Driving back to Salt Lake City from Logan, UT (on highway 80/91)...really beautiful views:
Utah State Capitol:
My final two meals in SLC were fantastic!
For dinner on last Wednesday, I had originally planned to try Cucina Toscana. They've won a bunch of awards (including 2008 Best Restaurant -SLC and Best Italian Restaurant awards from Salt Lake Magazine). I arrived at 8:45pm and saw that there were a bunch of people waiting. I tried to locate bar seating (generally a good spot for single diners) but didn't see any so I decided to move on.
My next choice was Metropolitan. Metropolitan has an even longer list of awards than Cucina Toscana. I walked by and noticed that the place was basically empty (except for the servers and one table). This seemed so strange so I decided to pass on by. Maybe it's past its prime...
Final choice was Settebello (2008 Best New Restaurant award from Salt Lake magazine). The place was pretty packed (even at 9pm on a Wednesday), but the four counter seats in front of the kitchen were available. Here's a shot of the exterior:
I ordered the Quattro Stagioni ($10.99; Margherita Divided Into Four Sections. Each Section Topped Separately With Wood Oven Roasted Sausage, Salame, Roasted Mushrooms, Calamata Olives) and a Peroni ($4.49).
I watched my pizza being prepared. It was pretty amazing...they popped the pizza into the oven, and in less than a minute, it was out (and bubbling). According to their website, the pizzas take about 45 seconds to bake. Here are a few shots:
The pizza was fantastic! I thought the crust in the middle was a bit soggy, but it tasted incredible (I folded each piece for stability). I was only planning on eating one piece from each of the quarters, but couldn't stop and ended up finishing the entire pizza. =)I even had room for a (huge) scoop of nocciola (hazelnut) gelato. Along w/ the huge portion was a hefty price ($4.99). I asked the server if they made the gelato in-house and she said it was from Dolcetti Gelato (their website seems to be down currently). It was quite good. I finished the entire dish. Here's a pic:
The next morning I had planned on grabbing breakfast and then heading to the airport to catch my flight. When I got outside, it was snowing! Here's what my rental car looked like:
Good thing there was a snow scraper in the car!
For breakfast, I went to Finn's Cafe. It's a very cute and cool place. Here are a few shots of the place:
I ordered Norwegian Waffles ($8), one egg ($2), and a large OJ ($3.25). The waffles were served with lingonberries, sour creme, and strawberries. They were fantastic - very light and fluffy. I finished the entire plate. The OJ was fresh squeezed (always good). Here's a pic:
On my way to Finn's, I passed by Dolcetti Gelato - here's a pic:
Here's a street scene (it reminded me of growing up in Wisconsin):
If I'm ever back in SLC, I'll definitely return to Cafe Trang (Day 1), Olio (Day 2), Settebello, and Finn's. I'd also make plans to try Cucina Toscana. One thing I would never do though, is return to McGrath's (Day 1). I'm staying far, far away from that place...yuck!
Final thoughts about SLC...I was pretty impressed! I guess I wasn't expecting much from SLC but I ended up enjoying my first visit.
When I got back to Phoenix, I decided to grab lunch at LGO. I ordered a Stacked Turkey sandwich ($7.95; nine-grain bread with avocado, tomato, lettuce, havarti, mustard and mayo). It was delicious...here's a pic:
Related:
Salt Lake City - Day 1
Salt Lake City - Day 2
Places mentioned:
Settebello
260 South 200 West
Salt Lake City, Utah 84101
Finn's Cafe
1624 South 1100 East
Salt Lake City, Utah 84105
La Grande Orange
4410 N. 40th St.
Phoenix, AZ 85018
2 comments:
Except for the olives, that pizza looks so good. :)
i agree. i'm not too fond of olives but i ate them anyways...
Post a Comment