Hello, Eaters! Every December, my younger brother in Spokane sends a parcel that includes a jar of apple butter that he made and canned. For me, it’s as much a sign of the holidays as seeing the downtown light displays or hearing Mariah Carey sing about all she wants for Christmas.
Food has that power over people this time of year — it prompts memories, marks the passing of time and can put us in a festive mood.
Last week, I asked you all to share what foods or festive treats make your holidays special. And you delivered, for which I am grateful. Here’s a few examples:
• Roland Walker, of Syracuse, said his favorite holiday food is mince pie, made with simple short-crust pastry and Robertson’s Mincemeat Classic, an English brand he gets from World Market — with icing sugar sprinkled on top. (For those unfamiliar, mincemeat pies don’t contain meat, but a mix of fruits like apples and raisins, with treacle and candied citrus peel.) “It’s the English heritage in me,” Walker said, noting that mince pies aren’t as common in the U.S. (Ed. note: My mom used to make them, too.)
• Raquel Cook, of Salt Lake City, recommended Garden Gate Chocolate’s toffee — specifically the Salt Lake City shop’s dark chocolate variety. “I bring it to the family get-together, and my niece and I, in particular, look forward to it every year,” Cook wrote, adding that its limited seasonal availability “makes it more special.”
• Dan Bammes, our longtime radio friend, shared: “My older sister passed away last year. She always sent us an assortment of marzipan, which our father thought was a special treat from heaven. That wasn’t my favorite thing — but I miss it. And them.”
(Bob Paxton) Peanut butter cups, made by Bob and Michelle Paxton in Gilbert, Arizona, and sent out to friends and family every holiday.
• Bob Paxton, a reader in Gilbert, Arizona, wrote that “the holiday wouldn’t be Christmas if we didn’t make peanut butter cups. My wife, Michelle [a licensed clinical social worker] was given the recipe by a client 37 years ago, and we have made around 1,500 or so every Christmas since, giving them to friends and family during the holidays. It has proven a fond memory for our two children, now grown and gone, who always helped and say the aroma of peanut butter and melting chocolate invokes lovely memories.”
• Diane Lindley, of Bountiful, shared: “When I was a kid and very poor, living in a housing area full of poor folks, we had ‘bring what you can’ Christmas eve. We had Cajun beans and rice, homemade pickles, baked beans, and pasta of all kinds. My mom always made open-faced peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that looked like a Santa face: Red jam hat, marshmallow trim, coconut beard. chocolate chip eyes. Nothing says Christmas like worthless white bread Santa PB&J!!!”
Live deliciously,
Sean
Food News
• You Eaters paid attention to last week’s story on Beast From the East, the sub shop at 1702 S. Main in Salt Lake City. After the story ran, business at the shop was booming. “We ran out of bread on back-to-back days,” read a note from the owners on the shop’s door. The owners promised to triple their normal bread order this week, “to ensure we can serve you for more hours throughout the day.”
(Park City Mountain Resort) The Viking Yurt at Park City Mountain Resort, where a six-course dinner is served for up to 40 people each night during the winter and early spring.
• Park City Mountain Resort was scheduled to launch a seasonal dinner schedule in its Viking Yurt on Friday. Up to 40 guests a night will leave the resort’s Legacy Lodge, 1345 Lowell Ave., at 5:45 p.m., and ride by sleigh out to the yurt, where they can enjoy a six-course, European-inspired dinner. Dinner is $225 per person for most of the season (which runs through April 4), and $295 between Dec. 18 and Jan. 3. Reservations are filling up fast at vikingyurt.com.
• Utah restaurants may soon be vying for one of the most coveted honors in dining: A Michelin star. The Michelin Guide, which rates top restaurants around the world, announced this week it is launching a regional guide for the southwestern U.S. — Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada — sometime next year. Its anonymous inspectors “are already in the field finding culinary gems,” officials said. Guide editors are working with the Wasatch Culinary Collective, a group that includes Visit Salt Lake, Visit Park City and Sundance Mountain Resort.
Openings:
• La Casa Del Tamal, known for handmade tamales and regional Mexican cuisine, opened its second location last month, at 346 W. 600 South, in Salt Lake City’s Post District. The new restaurant includes a full bar experience, according to a news release. The other location is at 2843 S. 5600 West in West Valley City.
• A new Italian restaurant, Vongole Pasta, opened recently at 1405 E. 2100 South in Sugar House. It’s in the house that for more than a decade was home to the recently closed Ekamai Thai. Reservations can be made at the restaurant’s website, vongolepastautah.com.
• Taste of Philly, a Colorado-based sandwich chain, opened its first Utah location on Monday — at 423 W. 300 South, Salt Lake City, just west of Pioneer Park. As the name implies, Philly cheesesteaks are the specialty here, along with deli-style sandwiches and chicken wings. Hours are from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
• Mo’ Bettahs, the Hawaiian-style barbecue chain, opened a new location in Sandy last weekend, at 1966 E. 9400 South, west of the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon. Two more locations — at 365 E. 2600 North in North Ogden and 6500 N. Landmark Drive in Kimball Junction, Park City — are also slated to open soon.
• Flower Child, the health-conscious fast-casual restaurant chain, is opening its second Utah location, at 4422 W. Tree Sparrow Drive in Riverton’s Mountain View Village shopping center, on Jan. 13, the company announced. The first, in Salt Lake City’s Foothill Village, opened in October 2024.
• Jequitibá, which bills itself as a “Brazilian soul food” restaurant, is getting ready to open at 1050 S. 750 East, Orem, according to the business’ Instagram account. The location is where Delicatto Pizza was before it closed on Nov. 15. No opening date for the new restaurant has been announced.
Closings:
• Wriggles, a Murray eatery known for its wraps, closed Nov. 15 after 25 years in business, the restaurant announced on Facebook. “It’s incredibly hard to say goodbye, but we are so grateful for every visit, every smile, and every bit of support you’ve shown us over the years,” the restaurant’s owners wrote.
Booze (and Drink!) News
• As Jack Skellington would say, “What’s this?!?” The Quarters Arcade Bar at 5 E. 400 South in downtown Salt Lake City is creating a holiday pop-up based on “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas,” starting Sunday and running through Dec. 21. The bar will feature themed drinks, movie screenings and an Oogie Boogie photo booth. Visit quartersslc.com for details.
Dish of the Week
(Sean P. Means | The Salt Lake Tribune) Mushroom stroganoff from Vertical Diner, a Salt Lake City vegan restaurant.
I was watching the 1945 comedy “Christmas in Connecticut” the other night and — inspired by Barbara Stanwyck’s character, a popular homemaking columnist who in reality can’t boil water — I did what she would have done if the technology were available to her: Ordered comfort food via DoorDash.
My pick was the mushroom stroganoff from my favorite Salt Lake City vegan restaurant, Vertical Diner. It’s penne pasta and button mushrooms slathered in a vegan “zour” cream and red wine sauce, with onion and peppers in the mix. The tangy sauce compliments the rich umami of the mushrooms, and provides a warm feeling in the belly on a cold night.