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!
Lately, it seems like everyone is talking about tipping. Here in Utah, I recently saw a local Reddit thread titled “Tipping is out of control.” The New York Times discussed tipping in a recent episode of their podcast “The Daily”. The topic has even entered the 2024 presidential race, with both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump calling for tips not to be taxed.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve felt the increasing pressure to tip more, and in more places. I see tip screens everywhere, even at every food stand I visited at the Utah State Fair last week.
I’m planning to write a story about this topic, but first, I want to hear what you Eaters think. If you have just a couple of minutes, do me a favor and fill out this Google form, at bit.ly/4ds36pr. It will help give me a jumping-off point for the story.
I want to know where the line is for you. When you’re confronted with a tip screen, do you always tip, no matter what? Do you not tip for takeout? When you visit a full-service restaurant and receive good service, do you tip 20%, 30%, or even 40%?
Also, in Toast’s Restaurant Trends Report for the second quarter of 2023, it said that Utah is among the 10 worst states when it comes to tipping, with Utahns tipping, on average, 18.8%. Does that ring true to you?
Hoping to hear from you all.
Live deliciously,
Kolbie
Food News
• On Sunday, Slow Food Utah is holding Snail Fest, a food-centric event that features winners of the Snail of Approval Award, which honors restaurants and businesses that practice Slow Food values, according to a news release for the event. Snail Fest will be held at The Neighborhood Hive, at 2065 E. 2100 South in Salt Lake City, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Tickets include five bites plus two drinks (cocktails and mocktails); all proceeds go to the Slow Food Utah microgrant program, which distributes funds to small farms, producers and nonprofits in the community. Some of the contributors to the event include Sego Restaurant with Red Acre Farm, Pago, Caffe Ibis, Beehive Cheese, Red Bicycle Breadworks, Etta Place Cidery, Solstice Spices and more. Tickets are $50 and available on Eventbrite.
(Leah Hogsten | Salt Lake Tribune file photo) Pig & A Jelly Jar, a popular Salt Lake City restaurant, seen here in 2017.
Closings:
• Pig & A Jelly Jar, which specialized in comfort food and brunch and had locations in Salt Lake City, Holladay and Ogden, is closed, according to a post on Instagram. “The stress outweighed the reward and the fun was gone,” wrote Vivi Wanderley-Britt, who owned the restaurants with her wife, Amy, for 13 years. The couple closed their other Ogden restaurant, WB’s Eatery, in January.
• Fillings & Emulsions, a Latin-inspired and eclectic local bakery, is closing its West Valley City location, according to a post on Instagram. Saturday will be the last day the bakery at 1980 W. 3500 South, Unit 101 will be open. “We have loved the last five years here but the wind is blowing us in a different direction,” the post read. You can still get Fillings & Emulsions treats at their Salt Lake City location at 1475 S. Main St.
Dish of the Week
(Kolbie Peterson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Lasagna al pesto Genovese from Mastra Italian Bakery and Bistro, shown at Festa Italiana on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.
• On Saturday, I went to Festa Italiana for the first time and absolutely stuffed myself. My dining companion and I got there at lunchtime, stomachs growling, and we headed straight to the booth of one of my favorite restaurants in Utah: Màstra Italian Bakery and Bistro in American Fork.
I ordered a Màstra speciality: lasagna al pesto Genovese (pictured above), or rather, pesto lasagna. It doesn’t look like much in the photo, but every bite of this lasagna was an explosion of flavor. Made with fresh pasta, pesto Genovese, béchamel sauce, mozzarella cheese, pine nuts and Parmigiano Reggiano, the lasagna was so rich and so flavorful, I didn’t mind that it was vegetarian.
Plus, on the side, I got a large piece of onion focaccia, which is just heaven in a piece of bread. The onions bake on top, making them soft and lovely, and every divot and dimple on the bread’s surface contains treasures of olive oil and salt. Màstra chef Jonathan Cagnacci rightly became famous for his focaccia at the Provo Farmers Market before he started his restaurant.
For dessert, I had a big scoop of dark chocolate gelato from Pinguino’s Gelato, and it was the perfect final note for a perfect day of food.
