Some of the places I miss the most weren’t highfalutin culinary Taj Mahals but, rather, down-to-earth dives with rib-sticking food that was simply irresistible. I’m thinking of spots like Bill & Nada’s Cafe, where Maxine dished out patty melts, liver and onions, chicken fried steaks and, of course, calf brains and eggs, and you could hear “Come Together,” “Puff the Magic Dragon” and “Sixteen Tons” all on the same juke. In the ZCMI food court, for a brief and wonderful time, a guy named Keith Hunter cooked up sensational blackened redfish, shrimp and okra gumbo, chicken and sausage jambalaya and shrimp etouffee at my beloved Café Creole. Marco Schlenz’ Bubba’s restaurant also served up killer etouffee, along with meatloaf on white bread with gravy and excellent hickory-smoked chicken in a lively, roadhouse atmosphere. And, for chili, there was really only ever one contender: Elvis Nixon’s Chili Palace in Sandy offered a choice of five different smokin’ chili selections daily, along with incendiary “voodoo” bananas on the side—sliced bananas with a habañero-brown sugar glaze.
To this list, also add Grecian Garden (the first restaurant I ever reviewed), Baci Trattoria, L’Avenue, Au Bon Appetit, Barking Frog, Emilia, Piña, Mr. Z’s, Port O’ Call, Brumby’s, D.B. Cooper’s, The Green Parrot, Zola, Tavola and, probably, fifty others that I never even got to visit.
What about you? Any eateries you loved and still mourn?
Dining and Cooking