Wasatch Brewery

He said:

Located in the heart of Sugar House, the Wasatch Brewery has a spacious dining room with an urban-chic setting. The friendly host offered us a choice of regular table or high-top. Our table had ample space, and plenty of room between tables offered us a sense of privacy, despite the openness of the space.

The Wasatch Brewery didn’t have a lunch menu, but the regular menu had plenty of suitable choices. In fact, only about 10% of the menu’s items exceeded $20. One of those items was the Charcuterie board appetizer. Even though it cost more than either of our entrées, its description tempted me enough to order it. It did not disappoint me.

The Charcuterie board popped with color, from the pinks of the sliced meats, pickled tomatoes, and pickled onions to the pale colors of the cheeses and crackers, to the orange of the apricot chutney. Kathy remarked that the portions were small, but I thought they were sufficient, both in the variety and the portions. The board included Munster, Cheddar, and Gouda cheeses; Prosciutto, Sopressa Salami, and Calabrese Salami; pickled onions and tomatoes, Smoked Apricot Chutney, red grapes, whole-grain mustard, and three varieties of crackers. Kathy thought the crackers looked like Keebler crackers, and they did. That shouldn’t have bothered me, but it somehow gave an air of ordinariness to an otherwise fantastic board. I think I expected a more artisan variety of crackers. Regardless, they held up well with the other ingredients. I enjoyed topping them with the Smoked Apricot Chutney, which Kathy said was like eating a dessert.

I want to mention the pickled cherry tomatoes. I don’t think I’ve ever had pickled tomatoes before. These were fantastic! Their skins had been removed, so they were soft and easy to bite and chew, juicy and full of flavor. The flavor seemed familiar, though unexpected. I couldn’t quite place it, so I asked the waiter what he could tell me about the tomatoes. He went to the kitchen and brought me a jar of pickling spices to examine. When I read the ingredients (there were many!), I quickly recognized Allspice as the flavor I had detected. Allspice can be quite strong, but here it was well balanced and provided an interesting flavor profile.

For my entrée, I decided to order one of their pizzas. I usually like a traditional pizza with pepperoni, sausage, and black olives, but I decided to try something more exotic this time. I ordered the fig pizza. I am so glad I did! I loved it. The hand-pressed crust had pesto sauce, which was probably the most surprising flavor of this pizza. Fortunately, it didn’t overpower the other flavors. It even complemented them. Atop that, it had both Mozzarella and Goat cheeses, melted but still firm and springy; caramelized onions; bacon crumbles; sliced Mission figs; and arugula. I’ve long been fond of arugula on pizza, although I prefer young, baby arugula. I loved this pizza. I even enjoyed the couple of slices that I took home and microwaved later.

She said:

Although there was some construction out on the street in front of the restaurant, it was open for business as usual. Luckily, we found a spot for our car in the parking garage. And they validate! 🙂

The first thing I noticed upon entering the Wasatch Brewery was its openness and spaciousness. The entire place was one wide floor that had been strategically divided into different seating areas. That was nice, as it gave the appearance of more intimate niches throughout the space.

We were greeted by a friendly, welcoming host who led us to the back of the dining room, which was flanked by counter-height tables on one side and standard tables on the other. Our section was set apart from the rest of the room by a half wall, upon which sat large, live potted plants. The greenery of fronds and leaves broke up the dark monotony of the black-painted wall.

Once seated, I was in a better position to take in my surroundings. Everything gave off an edgy, urban-chic vibe: dark walls; charcoal concrete floors; black chairs; rich dark brown wooden tabletops; roughly hewn shiplap in shades of tan, gray, and blond; industrial ceilings with exposed pipes, coils, and ducts; and large floor-to-ceiling windows to let in natural light. It was comfortable and relaxing.

After ordering my usual diet cola (which was good, by the way), I opted to have meatloaf for lunch. When our waiter set my food in front of me, I first observed that it was fairly colorless. Brown gravy, amber onion straws, and yellow carrots made the plate a bit monochromatic. Yet, I was pleased to see a medley of roasted root vegetables on my plate: orange and yellow carrots, turnips, and parsnips. They were delicious. The meatloaf was formed, firm, and savory. Although tasty, its seasonings were a bit strong, and I couldn't finish the entire serving. I found the mashed potatoes under a generous serving of gravy. Although the gravy was nice and rich, it should complement the potatoes, not drown them. Anyway, the potatoes were good, slightly lumpy, not whipped. I remarked to Brian, “Hey, you would like these potatoes. They’re lumpy, just the way you like them.”

Without missing a beat, he asked, “Oh, you mean just like how I like you?”

And that, folks, was how lunch went. Relaxed. Joking. Eating good food.

Conclusion:

The Wasatch Brewery is a great place to combine good food, drink, and company in a vibrant, modern setting.