Happy First Day of April. No fooling, I feel as if spring has officially arrived - pansies have their happy faces on, the blossoms on the trees are still pretty in pink and the winter snow storms have subsided.
Cooking has moved on too, from heavy soups and stews to light and easy dishes such as chicken piccata, seared salmon fillets, and light salads of cucumbers, radishes and spring green onions.
And there are changes in the air here in Salt Lake City, also. Two of my favorite dining establishments are shutting their doors permanently. Fresco, a charming, intimate, Italian-focused 32-seat dining room is no longer our perfect go-to neighborhood dine on the pergola covered patio in the summer, see all the neighbors, listen to soothing music, sip Prosecco kind of place. Many a memory was made here. First dates, graduation parties, anniversaries, bridal showers, and even wedding dinners. I will also miss the cozy setting in colder months when the atmosphere was comfy, the mood relaxing, and the blazing fire warm and welcoming. It was where you would invite out of town guests to experience its fine food and service in a lovely urban setting.
Another of my most cherished dining experiences is Forage, opened 6 years ago by two brave and adventurous chefs, Viet Pham and Bowman Brown, who introduced our city to the first molecular gastronomy driven menu. The three hour, 11-course, perfect wine pairing menu will be no more. The talented chefs will be moving on to another phase of their careers, with much fanfare and success, I am sure. For more information and a quote from yours truly, read more here.
I am offering a few ideas for spring dishes, easy and manageable in under 30 minutes. Honestly. Who doesn’t like chicken piccata, tart and tangy with lemon zest and capers, dressed in a light white wine sauce? Accompanied by baby potatoes, a cucumber salad and strawberry shortcake for dessert, it’s a meal for a casual Tuesday or Saturday night intimate dinner party for 4. If you have your butcher butterfly the chicken breasts, you are saving minutes off the preparation time. Boil the potatoes while the chicken is sautéing, have the salad chilling in the fridge, the shortcakes made, the cream whipped and berries sliced, and dinner is easy as it can be.
Also included is a blood orange-rosemary Margarita, perfect for a quick cocktail, frosty cold and not at all complicated. Sip it while munching on a Boursin cheese, grapes and cracker plate, some imported olives, and cashews. Easy appetizers.
Spring…love the fresh breezes, the fragrant early blossoms of hyacinths, tulips, ranunculus, violas, and pansies. And the ease of preparing simply divine dishes with seasonal ingredients is so welcomed.
NOTE: If you are in the SLC viewing area, watch me on KSL-TV Studio 5 Show on Thursday, April 7th at 11 am. I will be demonstrating some of the dishes listed here.
Cooking has moved on too, from heavy soups and stews to light and easy dishes such as chicken piccata, seared salmon fillets, and light salads of cucumbers, radishes and spring green onions.
And there are changes in the air here in Salt Lake City, also. Two of my favorite dining establishments are shutting their doors permanently. Fresco, a charming, intimate, Italian-focused 32-seat dining room is no longer our perfect go-to neighborhood dine on the pergola covered patio in the summer, see all the neighbors, listen to soothing music, sip Prosecco kind of place. Many a memory was made here. First dates, graduation parties, anniversaries, bridal showers, and even wedding dinners. I will also miss the cozy setting in colder months when the atmosphere was comfy, the mood relaxing, and the blazing fire warm and welcoming. It was where you would invite out of town guests to experience its fine food and service in a lovely urban setting.
Another of my most cherished dining experiences is Forage, opened 6 years ago by two brave and adventurous chefs, Viet Pham and Bowman Brown, who introduced our city to the first molecular gastronomy driven menu. The three hour, 11-course, perfect wine pairing menu will be no more. The talented chefs will be moving on to another phase of their careers, with much fanfare and success, I am sure. For more information and a quote from yours truly, read more here.
I am offering a few ideas for spring dishes, easy and manageable in under 30 minutes. Honestly. Who doesn’t like chicken piccata, tart and tangy with lemon zest and capers, dressed in a light white wine sauce? Accompanied by baby potatoes, a cucumber salad and strawberry shortcake for dessert, it’s a meal for a casual Tuesday or Saturday night intimate dinner party for 4. If you have your butcher butterfly the chicken breasts, you are saving minutes off the preparation time. Boil the potatoes while the chicken is sautéing, have the salad chilling in the fridge, the shortcakes made, the cream whipped and berries sliced, and dinner is easy as it can be.
Also included is a blood orange-rosemary Margarita, perfect for a quick cocktail, frosty cold and not at all complicated. Sip it while munching on a Boursin cheese, grapes and cracker plate, some imported olives, and cashews. Easy appetizers.
Spring…love the fresh breezes, the fragrant early blossoms of hyacinths, tulips, ranunculus, violas, and pansies. And the ease of preparing simply divine dishes with seasonal ingredients is so welcomed.
NOTE: If you are in the SLC viewing area, watch me on KSL-TV Studio 5 Show on Thursday, April 7th at 11 am. I will be demonstrating some of the dishes listed here.
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