The Angry Korean

So, Valentine's Day isn't so much something we celebrate here at home; I'm pretty ambivalent about most holidays, and can skip most as well as not. This semester, since I'm teaching an evening class that coincided with Valentine's Day, my husband and I decided that it was a good an excuse the avoid the whole thing altogether and go out for for dinner tonight (really this was an excuse to visit The Angry Korean, which my husband really wanted to try).

We started with the fried tofu, which was served with scallion
sauce and sesame oil.

We both had the rice bowls - I had the chicken katsu (panko-crusted fried chicken with house katsu sauce and avocado-cilantro aioli), while my husband had the beef bulgogi; both rice bowls included a fried egg, two pieces of mandoo (a meat-filled Korean dumpling), Japchae noodles (stir-fried glass noodles), rice, and a salad; a kimchee sample and a house-made beef and daikon soup on the side.

my chicken katsu rice bowl

It was pretty awesome. Ed cleaned out his bowl and what remained of mine. (There was a lot of food.)

Tonkotsu

My parents, brother, sister-in-law, and nephew are visiting for Christmas, and today, being my sister-in-law's birthday, we went out for lunch at Tonkotsu, a ramen bar and that also serves shabu shabu (hot pot).

We started with a number of appetizers, including fried pork.
We also tried some excellent pork gyoza and
harumaki (veggie egg rolls), which I didn't get pictures of. 

We also had some fried chicken (but it was called something
more appetizing than that).

Each hot pot came with a lovely bowl of fresh vegetables, tofu, and udon noodles (at the bottom of the bowl); one then chose one's type of meat (one could choose a few different cuts of beef, pork, vegetables, even salmon) and type of broth.

A good way to get my veggies today.

I chose the beef belly.

Good grub was delicious.

Oktoberfest 2018

Another year, and time for another Oktoberfest at Snowbird Ski Resort in Utah. This year, my parents came to visit and my husband and I were able to bring them with us. We had lots of good food, heard lots of good (loud) music, and even caught a live Alpenhorn performance!

I ate a lot, including Rouladen, which is effectively thinly
sliced beef stuffed with bacon, onions, mustard, and pickle.

I also had Spätzle (egg noodles) with gravy.

...and the obligatory Weißwurst on a pretzel roll.

We took a tram to the top of Hidden Peak Summit (elevation:
11,000 feet) to catch the Alpenhorn performance. The
restaurant atop the Summit has only been open since 2015,
and I hadn't been to the summit since before it opened, so
I tried some Käsespätzele (cheese noodles) with bacon and
onions.

And...there may have been a giant soft pretzel with beer cheese.

Even Stevens

School starts for many of us later this week here in Utah (at least, in some school districts), so I'm enjoying my last few days of sleeping in and a relative lack of schedule. One of my teacher friends recently started teaching at a different school, so we decided to meet for lunch at Even Stevens to catch up. While my friend apparently consistently orders the stuffed French toast (which did look pretty good), I went with the Hummazing Vegan sandwich, which came with roasted red pepper hummus, slow roasted tomato spread, avocado, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, arugula, and house vin on a wheat ciabatta. I also ordered a side of seasonal vegetables, which in this case meant some green beans with garlic.

Spice Bistro

We found ourselves on the other side of the Salt Lake Valley this evening, heading to an open house hosted by a coworker of my husband's, but we stopped off for dinner at Spice Bistro first.

appetizer: Samosa Chat
 (vegetable samosa mixed with chickpeas,
tomatoes, cilantro, and onion,
topped with mint tamarind and yogurt sauce)

garlic cheese naan

I ordered the lamb korma. The sauce was good, but the lamb
was not especially tender.

Noodles & Company

While everyone else seems to go out to buy and decorate their Christmas tree about an hour after Thanksgiving dinner, my husband and I wait until the weekend, which, for us (Catholics) is the first weekend in Advent, the beginning of a new liturgical year, and the official start of the holiday season. I have yet to locate someplace convenient where we can cut our own tree, but there is a small lot next to a local shopping center close to home, so before buying a tree, we had lunch at the nearby Noodles & Company.

My husband ordered the steak stroganoff.

My husband also had a side of Wisconsin mac & cheese.

I had the chicken vera cruz salad - one of my favorites.

Shylo's Mobile Cafe

One of our Christmas traditions is to visit Christkindlmarkt, a German Christmas market at This is the Place Heritage Park in Salt Lake City. We go during earlier in the day, although nighttime must be lovely with all the lights.

Since we go around lunchtime, time time around we tried Shylo's Mobile Cafe, I ordered the Phoenix Steak Sandwich: sliced rib eye, pepper Jack cheese, chipotle aioli topped with jalapeno cheddar sauce. I also ordered a side of truffle fries. Very satisfactory!

Current Fish & Oyster

Tonight, my husband and I went to a holiday concert in downtown Salt Lake City. We decided to make it a date night, and had dinner beforehand at Current Fish & Oyster.

Appetizer: The smoked clam dip was served with potato chips.

Appetizer: We also got an assortment of breads.

I ordered the fish and chips, which were fantastic.

Himalayan Kitchen

My father-in-law was in town unexpectedly this weekend, and on his last night here, we took him to Himalayan Kitchen. We've been there with him before and he had enjoyed it, so requested to go back.

We started with the vegetable platter, which came with a
vegetable samosa, vegetable pakora, and onion bhaji.

We also shared paneer pakora. 

My father-in-law had the Kathmandu tandoori, which came
with chicken, lamb, prawns, and shish kebab.

Both my husband and I had the lamb tikka masala.

Also: poori!

Squatters Pub Brewery

Ed and I finally got to the Natural History Museum today. We had planned on having an early dinner afterwards, but we had made our way through the museum a bit more quickly than we thought we would (only because there was so much great stuff, after several hours we were tired), but that didn't stop us from going to Squatters Pub Brewery for a very early dinner. We shared the Brewhouse Hummus, and I had the Mesquite Chicken Salad. The meal was fantastic.

Jim's Family Restaurant

Since Jim's Family Restaurant is perhaps a quarter mile from our church, my husband and I decided to make a stop there for lunch after the service today.

I had the chicken fried steak, eggs over easy, and
homestyle potatoes.

I opted for the biscuit with gravy in lieu of toast or pancakes.

My husband tried the steak fajita omelet.

He also opted for the pancakes.

Flanagan's on Main

My husband and I had a late start today, so our first stop was to meander down Historic Main Street in Park City, Utah, where we stopped for lunch at Flanagan's on Main.

We shared spicy potatoes: whole new potatoes in spicy
wing sauce.

I had the fish and chips, which were outstanding.

Edge Steakhouse

My husband and I arrived in Park City, Utah, today, and we're staying until Monday. The hotel we're staying at has an onsite restaurant: Edge Steakhouse.

We started with the amuse-bouche, which featured salami
and goat cheese.

We also had enormous popovers. (We had these the last time
we were here, and my husband loved them so much, I had
to learn to make them at home.)

My husband tried the Wagyu Tartare: hand-cut Wagyu, egg
yolks, capers, Meyer lemon, and crostini.

We shared the table side Caesar salad.

I had the wild king salmon, which came with oyster
mushrooms, braised greens, cauliflower fritters, and choron. 

And for dessert: vanilla  bean creme brûlée. 

Asian Tao

After a doctor's appointment that ended at about lunchtime today, my husband and I stopped off at the nearby Asian Tao for lunch.

We started by sharing some salt and pepper squid.

We also shared some shrimp summer rolls.

I had pho with meatball, beef, and brisket.

The Lodge at Bryce Canyon

For our last night at Bryce Canyon National Park, we had dinner at The Lodge at Bryce Canyon, which is located within the park itself.

We shared a quesadilla with grilled shrimp.

We also shared some hummus.

I had the chicken Caesar salad.

Also: flourless chocolate cake, which was fantastic 

Cowboy's Smokehouse Cafe

My husband had an urge for breakfast-for-lunch, so we headed back to the Cowboy's Smokehouse Cafe.

I had a very filling omelet with cheese, onions, and mushrooms.

My husband ordered the Bunkhouse Breakfast:
three pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, and a biscuit.