This article is excerpted from the Utah Eats newsletter, compiled by Kolbie Peterson, 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!
If you’ve driven down 2100 South in Sugar House recently, you’ve seen the construction and know that access to local businesses has been hit significantly. It’s not ending anytime soon, either: Construction is expected to continue in Sugar House for another year, my colleague Shaylee Navarro reported in October.
However, work will slow down in the area over the holidays, Navarro reported. Crews will be focusing their attention on sewer work between 700 and 900 East.
This means some businesses along 2100 South will be more accessible during that time, and here’s one you should visit: Hopkins Brewing Company, at 1048 E. 2100 South.
Not only does it have great beer, it has great food, too.
My dining companion and I visited on a Thursday night, and apparently, it was the place to be that evening in Sugar House.
We found a couple seats in the back along the bar and settled in. I figured I’d stick with a classic and ordered the burger. (Read more about my order in the Dish of the Week section of this newsletter.)
To drink, I ordered some of Hopkins’ Locals Only beer, which they brew once a year using hops — picked fresh in Sugar House — and local malt, said brewery owner Chad Hopkins.
(Kolbie Peterson | The Salt Lake Tribune) The interior of Hopkins Brewing Company, in Salt Lake City's Sugar House neighborhood.
In fact, the hops are so fresh that Hopkins calls it a “wet hop IPA.” He described the beer as a classic West Coast IPA that has a touch of bitterness to it. The Chinook hops used to brew it are piney, dank and resinous, Hopkins said.
I found it to be hoppy and only a little dank. It was nice and refreshing, a flat-out pleasant, flavorful IPA.
Remember, Sugar House isn’t closed. When you visit Hopkins or any of its neighboring businesses, there is free parking available in the lot directly behind the building.
Live deliciously,
Kolbie
Food News
(Tory Lynn Photography) Ritual Chocolate, based in Heber City, is releasing Hygge Drinking Chocolate for the holidays.
• Ritual Chocolate, which crafts small-batch chocolate in Heber, is coming out with three new chocolate items for the holidays, according to a news release: the Gingerbread Toffee Crisp Bar, Hygge Drinking Chocolate (pictured above) and Gingerbread Hot Cocoa Drops.
The Gingerbread Toffee Crisp Bar is a creamy oat milk chocolate blend with winter spices, topped with crisp toasted molasses toffee, the release said. The Hygge (pronounced “hoo-ga”) Drinking Chocolate is an indulgent way to get your cozy on, and the Gingerbread Hot Cocoa Drops are marshmallows coated in creamy spiced chocolate and dusted with toasted molasses, ready to be dropped into a cup of hot milk or cocoa, the release said. To purchase, visit RitualChocolate.com.
• Roux Restaurant, at 515 E. 300 South in Salt Lake City, has added three new items to its dessert menu, according to an Instagram post: lemon cake, sticky carrot toffee cake and a fudgy chocolate brownie. The lemon cake ($15) is filled with lemon curd and topped with mascarpone frosting and lemon meringue “shards,” according to the menu. The carrot toffee cake ($12) is served warm on top of cream cheese custard. And the brownie ($10) is topped with chocolate ganache and served with vanilla ice cream. If you can’t get enough of Roux’s Basque cheesecake and butterscotch pudding, don’t worry — those items are still on the menu.
• Koyote, at 551 W. 400 North in Salt Lake City, has added a new type of ramen to its menu, and it sounds downright decadent. According to an Instagram post, the Brown Butter Premium Miso Ramen comes with pork belly, bean sprouts, negi (Japanese long green onion), herbs, marinated egg, bok choy, menma (fermented bamboo shoots) and a “whole lot of love.” Koyote doesn’t accept reservations, so if you don’t want to wait at this popular Japanese restaurant, I recommend being there when they open at 5 p.m.
Dish of the Week
(Kolbie Peterson | The Salt Lake Tribune) The hamburger at Hopkins Brewing Company in Salt Lake City's Sugar House neighborhood, served on a sturdy pretzel bun with house-cut fries.
The first sign that this was going to be a good burger was when I cut it in half, and could see that it was cooked medium. Perfect.
Hopkins Brewing Company puts a lot of care into its food. Chad Hopkins said, “We source as much [locally] as possible, but we also are very passionate about sustainable ingredients.” They use free-range, antibiotic-free chicken, along with free-range, grass-fed beef and cage-free eggs, he said.
My burger ($18) featured a hefty patty made with that grass-fed beef, as well as cheddar, organic spring mix, tomato, onion, pickles and garlic aioli, all on a local pretzel bun. When I took my giant first bite, all of those flavors just sang together, with the aioli being the unifying factor. Normally I don’t like pickles on a burger, but these dills added a nice zingy element.
As I ate, the burger’s juices dripped onto my pile of house-cut fries, making the tasty fried potatoes even tastier. I happily dunked the fries into ketchup (no fry sauce for me, thanks) as I gobbled that beast of a burger right down.
P.S. Applause for the pretzel bun! A little studier than the ubiquitous brioche situation, this bun could actually hold up to the ingredients without falling apart. More pretzel buns, please.
