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The 2002 Winter Olympics cast Salt Lake City in a new, contemporary, more diverse light. Visitors discovered a panoply of cultural influences, brewpubs, ethnic flavors, and progressive chefs. Salt Lake City may not have the depth of restaurants seen in other big cities, but there are a couple of outstanding choices for nearly every budget and cuisine. Restaurants like Lamb’s Grill Café, Hire’s Big H, and Ruth’s Diner trace their roots back five-plus decades, and their colorful proprietors are more than willing to share the history they’ve witnessed from their kitchens. Returning LDS missionaries have brought back their favorite flavors from Asia, Europe, and Latin America, with impressive results. Seafood, Japanese, Tibetan, Indian, Spanish, and Italian are all suitably showcased in Salt Lake eateries, and when all else fails, there are great burgers and Rocky Mountain cuisine, a fusion inspired by frontier big game, seafood fresh from the great Pacific ports, and organic produce grown in Utah’s fertile valleys. You'll also find creative wine lists and knowledgeable service. Bakers and pastry chefs defy the 4,400-foot altitude with rustic sourdoughs and luscious berry-filled treats. Multiple weekly summer farmers' markets are thriving, and chefs are building more and more of a food community.
Named for a historic restaurant district in Ho Chi Minh City, this unassuming eatery south of downtown re-creates the cuisine of southern Vietnam. The menu ranges from traditional basics, like beef-brisket pho and stir-fried crispy egg noodles, to more creative fare, such as walnut shrimp in a creamy white sauce, salt-baked calamari, and a massive hot pot that's perfect for groups of two to four. Portions are huge and service is impeccable.
The expertly prepared, contemporary Vietnamese food is but one reason for this buzzy, contemporary bistro's success—there's also a good wine list and a range of creative cocktails. The kitchen specializes in modern and traditional fare, along with some nods to countries that border Vietnam—try the piquant lemongrass beef noodle soup before graduating to steamed whole branzino fish with a ginger-scallion sauce and tender sliced Peking-style pork chops with sweet-and-sour sauce.
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