A shout out to Adam Kreisel of Chaia Cucina catering, Salt Lake City
A disclaimer first: this gentleman is the nephew of a good friend of mine, so I might be biased. OTOH, I just wanted to let the hounds know that if you are ever in need of catering services in the Salt Lake City area Mr. Kreisel did a wonderful job at an event I attended this weekend. I gather he has recently left the restaurant business and now concentrates on catering small to medium sized groups (we were about 35 to 40, and he said that was a perfect size for him). The dinner was held in the 15th Street Gallery (it was closed to the public for the evening). It is a beautiful location, and the neighborhood reminded me of some of the older ones in Berkeley (complete with craftsman-style bungalows and coffee shops...). Unfortunately, I can't find the menu I saved (Adam designed a single menu for the evening, but had alternatives available for those with special dietary needs). I don't remember the details, but I know the first course was a risotto (with asiago cheese and asparagus, maybe? Definitely asparagus). Second course was a chilled carrot-ginger soup, with some curry spices. Third course was a roasted duck; some kind of fruity sauce. Dessert was the highlight; a revelatory goat's milk panna cotta with blackberry and Thai basil. My husband has been on an almost-vegan diet recently, and I was really hoping he would hand over his duck and panna cotta so it wouldn't go wasted. No such luck, apparently he felt the dishes were worth going off the wagon for. He was right. That panna cotta was amazing. I didn't think I would like the combination of the berries and the basil, but it was amazing. Every course was paired with a choice of wine or a local beer, btw. Very nicely done, Adam. Thank you!
I must say that the Salt Lake City culinary scene seems to have really improved since my last visit some years ago. I also had a stellar dinner the following evening at Cucina Toscana (see my post elsewhere), and hubby reported having had one of the best bowls of tofu pho of his life for lunch on Sunday. Of course, he couldn't remember the name of the restaurant, other than to tell me it was on State Street.....Ring any bells, hounds?
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Cucina Toscana
307 Pierpont Ave, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
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GroovinGourmet
Jun 28, 2011 08:39 PM
Glad you had a chance to experience the wonderment that is Adam Kreisel's cooking. He's been my number 1 fave chef since I walked into the dear, departed Globe Cafe years ago. Most definitely a talent deserving wider recognition. A search of the site should yield multiple detailed reviews from the Globe as well as 3 meals during the brief stretch when Adam was executive chef of The Tree Room at Sundance.
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Sundance Cafe
106 E Ramshorn St, Dubois, WY 82513 -
enbell
Jun 16, 2011 12:43 AM
Glad SLC worked out for you - was your husbands dish at LaCai maybe?
http://www.lacainoodlehouse.com/
