This article is excerpted from the Utah Eats newsletter, compiled by Kolbie Peterson, The Salt Lake Tribune’s food and drink reporter. To get the full newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday, become a subscriber by going to sltrib.com/newsletters.
Hello, Eaters!
Last week I wrote that I recently took a road trip to southern Utah, where, in Bicknell, my traveling companion and I stopped at the original Curry Pizza and tried their butter chicken pizza — and loved it.
This week, my account of my adventures continues. After we arrived in Torrey on State Route 24, we had dinner at Hunt & Gather Restaurant, at 599 W. Main Street.
This year, Slow Food USA awarded Hunt & Gather its Snail of Approval, which recognizes the restaurant’s work in sourcing, environmental impact, cultural connection, community involvement, staff support and business values.
Co-owners Nancy Saign and chef Chet Saign opened Hunt & Gather in July 2020, inspired to name their restaurant after the Indigenous hunter-gatherer cultures that lived in the area of Capitol Reef National Park, as well as throughout Utah, Idaho, Colorado and Nevada, about 2,000 years ago.
The Saigns’ menu says they use “whole, locally seasonal and sustainable ingredients carefully sourced for each dish.”
I ordered the 599 West Main filet mignon (more on that below), which takes its name from the restaurant’s address.
Although Hunt & Gather serves fine cuisine, the vibe inside isn’t stuffy, perfect for travelers passing through Torrey or staying a night or two in town.
Live deliciously,
Kolbie
Food News
• Wasatch Community Gardens is holding its spring plant sale at Rowland Hall, 720 S. Guardsman Way in Salt Lake City, on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Green thumbs, this is your chance to browse an extensive selection of vegetable starts; herbs; edible perennials; and flowers; plus onion, leek and shallot starts; seeds; potatoes and more. More than 45,000 food-growing plant starts will be available, all grown at Wasatch Community Gardens’ certified organic Green Phoenix Farm by women experiencing homelessness. Visit WasatchGardens.org for tips on how to shop the plant sale.
• Dog Haus, at 10261 S. State St. in Sandy, is offering three dishes through May 31 that feature Colorado-style green chili: the Colorado Green Chili Sausage, the Colorado Green Chili Burrito and the Colorado Green Chili Queso Hot Fries. For every limited-time menu item sold, $1 will be contributed to the national charity No Kid Hungry.
Openings:
• Paris Baguette, at 950 E. Fort Union Blvd., in Midvale. This is the first Utah location for bakery and cafe Paris Baguette, which has more than 4,000 locations worldwide and is about as common in South Korea as Dunkin Donuts is in the United States, reports The Korea Herald.
• Houston TX Hot Chicken is holding a grand opening for its new 9th and 9th location, at 912 E. 900 South in Salt Lake City, on Saturday, from noon to 3 p.m., according to a news release. The event will feature a spicy food challenge, complimentary sandwiches, an exotic car display and more. This will be Houston TX Hot Chicken’s sixth location in Utah.
• Beans & Brews, 1816 S. 525 West, in Beaver. This new location of Beans & Brews can be found halfway between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, off exit 109, according to a news release, giving locals and travelers a convenient place to grab a cup of coffee and a pastry.
Dish of the Week
It’s 213 miles from Salt Lake City to Torrey, and I like to think I’d drive that distance again just to order Hunt & Gather’s 599 West Main filet mignon ($51, pictured above). It’s a Utah-produced 8-ounce center-cut tenderloin, served with mashed potatoes (my favorite); a demi-glace made with port and Blue Damson plums; tangy blue cheese from Maytag Dairy Farms in Newton, Iowa; and vegetables including cauliflower, carrots, squash and zucchini.
According to co-owner Nancy Saign, the filet mignon is from the “hunter” side of the menu and is one of their best-selling entrees, especially among locals. Her husband, Chet, hand-cuts every filet and “is known for cooking it exactly the way guests request it,” she said via email.
The plum demi-glace, which was rich and deeply flavored, is “months in the making,” she said. “Each fall, Chet harvests plums from his orchard and cans them for this sauce.”
This dish was dynamite, with every component accompanying the others beautifully. I loved slicing through that topping of blue cheese, and I’ll be thinking about that tender medium steak for a long time.
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