Fine Dining in Utah (Salt Lake City, Millcreek: high school, living, restaurant)

[newtoutah]

Like I said..stick with Texas Roadhouse..lol

[faststeel]

We've been burned by some recommendations too. You should check out this site:

Top Restaurants Food Rating Toque Tally Reviews Dining Guide Salt Lake City Area Gayot

It is a pretty reliable guide (much better than Zagat)...again, I would recommend Bambara and Baxter's American for good, casual American fare. Jean Louis Restaurant in Park City is quite good, and not nearly the frou-frou place it sounds like...in fact, it is surprisingly informal with an active "bar scene" although the restaurant portion looks very nice. I would not consider it "fine dining". For steak, we do like Texas Roadhouse, but we love Flemings (even though it is a chain)...always had good food and amazing service...btw, they have a pretty good deal going on now...$99 dinner for two including two filet mignons, salads, sides, and desert. I was worried it would not be enough for us, but there was so much food we took a lot home! For a churrascaria, we've enjoyed Tucano's...the food and selections are good not great, but compared to other churrascarias we've been to around the country (ie Fogo de Chao, Boi Na Braza, Texas de Brazil, etc) the prices are amazing (1/2 to 1/3 those of other places). Sushi is generally painfully expensive in Utah, but surprisingly better than you would expect. Happy Sumo, although a chain, is quite good with a trendy vibe, as is Yapona in American Fork. Chinese is okay...we like Joy Luck in Sandy. For dim sum, I think the place is called Five Crowns...it is on Redwood in West Valley (don't hold me to the name). If we don't feel like going so far, Sampan in Sandy is acceptable (though they don't have any carts...you order off the menu).

Stay away from The Paris (good food but terrible service and very pricey for the reduced portions they serve these days), and Chef's Table in Provo/Orem (wow was that food bad). I would also avoid Thaifoon at the Gateway (Thai/fusion)...nice atmosphere, but rather pricey for the mediocre food, and Cafe Trang (I don't know why it is so popular...it is pricey and the food is terrible). Carvers in Sandy has a very nice atmosphere, but is extremely expensive and the food was not prepared very well (meat tasted as if it had been previously frozen aside from being overdone). I would probably stay away from seafood altogether in Utah...Market Street is just ok (you call those crabcakes??) but is very overpriced. However, if you go during "appy hour", their appetizers are half-priced and an acceptable bargain.

[newtoutah]

I just have to say there is no place in this state that has decent seafood.....beef yes but certainly they do not know how to cook seafood in this state

[alexei27]

Originally Posted by newtoutah

I just have to say there is no place in this state that has decent seafood.....beef yes but certainly they do not know how to cook seafood in this state

They don't even know how to GET seafood. The few fish markets are crazy expensive and of poor quality. Can't blame them though...though to get fish in the desert!!

[newtoutah]

I suppose...but when u speak of crab or any other type of seafood than I miss MD....can't even get a spice cooked on your steamed shrimp

[chazcrew]

Faststeel, I'm surprised you didn't like Chef's Table. It's one of my favorite restaurants, with excellent food and service, without being stuffy.

[faststeel]

Originally Posted by chazcrew

Faststeel, I'm surprised you didn't like Chef's Table. It's one of my favorite restaurants, with excellent food and service, without being stuffy.

Well, our service was fine...friendly even. But the food...I think they aspire to be something they are incapable of being. For instance, serving risotto that was quite a bit more underdone than "al dente" (it was crunchy!), tough rubbery shellfish that had obviously been overdone, soggy puff pastry, sauces that tasted commercially premade, duck served well-done rather than the requisite medium-rare...stuff like that separates a fine-dining establishment from a pretender. And considering all the awards it claims to have won, and the prices it charges, I just think there are much better places out there, even in Utah! I would even say that I've had much better meals at some of the chain restaurants here (Carrabbas, Texas Roadhouse, etc).

[chazcrew]

Maybe you had a bad night? I've only been there a few times, but each time the food has been very good. I particularly liked the sauces, which is interesting because you had the opposite reaction. Oh well, we all like different things. It's a good thing, too, because we wouldn't all fit in the same restaurant all the time!

[cinnabon]

Originally Posted by faststeel

We've actually been to a couple of surprisingly good places in SLC recently. Bambara, in the Hotel Monaco, and Baxter's American at the Depot, both offer stylish, hip decor and tasty, well-prepared contemporary American food. Baxter's is a little more casual and a little more affordable

My brother is a travel writer & knows the city pretty well has recommended Bambara to me as well. I'm looking forward to checking it out.

In Park City, Butchers, Prime Steak House and Shabu are very good. A little more casual, Acme Burger in SLC has wonderful food & service

[dineforfun]

I have dined at La Caille several times and at different times of the day. The atmosphere is incredible. The ambience is amazing. The food is good, but is expensive. I usually spend $250.00 to $350.00 per visit for 2 people. That includes drinks, appetizers, entrees, and desserts. I have had better food in New York and in LA, but if you want to spend an evening relaxing without noise and without any rush - I highly reccommend it. I usually spend 2 hours from start to finish. I even feed the Peacocks pieces of bread while I am relaxing.