When the co-owners of Park City’s Vessel Kitchen were planning their new restaurant, their goal was to serve served food made with high-quality ingredients at an affordable price.
And they wanted to get the food out fast.
If their “intuition was right” and they could pull off their fast-casual concept in Kimball Junction, they knew there would be opportunities to expand beyond the Utah ski town.
Fast-forward three years and the partners — Nick Gradinger, Brian Reeder and executive chef Roe’e Levy — have opened a second Vessel Kitchen, at 1146 E. Fort Union Blvd., in Midvale; and there are plans for locations in Sandy and Salt Lake City’s popular 900 South and 900 East neighborhood — in the now-closed Great Harvest Bread location.
(Brodi Ashton | The Salt Lake Tribune) Vessel Kitchen's fast-casual design allows customers to get their meals quickly.
Vessel Kitchen’s menu includes salads, flatbread tacos and signature bowls made with fresh vegetables, grains and proteins — like braised beef, shredded adobo chicken marinara meatballs and yellowfin tuna. There also are vegetarian and gluten-free options, like the falafel and cauliflower curry.
Prices range from $9 to $15.
Many ingredients are grown or produced in Utah. Daily specials vary at each restaurant, giving chefs a chance to inject their personal style.
While ingredients change with the seasons, one item that never goes away, said Gradinger, is the signature Hash Hash bowl: sweet potato hash with braised beef, feta, pickled onions and horseradish aioli. “If we took it off the menu, mobs would come after us,” he said.
(Brodi Ashton | The Salt Lake Tribune) The signature Hash Hash bowl at Vessel Kitchen.
The three co-owners met in Park City — they found Levy through a Craigslist ad for an executive chef — and everything clicked. Seven months later, they had opened the Park City location.
While the new restaurants all will have a similar vibe, each one will reflect the style of the individual neighborhoods.
Vessel Kitchen • 1784 Uinta Way, No. E1, Park City; 432-200-8864; and 1146 E. Fort Union Blvd, Midvale; 801-337-5005. Open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Opening soon at 11000 S. State, Sandy (2019); and 905 E. 900 South, Salt Lake City (2020).