Frida Bistro Announces Saturday Brunch and Cinco de Mayo Celebration Plans

One of my favorite new restaurants in Salt Lake City, Frida Bistro, is opening its doors early on Saturdays to offer a traditional Mexican brunch. Their new brunch service starts May 1st and the new hours are 10:00am to 3:00 pm. The Bistro will be serving the classics such as Huevos Rancheros, Mexican breads, Chilaquiles, and an assortment of Frida's creative spirits like Bloody Maria's and the largest Mimosa list in the state of Utah.

Frida Bistro also announced that they will be serving up a special menu for Cinco de Mayo, featuring a four course meal paired with locally owned Vida Tequila. Guests will be taken on an adventure through the process of Tequila distilling and specially prepared dishes. There are two seatings for the dinner, 6:00pm and 8:30pm. Reservations are highly encouraged.

To read my full review of Frida Bistro click here.

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Normandie Cafe, Salt Lake City

Great restaurants are so much more than good food. Normandie Cafe, on Murray Holladay Road is a perfect example. This bakery and cafe is an ideal meeting spot for good friends to have a long chat over quality food and desserts. I've now tried Normandie twice and both times I left with a special memory.

Normandie Cafe, is where one of my best friends told me she was pregnant and also where I shared a meal with a few girl friends before one of them moved away. A place to eat, talk, and laugh. As two of my friends shared about pregnancy we chatted about food cravings, pregnant dreams, vaccines, epidurals, and other stuff that I know nothing about.

On my visits to Normandie Cafe I've tried their grilled cheese sandwich with pears, butternut squash soup, sweet potato fries, and their pasta salad; all were scrumptious. Their desserts are also tasty. Although I have yet to try it, their key lime tart is supposed to be the best in the city (says my trustworthy foodie friend, Tiffany at foodfinery).

The atmosphere at Normandie provides a comfortable, inviting spot for friends and family to gather together and indulge in a great afternoon meal over good conversation. Where do you like to share a special lunch in Salt Lake City?



Normandie Cafe
Murray Holladay Rd
(801) 277-5244

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A few of My Favorite Things: Fresh Spring Rolls from My Thai

My Thai is a relatively new Thai Restaurant on 300 West in Salt Lake. Some coworkers introduced me to My Thai recently and since then I've been back just to have a few of these delicious fresh spring rolls. All of their food was tasty but these spring rolls were especially good. Probably the best in the valley. Fresh mint, lettuce, clear noodles, shrimp, chicken, bean sprouts, and carrots are rolled with special care into rice paper. All of the ingredients are fresh but what really makes the rolls so amazing is the sauce that comes with it. I have no idea what is in the sauce besides peanuts but it is delicious. Go try My Thai!
My Thai
1425 South 300 West
(801) 505-4999

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Danny Tanner's Birthday Cake

Birthdays are one of my favorite times to care for my friends. A dear friend of mine, who I will just call Danny Tanner,( for he played the dad role among all of our friends growing up) used to bake me a birthday cake every year for my birthday. It was always yellow cake with chocolate icing and never plainly decorated. He commonly found random small toys or decorations to place on the top, probably found in the toy isle at the local grocery store. Ever since then I have it in my mind that a birthday cake must be exactly that: a yellow cake baked with love and smothered in chocolate icing with some whimsy element for the top. What is your ideal Birthday Cake?



One of the great things about this dear friend of mine is that he didn't just remember my birthday but he remembered all of his friends' birthdays and still to this day calls me on my birthday or texts me something ridiculous to make me laugh. I hope I can be that kind of a friend to others.

Since Danny Tanner won't give away his secret recipe, most likely found on the side of a Sara Lee box, I decided to venture out and find my own. I found the perfect recipe on Smitten Kitchen, a food blog I often rely on.

Since finding this recipe I've made if for a few occasions. The first time I tried her sour cream, no sugar, chocolate icing, which I ended up adding lots of sugar to. And it was good but the second time I tried a recipe from one of my new/old cook books, Easy Chocolate Butter Cream. I think it is a winner..

Oh and if you're wondering where about the super fun vintage cake carrier...I found it at Retro Rose in downtown Salt Lake, a super fun antique shop for all kids of eclectic things.

Perfect Yellow Cake
from Smitten Kitchen

INGREDIENTS
4 cups plus 2 tablespoons cake flour (not self-rising)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups buttermilk, well-shaken

Tools Needed: Two 9-inch round cake pans

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans and line with circles of parchment paper, then butter parchment. (Alternately, you can use a cooking spray, either with just butter or butter and flour to speed this process up.)

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl after each addition. At low speed, beat in buttermilk until just combined (mixture will look curdled). Add flour mixture in three batches, mixing until each addition is just Incorporated.

Spread batter evenly in cake pan, then rap pan on counter several times to eliminate air bubbles. (I like to drop mine a few times from two inches up, making a great big noisy fuss.) Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then run a knife around edge of pan. Invert onto rack and discard parchment, then cool completely, about 1 hour.

Easy Chocolate Butter Cream
from Lessons in Gourmet Cooking

INGREDIENTS
8 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp instant coffee

DIRECTIONS
Melt chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of water. Cool. Cream butter till light in color and fluffy. Add cooled chocolate, egg yolks and flavorings. If too soft to spread, refrigerate for a while. Rum or brandy may be used for flavoring too. (I used 1 TB of rum).

This makes barely enough to ice the cake above. If you like to have more icing on your cakes you might double the recipe.

TIP FOR ICING CAKES: to accomplish a smooth iced cake, let cake cool completely then secure the crumbs by applying a very thin layer of icing all around the cake. Then refrigerate the cake for about 20 minutes. This should secure all of the crumbs on the exterior of the cake. Then apply a second layer of icing for the finished look.

Some other great ideas for Birthday Cakes:
Double layered Tres Leche Cake
Layered Italian Cream Cake
Spice Cake with Maple Icing
Hot Cocoa Cake

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Foodie Saturdays

The ideal Saturday for me includes cooking and spending time with good friends. A couple of weekends ago we were able to get together with some friends for a day of cooking and brewing. The guys brewed beer while the gals cooked up some fabulous food.

We made some Oatmeal Scones that we topped with Tiffany's Berry Curd. We also enjoyed some grapefruit mimosas while we baked. For lunch we made Salmon Club Sandwiches. For the bread we baked some Artisan Bread from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day.

Here are some photos from our day.

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Après with My Friend Andy

I want to introduce you to my friend, Andy, he is a local Salt Lake City guy who also shares a love for good food. Growing up around the Portland area he has a wide array of food options and now living in Salt Lake he has found quite a few niche places to love. This post is specifically about some after ski options but could also be applied to after hiking or biking or any other fun outdoor activity that we take advantage of while living in the mountains. Stay tuned for more Après Ski posts from Andy.

What defines Salt Lake City? Well, it is the “Mecca” of the Mormon religion, home to one of the saltiest bodies of water on the planet, and the sight of the 2002 Winter Olympic games. Those are the most basic descriptors of this unique city in the middle of the high dessert, but, in the minds of many of the residents and visitors of this great city the only fact that matters is that starting in mid-October our buddies Nimbostratus and Cumulonimbus join our city’s population and deposit their powdery goodness on our famed hills resulting, in what many call, “the greatest snow on Earth.” After sampling many of the world’s greatest slopes including France, Chile, and Colorado I can truly say that yes, we have he best snow, right here in the Beehive State. Anyone who has been so privileged to sample our fine peaks, shoots, and bowls knows what I am talking about when I say that I have had no less than 34 cathartic moments in the last three years resulting in an utter restructuring of the way I view myself and the ideal life. To some it’s a fairytale; to me it’s an action movie where I shoot first, ask questions later, don’t take “no” from anyone, and always get the girl.

Yah, it’s that good. But, my belief that this truly was the perfect ending came to a screeching halt soon after I moved here. It was a great day out, powder stashes everywhere, sun shining, and friends to share the stories with. We skied all day and were packing up the car when I asked, “So, where shall we Après Ski?” Instead of the barrage of local hotspots and hidden gems I expected, I was greeted with blank stares and an un-comically comical voice asking, “What’s Après Ski.” “Very funny guys,” I added. Same blank stare. My gosh, they were serious. Could it be that this great ski town was devoid of Après Ski? They really had no idea of the joys, the tradition, the power of Après Ski. It is like the saying, “with great power comes great responsibility,” and it was now my responsibility to educate in hopes to begin the Salt Lake City Après’ Ski Revolution.

I began with a quick definition. “Après” is French for “After” and “Ski” is French for “Ski.” Combined it means “After Ski.” It is the time directly following a ski session, always associated with food and drink that allows the sharing of stories directly related to the snow activity in which you directly came from. Simple right. One of my fellow skiers responded, “I think I accidentally Après’ Skied one time!” He was very proud with himself. It has also been said that pride comes before a fall, and I was more than happy to help him fall through the understanding that no one “accidentally” Après’ Skis. In fact, as a snow sport enthusiast it is one of the most cognitive and engaged events we can participate in. So here is my guide to all those who a) have never felt the joy of Après’ Skiing or b) think they may have “accidentally” Après’ Skied and need to reframe the importance of this part of their lives. I present to you three snow reports that you may see on any given day here in the Salt Lake Valley and my subsequent recommendations on locations for Après’ Ski.

Day 1

Conditions: Powder
Base Depth: 168” and growing
Weather: Heavy Snow Showers. High near 29. West winds around 3 mph. Chance of precipitation 100%. Snow accumulation of 28- 34” imminent.

First off, skip work, skip your doctors’ appointments, find a babysitter (if you can not find a babysitter put your kids up for adoption). Do whatever you need to guarantee you’ll be waists deep in the white stuff. By the end of the session you’re going to be tired, wet, and smiling from ear to ear. There is only one place to go to share the stories of getting stuck and how much you wished you had a snorkel. The spot is Pho Tay Ho, a Vietnamese Pho’ house on Main and 18th South in downtown Salt Lake. Pho is best described a steaming bowl of beefy, brothy goodness lovingly served with rice noodles and your choice of meat, topped with Sprouts, Cilantro, and a Jalapeno. My personal meat choices include rare beef, cooked beef, meatballs, and tripe (cow’s stomach lining – just try it). Add a squeeze of lime and your set for the perfect “I just skied 32” of fresh snow” meal. The spot is a converted house and is run by a Vietnamese family. The mom cooks, the daughter serves, and the dad eats. You’ll pay about $6 for a large bowl that I dare you to finish. So get your face close to the bowl, feel the steam, slurp the noodles and share some stories. Pho Tay Ho is the perfect ending to the perfect powder day.
Pho Tay Ho
1810 South Main Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84115

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Lemon Loaf from a London Bakery

I've made this bread twice now and feel like I have come close to perfecting the recipe. My mother and I found this recipe in a cookbook from the Hummingbird Bakery in London on Portobello Road in Notting Hill. Just the location of the bakery was enough for me to give it a try. Plus the picture of it in the cookbook looked decadent and dense with the most perfectly browned crust and moist center. If I can't go to London, at least I can bring a taste of Europe home.

One of my favorite local baked goods in Salt Lake comes from Tulie Bakery and is a Lemon Almond Loaf. When they serve it to you they slice you a generous piece and I usually can't eat it all at once. Since trying the lemon bread at Tulie I've been wanting to try making it at home. When my mom brought me a large bag full of the most beautiful lemons you've ever seen, I knew just what I wanted to make.



Lemon Loaf
makes one loaf

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups + 2 TB sugar
3 eggs
Grated zest of 2 unwaxed lemons

2 3/4 cups All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

1 cup whole milk
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 stick + 5 TB unsalted butter, melted

Lemon Syrup:
freshly squeezed juice and grated zest of one lemon
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix sugar, zest, and eggs in electric mixer until well mixed. Sift into separate bowl, the flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl combine milk and vanilla extract.

Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and beat well. Then add 1/3 of the milk mixture. Repeat this two more times until well mixed. Turn mixer up to high speed and beat until mixture is light and fluffy. Turn mixer to low and add melted butter. Mix until well incorporated. Pour into 9x5 inch loaf pan that has been greased and dusted with flour. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes. Loaf should be golden brown and bounce back to the touch. Let cool slightly in the pan before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Pour lemon syrup on top when the loaf is still hot.

Lemon Syrup: Bring lemon juice, sugar, zest, and 1/2 cup of water to a boil a sauce pan. Boil until it has been reduced by half or until it has a thin syrup consistency. When hot loaf comes out of the oven, put it on a wire rack in the sink and pour syrup over the top. Excess syrup will run over the edges and into the sink.

**this makes a lot of batter but don't be tempted to split the batter into two loaves bc it will change the density of the bread as well as the cook times. Also, if you want more of the syrup to soak in the bread, you can use a toothpick to poke holes in the top of the loaf. Let cool completely before serving.

Other Lemon Recipes
Lemon Icebox Cake
Lemon Honey Drop Cookies
Madeleines
Lemon Rice and Asparagus Soup
Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
Lemon Curd

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Lemon love

My parents came in town for spring break a couple of weeks ago and on their way from Texas to Salt Lake they stayed a few days with my Aunt and Uncle in Arizona. My Aunt Diane, being a likeminded foodie, sent a bag filled with the most beautiful lemons you have ever laid your eyes on. As soon as she showed them to me I started thinking of the many things I would like to try to make.

I got right to baking with my mom. We made a dense lemon bread with a tart lemon icing from a Bakery in London and last night I made a rustic lemon tart using one of myy new cookbooks I found in Idaho. I will be posting some lemon recipes soon.

My aunt also sent my some of my favorite Olive Oil tfrom Tuscany. She has given me some previously and we were using it sparingly because we enjoyed it so much. I feel so special to have a family member who shares my love for food and travel. She and my uncle visit Italy often and recently bought an Italian style Villa in Arizona. They are world travelers and I never quite know where to find them. They recently had a rather frightful adventure in Chili, as they were on a cruise to Chili when an earthquake hit. After a series of random events, they were able to get to an airport by driving through the Andes Mountains. We are thankful they are safe at home now and probably taking a rest from travel for a while.

Some of my favorite recipes come from my Aunt Diane, including this Chicken and Broccoli Curry Dish.

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Oysters on a half shell

I tried oysters for the first time and loved them. We tried them with some dear friends who have been the ones to introduce us to many new foods. Here are a few of the other foods we've had the joy to try with them: mussels, duck confit, foie gras, and hanger steak. Our friends know that we will try anything so we always end up having an adventurous meal with them.

First you want to open all of your oysters. Our friend Tom patiently showed me how to open them. You can take an oyster cracker or a small screw driver and dig the edge into where the two sides of the shell meet. One hand should be on top of the oyster. You want to make sure and cover your hand that is on top of the oyster so that you don't cut your hand because you have to pry pretty hard to get them open. Once the edge of your cracker is inside the shell, twist it and the shell should pry open. For more instructions on how to open an oyster click here.



I must say that although I enjoyed the mystique of the actual oyster, the key for me was in the sauces we had to go with them. Josh and I are both big sauce fans. It just seems like sauces make every meal just that much better. Like the sauces we had recently with fish tacos. I helped make the sauced and had never seen raw the actual horseradish plant before. You can see if pictured above and it almost looks like a ginger root. You can use a zester to shred the horseradish. For the second sauce, the key is a quality white wine vinegar since it is a simple sauce. I highly recommend the Unio brand from Tony Caputo's. Here are the two sauces that we had with our oysters, both are excellent and could me used with different types of seafood if you're not an oyster fan.

Classic Cocktail Sauce
catsup (fill up half of sauce dish)
horseradish (1-2 TB shredded)
vinegar (fill up half of sauce dish

Wine Vinegar Sauce
White wine vinegar (fill up small sauce dish)
diced red onion 1-2 TB
touch of salt
a few grinds of black pepper
*the key to this sauce is a quality Wine Vinegar and I highly recommend the Unio brand of Moscatel White Wine Vinegar from Tony Caputos pictured above

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Portland, Oregon

Portland is a dreamy place for those who love rain, beautifully used books, strong coffee, and an elaborate array of restaurants.  Josh and I visited earlier this year for the first time, then revisited this September, and I'm sure that won't be the last time.

Roses, bridges, lush green parks, and the city lights of Portland surround you while the smells of freshly brewed rich espresso and melt-in-your-mouth chocolate cookies draw you in for a deeper connection. After a few visits and many great recommendations, we have now established a list of favorites to share with you of this lovely city.

First, you must must stay at the Ace Hotel.  If its booked or you want to try something else, then stay at the Jupiter Inn, which is also a super fun boutique hotel, with a great restaurant attached.  At the Ace, you'll wake up to coffee and a sweet pastry, with Stumptown, a famous coffee brewing company right in the lobby you can't go wrong.  They also serve up Nuvrei pastries, which are amazing; I highly recommend the almond pastry with currants.  And you must not leave Portland without trying Nuvrei's flourless chocolate cookie, now that is what dreams are made of.

If you can make it to the Portland Saturday Market, which is every Saturday and Sunday, you should totally check it out.  If nothing else, to people watch and get some good food cart items.

There are two local food chains that deserve mentioning.  McMenamins Restaurants are housed in several famous and historical buildings around town and serve up American food, with good beer and they even have wine on tap. Our favorite is the McMenamin's Blue Moon Tavern Grill on Nob Hill and I've also heard the Kennedy School is pretty great.  The other chain is Burgerville, who serves up burgers, fried fish, and chicken all using fresh local ingredients. Their seasonal shakes are pretty great too!

If you want to hit the beach for a day trip or two, check out the town of Tillamook on your way, for cheese and wine tastings, then continue on to Cannon Beach.  You love the views of the ocean, seeing the famous Haystack Rock, tastes of fresh seafood, and endless salt water taffy choices.  For the complete tourist experience try classic seafood Moe's with a great view of Haystack Rock, or for a more upscale seafood dinner also with an excellent view try Wayfarer. And if you're still hungry when you wake up in the morning, walk down to the Lazy Susan Cafe, located in a small house just off the Main Street. We had the most amazing marion berry scones one morning, while sippin' coffee at this cute small town cafe.

I wanted to give you a list of the restaurants that we tried and hope to try on future trips to Portland. We were given lot so great recommendations, too many to try them all, so I will share them with you. Salt Lake City to Portland is the perfect long-weekend trip, I highly recommend it, especially if you love to travel for good food!

Restaurants, Cafes, and Markets in Portland that we checked out:
Stumptown Coffee - Famous coffee shop
Pine State Biscuits - Homestyle biscuits and gravy
Mother's Bistro - Classic American cuisine
Produce Row Cafe - Fresh local fare
Clide Common -European

Jam on Hawthorne -Hipster brunch

Voodoo Donuts - Legendary late night donuts
Zupan's Market - Specialty food market on Nob Hill
Whole Bowl - a food cart that you simple must try
Kenny and Zukes - Deli serving famous pastrami sandwiches

Restaurants on our list for another visit:
Everett Bistro -European
Screen Door - Southern cuisine
Nicholas- Lebanese and Middle Eastern
Vindalho -Indian
Pok Pok Whiskey and Soda Lounge - Thai
Pambiche -Cuban
The Farm Cafe - Vegetarian
Kennedy School -American
Marrakesh -Moroccan
Pix Patisserie - Bakery

Neighborhoods to visit
Hawthorne Street- hipster street lined with shops and cafes
23rd Street/ Alphabet Streets/ Nob Hill- upscale shopping and dining
Pearl District- area near downtown with great restaurants, Powell’s books, the Ace Hotel, and Stumptown Coffee
Washington Park and the International Rose Gardens
Laurelhurst Park - beautiful park to walk around, or pick up some food on Hawthorne (Whole Bowl or Por Que No?) and have a lovely picnic at the park

Other
Powell's Book Store - the largest new and used book store I've ever experienced.
Oblation Papers - letter press and stationary store
Bartleby's Letterpress Emporium - cards and book art supplies

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Portland: Pine State Biscuits

The morning Josh played at Concordia University, we stopped off on the Eastt-side of Portland (the whole city is divided up East and West of the River) and grabbed a quick breakfast at Pine State Biscuits. This friendly cafe had been highly recommended to us from several Oregonian friends.

The small cafe quickly brought me back to my West Texas roots as I smelt the buttermilk biscuits baking and saw that the menu included apple butter, a staple at my grandmother's house. Some of their menu items include biscuit sandwiches with eggs and bacon, biscuits covered in sausage gravy, or a combination of both. Not to mention, they did also have fried chicken biscuits on their menu.

We listened to Ryan Adams, Easy Tiger, as we enjoyed our biscuits and each others company. You know it is a good restaurant if they play Ryan Adams, and especially my favorite album of his.
This is the type of place I would take visitors to if I lived in here, the Ruth's Diner of Portland. Fluffy homemade biscuits is branding at its best and assures return visits in my book at least.

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Food Carts in Portland

Portland is known for their frequency of great tasting food carts. We enjoyed a couple of amazing meals while standing up, street-side, at a food cart. From gyros to falafel and homemade soup, they have a variety of choices, so as an Oregonian you might walk out of your office building and grab a delicious Thai meal for $5 and be back to work in less than 10 minutes.

Our favorite was a cart called The Whole Bowl, which is a comforting and healthy medley of brown rice, red and black beans, fresh avocado, salsa, black olives, sour cream, Tillamook cheddar, cilantro, and Tali Sauce. The Tali sauce is their big secret and the originator of The Whole Bowl doesn't even tell the folks working her stands what is in the sauce. Our bowl was full of flavor and very filling. You can find where this cart is located by visiting their site here.

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Portland: rain, books, and coffee

Portland greeted us with rain and we quickly realized we’d left our only umbrella at Cannon Beach. We checked into our hotel, The Ace Hotel, and explored the surrounding streets of the Pearl District in downtown Portland. The Ace Hotel is a historic building turned into a hip hotel, with unique rooms and creative expression throughout. It is great place to stay and within walking distance to most everything.



About a block away from the Ace Hotel is the famous Powell’s Book Store, with multi levels and rooms filled with new and used books, the type of store you could easily get lost in. Also, in the lobby of our hotel was Stumptown Coffee, the most famous Portland coffee company, which we enjoyed on several occasions.

Besides rain, books, and coffee, we of course found some great food during our short time in Portland. I will share more about that tomorrow.

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Cannon Beach: High Tide, Chowder and Fish & Chips

The next day in Cannon Beach, still full from the extra large bowls of ice cream, we waited to eat until lunch. By then a storm had rolled in and the tide was pretty high. We ate at a local chain, Moe’s, where we knew we could find some seafood. The restaurant was definitely a touristy spot, over-priced and a bit cheesy, but we got to sit at a table overlooking the ocean, which made up for the kitschy atmosphere. We ate clam chowder, along with fish & chips, then ended our meal perfectly with a slice of hot Marion berry pie. At this point I am head over heels for Marionberry. We ate slowly and gazed out at the swells crashing against the shore and even splashing up on the window we peered out from.

From lunch we drove back to Portland…more good food and stories to come.

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