Sur la Table located downtown in the Gateway is more than a great resource for outfitting a kitchen it is also home to a talented chef and some of the best cooking classes in town.
Sur La Table offers public cooking classes Tuesday-Saturday and is also available for private functions. Classes are all hands-on and capped at 16 seats to ensure a lot of personal instruction with students creating and then eating the unique menus designed by Chef Kyle Nicholson.
Some of the classes coming up are Delicious Meals from the Farmers Market, Vegetarian Cooking, and French Bistro Classics. Most classes include appetizers, entrées and desserts. Many classes fill up ahead of time, you can book spaces online at
(http://www.cookingclasses.surlatable.com) or in store, the most popular classes are the Sushi and Hand Roll workshop, the cupcake workshop, and the Wine and Food Pairing date night.
Personally I like to give the gift of cooking and find that a pair of tickets are the perfect foodie gift. Also a big fan of the unconventional date night or family activity. My best friend and I are known to drop in for the creative atmosphere and menus!
A foodie find at 9 of 10!
The Dodo, located in Sugarhouse off of 21st south across from the park, is a classic American Bistro. I often find myself there enjoying lunch with a friend on a weekday. I have also been known to pop in just for their dessert, a sweet indulgence.
The Dodo is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner with brunch on the weekends. The menu has been known to change in order to feature seasonal flavors and ingredients with fresh soups and desserts daily. They also slow roast their turkey and ham in-house for their sandwich menu. Some of my personal favorites are the Polenta Cakes appetizer, Double Cut Pork Chop or Herbed Chicken Entrée, and the Lemon Meringue Pie or dessert; though all of the desserts are fantastic! They also feature beers on tap from two of the local Breweries, Squatters and Wasatch, as well as a full bar and wine list.
Good food is always complimented by good service and I am happy to report that the service is friendly and attentive at the Dodo. In the summer the Patio is the best seat in the house and perfect for a sunset dinner. The Dodo is a Salt Lake City classic and a great causal date spot.
The Dodo is a sweet 8 of 10.
Spoon Me, the fabulous frozen yogurt shop, located on 4th South is not to be missed.
A great company with a serious commitment to the environment. Their Yogurt is Au NATURAL and they mean it, no artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners. With three flavors, Green Tea, Acai Berry, and Natural, with the ability to swirl and lots of toppings the possibilities are endless. They come in three sizes and the baby (small) will satisfy most cravings. Personally my favorite combos are natural and acai twist with dark chocolate, almonds, and berries or acai with three types of berries!
They are also great because they are open super late so when the craving hits go down and get some!
They are great at what they do a simple and sweet 9 of 10!
Mini's Cupcakes
Mini's has two locations one on 8th south between State and Main and the other on 11th east between 17th and 18th south. For $2.00 you can have a tiny, baked from scratch, cupcake. They use high quality ingredients and you will not find any shortening or fillers in there cakes or frostings. They have many traditional flavor combinations along with some unique creations. You can check out their web page at www.mini-cupcakes.com.
In my opinion the baking is solid. The basic vanilla cake with chocolate frosting is a delightful reminder of childhood with a little grown up twist with the dark chocolate ganache. My other favorite has been the lemon cupcake with meringue it is well balanced with a fragrant cake and not too sweet topping finished with a tart lemon curd center; perfect for those who cant stand overly sweet confections.
However, I do think there are some aspects of the presentation and final execution that could be greatly improved. I am also bothered by the price point for such a small dessert, especially if buying in quantity for special occasions.
Overall Mini's is great if you want a quick little pick me up after work. I would recommend going elsewhere if you need to serve dessert to more than a couple people.
A solid 7 out of 10
