Hello, Eaters! If it was about 100 years ago, and you were lost somewhere in the Himalayas, and you needed a cozy place to get some food and drink to warm your belly, The Yeti Bar & Lounge (or just The Yeti) is the respite you’d hope to find.

The Yeti is a new Himalayan-themed bar right by some mountains that are much closer to home, at the base of Big Cottonwood Canyon, at 7333 Canyon Centre Parkway in Cottonwood Heights.

I visited The Yeti recently, and got to talk with founders Alex Burlison, Michael Dodd and Mac Wallace.

The origin story: In creating the Yeti, Dodd said he imagined it as “a place people come in, they exhale, and then they chill there, and they don’t ever want to get up and leave.” Inspired by the “mystery” of the Himalayas and its most famous cryptid, The Yeti opened around New Year’s. The three founders said they think of the yeti as something like a mascot and “bar spirit.”

The vibe: The Yeti feels like a rustic mountain retreat due to all of the beautiful furniture, which is mostly made with reclaimed teak, acacia and mango wood shipped from India. Vintage knickknacks, glowy lanterns, beautiful art and other authentic decorative elements add to this vibe. (To get the full Yeti experience, reserve one of the house-like pagodas hidden away in the back; they are unmissable.)

The menu: The food cooked at The Yeti is prepared at The 14 Peaks at 1446 S. State St. in Salt Lake City, which serves Indian and Nepali cuisine also inspired by the Himalayas — think samosas, momos, curries and more. Wallace said all the cocktails have a tie-in to the Himalayas, and many feature botanical ingredients that would be found in the vast mountain range, like walnut, cedar, tea and certain aromatic spices. To read about my order, scroll down to “Dish of the Week.”

The hours: Tuesday-Thursday, 4-11 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 4 p.m.-midnight; Sunday, 4-11 p.m. Closed Mondays.

Live deliciously,

Kolbie

Pizza Madness - the aftermath

Pizza Madness has ended, and ICYMI, you Eaters voted for Pizza Nono as the winner.

Many Eaters commented on how much they love Pizza Nono, in the 9th and 9th neighborhood. Jack Vitek, from Salt Lake City, called it the “best pizza spot this side of the Mississippi.”

Some spoke up for the second-place finisher, The Pie. Gwen Springmeyer, who lives in the Avenues, said, “The Pie has been the best pizza for over 40 years. I raised my children on pizza from The Pie. No shame — working mothers do what they have to do.”

Julia Light, another Salt Laker, said the two pizzerias “have such disparate strengths; it’s like apples and oranges.” She voted for Pizza Nono “based on what I’d rather have at the time of my vote.”

We at The Salt Lake Tribune learned a lot from doing this bracket-style tournament, including some changes we’ll make if we do it again. And we discovered that you definitely can’t leave Lucky Slice out of a tourney about pizza, even if it’s not on purpose.

What should we have a “madness” about next year? Doughnuts? Coffee shops? Dumplings? Email your thoughts to food@sltrib.com. And thanks to everyone who voted in Pizza Madness!

Food News

Utah baker Adalberto Diaz hit the end of the line on Monday’s episode of Food Network’s “Ultimate Baking Championship.” The challenge was to make a 3-D chocolate sculpture, combined with a baked item — and Adalberto’s monstra deliciosa cake came in last among the six remaining contestants. “I baked my heart out every single day. … It’s worth every single minute,” Adalberto said at the end of the episode. I wrote about Diaz, the proprietor of Salt Lake City’s Fillings & Emulsions, last month.

Openings:

• Speaking of Lucky Slice, this pizzeria that serves New York-style pizza in Ogden, Clearfield and Logan finally has a location closer to the SLC folks, in Bountiful, at 135 S. Main St. According to an Instagram post, the new spot opened Monday.

• Monkeywrench, which specializes in nondairy ice cream, has opened a second location, next door to the Swig in Sugar House, at 1845 S. 700 East, according to an Instagram post. The original location remains at 53 E. Gallivan Ave in downtown Salt Lake City.

• National ice cream brand Salt & Straw is opening its first location in Utah, in Trolley Square, according to an email from the company’s publicist. The exact address will be 602 E. 500 South, Unit D109, downstairs from Rodizio Grill.

• I feel like I manifested this somehow, but a Swedish candy store is opening in Salt Lake City. According to an Instagram post, Sugar Moose Swedish Candy — based in Kaysville — is “coming soon” to the 9th and 9th neighborhood. No exact address or opening date yet.

Closings:

• Main Street Pizza & Noodle in Park City closed on April 5 after more than 35 years in business, reports KPCW. Owner Rick Smith cited rising rent and pressure from national tenants as factors in the decision to close, the story said.

• Has a restaurant opened or closed in your neighborhood? Let us know at food@sltrib.com.

Booze (and Drink!) News

• Nomad Eatery is leaving Uinta Brewing in preparation for its move to Daybreak, right by The Ballpark at America First Square, according to an Instagram post. Uinta says it will be debuting a new food menu soon.

Dish of the Week

For dinner at The Yeti, I enjoyed the chicken coconut korma ($19) with naan and rice, and it was really tasty, even though it was spicier than what I can usually take.

To drink, I had the Campfire Tales ($15) cocktail, a smoky, booze-forward drink made with Dewar’s scotch, cognac, Waterpocket amaro, garam masala honey and Tea Grotto lapsang souchong tea, which is traditionally smoked over pine fires, according to the Internet. If you love smoke, like I do, this cocktail will be right up your alley. I also loved the spicy sweet notes from the garam masala honey.

For dessert, I had the coconut turmeric and ginger cardamom ice creams from Normal. The turmeric was buttery and bright, and the ginger was earthy and spiced. Both were really creamy and delicate.