Grove Market & Deli

Address: 1906 South Main Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84115.

Review: Friday was what we at the law office call "bail bonds day." It's the day during which we go around to all the bail bondsmen in Salt Lake City, chat 'em up, and leave our business cards. Such is the life of a small criminal defense firm. 

So, while making our way north toward the downtown bondsmen, my partner turned to me and said, "You ever eaten at the Grove?" 

"No." I replied. 

He went on, "We should go. They sell baby sandwiches there." 

"Baby sandwiches? What's the draw there?" I queried.

His reply: "No, not small sandwiches. They're called 'babies' because they're big as babies."

The conversation ended thusly, "Oh, well then, let's go."

When you approach Grove Market & Deli, it looks like one of those places you frequent because you want to buy beer at 10 a.m. on a Saturday morning. 

However, in the back is a sandwich shop, and a pretty good one at that. 

The options are limited and built around the type of meat you want one your oversized French bread loaf. I chose corned beef. The corned beef was not made in house, but, honestly, you can't expect too much from a convenience store sandwich shop. It came stuffed with mayo, mustard, lettuce, pickles, onions, provolone cheese, and tomatoes. And yes, the thing was the size of my first child. 

After grabbing a Weinhard's root beer (best root beer on earth, mind you), I partook. The bread was spongy and slightly crusty. Of course, what we conceive of as French bread has nothing to do with actual French bread, but this bread was perfectly suited for a sandwich the size of a small human. Toppings were good, nothing special. Corned beef wasn't particularly spiced, but it was salty and meaty and completely satisfying. This was a fat, fill-you-up sandwich, nothing more, nothing less. And, as such, it was good.

Rating: 6/10 (5/10 is average).

Costa Vida

Address: 4361 State Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84107. 801.268.6200.

Review: Anyone who has read my reviews knows I am loathe to compare one restaurant to another. Each should stand or fall on its own. There are exceptions to this approach, however. The most notable exception is when one restaurant is more or less a carbon copy of another restaurant. Such is the case with Costa Vida. I'm pretty sure the conversation leading to the founding of Costa Vida went a little something like this: [Person 1] "Wow, this Cafe Rio food tastes great. I think we should simply copy Cafe Rio's menu, its ambience, and its business plan in hopes that we can steal its market share." [Person 2] "That's a great idea. You're so smart. No wonder you got an A in our learning-to-rip-off-another's-idea class in business school." 

Unfortunately for Person 1 and Person 2, they forgot to copy Cafe Rio's quality. Thus, not only is Costa Vida hopelessly derivative, its food is vastly inferior when compared to its exemplar. Don't waste your time; just go to Cafe Rio.

Rating: Go to Cafe Rio/10.

The Dodo Restaurant

Address: 1355 E 2100 S, Salt Lake City, Utah 84105. 801.486.2473.

Review: The Dodo Restaurant is a Sugar House staple. It has a clean, modern interior and bustles with activity. It is the hip kind of place you want in Sugar House, which explains its continued popularity over the years. Of course, as knows anyone who has eaten at more than three restaurants in their lifetime, ambience does not guarantee quality food. So, let's see if the Dodo's food lives up to the ambience.

We began our meal with the artichoke pie. It's artichokes baked with cheddar cheese, onions, and garlic. It comes with crackers and lemony mayo. The pie was spongey, savory, and cheesy. The mayo was quite lemony and is an ode to the classic combination of lemon and artichokes. Unfortunately, the pie lacked much artichoke flavor. In fact, the most pronounced flavor was that of cheddar, which is not desirable given the pie's name.

Next up was the roasted tomato polenta cakes. They were served over an avocado spread and under a chipotle mayo. There was also a side of pine nut relish (more salsa than anything) and greens. I couldn't figure out this dish. The avocado spread was pureed avocado; nothing else. No salt, no nothing. The cake was moist, although it didn't taste much of roasted tomatoes. The greens were not dressed, and were out-of-place. The chipotle mayo was the real bright spot of this dish, but one great element does not a dish make. Disjointed is the best word to describe this dish.

Then there was the entree: cobb salad. It was served with a gorgonzola cream sauce, gorgonzola crumbles, smoke turkey, bacon, tomatoes, boiled eggs, and smoked ham. With a line up like that, how could a salad be anything but stellar? Well, the answer starts with the gorgonzola not having a ton of that beautiful quasi sour flavor that is its hallmark. Then you move to the smoked turkey and ham which had no kiss of smoke flavor (not even a little peck on the cheek). After that, the other elements, which were perfectly fine, made the salad perfectly average. 

And on to the end. In my pre-meal research of the Dodo, the one constant was the assessment that the desserts were stellar. On the recommendation of the hostess, we ordered the mango and raspberry tart. 

With vivid flavors and a light and a flaky tart crust, this dessert would have sung. Unfortunately, such was not the case. The crust was inordinately dense and lacked flavor. The mango portion tasted sort of like mango, although if the menu hadn't read "mango raspberry tart," I'm not sure I would have been able to discern mango. The raspberry on the other hand, wow. Very fruity flavor, and just the right sugar content. Again, however, one stellar element does not a great dessert make.

In the end, the meal was alright. More than anything else, the flavors were muted and uninspiring. And for the price you pay at the Dodo, muted isn't good enough.

Rating: 5.5/10 (5/10 is average).

Thai Lotus

Address: 1435 South State Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84115. 801.474.3322.

Review: Our monthly young-lawyer lunch took us to Thai Lotus. The lunch specials seemed the choice of the table, so I ordered the Gang Ga Ree (which pronunciation to a whitey like me is unfortunately a little too close to "gangrene" for comfort).

Actually, the Gang Ga Ree was preceded by a green salad with what might be be described as an Asian peanut vinaigrette. Tasty, although not entirely Thai in any discernible way.

Now, back to the Gang Ga Ree, which is a yellow curry dish with potatoes, peanuts, and chicken. The yellow curry, which contained copious amounts of coconut milk, was beautifully smooth and fragrant. The rice was white and sticky, exactly as I like it. Amazingly, the potatoes were the best part of the dish. Perfectly cooked with just the right amount of al dente feel to them, they were luscious. On the other hand, the chicken was mealy and dry. Overall, a very satisfying dish with some stellar components and some weak spots as well.

Rating: 6.5/10 (5/10 is average).

Trattoria Brown - Potato Salad with Bacon, Memorial Day Style

So, it's Memorial Day, and in great American tradition, we are barbecuing. And while meat is good, potato salad is the primary reason for summer barbecues. That cooling, creamy savoriness hits the spot on hot summer afternoons.

Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds red potatoes, cubed

1 cup mayonaise

1 clove garlic, minced

1/3 cup pickled red onion

2/3 cup bacon, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces

2 tablespoons bacon fat

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons stone-ground mustard

1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1/8 cup chives, chopped

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Kosher salt, three tablespoons

Directions

Render bacon pieces until crispy. Place bacon on paper-toweled plate to dry. Reserve 2 tablespoons of rendered bacon fat.

Place sliced red onion in bowl and pour over apple cider vinegar. Let stand.

Place mayonaise, garlic, mustard, parsley, chives, pepper, and bacon fat into medium mixing bowl. Stir until fully incorporated. Let stand at least 2 hours.

Put the potatoes in a large pot, cover with cold water by 2 inches and add 3 tablespoons salt. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until a knife inserted into the center of the potatoes meets with no resistance. Drain the potatoes well, let cool completely.

Place potatoes in large mixing bowl. Top with mayonaise mixture, bacon, and drained pickled onions. Mix until potatoes are evenly covered. Seal with plastic wrap and place in fridge for 2 to 3 hours. Serve chilled.

Trattoria Brown-Chicken Pot Pie with Cheddar Buttermilk Dumplings

We had a potluck barbecue today with friends. A one-pot contribution seemed an easy and transportable meal. So, chicken and dumplings it was.

Ingredients: 

Chicken Pot Pie

1 1/2 medium onions

3 carrots

2 stalks celery

1 red bell pepper

4 chicken breasts, cubed

3 1/2 cups milk

1/2 teaspoon dried sage

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper, ground

4 tablespoons butter

Cheddar Buttermilk Dumplings

12 ounces all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling

2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme

1 teaspoon freshly chopped sage

1/2 teaspoon paprika

4 ounces extra-sharp white cheddar

4 ounces unsalted butter, frozen

7 ounces low-fat buttermilk

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

For the filling: Place large cast iron pot over medium heat. Add butter, onions, carrots, celery, bell pepper, and one teaspoon salt, and sweat for three minutes. Add cubed chicken pieces and cook for another five to six  minutes. Add milk, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper, and heat to a boil.

For the biscuits: Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, thyme, sage, and paprika in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.

Grate the cheese and butter using the large shredding disk of a food processor or the large side of a box grater. Immediately add the cheese and butter to the flour mixture. Stir to combine. Pour in the buttermilk and stir just to combine. When combined, work dough with hands just until it comes together. Roll dough into 1 1/2-inch diameter balls.

To build the pie: Place the dumplings on top of the filling, spacing them evenly around the edge of the pan and then in the middle. Bake until the dumplings are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before serving.

Trattoria Brown - Fried Jalapenos with Ranch

I ate a burger at Red Robin some time ago, and it was topped with fried jalapenos. (Yes, I know, Red Robin, not the best place, but a good friend works there, so we frequent it regularly.) These jalapenos intrigued me because, since my wife is Texan, I've had a lot of fried foods, but never fried jalapenos. Today, we decided to try our hand with the frier, and it turned out pretty well. To be honest, jalapenos aren't that hot, and they tend to lose capsaicin as they cook, so don't worry. Moreover, when paired with a nice, cool ranch sauce, all you really taste is the jalapenos' fruitiness.

Ingredients

10 jalapenos, sliced 1/4 inch thick

2 cups AP flour

1 teaspoon salt, plus some for sprinkling

1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Vegetable oil for frying

Directions

Fill medium-size pot with approximately two inches of oil, and then place it over medium high heat. Let it come to temperature (about 350).

Meanwhile, in a medium-size container with a lid, mix flour, salt, chili powder, cumin, and pepper until well combined. Add sliced jalapenos, affix lid, and shake until the jalapenos are covered in flour. Place jalapenos on plate, then put half into buttermilk to coat thoroughly. Place the buttermilked jalapenos back into the flour mixture and shake until thoroughly coated. Place breaded jalapenos in oil and fry for three minutes, or until golden brown. Remove, place on paper towels to dry, and sprinkle over salt to taste. Repeat process with remaining half of jalapenos.

Serve with your favorite ranch sauce and enjoy.