Spencer’s Steak & Chops

He said:

Kathy wanted to go to a fancy restaurant today. We didn't realize how scarce our options would be on a Saturday mid-afternoon. Many of the finer restaurants don't open until dinner. Most that serve lunch close for a few hours between lunch and the evening meal. We went through a dozen options before finding that Spencer's is open all afternoon.

Spencer's sits inside the Hilton Salt Lake City Center hotel on West Temple. As we entered, Tony Bennett softly sang "Out of This World" over hidden speakers. A variety of other standards followed. The dark wood paneling, dim lighting, and quiet background music gave an air of reserved sophistication.

We began with a couple of the Spirit-Free Libations. Once again, Kathy chose a sweet beverage, one aptly called Sweet Tooth, while I chose the more sour Pomegranate Ginger Punch. I’m sure the nature of our drink choices must offset the natural tendency of our personalities, but Kathy doesn’t see it the same way.

The lunch menu had some great options, though it clearly must have left off many of the dinner choices. For example, Kathy pointed out that a Chop house should at least have pork chop on the menu. Despite the intriguing options—or probably because of them—the menu was not for the faint of . . . er, wallet.

We started with the Cheese & Charcuterie plate, a seasonal selection of meats, cheeses, and accompaniments. In this case, that meant several Italian meats, some cheeses, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, green olives, and a couple type of crackers. It also included a balsamic-date glaze that was simply divine! I noticed that the cheeses came in rough, uneven lumps instead of cubes or slices. It gave it a rustic, rough appearance, but I couldn’t help crudely wondering if somebody had simply been afraid to cut the cheese.

For my main dish, I ordered the Wagyu Bavette steak. It came with pan-roasted asparagus, French fries, the obligatory Utah fry sauce, and a cute one-serving stoneware pitcher full of peppercorn sauce. The latter puzzled me a bit. Kathy thought it was too sweet, but I found it a bit bland. The flavor of peppercorns was mild, but the sauce itself was creamy and I think a bit starchy. I decided it didn’t matter. The steak was so beautifully marbled that adding anything to it could only detract from its excellence. It flawlessly balanced the robust, juicy flavor, crust seared exterior, and wonderfully tender center.

The waiter offered us a dessert menu. I can imagine how wonderful those options would have been, but I was content to savor the memory of my just-completed steak.

She said:

Okay. I don’t know what’s up with downtown Salt Lake City on Saturday afternoons, but it took some time to find a Fine Dining establishment that was open between lunch and dinner. As I scrolled on my phone, bold red statuses flagged one restaurant after another as being . . .

    Closed
    Closed
    Closed

. . .until I stumbled upon the listing for Spencer’s. Because it was pretty much the only place that was open, we said to ourselves, “Sure, why not?”

Well, can I just say, “wow”?

The place is everything I expect from an upscale restaurant: dark wood everywhere; from the tables, wainscoting, crown moldings, beams, and floors to the muted background jazz tunes, the subdued rope lighting, the elegant walnut-colored French doors, the waitstaff dressed in black pants and shirts—along with their black and white pinstriped aprons—all leant an air of sophistication and elegance to this restaurant. I was prepared for an excellent experience, and I was not disappointed.

The Certified Angus Beef Filet Mignon I ordered was cooked to perfection and melted in my mouth. It was sublime. The fries were pretty good. The roasted asparagus was a welcome side, but it was prepared au poivre. It could have used a bit less of the poivre (wink).

Because everything was so delicious, I was disappointed that there was no more room for dessert. I guess we’ll just need to go back for dessert. And dinner. Yeah, after later looking at their dinner menu, we definitely need to return for an evening meal.

Maybe for our anniversary (hint, hint). Whadda you say, Brian?

Conclusion:

If you don’t mind a steep bill, the food at Spencer’s is excellent. The upscale, sophisticated environment offers a great setting for the high-quality cuts of meat cooked to perfection.