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Here's a pressing question: If a pizza is going to include clams, should they be in the shell?
The answer, after dinner at Fireside, a new restaurant on historic Regent Street, is a resounding yes. Yes, because a clam in its shell is a fresher clam. And while it took some work to free those meaty littlenecks, we agreed it was worth the effort. Plus, it looked cool.
Pizza with fresh clams is a rarity in Utah. But it's only one reason to visit this galley-shaped eatery, which fills a remodeled space that once housed The Salt Lake Tribune's printing press. Chef/owner Mike Richey serves a varied menu that uses seasonal foods in interesting ways, without pretense, in a space that is casual but hip.
A wood banquette that runs along the windowed, southern wall is a rustic counterpoint to stainless-topped tables. Diners who sit at a long counter fronted by metal stools can watch the kitchen action, including the use of a wood-fired oven in which the half-dozen varieties of pizza are baked in the style of central Italy.
While the location is convenient for downtown worker bees, Fireside is attached to the new Eccles Theater, so it's likely to be a popular place on show nights. It doesn't take reservations, however, which theatergoers will need to keep in mind when planning a preshow meal.
The menu is printed daily depending on what's available, so what you eat this week might not be there the next. But there are some regular features, such as a decadent burger ($19) made with a blend of ground chuck and brisket, or chuck and Wagyu, and gussied up with caramelized onion, lettuce, tomato, bacon and a very potent Roquefort cheese sauce. It's a pricey burger, due to the upscale meat blend, but it's huge and includes steak fries. Because it's so juicy, it's really messy, so you might need extra napkins.
Pasta at Fireside is made in house, and one day the selection was a toothy bucatini ($22) awash in a cream sauce infused with basil and garlic. Hidden among the pasta strands were fresh peas and fava beans, but the chunks of lobster and greenhouse-grown tomatoes were visible in all their glory. It was a little rich, a little nod to the season and a lot tasty.
A dish of sea scallops ($25) was a more complete celebration of the spring with a vivid green mound of pea purée, a generous sprinkling of pea shoots and fava beans plus some shiitake mushrooms. A pool of pale yellow beurre blanc created a lovely palette for the vibrant greens, and the freshly seared scallops nestled among them completed a dish that easily evoked an urban picnic at the shore.
Another dish listed under the label of "urban picnic" on the Fireside menu is an innovative take on hash ($19). Ground chicken flavored with onion and tangy cheese is formed into a patty and fried. The hash patty is then perched atop whipped potatoes and sprinkled with fava beans, chunks of fried pancetta and crisply fried shallots, all of it surrounded by a perky lemon basil sauce. It's comfort food at its finest, and a big enough portion that you might have enough for breakfast or lunch the next day.
Fresh herbs play a starring role in an interesting plate of house-made mozzarella ($12) engulfed by a pool of zucchini juice. It's a blend of soup and salad, with chunks of squash, olives and a lot of basil and parsley. This one is a bit tough to share because it's so juicy, but it would make a tasty starter for two.
Brussels sprouts ($12) are firmly in the salad camp and more easily shared, even with people who don't think they like them. Here, they partner with caramelized onion and bacon, whose richness is kept in check by the flavors of citrus and white balsamic vinegar. Several dabs of house-made ricotta and a sprinkling of pistachios lend the finishing touch. You might think the flavor of the sprouts would get lost in all that, but it's there, a critical team player in the culinary chorus.
I've heard good thing about a couple of other urban picnic offerings, a bread salad made with quail ($17) and the caviar pillows ($14), which are fried dumplings made with taro, potato and American sturgeon caviar. There will be a next time at Fireside for me, so those will be on my list.
I can vouch for another pizza, however. We made the Baldy ($22) a starter for our group of four, and it was a smart move. While the crust is thin and crisp, it holds up under a hefty mix of fontina cheese, artichoke hearts, prosciutto and a wealth of arugula, which all but hid an over-easy egg. It seems the perfect Saturday brunch antidote to a Friday night of downtown bar crawling, maybe with one of Fireside's signature cocktails ($10-$13) or a traditional bloody Mary.
Fireside has a full-service liquor license, with a selection of wine ($30-$75) that is mostly imported, four of which are available by the glass. There are a half-dozen beers, too, four of them locally brewed. While those choices may sound modest, they're adequate support for the menu.
My only quibble with Fireside is dessert. The baked Alaska ($9) looked impressive with its crown of huckleberries, but the brown butter cake was dry as toast. And the bananas Foster ($8) was a soupy jumble of browned fruit, commercially made ice cream and brown sugar sauce. Since Fireside is open late, it could attract a post-theater crowd, but the sweets need upgrading.
Service was friendly but inconsistent, excellent on one visit and behind the curve on the next, when our server couldn't answer seemingly basic questions about menu items and forgot to deliver a requested beverage.
I'm hoping that was a one-off. It won't stop me from going back because there are quite a few items I still need to sample (did I mention the mac and cheese, $10? And that pizza with the sunchoke chips, $18?). I like the food and the vibe, and if you're a devotee of the urban picnic, what else do you need?
HHH
Fireside on Regent
Food • HHH
Mood • HHH
Service • HH
Noise • bb
This small eatery, which looks like a bar but serves an intriguing menu heavy on seasonal foods, offers pizzas and "urban picnic" entrees ranging from house-made pasta to a bread salad with quail and a chicken "hash" that shouldn't be missed. Connected to the new Eccles Theater on Main Street, it's a good spot for pre- or post-theater libations and snacks.
Location • 126 S. Regent St., Salt Lake City; 801-359-4011
Online • firesideonregent.com
Hours • Open daily 11 a.m. to close
Children's menu • No
Prices • $$-$$$$
Liquor • Full service
Reservations • No
Takeout • Yes
Wheelchair access • Yes
Outdoor dining • No
On-site parking • No, adjacent pay lot
Credit cards • Yes, all major