Why this couple left tech jobs to make pretzels in downtown Salt Lake City

This article is excerpted from the Utah Eats newsletter. To get the full newsletter every Wednesday, subscribe at sltrib.com/newsletters.

Hello, Eaters! I’ve been keeping an eye on the restaurants opening in the Post District, at 500 South and 300 West in downtown Salt Lake City.

Here’s the latest: Mensho, a ramen restaurant that started in Japan, had its “soft opening” last weekend, drawing long lines and a lot of influencers; and the Utah brunch spot Sunday’s Best and its related Champagne/cocktail lounge, Sunday School, are opening in June.

Dangerous Pretzel Co., which I checked out last week, officially opened in the Post District in January, and if you haven’t tried these soft pretzels yet, your tastebuds are seriously missing out.

Married co-founders Lindsay and Drew Sparks (pictured at top) both come to food from the world of tech. Lindsay Sparks said the two of them brainstormed ideas for a new business they could do together that would get them out of the office and into the community. The idea of soft pretzels is what stuck.

Sparks said they see their tech backgrounds as a “strength and a weakness.” They started Dangerous Pretzel Co. without having any restaurant experience, but she said they bring a “fresh” perspective to food. Instead of being tied to traditions, “we’re like sponges, and we’re just trying to learn as much as possible,” she said.

And they decided to put the word “dangerous” in the name of their business because “pretzels are addicting,” Sparks said. “... Even the worst pretzels, people can’t help but get pretzels.”

The couple wanted to take their “dangerous” pretzels beyond the low-quality ones you can typically find at the mall, at sporting events and at Oktoberfest celebrations, and “elevate” them, Sparks said.

They roll their soft pretzels by hand, fill and top them with fresh ingredients, and create flavor combinations that surpass the kind that come only with salt and nacho cheese sauce. (However, you can still get just a salty pretzel at Dangerous Pretzel Co. — it’s called the Salty.)

Unlike American-style soft pretzels that go through a baking soda bath before they’re baked, the German-style pretzels that the Sparks make go through a “waterfall” of food-grade lye, which Lindsay Sparks said is unique in Utah’s food scene. (Their kitchen has large windows, through which you can watch the process.)

The result is a pretzel that’s deep brown — as a result of the chemical reaction created by the lye bath — with a thick, bready body and thin, crispy twisted arms. And to eat it, mind the sassy “no forks given” sign on the wall, break apart the pretzel with your hands and chow down.

The tongue-in-cheek menu includes five savory flavors, including the restaurant’s most popular pretzel, the BBK (Brush Before Kissing), with fresh garlic, parmesan and parsley baked into the dough, and the same mixture sprinkled on top. Pair the BBK with the housemade marinara for a flavorful bite.

For dessert, there are two sweet pretzels, and there are also pretzel “bombs” (aka bites) available, which includes a kid-friendly option sprinkled with Fruity Pebbles cereal crumbs. Pair your sweet pretzel with the Sweet Cream dip, made with cream cheese, to really send it over the top.

To read more about my favorites from Dangerous Pretzel Co., scroll down to the “Dish of the Week” section of this newsletter.

Dangerous Pretzel Co. serves several varieties of local beer (and alcoholic root beer) to go with its pretzels, but Sparks emphasized that this is a family-friendly spot, where everyone is welcome.

In the spirit of inclusivity, Dangerous Pretzel Co. has some solid beverage options for nondrinkers, including sparkling hop water and a couple of NA beers. And Sparks said a gluten-free pretzel is in the works. (She’s gluten-free herself.)

To find Dangerous Pretzel Co., park in the Post District’s south parking garage off of 300 West. Once you walk up to the interior street that goes down the middle of the Post District, look for the dark blue building that houses the bar Melancholy, and continue down that corridor. You’ll see Dangerous Pretzel Co. on your left.

And don’t worry about paying for parking when you leave; Dangerous Pretzel Co. will validate up to three hours.

Dangerous Pretzel Co. is open Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; and closed Mondays.

Live deliciously,

Kolbie

Booze (and Drink!) News

• If you’re a fan of the type of “dirty sodas” available at shops like Swig and Sodalicious, this news is for you. Cinemark is introducing a line of “dirty-style” sodas at its theaters in Sugar House, West Jordan, American Fork, West Valley City, Spanish Fork and Riverton, according to a news release. The flavors will include Coconut Lime Delight, made with Coca-Cola; Orange Berry Blast, made with Fanta Orange; and Lemon Berry Blast and Beachy Berry Blast, both made with Sprite.

Dish of the Week

At Dangerous Pretzel, I tasted two savory pretzels: the BBK, and the restaurant’s second most popular, the Devil’s Delight, which has pepper jack cheese and pepperoni baked into it, and is topped with more pepper jack and pepperoni.

My favorite was the Devil’s Delight ($6), which is like a slice of pepperoni pizza rolled up into a pretzel. To dip it in, I got the marinara and Dangerous Dip, which is a warm, queso-like cheese sauce made with pepper jack, cheddar and chopped jalapenos. I loved breaking pieces off my pretzel and alternating between the marinara and Dangerous Dip. Turns out you can really amp up pizza by dipping it in cheese sauce.

For something sweet, I got the Sweet Talker pretzel ($6), which has blueberries and basil baked into the dough, and a lemon glaze on the outside. It was like a glazed blueberry bagel, and although I couldn’t really taste the basil, this pretzel was delicious when dipped into the Sweet Cream.