Dim Sum House

Dim Sum House

1158 State Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84111

TL;DR 

- Price: $10 - $15

- Flavor: Chinese Dim Sum

- Filling?: Yes

- Parking: Good 

First things first, when you come looking for Dim Sum House, bear in mind that it's location is slightly hidden. The parking lot is behind the building. You may have to double back. It's worth it.

Dim Sum House is very reminiscent of a Hong Kong tea house. If you come during busy dim sum times (11:00 am - 2 pm on Saturday or Sunday, usually), you'll experience the party of it all: conversation over fresh brewed tea, old school Chinese music, and dim sum carts with classics such as har gow (shrimp dumplings), chicken feet (please give it a shot, it's much better than your internal biases would suggest), and rice rolls (shrimp is my personal favorite). 

The bun carts are always a good time with pineapple buns (named thus for the appearance, there isn't actually pineapple in it), char siu buns (Chinese barbecued pork), and Dan Tat (egg custard in a tart, sweet and flaky treat).

If you don't like crowds, dim sum time might be the time you want to avoid. But... if you can, you should go at least once, for the experience! The dim sum is much fresher when it's busy. The pictures above are during a quiet time (window between afternoon and evening), so if you prefer a quieter atmosphere, that's a good time to go.

There was a commercial once where they claimed that being able to unwrap a starburst wrapper with your tongue meant you were a good kisser. Well, those skills will be put to good use when you eat chicken feet. In order to fully enjoy it, you put it in your mouth and use your tongue to separate the meat from the bone. There's no need to worry about the etiquette here, just feel free to let the bones drop from your mouth to your plate. As long as you don't make it a contest to see who can drop bones from the highest point.

The shrimp dumplings (har gow) are fairly standard dim sum fare. If you want to move a little slower into the dim sum world, these are an excellent choice.

The salt and pepper pork ribs are excellent. Very crispy, not too fatty, and a good ratio of meat to breading. Don't let the "rib" part deter you, the bones have usually been lifted away so you can chomp down without fear. If any place has these with the bones in it, it's usually very obvious when you pick it up.

I feel like it's a little unfair of me to criticize them too much because of my background. I have many fond memories of Hong Kong dim sum, so all of my dim sum experiences elsewhere will be weighed, measured, and frankly found wanting as a result. But, this place does a reasonable job of showing off the Hong Kong dim sum experience, with the big crowds, dim sum carts, and pretty good food.

Feldman's Deli

Feldman's Deli

2005 E 2700 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84109

TL;DR 

- Price: $12 - $18

- Flavor: Deli

- Filling?: Yes

- Parking: Good (Plaza Parking)

Firstly, I must compliment the staff here. The server was very knowledgeable about the menu. He was very invested and seemed to care about the business and its patrons. The following insider bits of information about the menu were passed on from him (with some interjection on my part, you should be able to tell from the tone).

The Sloppy Joe is the most popular sandwich. Easily distinguished by the stars on the menu.

Reubens contain a half pound of meat. Ooo, we're on a good track here!

The Shop Kid is a sentimental case. A friend of the owners passed away in a skiing incident. The sandwich and its "Good Vibes Only" caption are a tribute to him. I like that the establishment is so human. I was very tempted to order this sandwich for this very reason, but thought I should go for the Sloppy Joe because of its notoriety.

The Radio from Hell is their take on the cheese steak with huge slices of French Bread and cow tongue as the meat of the sandwich.

Very friendly place with a good atmosphere. A glass dropped on the floor and they handled it with ease. No tension, just friendly acceptance.

Dr. Browns is an interesting soda. I tried the Cel-Ray, the celery-based variant. It was very good. It had a taste similar to a drink I had in my travels to Hong Kong. Difficult to describe. 

Sloppy Joe - the meats work together so well. It's like Pippen and Jordan. Sam and Dean. Lone Ranger and Tonto. The coleslaw provides nice texture: a little crunch and moistness to complement the bread and meats. It's enormous though. I had to stretch my jaw a bit to eat this properly but it's well worth the effort. I had to ask for a few more napkins because it definitely lives up to its name.

By the way, the pickle they provide with the sandwich is wonderful. Not the overly sour ones at every single franchise that sells burgers.

Second Source Account:

Radio from Hell - good but felt a little weird. Beef tongue is a little like tripe in pho. The vegetables on top make it feel like a taco. So it's like a pho taco. Bread is very well prepared. Overall it was good! 

Fries - Well-cooked so crispy on outside. Squishy on inside. A little overcooked (burnt) but that's not a bad thing (I like a little burnt).

Second Source Account End.

Cheesecake - Very rich, an absolute delight. This was recommended by the server and it lives up to his word.

Rugelach - pretty good. Like a cinnamon pastry. If you had to choose one dessert, though, I would go with the cheesecake over the rugelach.

Really cool deli. Bear in mind that they close for a few hours in the gap between afternoon and evening. The current hours as of this review are: 

Lunch Tues - Sat 11 - 3

Dinner Thur - Sat 5:30 - 8:30

Closed Sunday and Monday

But please refer to their website for accurate times 

when you go, just in case. I would love to get some Good Vibes next time, and give their other entrees a try as well.

The Greenhouse Effect

The Greenhouse Effect Coffee

3231 S 900 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84106

TL;DR 

- Price: $10 - 18 

- Flavor: Crepes (savory and sweet)

- Filling?: Yes

- Parking: Good

I was recommended this by several people! Thank you.

Ordered the small coffee and breakfast crepe (honey ham, scrambled eggs).

The coffee is pretty good. Not extremely bitter. 

The cafe sitting area is a little chilly and this is evident with how well you see the smoke from the coffee. So make an accurate assessment of temperature before you take your coat off during the winter.

There are a lot of different seating options to choose from so you know I had to go with the big comfy chair.

Pro-tip: don't choose the short, comfy chair with a taller table if you're eating a crepe with a fork and knife. I feel like a kid sitting at the grownup table.

There are board games, which is really cool. This seems like a very nice place to hang out and chill. I could see this being a good date spot: coffee, crepe, canasta and conversation (Probably not actually canasta, it was the only game that came to mind for alliterative purposes).

The crepe is delightful. Very hot and fluffy. The eggs and ham work very well here. My expectations for a crepe were different, specifically with regards to appearance. They've folded it up into two pockets, which seems very portable. I could see myself holding this in a napkin and walking downtown.

I had a savory option and I plan on returning so I can try the sweet one next time.

The Other Place

The Other Place

469 E 300 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84102

TL;DR 

- Price: $10 - 18 

- Flavor: Greek and Home-y

- Filling?: Absolutely

- Parking: Great

There's parking on the street and you can pull in to park behind the building.

There's quite a lot of breakfast options! These were incredibly tempting because I made a bit of a trek to try this place and was feeling rather famished.

The first things that caught my attention were their really good prices. $11.95 for roast leg of lamb (dinner special of the night)!

They have wines and beers. Very pleasant surprise.

I ordered the Moussaka - layers of potatoes, zucchini, eggplant with a spiced meat filling and Bechamel sauce on top. I was advised to get garlic bread to go with the casserole-like dish. Soup AND salad? Yes, please!

The soup has a very strong lemon flavor. I'm not used to this but it was very easy to grow accustomed to. Perfect after walking 8 blocks in the cold.

The salad is presented beautifully. I'm a big fan. Grape tomatoes are my new favorite sensation. The blast of flavor when I break into one is amazing. I still don't like olives, haha. Thank goodness there's only one.

Wendi is a wonderful waitress. So bubbly. The hostess is amazing also. This environment is very pleasant. Overhearing the patrons, I got the sense that they were either regulars or the service is so good that everyone seemed like regulars.

Moussaka is very good. The spices are the centerpiece of the dish. Very much a comfort food. 

Pro-tip: Gotta use the knife to cut the top layer, just using a fork will result in pulling the whole thing apart.

The garlic bread portion is magnificent. Enormous, crispy, flavorful. Wonderful suggestion, Wendi.

Dessert comes with the meal, too! Baklava and rice pudding are made here. Baklava was excellent. I loved the flakiness.

A couple anonymously bought my dinner. I am so incredibly thankful for this. It warmed my heart. Were I not stuck in a state of anxiety, I would have loved to track you down to thank you personally for showing me the goodness of humanity.

Current

Current

79 E 300 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84111

TL;DR 

- Price: $10 - 20 

- Flavor: Seafood

- Filling?: Yes

- Parking: Downtown

I must admit, I looked rather foolish on arrival as I walked right past the entrance (which is located behind the tables of their patio, by the way), assuming that the entrance was elsewhere.

I was in the mood to relax, so I splurged for the cappuccino. Flavor was robust. They only gave me one sugar cube, which ended up being perfect for my desired level of sweetness.

The place is huge. I love the high ceiling, it really gives the place a spacious feeling. The vision line into the kitchen is very cool. I love eating with the sounds of cooking in the background, especially that sweet sizzle. There's an upstairs area as well. It seems very well-equipped to handle high occupancy. I'll try this out during a busier time.

The Trout and Eggs looked magnificent. The potatoes were piping hot and delightful. The trout was reminiscent of a grilled salmon. Do not judge this dish based on the first egg-less bites. The contrast is staggering. The warmth and joy that I felt when I ate a morsel of fish, dripping with over-easy egg and completed with green, was overwhelming. 

Second Source Account: Crab Benedict is a perfect light portion.

Third Source Account: Grilled fish sandwich was great!

Fourth Source Account: The seafood salad was a little bland. The dressing seemed a little out of place. Doesn't seem worth the price.

Current is a fairly new establishment. I'm tremendously thankful to a friend of mine for referring me here. It seems to be quite the new, hip place for seafood connoisseurs. I'd like to come with a bigger appetite next time so that I might try more of their courses (the clam dip, a dessert, perhaps I might even be tempted by a wine).

Holiday Hiatus

Holiday Hiatus

My apologies to my readers. I have of late been sick and thus have not been able to review anything for a while. I will try to slip in a restaurant or two for this month. 

As it is the holidays, I will be leaving to visit my family. Ahh, the beauty of distance is that it makes everything so endearing. Seriously, though, it will be good to see them again. However, this means I will not be able to review anything in Utah for a few weeks. 

Thank you for your support. I hope the holidays find you well. Have a wonderful winter!

Bambara

Bambara

202 Main Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84101

TL;DR 

- Price: $10 - 20 Brunch, $30+ Dinner

- Flavor: American

- Filling?: Yes

- Parking: Downtown

Very classy establishment, attached to Hotel Monaco. There is public parking on the street and the hotel has a parking garage as well.

I need to stress that I came here for Brunch, which is quite less expensive than their Dinner options, so keep that in mind when you are making plans.

Salmon Benedict - server said it's one of his favorite things on the menu, so why not?

It looked and smelled divine. The salmon was, surprisingly, not the usual smoked lox. It seemed to be an actual grilled filet. It was not dry at all, which is generally a common concern when it comes to cooked salmon.

The wedge of tomato was interesting and provided nice color to the dish (lipstick for the plate, as it were). It was very mild as well. I was concerned that it would be very sour.

I am not the biggest bread connoisseur, but I really appreciated the use of warm, crisp ciabatta in lieu of the usual generic English muffin. It was a nice change of pace.

The potatoes were not very oily to taste. I really enjoyed the onions and peppers scattered amongst the potatoes.

I love a good Benedict, and Bambara delivered. I will look forward to an opportunity to experience their dinner. If brunch is any indication, it will be a delightful evening.