Foodie Finds in Utah

A long-delayed post about the foodie finds we stumbled across on our Tour d' Utah at the end of November. And by stumble, I mean found thanks to Foursquare, Yelp, and recommendations from friends on Twitter, Facebook & by a good old fashioned, "You MUST go there!"

First up, the Italian joint, Tony Caputo's Market & Deli in Salt Lake.

They had me at… cheese cave. It's one of just a few in the whole country and replicates the perfect environment for aging cheese. (Puts my thoughts of using my tiny wine fridge for aging homemade cheese to shame.) Needless to say – 200+ farmstead cheeses from around the world. Pure cheesy heaven.

And what's a slew of cheese without charcuterie. They have their own Salume Maker, "With over 14 types of proscuitti and dozens of salami, including those made by the house salame maker, Cristiano Creminelli, Caputo's can claim the best cured meat selection in Utah and, possibly, in America. Cristiano's family has been hand making salame for over 400 years and their salumificio (salame shop) was named best in the entire region of Piedmont in 2006. In 2007, he came to Caputo's to make all natural salame with all natural Utah pork. Already, he has garnered many local and national awards for his "babies," which you can watch during the curing process through the glass doors of the curing cell."

While the deli was fantastic (I had a killer meatball sub with sublime provolone) the market was what was truly breathtaking. Pastas and sauces and breads of every variety.

And, stacks of flavored, smoked and wonderful salts. We brought home some truffle salt that has been amazing on everything.

Next up, the Mexican joint. One of those 'You HAVE TO go there!' places that we almost skipped. It would have been a foodie miss of a lifetime if we hadn't decided to snag dinner at Salt Lake's Red Iguana (described as Pre-Hispanic Food Imperial Aztec Cuisine and Moctezuma's Table)

The New York Times did a great story on the Salt Lake institution's decision to open a second location just blocks from its original site.

With an overwhelming number of moles to choose from, we tried their 'mole sampler' to decide. While they all converted the 'I hate mole' Kevin to a huge mole fan – I wound up going with Mole Poblano while Kevin tried one of their signature dishes, the Puntes de Filete a la Nortena.

Our other great find in Salt Lake was a wine & tapas joint Meditrina

Great selection of wines by the glass, cool atmosphere and yummy small plates like crab-stuffed piquillo peppers, beef tenderloin carpaccio and bulgogi pork belly – but the real star of the show was dessert.

Hello Drunken Oreo! Red wine soaked Oreos in a port reduction topped with vanilla bean ice cream. #Nom-worthy

And finally, one of those side of the road finds that make you smile. Moab's Ye Ol Geezer Meat Shop. Literally, one of those places we whizzed by on the way to Canyonlands National Park that we just had to stop at to snag some dinner for the cabin grill

Two delightful ladies (one hiding behind the meat case below :-) had a wealth of knowledge and directed us to an awesome aged New York strip. Heavenly.

Along with the homemade jerky, cured bacon and a bonus of fresh pork sausage… we left with a stash of protein goodness. Of course, made all the better by finding people who relish in their craft and delight in sharing their foodie knowledge and passion.

No hole in the wall

How about turning the phrase on its head and instead calling this a 'Gem in the Wall.'

Let's add Cucina di Paolo to my trio of Italian rockstars in the Treasure Valley - joining Gino's and Uncle Giuseppe's.

Quaint Italian cafe with drool-worthy glass cases of goodness and a husband and wife running the show who make everyone feel like part of a big Italian family.

Head up to Vista to mangia with the best of em!

Love is...

...your better half buying a torch & fancy spoons to surprise you with delicious Grapefruit Brûlée at home. Flame on!

Here's to the nasty bits

I get really geeked out when chefs give me a peek behind the apron, an insight to get my palate ready.

So, much thanks to B29 Streatery Chef Greg Lamm for sending me this Tweet DM the night before Boise's monthly Food Truck Rally…"We've got crispy pig's feet 'Hot Dog' on the truck for the rally tomorrow… Gotta let a fellow 'nasty bits' peep know what's going on."

Needless to say, I had to try the dog. It. Was. Amazing. Succulent and soft with a crunchy shell. Trotter elevated. Fellow foodies at the rally – including the talented Trey McIntyre and John-Michael from TMP – were also effusive in their love for B29's take on the dog. It wasn't my first time enjoying trotter. I had made the plunge to try it out when at Thomas Keller's Buchon (here's a fellow foodies' take on the Bouchon Trotter).

But admittedly, the elegance of the trotter dog (as I affectionately remember it, but Chef Lamm had a much more better description on the Streatery menu) was not quite as fantastic as the blog post that led paid homage to the dog.

The post 'Ode to Pig's Feet' is probably the first foodie blog to really get me thinking. About what it is to pay credence to sustainability, to qualify yourself as a locavore, to truly respect the ingredients. Some of my favorite nuggets:

One of the largest hurdles to converting to a sustainable agricultural model is how to make it affordable across all economic models. I suggest a very simple solution: eat feet. Eat ears. Eat noses and tongues. Eat the other 1/3 of the animal that is currently going in the trash or to animal feed. All of these off cuts have strong culinary traditions behind them, and not just in "ethnic foods". We as Americans have very strange concepts of what is an acceptable foodstuff. Americans will eat fast food, but say "yuck" to ears and feet grown by local, sustainable and organic farmers.

If we as consumers eat the off cuts of our local and sustainable products, it will do two things: continue the demand for the product but it will also help to moderate the price of the premium end. The vast majority of farmers are not gouging us on loins, chops and premium cuts because they can. They are recouping the losses of offering a premium product that isn't being fully utilized. And if they are gouging us, we will know. Then we can shift our purchasing power to a producer who is able to moderate pricing. It's a win-win.

This doesn't only apply to pigs. We as Americans drastically underutilize our beef, poultry and other livestock. We buy beets at The Capital City Market and then throw out the tops. Then we buy swiss chard to serve with our beets. FYI - Swiss Chard is a non root producing variety of beet.

We need to start eating feet as a nation. We need to start eating hearts, cheeks, liver, ears, and tongue. Eat weeds. Eat tops. As Anthony Bourdain puts it, "eat the nasty bits." Our current eating habits are just pushing the ideal of sustainable eating further towards the few and away from the many.

Cooks have to step it up. We have to offer these products, and prepare them with enough skill that an adventurous skeptic will become an avid fan. This requires dedication, a capital investment and practice. Tongue isn't expensive, but screw it up 4 or 5 times and it starts to add up. It really adds up on the time end, where proper preparation can take hours or days.

This isn't the final solution, but it will progress us towards the goal of sustainability.

Well worth the read – and the commitment to embrace more of the 'nasty bits.'

- Jess

Idaho Foodies: Build Your Own Grilled Cheese Night

Sent from my iPhone

Oh Gino, how I've missed you...

I'm sorry that my Boise snobbery kept me away for so long... But I'm so glad I finally got over it and made the trek to your not-so-new home on McMillan in Meridian.

You've been my favorite Southern Italian foodie stop in the West since my family moved to Boise in the mid-90's and my Gramma Angie (aka 'Tootsie') gave your food her blessing. If Tootsie from Astoria, Queens said your food is legit and of the old country, count me as a believer.

So thanks for the trip down memory lane, for serving up meatballs just like Gramma's, for employing a staff who treat you like family, for making me swoon with pillowy gnocchi goodness.

Just goes to show - yet again - that the address doesn't matter, it's the soul and spirit inside the kitchen that makes a meal memorable.

Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I will remember. #SVHarvest

"Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand." - Chinese Proverb

And that is the essence of any great chef demonstration. I admittedly went a bit overboard and binged on the demos - sticking around the tent for all of the Chefs taking the stage at this year's Sun Valley Harvest Festival. Local favorites and leading chefs were in from Palm Beach, New York, Portland and Los Angeles.

Here's the official rundown:

Judith McQueen – Judith McQueen Entertaining, Ketchum ID- Tomatoes, Tomatoes, Tomatoes

Whether you say tomayto or tomahto - I'd venture that you've never tried Tomato Water. So simple yet flavorful. Apparently, the nectar of the 90's per the NYTimes "...the clear essence of summer in spoonable form."

And Chef McQeen's Tomato Risotto is a must-mangia attempt in my home kitchen.

Clay Conley – Buccan, Palm Beach, FL - Rabbit – Head to Foot

I have to admit the title threw me a bit. But I'm a carnivore, and with my venturing into the world of charcuterie I've become a tad obsessed at using the full animal and the art of butchery.

From the above Boned Saddle to Braised legs in Rabbit Stock, confit and liver atop grilled bread...

Chef Conley used the entire creature and it was delicious.

Chris Kastner – CK’s Real Food, Hailey, ID - It’s Not Just Soup

CK's delicious duo of roasted tomato and squash soups.

Melissa Costello – Karma Chow, Los Angeles, CA - Know Your Food – Simple & Seasonal Vegan Cooking. I'm fascinated by vegan cooking and Chef Costello delivered.

The recipes for her Raw Kale Salad with Creamy Chipotle Dressing and Coconut Yam Soup are available on Karma Chow.

Dave Martin – Bravo Top Chef and Restaurant Consultant - Gearing up for Fall

A repeat performance of our Carnivore's Dream dinner - but still an entertaining and delicious demo (and now I have the much drooled over goat cheese & bacon grits recipe!)

And my Red Sky foodie colleagues were front and center for the Chef Dave show.

Cathy Whims – Nostrana, Portland, OR - A Taste of Italy’s Piemonte in Idaho

Taite Pearson – della Mano, Ketchum, ID
Mise en place; Basic Knife Skills, Decorative Cuts and Techniques for the Proper Preparation of Vegetables

Sam Talbot – The Surf Lodge, Montauk, NY and Imperial No. 9, New York. NY
Some like it hot some like it Trout. Cooking with fresh water’s favorite fish

Chef Sam was showcasing Clear Springs Trout with Blackberry Vinagrette. "It's about selecting the freshest ingredients and letting them speak for themselves." Amen.

He has Type 1 Diabetes and is passionate about making diabetes-friendly diets that are flavor-packed (don't sacrifice flavor, sacrifice carbohydrates). His new book 'The Sweet Life' is out this November.

Have to share the most-often shared wisdom from all the chefs - the power of salt. And the power of the right kind of salt. As Chef Sam said - you should only be using Kosher or Sea Salts.

And Chef Dave made it the most memorable, "Unless you're a family of pirates and you are worried about getting scurvy, don't use ionized salt."

These boots are made for walking...and indulging #SVHarvest

I truly love working a bit for my meals. Walkabouts, progressive dinners and this weekend - the Sun Valley Harvest Festival Restaurant Walk.

I've been to Sun Valley and Ketchum quite a few times in the past decade - but I stick to the places I've been before. The beauty of a restaurant walk is getting bite-sized introductions to places you've never been - or places you've forgotten.

We started at the Ketchum Towne Square with a first-time sampling of the brand new Sawtooth Brewery. (Growler cozies - who knew?)

We didn't make every one of the 15 stops, but here are the few we hit and my foodie feelings on the experience.

Cornerstone Bar & Grill: Bite sized local buffalo wellington en croute

Cristina’s Restaurant: Salmon cakes & Porchetta pizza roll-up

Dashi: Crispy local Berkshire pigs head pork lollipops with pickled local cherry crème fraiche

Glow: Fall harvest gazpacho with local sweet corn and avocado salsa

Il Naso: Deconstructed Italian BLT; local seared pork belly, oregano aioli, local heirloom tomato, butterleaf lettuce and olive oil cracker

Rickshaw: Nepalese Momos - Local XXL ranch pork and chive dumpling with spicy roasted Hagerman heirloom tomato sauce

Roosevelt Grille: Snake River Farms Kobe beef grilled flatiron steak two ways – Argentinean chimichurri and Thai-basil

Rolling in Dough: Cheese crackers and lemon tarts

While the entire experience was fantastic, my favorites were:

Dashi - When you hear pig's head you may cringe, but the flavor and lusciousness of the meat was divine.
Roosevelt Grille - There is nothing quite as fantastic as a perfectly cooked steak (well, maybe a great 3-minute egg) but this flatiron was superb. Add that to the fact that Chef Tom Nickel had whipped up two nom-worthy toppings (chimichurri? I'm now a huge fan).
Il Naso: Now THAT is the way to prepare pork belly. Perfect crispiness. Foodgasm.

- Jess Flynn

A Carnivore's Dream with Chef Dave Martin @ Sun Valley HarvestFestival

There's nothing I like more with a thoughtfully crafted meal with friends while meeting new people.

Wait, check that.

There is something I like more - a thoughtfully crafted meal with good friends and new ones when that meal is prepared by a dynamic personality whose love of cooking oozes out of his pores.

Just like ambiance can make or break a meal, so can the personality of the chef behind the meal.

In the case of the Carnivore's Dream dinner pre-event for the Sun Valley Harvest Festival - Chef Dave Martin (of Top Chef fame) ratcheted up the evening with his wit, enthusiasm and pure joy for the experience and engagement with the dinner crowd of 70.

Enough of my blathering - let's get to the true star of the show - the amazing spread prepared by Chef Dave and local Chef Brent Barsotti. Here is the nom-worthy menu, chock full of local meats and produce courtesy Idaho's Bounty, Snake River Farms, Ballard Cheese, Teton Waters Ranch and Bucksnort Root Beer.

Welcome

Dave’s Ginger POM Martini made with American Harvest Organic Vodka
Local Idaho Trout–Gravlax Style, short cured with Idaho Potato Tuile Topped with Local Chevre
Bounty of Local Idaho Cheeses from Ballard Cheese, Dried Fruits, Nuts and Idaho Honey

Dinner Menu

Salad of Duck Confit-Idaho Duck, Oven Roasted Pears, Nutmeg Walnuts, Apple Cider Vinaigrette, a sprinkle of Bleu Cheese and a pinch of Frisee

Citrus Marinated Idaho Grass Fed Teton Waters Ranch Skirt Steak over Roasted Corn Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

Brent’s Famous Fava Bean Tortellini with sauce of Butternut Squash topped with Grana Padano and Fried Sage

Bucksnort Root Beer Braised Snake River Farms Pork atop Wild Cherrywood Bacon & Goat Cheese Grits drizzled with Dave’s Roasted Poblano BBQ Sauce

Pumpkin Panna Cotta with Molasses Cookie and Salted Chantilly Cream

A few observations from this extremely happy foodie:

I enjoy eating a confit as much as I enjoy saying the word.
Roasted corn salad comes alive when with a light and refreshing vinaigrette and can trump a hella-good skirt steak.
Fava beans AREN'T just for the enjoyment of creepy Hannibal Lector. Puree and add in some marscapone cheese and it's a fab filling.
Who knew that root beer was for braising?
Hello! Grits? When you are combined with bacon and silky smooth goat cheese you are elevated to foodgasm status.
Salt can pop anything. Forget salted caramels - my new favorite end to a fabulous meal is a kick-ass panna cotta with salted cream to pop that flavor.
You always meet entertaining people at group dinners. Case in point - the crew from Sysco Idaho. It was a true pleasure meeting the corporate Chef Randy King and I can't wait to hear him emcee'ing the Chef Demos.
Chef Dave is a gem - and his personal attention to every diner's happiness made the event.

Here's to a foodie heaven weekend up in the mountains! The Sun Valley Harvest Festival officially kicks off tonight with a Restaurant Walk and events throughout the entire weekend (p.s. there is still time to come imbibe & indulge!) Check the website and the festival program for more information.

MANGIA!

- Jess Flynn

Fresh from the garden...onto the grill

Though I've lamented the weak production of our backyard veggie garden - I'm pretty proud of this week's bounty (& what we turned it into!)

In our grill basket - tomatoes, garlic, onions (& eventually basil) all from our garden.

The various detailed recipes for Fire-roasted tomato soup had me torn, so I went with my gut on this one.

Toss them in olive oil, dash of sea salt and fresh ground pepper then onto the grill at 400 for about 25 minutes (until they get some nice char)

Afterwards it was into the food processor for 5 minutes to turn roasted whole goodness into roasted soup.

Some recipes called for heavy cream or chicken stock but we kept it vegan :-)

18lbs of peaches are headed my way from the awesome Kelley Farms. This gal can't wait to get canning! And I also can wait to be inspired by all I'll see and devour at this weekend's Sun Valley Harvest Fest. I'll be a food blogging fool so get ready for some fast and furious foodisms. (More info: http://www.sunvalleyharvestfestival.com)

IdahoFoodies

Celebrating love of all things foodie