and strawberries (although Petersen said they plan to change up the fruit), with freshly made whipped cream on top. It was tart and sweet and bursting with summery berry flavor. If you need a treat to go, you can also order cobbler from the pastry case, along with cookies, quiche, cakes, pie and more.

It’s all served in a cozy but airy space, with bright wallpaper that features flowers and tropical birds. You’ll find touches of violet here and there, like in the votive candleholders. While you wait for your food to arrive, see if you can name all of the iconic musicians in the “Last Supper”-style painting on the back wall.