Salt Lake City – A Foodie Town

by amvandenhurk | Bread, Breakfast, Lifestyle, Restaurant Review, Travel

Salt Lake City – A Foodie Town

I traveled to Salt Lake City to speak at the National Federation of Presswomen annual conference. I didn’t know much about Salt Lake City outside of the Winter Olympics and the Church of Latter-Day Saints. And to be honest, I didn’t really have any food expectations.

Salt Lake City is quite a foodie place. In fact, it was hard to select a place to eat due to the great selection. I had two meals outside of the conference. And I have to admit the meals at the Salt Lake Marriott City Center were very good. They served us three meals day of varied, tasty fare. They were very accommodating to those with special dietary needs and provided nice meals. As an aside, this was one of the nicest hotels I’ve stayed in years. It was amazing. The rooms were lovely; the bathroom was huge. It was spotless. The staff was outstanding and very attentive. If you travel to Salt Lake City, I’d really recommend it.

Where I ate…

Matine

Back to the food. On arriving, I joined a group of wonderful women from Virginia for dinner. We walked to the nearby tapas cafe bar, Martine. Felt like an old-school European cafe. They had a simple, fresh menu. The specials were outstanding. You could chose from tapas, small plates, entrees, or a three-course prix fixe menu. I chose off the tapas menu, so I could enjoy a couple different dishes.

I started with the Creminelli Salami and Local Cheese Plate. Delightful. Everything was local sourced. The salami was made a few blocks away. The cheeses were amazing. The crusty bread brought to the table by our very well-informed server, Sara, was perfect to enjoy this plate with. I would have been happy just eating this.

I then selected the Grilled Beef Tenderloin Tips with Tomato-Balsamic Vinaigrette and House
Garlic Chips. The flavors were amazing. The beef tenderloin was cooked perfectly. Moist and tender. The vinaigrette worked with the beef nicely.

I can’t say no to a nice dessert. And I have to love a place, which has a separate dessert menu. I chose the Chocolate Decadence with Palmier and Mascarpone Cream. This was a flour-less cake. I found the cake rich, but not overwhelming. It was the perfect balance to the tapas.

The portion sizes worked. Though afterwards I was actually full. It was a happy full. The prices I think were reasonable for the quality of the food.

Gourmandise

Before I speak I like to have a moment of quiet. So on the morning of my presentation, I sought a nice place to have breakfast… you know breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It does set the tone. Off to wonder the streets in the early morning I went in search of the French bakery, Gourmandise. There is something special about cities early in the morning. There is a stillness. And there is nothing more fulfilling than being the first person at a bakery in the morning. All I have to say is wow. It was amazing. I don’t remember the last time I was in a proper bakery. This was a proper bakery of European standards. I think I could have spent all day working my way through the pastry cases. Yes, I wrote cases; I’ve only showed a quarter of them in the photo above right.

Fresh French-style breakfast rolls in Salt Lake City

The basket of fresh, warm crusty rolls called my name. It was served with real butter and a selection of jams. I asked for some cheese, which they gladly shared with me.

While I love my omelet breakfast (and frankly only; because, it is healthy helping me lose weight), I prefer this type of breakfast any day. Nothing beats crusty rolls with butter and cheese in my mind.

Salt Lake City serves up wonder European pastries

Unless we are talking about croissants. And this bakery had three types: regular, pain chocolate, and almond. It was a hard selection to make, but I went with almond. I was not disappointed. Perfection. Moist, flakey, and still warm from the oven.

Now I couldn’t just have any drink to wash down this wonderful breakfast. I went with the chai latte. It hit the spot. Tea with spices and warm milk. Delightful.

I was in heaven. And if I died right at the bakery, I would have died with a huge smile on my face.

I did indulge a bit on this trip, but that’s OK. I’m a food blogger. I had to have something to write about, right? Let’s just say I won’t be stepping on any scales right now.

All and all a very good foodie experience. Don’t be afraid to wander around a city looking for good food. It will make your visit more enjoyable. Food is an adventure. And can give you a sense of the city.

Making Food from Scratch

by amvandenhurk | Life, Vegetarian

Moving away from processed and pre-made foods.

In the past year I’ve really worked to transform my diet. I have moved away from process and pre-made foods. I’m making more and more from scratch.

We use to purchase salsa and hummus from the grocery store. We ate them. And they tasted OK. Nothing wow about them. They were food. And that’s never a good statement.

The ingredient list was more than ten items and had stuff I couldn’t pronounce. I don’t know about you, but I’m not a fan of my food having stuff I can’t pronounce unless it is from foreign languages.

I found making food from scratch can be quick and easy. And it seems we’ve cut down on waste because we really love the homemade salsa and hummus. Or any meal for that matter. Usually we down it all in one sitting. Or really eat the leftovers.

Hummus

I can make fresh hummus in five minutes. I use a recipe Jeroen found in the February 2013 Reader’s Digest:
– 1 can of chickpeas drained and rinsed
– 2 garlic cloves
– Juice of one lemon (fresh is best)
– 3 tablespoons of tahini (a little more for a smoother hummus)
– 1 tablespoon of olive oil
– 1 teaspoon of sea salt (I use kosher salt)
– 1 teaspoon of cumin
– 1 teaspoon of paprika

Combine all of it in a food processor and blend until smooth.

That’s it. And these are ingredients you may have stocked in your pantry.

And salsa takes about 15 minutes with all the chopping. But that’s it.

Simple, fresh, healthy ingredients. Food that you know where it came from. Not some far away processing plant.

I’m not spending more time in the kitchen. And I not spending more money at the grocery store. But I am getting much better food.

So what do you make from scratch that you use to purchase pre-made?