Christa's Guide to Utah Dining

Image from Salt Lake Magazine

Ummmm... I love food. LOVE it. There's such an unending amount of possibilities with tastes and textures created from herbs, spices, and a myriad of ingredients. It's no wonder Creator is one of God's titles - how he came up with so many different foods, I'll never know, but I sure love experimenting with new combinations!

And, of course, I love being treated to the amazing creations of masters in the art of cooking. Long ago I asked friends for recommendations of where to eat in Utah. After all, when there's so much fun stuff to try, why stick to the same-olds? I have my favorites, but I also get giddy about crossing a new restaurant off of my to-try list.

A friend who recently moved to town asked for my recommendations, and so I typed this out and figured y'all might want to take a look, too. If you have any places I should add to the to-try list, do tell!!!

Oh, and it's not on the list... but I'm going to The Tree Room at Sundance with my friend Amy in conjunction with a Sundance screening next week. Sooooo exciting!!! It's said to be the best restaurant in Utah. It's also more of a special-occasion place... well... going to Sundance Film Festival counts as a "special occasion," right?

Places I've tried:

• Oasis Cafe (Downtown-ish) -- This place is such a hidden gem. It really feels like an oasis from the city, in a relaxed garden atmosphere. Cuisine is American upscale, very California-ish.
• Blue Plate Diner (Sugar House) -- This is my fav breakfast spot up here so far. It was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on Food Network. It's total diner food with a retro feel.
• Sawadee (Downtown) -- Amazing Thai food, reasonable prices. It came recommended by several friends, and when I finally went, I could see why!
• Red Iguana (Downtown) -- Hands down the best legit Mexican food in Salt Lake. They're known for their moles ("moh-lay," the sauce, not to be confused with the rodent). The ambiance is awesome, too. It's ALWAYS busy, so I advise going at an off time or trying their sister restaurant around the corner, which is the same food. They also have a spot in the City Creek Mall food court.
• Lamb's Grill (Downtown) -- This place is awesome!!! It's the oldest still-operating restaurant in Utah, and you feel transported to the 1940s with its dark wood paneling, teeny booths, white linens, etc. Food is traditional American fare, and it's pretty great.
• Gourmandise (Downtown) -- Great little bakery. It's pretty new, and I was really impressed when I went. 
• Blue Lemon (Downtown and Alpine) -- This is one of my favorites! Fresh, inventive takes on traditional items. It's high quality without high prices. I've tried lots of things and have yet to find one I didn't like.
• Finn's Cafe (Sugar House) -- Adorable Scandinavian restaurant in a tiny, 1950s-esque building. It's known as a breakfast spot, although they do serve lunch as well. I recommend the pyttipanna.
• J Dawgs (Provo and Orem) -- I'm not a hotdog fan but am hooked on this place. So cheap, so delicious (and J of J Dawgs = Jayson, my friend Heidi's husband! I've done some consulting for them. Love to support local businesses!)
• Communal (Provo) -- Delicious food made with local ingredients. I've only been for breakfast but really enjoyed it. Great atmosphere, too.
• Malawi's Pizza (Provo) -- Another one of my favorites. Their thin-crust pizzas are delish, and for each meal, they donate a meal to a group that feeds folks in Malawi. Win-win!
• The Sonora Grill (Ogden) -- If you're ever up in Ogden, this is a must-visit! It's my favorite Mexican food in Utah, even more so than Red Iguana. It's in Ogden's entertainment district, which is a happening place.

Places I have yet to try (so I can't vouch for them yet):

• Bruges Waffles and Frites (Downtown) -- Belgian street food, particularly the "stroopwaffles." My cousins who've been to Europe RAVED about this place!
• Copper Onion (Downtown) -- Fine dining made with local, seasonal ingredients. I've heard tons of good things but haven't gone yet - it's on the pricey end.
• Atlantic Cafe (Downtown) -- Balkan cuisine
• New Yorker (Downtown) -- One of the best fine dining places in Utah, so I hear. All the Gastronomy Inc. restaurants have great reputations.
• Caffe Niche (Downtown) -- Creative, fresh, healthy, and delicious. Known as a great breakfast spot, but they serve lunch and dinner, too.
• Forage Restaurant (Downtown) -- Another fine dining place
• Settebello (Downtown) -- Delicious Naples-style pizzeria
• Siegfried's (Downtown) -- German delicatessan
• Bayleaf Bar and Grub (Downtown) -- Interesting fusion of Asian and Southern comfort foods
  
• The Bayou (Downtown) -- Cajun-inspired food in a low-key setting
• Art Garden (Murray)  -- I know nothing about this place except the name, and that it's supposed to be good?
• Left Fort Grill (Millcreek) -- Their slogan is "Where Gourmet Meets Cafe." Breakfast and lunch only.
• Bohemian Brewery (Midvale) -- Czech-style food
• Ruth's Diner (Emigration Canyon) -- A Salt Lake legend, it was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. I've heard this place is best on a summer evening, when they have live music playing and outdoor seating.
• Log Haven (Millcreek Canyon) -- Located in a historic cabin mansion in the forest, it's been rated highly for both food and atmosphere. Dinner only, reservations needed.
• The Homestead Resort (Midway) -- It's closed until April but has a couple of restaurants that are well rated.
• Tommy's Texas BBQ (Heber) -- Winner of Best of State award, good old-fashioned BBQ grub
• Snake Creek Grill (Heber) -- Bold, unpretentious cuisine, so says their website. My friend Aaron said this is their go-to special occasion place - good, quality food without a fine dining price.
• Tarahumara Restaurant (Midway) -- Another recommendation from Aaron, it's said to have some of the best Mexican food in the state.

Broken

Broken. Fractured, imperfect, disconnected, not functioning.

That pretty much sums up how I've felt for a while now. One failure cracked my heart deeply, and a subsequent series of smaller heartaches and disappointments compounded to drive the fissure into a fracture I just haven't been able to set and mend on my own. That, of course, leads to more feelings of failure and frustration, and... well... the cycle can be vicious.

While discussing this with a wonderful listening ear today, this anecdote by Pres. Boyd K. Packer came to mind (boy, am I ever glad I listened to that fireside):

A Broken Bird

Now, the last thing I want to talk to you about: a broken bird.

Over the years, as a diversion, I have carved wooden birds. Sometimes it would take a year to complete one. I would get specimens and measure the feathers and study the colors and then carve them. I would carve a setting for them. It was very restful. Sometimes when I would get unsettled, my wife would say, "Why don't you go carve a bird!" It was a very calming thing in my life.

Elder A. Theodore Tuttle and I were going into town one day. I had one of the carvings. I was taking it in to show someone. We had put it on the backseat. At an intersection, he slammed on the brakes, and the carving tipped upside down on the floor and broke to pieces. He pulled over to the side and looked at it. He was devastated. I was not.

Without thinking, I said, "Forget it. I made it. I can fix it." And I did. I made it stronger than it was. I improved it a bit.

Now, who made you? Who is your Creator? There is not anything about your life that gets bent or broken that He cannot fix and will fix. You have to decide. If some of you have made mistakes and you think you are broken and cannot be put together, you do not know the doctrine of the Church. You do not know what the Atonement was about and who the Lord is and what a power He is in your life.

This is His Church. We are His servants. We who hold the priesthood have His authority and power. We can perform miracles. We do not talk about them. Most of those miracles have to do with healing the body. The greater miracles are the miracles of spiritual growth and healing in the lives of every one of us.

All of us feel broken, disconnected, and flawed at one point or another. That's the only reason I share this -- if I knew I was the only person who felt like this, I'd keep it to myself, after all. To live is to experience moments of loneliness and discouragement. Thankfully, we have a Savior who knows us innately and will heal us if we turn to Him. He made us -- He can fix us and help us to be stronger and better because of the challenges we overcome.

One of my initiatives for 2012 is to study the Atonement of Jesus Christ, whether through scriptures, inspired talks by LDS leaders, or books like The Infinite Atonement and Believing Christ. I'm also reading non-religious literature about healing, compassion, shame resilience, and imperfection, all of which dovetail well with my doctrinal studies. Each day I'm reminded of the amazing Plan of Salvation our Father in Heaven created for us, which involved the Fall of Adam and Eve, creating that original disconnection between God and man. Man became imperfect, and no unclean thing can dwell in God's presence. Therefore, an Atonement was necessary, with Christ selflessly taking on the role of Mediator -- paying the price of our sins (as well as our sorrows, infirmities, grief, etc., all the sad and heavy things that weren't caused by a lapse in our agency) while extending infinite mercy and grace to us if we will follow the commandments God has spelled out that lead us back to Him. That knowledge makes all the difference in the world.

We might feel broken at times, but we're not like Humpty Dumpty, shattered beyond repair. Christ's perfect healing power can make us whole again. And for that, I will be forever grateful and awestruck.

The Late Bloomer's Revolution

Lately I've been listening to Amy Cohen's hilarious (and acerbic) memoir of the single life, The Late Bloomer's Revolution, on my commute. A former sitcom writer and producer, Cohen has a fabulous way of describing thoughts and feelings that are fairly universal for singletons. The details of her life may be a million miles from mine, but—oh man. I can relate. Especially to this excerpt from this morning's chapter which pretty much sums up how I'm feeling about dating right now:

It wasn’t that I had so much free time—it was just that unlike my married friends who had children, I had very little to show for it. In fact, if I added up all the time I spent setting up the first date, choosing what to wear, meeting for drinks or dinner or coffee or brunch, coming home not sure I was into him but wanting him to call anyway, getting the call, anticipating the second date, choosing what to wear again, going on the second date, deciding I kind of liked him, going on the third date, deciding I really liked him, going out a few more times, fantasizing about our bike trip to Italy, getting more serious, feeling happy to be alive, wondering if things were getting weird or whether it was just my imagination, obsessing over why things didn’t work out, chastising myself for not trusting my instincts in the first place, losing a week or four to mild—then extreme—depression, slowly feeling better, vowing to forge ahead and not get jaded, starting the whole process all over again—I could have gotten my MD, read all of Proust, and written an opera in German. Twice.

Yep. Twenty-two dates over the past year, each averaging about three hours, plus an hour or so getting ready for each (and countless hours before and after spent examining and analyzing), and all those communiques in the interim... And, really, I'm no closer to a relationship now than I was when all the dating started nearly a year ago.

It hasn't been a total wash, certainly—I've learned plenty about myself, about dating, and about life in general from the process—but... it's getting old, and it almost makes me wonder if my former date-free norm wasn't so bad after all. Maybe I can just hang around the house in my PJs, and somehow Mr. Right will magically show up on my doorstep... right?

What? It doesn't work that way? *sigh* Alright. Back to the trenches.