This article is reprinted from the Utah Eats newsletter, compiled by Kolbie Peterson, The Salt Lake Tribune’s food and drink reporter. To get the newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday, become a subscriber by going to sltrib.com/newsletters.
Hello, Eaters!
This week I got the chance to try out Roux, a neighborhood restaurant that opened in February at 515 E. 300 South in Salt Lake City. Their menu focuses on local and sustainable ingredients. Thanks to Liz for the recommendation!
Roux is run by chef and owner Adam Cold, formerly the chef at Communal restaurant in Provo and the former executive chef of Heirloom Restaurant Group. The family-owned restaurant is the first Cold has owned.
The dining space is both airy and cozy, with wide, almost floor-length windows, lots of butterscotch leather and warm wood furniture. Chandeliers hanging from the ceiling cast little rainbows on the walls, and images of birds and flowers evoke the outdoors. This was a particularly peaceful place to eat, too — even as Roux filled up for dinner, the noise level stayed lower than expected.
My dining companion and I started out with the funeral potato pavé (more on that below).
(Kolbie Peterson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Roux restaurant's coulotte steak is photographed on Friday, March 8, 2024.
For my entree, I chose the coulotte steak ($36, pictured above), which was served with a Madeira sauce, charred broccolini, mashed potatoes and tempura onion rings.
My steak was cooked perfectly medium, and that sauce really brought out the meat’s beefy flavor. The mashed potatoes were rich and buttery; scooping up some potatoes with a piece of steak was a deliciously meaty, creamy bite. The charred broccolini was nutty and earthy, and the little onion rings just went well with everything on my plate.
Roux is open Tuesday through Saturday, 6 to 10 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday for brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For updates, visit Roux on Instagram: @roux.restaurant.
Live deliciously,
Kolbie
Food News
• Veneto Ristorante Italiano, at 370 E. 900 South in Salt Lake City, is holding a special Chef’s Table Dinner to welcome new chef Renato Giusti on Sunday, March 24, at 6 p.m. Giusti is from Padua, in the Veneto region of Italy, and he is a Michelin-starred and international award-winning chef, according to a news release. He started cooking at age 14, and he “fell in love with the art and craft of cooking for other people,” the release said. The dinner is $265 per person, including wine pairings.
• The Neighborhood Hive is holding an event, “Celebrating Women Owned Businesses,” on Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at 2065 E. 2100 South, Salt Lake City. Many of the vendors are from the food world: Chez Nibs (artisan chocolate), Food Justice Coalition (nonprofit creating food security and equitable food access), Artigiano Gelato, Salsa Del Diablo, The Bean Whole and more.
• St. Patrick’s Day is Sunday, but many bars are celebrating with special food items throughout the weekend, with such dishes as Irish stew, shepherd’s pie and corned beef and cabbage — to be enjoyed with a pint of Guinness, of course. Here’s my guide to what bars are offering for the holiday, and all the info you’ll need for the Salt Lake City St. Patrick’s Day parade and siamsa on Saturday..
Openings:
• Beans & Brews, 4646 S. 900 East, Murray.
• Toro Steak & Cocktails, 11511 S. 4000 West, South Jordan, 801-834-0225.
Closings:
(Sean Means | The Salt Lake Tribune) Jack Mormon Coffee, in the Avenues, on Monday, March 11, 2024.
• Jack Mormon Coffee, at 82 E St. in Salt Lake City’s Avenues, is closed temporarily while the coffee shop upgrades its utilities and equipment. A sign in their window reads: “We will be down for maintenance for a bit.”
• Citris Grill, at 3977 Wasatch Blvd. in the Millcreek area, is closing after 20 years in business.
Booze (and Drink!) News
Flanker Kitchen + Sporting Club, in The Gateway at 6 N. Rio Grande St., Salt Lake City, is celebrating the opening of its new pop-up cocktail bar, Tipsy Flamingo, on Saturday. A news release says guests will be “transported to the ‘80s” with tropical decor, neon lights and a disco vibe, plus hand-crafted cocktails and curated bites. Reservations are recommended and can be made online. Tipsy Flamingo is open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5 to 11 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Over St. Patrick’s Day weekend, Deer Valley — at 2250 Deer Valley Drive South in Park City — is hosting a special High West Whiskey Lounge at McHenry Beach, located mid-mountain by Silver Lake Lodge. From Friday through Sunday, guests 21 and over can enjoy whiskey from High West, wine from Constellation Brands, and beer from Offset Bier at the High West Airstream Bar. Keep cozy next to wood-burning cauldrons while you listen to DJ Dolph and take in the vibe.
Dish of the Week
(Kolbie Peterson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Roux restaurant's funeral potato pave is photographed on Friday, March 8, 2024.
This week, I chose the funeral potato pavé ($9) from Roux. First of all, this dish is definitely a play on funeral potatoes, nothing like the heavy, cheesy dish to which Utahns are accustomed. These are funeral potatoes if they were served in a fine restaurant in France.
Pavé means “cobblestone” in French, and typically refers to a square or rectangular-shaped serving of food, according to Food & Wine.
For this dish, presentation is as important as taste. To create it, thinly sliced potatoes are cut into precise rectangles and layered together with butter, then baked, giving them a gorgeously deep, caramelized color.
The finished creation is served on top of a velouté, which is a French sauce made with a roux and a light stock. A dollop of crème fraîche goes on top with the most finely chopped chives I’ve ever seen, and then the whole thing is drizzled with a bit of chive oil to add some brightness.
Take a bite, and you’ll find that the potatoes are soft on the inside and slightly crunchy on the edges.
