Hello, Eaters! Bambara, the fine-dining restaurant inside the Hotel Monaco at 202 S. Main St., is switching up its menu again. (Maybe that’s how this place has stuck around since opening almost 30 years ago?)

I stopped by for lunch the other day to try a couple of the new dishes and meet two of the people behind the revamped menu: executive chef Jackie Siao, and Tony Coppernoll, who’s the food and beverage director for the hotel.

Siao and Coppernoll said they want Bambara to be more than a spot where you go for your anniversary dinner, and the new menu reflects that.

The origin story: Bambara and the Hotel Monaco opened in 1999, in the historic Continental Bank building in downtown Salt Lake City. After the pandemic, Bambara went through some leadership changes; Siao has been at the helm for almost a year.

The vibe: Elegant but comfortable, with brown leather booths, tall ceilings and lots of plants. The north side has a row of large windows that look out onto 200 South. The space was once a bank lobby, so the restaurant is separated from the hotel lobby by teller windows.

The menu: Until now, Bambara’s menu has been pretty traditional with starters, salads, entrees and desserts, Coppernoll said. Now, the starters and salads have been replaced with tapas-style “provisions,” raw dishes and shareable “socials.” The new setup lends itself to a variety of dining needs and price points, with 31 new items — gluten-free, vegan and veggie options included. You can drop by for a quick bite before a show at the Eccles and have a few small plates, Coppernoll said, or you can come celebrate something special with a larger dinner.

Bambara has always been known for serving game meats, like bison and elk, and that’s still the case on the new menu. But now, almost all of the proteins are sourced locally, as well as many of the other ingredients, Coppernoll said.

He also said the team is leaning into the restaurant’s history with the menu, bringing back the blue cheese chips in their original form, which earned a moment of silence when they went away in 2022.

The hours: Brunch daily, 7 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; dinner Sunday-Thursday, 5 p.m.-9 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m.-10 p.m.

Live deliciously,

Kolbie

Food News

• Through Halloween, the Lucky H Buffet at the Little America Hotel, at 500 S. Main St., has been transformed into the Lucky Boo-ffet, featuring roaming witch actors every Friday from 6 to 8 p.m., plus spooky decor. If you wear a Halloween costume, you can get 20% off your meal, and Halloween pastries are served during dinner. The “boo-ffet’s” hours are 4:30 to 8:30 p.m., and no reservations are needed. Pricing is $15 for children ages 5-12 and free for children under 4. Pricing for adults ranges from $49 to $69.

Openings:

• ICYMI, Salt & Straw opened its first location in Utah last weekend in Riverton’s Mountain View Village, at 4489 W. Partridge Hill Lane, Suite S-120, next door to R&R Barbecue. Salt & Straw is known for its unusual flavor combinations, like Chocolate Malted Potato Chip Cupcake, and it has locations nationwide, including in California, Florida and Texas.

• A new pho place called Pho Mai Mai has opened at 1898 W. 3500 South, bringing another Vietnamese restaurant to the neighborhood around Redwood Road in West Valley City, according to an Instagram post. Currently in its soft opening phase, Pho Mai Mai is serving a limited menu, including beef pho that looks out of this world.

• Popular food truck Big South is now serving its soul food and barbecue inside a real-life restaurant at 2030 S. 900 East, Suite D, in Sugar House, according to an Instagram post. I’ve been wanting to try Big South’s food for a while, and I’m excited it’s going to be easier to get now. The photos of its food look unreal, with big portions of fried catfish, mac & cheese, collard greens and more.

• In national chain news, Juice It Up! — which offers smoothies, acai bowls and juices — has opened a new location in Herriman at 5101 W. Miller Crossing Drive, Suite C; and Mexican restaurant Qdoba has opened a new location in Clinton, at 1867 N. 2000 West, according to news releases.

Closings:

• Marcato Kitchen has closed its booth in Woodbine Food Hall, according to an Instagram post, although the team hints at possibly bringing the stromboli concept back at some point. “We don’t know exactly what the future holds, but we hope this is a ‘see you later’ rather than goodbye forever,” the post said.

• El Sol Mexican Restaurant in Logan has closed after 51 years, according to a Facebook post. “We want to thank you for your business, loyalty and friendships,” the post said.

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

Booze (and Drink!) News

• During October, the Lucky H Bar in the Little America Hotel has been transformed into The Count’s Lounge, featuring spooky Halloween decor and a specialty cocktail menu, according to a news release. The experience includes complimentary fortune telling, including tarot card readings every Wednesday and palm readings every Thursday, from 7 to 9 p.m. Come in your Halloween costume and get 20% off your food. No reservations are needed, there’s no additional charge for the experience.

Dish of the Week

For lunch at Bambara, I went with two dishes that chef Siao said were a couple of her favorites: the fried halloumi ($11) and the UT47 wagyu beef short rib ($48).

Halloumi is a type of Middle Eastern cheese that can be grilled without melting, and here it was coated with panko breadcrumbs and fried, resulting in piping hot cubes of cheese that slightly squeaked when I bit through the crunchy coating to the creamy center. Combine all THAT goodness with raspberries, local hot honey and a zesty gremolata on top, and you have little flavor bombs that zing in your mouth. Siao called this dish “an elevated baked brie, with lots of textures.”

The short rib was also really good. It’s a local cut of beef braised for six to seven hours and then left in that braising liquid overnight, Siao said. She created a Korean-barbecue-inspired gochujang sauce to go with it that gently warmed my tongue. It also came with a “palate cleanser” of braised turnips and pears on the side and a miso-infused turnip puree with ginger and crispy garlic. Siao called the crispy garlic “crack,” because “you just want to eat it on its own.”

This dish was more comforting and wintry; the halloumi was fun and summery.

— Newsletter written by Kolbie Peterson, The Salt Lake Tribune’s food and drink reporter. The Tribune pays for all of the food written about in this newsletter.