Salt Lake City: quiet business dinner on a Monday evening?
Headed out to Salt Lake for a convention this weekend. Most of the meals are group events (including a lovely-sounding dinner catered by a local chef who happens to be someone's nephew...)...However, I do have dinner planned for Monday evening with a colleague. Hubby is coming with me, but he has to head on to Colorado for business of his own Monday am, so it will be just the two of us. I'm looking for a place where we can have a beer or three and do some serious catching up. I prefer a quiet place where we can sit in a corner and not be noticed by others there for the same meeting. OTOH, it IS business so an overly romantic place would not be appropriate. He appreciates a good beer and good food but is not an overly adventurous eater, so ethnic ([particularly if spicy) probably isn't the best choice. Good seafood or maybe Italian would probably be best; neither one of us eats much red meat. Ideas, hounds?
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I suggest Cucina Toscana, Market Street Grill or the New Yorker. All three are on Pierpont Ave and in walking distance of the Convention Center downtown. Cucina Toscana is always my first choice downtown. The owner, Valter Nassi, is ever present and adds an authentic Italian flare to excellent food. Market Street Grill is one of several restaurants owned by the same group and all of them are excellent. They have a variety of dishes, but I go there for their breakfast or seafood dishes. They have high backed booths which provides a lot of privacy. If you want something more upscale, the New Yorker (next door and owned by the same people) maybe the best restaurant in town.
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Cucina Toscana
307 Pierpont Ave, Salt Lake City, UT 84101Market Street Grill
260 S 1300 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84102New Yorker Restaurant
60 West Market Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84101›6 Replies-
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re: jsheets
enbell
Jun 12, 2011 08:15 PM
I'm glad a local chimed in with up to date recommendations. Market Street Grill and the various locations was/were pretty hit or miss, have things evened out? How is Wild Grape Bistro these days?
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Wild Grape Bistro
481 E. South Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84111Market Street Grill
260 S 1300 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84102-
re: enbell
I go to the Market Street Grill in Cottonwood most often and it is pretty consistent. They just opened a new one on the South end of the valley that I haven't tried yet. I've only been to the Wild Grape Bistro once (over a year ago) and it was nothing memorable to me. I'll have to give it another try.
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Wild Grape Bistro
481 E. South Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84111Market Street Grill
260 S 1300 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84102-
re: jsheets
janetofreno
Jun 15, 2011 11:54 PM
Thank you all for your replies. BTW, we didn't go to Market Street Grill, but another attendee whose opinion I trust raved about it. Actually, we were about to duck out of the cocktail party and go there when we were approached by another friend and invited to join his group for dinner. We felt it would be rude to refuse, so our "catching up" had to wait until later in the evening. But we were VERY glad we did accept his invitation: he ended up treating a group of 8 to a wonderful dinner at Cucina Toscana. He let the waiter chose and serve family style, and it worked beautifully. About the only thing I didn't like was the angel hair pasta with lemoncello sauce (too sweet), but there were a couple of other delicious pasta choices (my favorite was a spinach-stuffed ravioli). The antipasti and main courses were also delicious; we ate (and drank :-) so much that we left stuffed and with muddled minds....so I can't remember everything. I know that I didn't eat the veal, and instead indulged in a second helping (there was plenty!) of the baked halibut for my main. (There was also a duck dish, come to think of it...:-) We all chose our own desserts, and I had the single best pistachio gelato of my life. All the gelatos are made there, as is most everything. Yum! I have no idea what our host paid for that over-indulgence of a meal, but he was still smiling as he signed the check so it couldn't have been too bad. And the owner did come over to talk to us several times, kissed all the ladies on the cheek as we left, and made us feel very at home. Definitely recommend Cucina Toscana...
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Cucina Toscana
307 Pierpont Ave, Salt Lake City, UT 84101Market Street Grill
260 S 1300 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84102-
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re: jsheets
GroovinGourmet
Jun 28, 2011 08:36 PM
I stopped patronizing Market Street operations years ago, after dropping serious coin as a loyal customer for 18+ years. Portion sizes have dropped, service can be hit or miss, and I'd rather support the local "independents" instead of what has become a corporate entity. I'd rather drop my foodie bucks at Copper Onion, Pago or Wild Grape.
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Pago
878 S 900 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84102
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