Crumbs in my 'Stache: A short culinary tour of SLC Austrian schnitzels

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

By Planet User

Jackson Hole, Wyo.- At last, Crumbs in My Moustache has finally left the valley, only to return with food fodder that reaches beyond the scope of the Greater Jackson Hole area.
While I could write about the new kitchen remodel at the Elk Horn Saloon in Bondurant, chances are that few of you soft, citified Jacksonites would dare venture down to that peaceable, windswept valley nestled ‘tween the Gros Ventres and Wyoming ranges.

There, men with nicotine-stained moustaches longer than yours or mine have iron grips, and some even keep alive an esoteric Wyoming accent. (If you know the Campbell brothers – kind, hardworking ranchers – you know what I mean.)

So, if you find yourself in Salt Lake City for a couple of days, there are some great restaurants in which to enjoy some truly satisfying dining experiences. And, while I’m sure there are plenty of fantastic neighborhood eateries, we didn’t have to venture far from our downtown hotel to stumble across a couple of really fine meals.

Shut out of several restaurants Friday night because of a large math educators’ convention in town, we came across the Vienna Bistro (132 S. Main Street).
The décor of the Vienna Bistro does indeed feel Viennese, with a classic, European sensibility that, while rather elegant, is not over the top. Oil paintings of some of the iconic peaks of the German-speaking Alps – the Eiger, the Zugspitze – adorned the walls of the quiet back dining room. Though sometimes it can feel a bit disconcerting to sit in a largely empty dining room, a dozen or so patrons in the restaurant’s street-side entry room kept us company in an Austrian café kind of way.

The Vienna Bistro serves nothing but honest to goodness Alpine-European food, the kinds of meat, kraut, and noodle dishes typically found from Bavaria to the Austro-Hungarian border.

The free-range veal Wienerschnitzel, pan-browned and served with blaukraut (“blue kraut”) – like sauerkraut but sweeter and red-blue in color – and käsespäzle, a pasta dumpling with Gruyere cheese and caramelized onions, was, with lemon wedges squeezed over the meat, the authentic incarnation of a trinity of Alpine tastes. The Vienna Bistro also offers a list of dry whites to complement the food.
For the following night we made reservations at Bambara, located in the hip Hotel Monaco (202 S. Main Street).

Simply put, dinner at Bambara, which has already garnered a reputation for inventive foods in an airy, contemporary atmosphere, was the best meal I’ve had in recent memory.

Billing itself as a purveyor of “New American Cuisine,” every course – from the corn bisque with crab and cilantro olive oil, to the New York steak over mashed potatoes and roasted corn polenta, to the trio of sorbets made from honeydew, passion fruit and pineapple – was a beautiful experience.

If you’re heading to SLC, make reservations at Bambara (they reopen on April 21 after a break). Expect to pay about $70 a person with tip. The experience could add to an overnight trip something life augmenting, if you believe great food can do that.

Courtesy photo
A plate of cured Austrian meats.

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Crumbs in my 'Stache: A short culinary tour of SLC Austrian schnitzels | Planet JH News Article: Restaurants And Dining

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