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Hello, Eaters! People hear the words “French restaurant” and they get an image of snooty waiters in immaculate white shirts and tuxedo vests, serving the customers escargot and condescending looks.
That’s not the atmosphere the folks at Le Boeuf, a French-inspired restaurant that opened in May in Salt Lake City’s Central Ninth neighborhood, are going for.
“I want to create a safe, welcoming environment,” said Clementine Dawn, one of the partners behind Le Boeuf, along with the owners and the Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef. “Being able to provide a local, comfortable, intimate, casual setting where someone — a customer or an employee — doesn’t feel judged for showing up as they are, I think that’s extremely important.”
(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Restaurant partner and front-of-house manager Clementine Dawn is interviewed at Le Boeuf in Salt Lake City, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025.
The building where Le Boeuf resides, at 248 W. 900 South, has gone through some changes. For many years, it was home to Big O Doughnuts, and Dawn said when Le Boeuf moved in, they felt a twinge of remorse when they painted over the rainbow sprinkles on the exterior walls. A decade ago, before the doughnut shop, a tattoo parlor occupied that space, and before that the building contained a bakery that made kolaches.
The decor now has a farmhouse feel, elegant but welcoming, with what Dawn called “a Paris influence” along with “a comfortable American, I’d say Midwest, vibe.” (Dawn hails originally from Georgia, and has been working in Utah restaurants for a decade.)
The dining room feels a bit like walking into someone’s home — and, just like when you visit someone’s home, it’s a good idea to call ahead and let them know you’re coming. Reservations are helpful; call 801-410-8713 during open hours, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch, 5-11 p.m. for dinner.
(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Decor at Le Boeuf in Salt Lake City, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025.
As the name suggests, beef is a major part of their menu, particularly steaks, with dinner prices starting at $18.95 for an 8-ounce New York strip and going up from there. There’s also lamb shank ($28.95), beef bourguignon ($16.95), duck Magret ($27.95) and several pasta entrees (priced at either $15.95 or $16.95).
The appetizers include a lasagna beef ragout and a French onion soup — each $9.95 and quite tasty. Or, if you want to be exceedingly traditional in your French cuisine, yes, there’s escargot ($13.95). Dawn said people who know French cuisine often order the buttery snail dish, and only once has she seen someone get it as a dare.
To see what I particularly enjoyed at Le Boeuf, read down to the “Dish of the Week” entry.
Live deliciously,
Sean
Food News
(Auberge Collection) Jeff O’Neill has been named the executive chef at Goldener Hirsch in Deer Valley.
• Goldener Hirsch, the luxury inn at Deer Valley in Park City, has a new executive chef: Jeff O’Neill, whose three decades of experience includes stints at Restaurant Daniel (working for acclaimed French chef and restaurateur Daniel Boulud) and Le Bernardin (under three-Michelin-starred chef Eric Ripert) in New York, and as an executive chef at Trump-branded hotels in Chicago and Las Vegas. “I’ve been waiting for the right opportunity to challenge myself in a new part of the country, and this is exactly that,” O’Neill said in a statement released by the inn.
Openings:
• Flower Child, the health-conscious fast-casual restaurant chain, announced it’s opening a second Utah location early next year — at Mountain View Village, at 13303 S. Teal Ridge Way, Riverton. “We’ve seen firsthand how much Utah values an active, outdoor lifestyle, and Riverton was a natural next step for Flower Child,” founder Sam Fox said in a release. Flower Child’s first Utah location — in Foothill Village, at 1414 S. Foothill Blvd., Salt Lake City — opened last October.
• Meráki Greek Grill, a Mediterranean-inspired chain with five locations in Las Vegas, is expanding in Washington County. The chain opened in Santa Clara earlier this year, and this week opened a second location at 473 S. River Road, St. George. The company said in a news release that it’s looking to open a Salt Lake City location early next year.
• Crow Mountain Coffee, a built-from-scratch trailer serving coffee in the Cache Valley, has opened at 1215 S. Main St. in Smithfield. Owner Mike Ghaffari said his business uses the highest-quality ingredients with organic beans and milks, and no artificial dyes or unnecessary additives. A brick-and-mortar cafe is in the company’s future, Ghaffari said. (Hat tip to Sam Morse, The Tribune’s newsletter editor, who talked to Ghaffari for The Cache Crop newsletter.)
Closings:
• Laziz Kitchen is closing its restaurant at 152 E. 200 South, in downtown Salt Lake City, effective Tuesday, the restaurant announced on its Instagram account. The owners also are closing The Back Door, their attached speakeasy-style lounge. “This decision came with a lot of internal bargaining and a desperation to continue providing a space and food to a community we deeply love. However our care and commitment doesn’t always translate to dollars and cents,” the owners wrote on Instagram. Laziz’s flagship restaurant, at 912 Jefferson St., in Salt Lake City’s Central Ninth neighborhood, will remain open.
Booze (and Drink!) News
(Glen Kutler) Some 1,410 people held up a shotski on Park City’s Old Main on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025 — breaking the record for longest shotski. Park City and Breckenridge, Colorado, regularly one-up each other in the attempt to break the record.
• Park City again holds the record for the longest shotski. According to KPCW, members of Park City’s Sunrise Rotary Club and other volunteers gathered on Old Main on Saturday, with 583 skis bolted together holding 1,410 shot glasses (filled with High West whiskey or, for the non-imbibing, apple juice). It was the latest move in Park City’s rivalry with Breckenridge, Colorado — the two ski towns have gone back and forth the last few years, breaking each other’s records. Breckenridge will try againin December, KPCW reported. Some $70,000 was raised from tickets for the event, benefitting more than 44 local charities, the Rotary Club said.
• Melancholy Wine + Cocktail Lounge, at 556 S. Gale St. in the Post District in downtown Salt Lake City, is serving up a class on Sazerac, the classic New Orleans cocktail, on Wednesday, starting at 7 p.m. Melancholy’s lead bartender, Tay Dixon, will talk about the history of the Sazerac in addition to how it’s made. Admission is $30, paid at the door; register at melancholyslc.com.
Dish of the Week
(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Beef bourguignon at Le Boeuf in Salt Lake City, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025.
Though the steaks on the menu at Le Boeuf were tempting, I was in the mood for something more classically French. The beef bourguignon proved to be the right choice. The slow-roasted chunks of beef tenderloin practically dissolved in my mouth, and the rich sauce — red wine, onion, herbs and so on — gracefully bound the meat with the carrots and mushrooms.
The overall effect reminded me of the scene in “Ratatouille,” where the restaurant critic takes one bite and flashes to a memory of his mother’s cooking. This stew feels that much like home.
Dining and Cooking