Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau

Shawn and I hopped on the town cruiser bikes and took advantage of what could be one of the last few days of warm weather in Salt Lake City. We didn’t have any specific place in mind for lunch so we just rode around downtown, enjoying the sunshine and the autumn leaves.

After a long loop of downtown were were passing by Thai Lotus on 212 East 500 South and after a couple of glances we knew it was time to pull in to check it out. Neither of us had been there before so we went into it with no real expectation. more

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Aside from a storm or two, the autumn weather in Salt Lake has been more than enjoyable with average to above average temperatures and of course, the typical abundance of sunshine.  So when a buddy sent me an invite to lunch with “the geeks” at Happy Sumo, I couldn’t pass it up.

Located in the southern end of the Gateway Center, Happy Sumo sits among over a dozen of restaurants and eateries but comes in as the only sushi option. But just because it’s the only option on this end of the Gateway Center, doesn’t mean it doesn’t measure up as it was “Voted Best Sushi” by City Weekly Magazine.

I opted to walk to Sumo from the Salt Palace Convention Center main entrance and it took just over 10 minutes.  The train ride back was not much shorter after waiting for the train to arrive so either option is available if you’re coming from downtown.

Thanks to the sunny afternoon we (all 15 of us) were able to be seated on the patio out front to enjoy the sun and the sushi.

Sumo for Lunch

Like nearly every sushi restaurant Happy Sumo has its specialty rolls. One that we sampled as a group was the Playboy Roll (pictured below) which is Tempura shrimp, avacado and cucumbers topped with tuna sashimi, Sumo sauce (it has a bit of picante to it), eel sauce and tabiko. Writing out the ingredients makes me hungry for another, it was that tasty.

I personally ordered up a trio for lunch: the Wasatch Roll, Unagi Nigiri (freshwater eel) and Kappa Maki which is cucumber roll. more

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One of the values associated with purchasing the Connect Pass is that it includes a meal at the Lion House Pantry, located in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City on the corner of South Temple and State Street. (63 East South Temple to be precise)

What you get is the “Pioneer Meal” with a value of $9.95.  I recently ate at the Lion House using the Connect Pass and with the addition of a Lion House Root Beer the total was $10.50, so I ended up paying $.55 in addition to showing my Connect Pass.

Not too shabby at all.  But how was the meal?

Lion House Pantry Reviewed

The atmosphere at the Lion House Pantry is quaint and simple with home-style seating among many rooms and nooks. My friend Adam and I found a unique nook and claimed it as our own.

Although it feels like cafeteria style when you enter, the food is not school house fare. It was much like what I’ve received while at a conference luncheon at the Marriott or the Grand America - nothing super unique but tasty. more

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When I first heard the name “ACME Burger Company” I thought it was a joke. Then I honed in on their tagline of “Anything but common” and new it was something I needed to check out. Time passed and for one reason or another I didn’t make it over there…until now.

But burgers and fries? How could a restaurant pull this type of menu off? I mean, what’s more common than burgers and fries here in the United States? And while I’ve got my personal list of favorites when it comes to burgers joints, I’m always interested in checking out the new and different.

Located in the heart of downtown Salt Lake’s “dining district” (2nd west, 3rd south) ACME is hard to miss. Big, blue and…different. Parking is made easier with their own lot but if you’re staying downtown it’s an easy walk from just about anywhere. more

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Is downtown Salt Lake more alive than it was 6 years ago? According to Toasters owner Mubera it is.

“Six years ago when we opened Toasters I could count the people walking by on any given day. While it’s not like New York, there are certainly more people walking in downtown Salt Lake these days. It’s more alive.”

When walking downtown opportunities to discover shops, eats and other businesses that add to the flavor of Salt Lake are plentiful. One location I recently discovered is Toasters.

Toasters is a great little sandwich shop on 2nd South across from the Salt Lake Convention Center. A favorite of the Visitors Center staffers, it’s also a big hit with convention attendees, in particilar the Outdoor Retailer Show. And the feeling is mutual. more

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On the southwest corner of 900 S and 300 E, right next to the Cocoa Café, there’s a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant space that seemed doomed to fail. I used to live up the block from there, and literally, from my front porch, over the course of a year and a half, I watched two different restaurants move in to this space, and then quickly move out. I personally never even dreamed of eating at either.

But now, that little hole-in-the-wall is home to Chanon Thai – arguably the best Thai place in Salt Lake City. And it’s definitely not going anywhere.

Chanon is run by a darling Thai family. The look-alike sons are the waiters, and they always greet you right away at the door with a genuine bow and smile combo that makes you feel like you’re either Miss Utah or Mitt Romney. This is nice, because even though they have expanded to add another small room to the main dining area, the place is super small and on busy nights, you may have to wait a bit. At least you feel loved while you wait.

Sundays are very busy, because they’re one of the few Thai restaurants in the city open on Sundays. The trade-off is that they’re closed on Saturdays.

So why is it so busy? Because the food is incredible. The menu is packed with delicious curries and pads and larbs and soups. The secret to beautiful Thai food is the intricate balance of five flavors: spicy, sweet, salty, bitter and sour. And Chanon does this perfectly.

Beware though: when they say hot, they mean Hell just breathed on your food. Chanon’s spice has become the stuff of legend. Many a tough guy has been humbled by the heat. And their hotness rating system is crazy in my book. On the regular scale, you can choose from 0 to 5. But 0 is still spicy. Before 0 comes “not spicy” and “a little bit spicy.” Choose wisely. I adore spicy foods, and I usually top out at a 2. I’ve seen the consumption of a 4, but it wasn’t pretty.

Definitely go.

Chanon Thai
278 E. 900 South
Salt Lake City
801-532-1177

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The other day found me in downtown Salt Lake celebrating the graduation of a friend with a lunch at Romano’s Macraroni Grill located on West Temple. What some may say it lacks in authenticity or unique local flair, it makes up for given its location in the historic and very chic Peery Hotel. Built in 1910, the Peery is Utah’s only hotel listed on the National Historic Register and as far as downtown boutique hotels the Peery is tops in its class.

Back to lunch, it was an enjoyable affair. There were 10 of us in the group. It was a mellow atmosphere with nice architecture that offered a number of nooks, often a rarity in these chain type restaurants. Parking for lunch looked to be easy, but I had walked from the Convention Center enjoying a nice spring day in Salt Lake.

For starters the focaccia bread was delicious, warmed and easily devoured with olive oil. I wasn’t alone as the only one from our group that appreciates dipping bread in oil with balsamic vinegar, but they only offered the oil. No matter, the bread was tasty enough as is.

The house garden salad was next with a light oil dressing. Healthy and spot on. I ordered a raspberry lemonade to drink and what I received was more of a “pink” lemonade than anything red raspberry.

For the entre I tried the Pasta Milano which the menu describes as “Imported bowtie pasta with tender, grilled chicken, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh mushrooms in a roasted garlic cream sauce”. As a fan of sun-dried tomatoes in pasta cream sauces I was very happy as they were plentiful, but the sauce wasn’t quite as vibrant in taste as I expected. No, I wasn’t looking to scare off any vampires with garlic breath but I did expect to indulge myself. However, at $8.99 on the lunch menu ($10.99 dinner) and given the ample supply of sun-dried tomatoes it was worth the reasonable price.

Expectations at a location like this are rarely high so the question remains, would I go back? Depends on the ci