{"id":14665,"date":"2026-09-16T23:29:50","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T23:29:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/14665\/"},"modified":"2026-09-16T23:29:50","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T23:29:50","slug":"grab-and-go-dining-four-hands-on-picks-that-go-big-on-flavor-gastronomic-salt-lake-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/14665\/","title":{"rendered":"Grab and go dining \u2013 four hands on picks that go big on flavor \u2013 Gastronomic Salt Lake City"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s been a stubborn point of contention of mine forever \u2013 an expertly cooked old school burger beats these new-fangled smashed things. I\u2019ll take a messy, slicked forearm all day long. I am, of course, an old man shaking his fist at the clouds, and the first to admit that there are exceptions to the rules pigheadedness.<\/p>\n

Cutthroat Burgers are just that, a bread and meat rebuttal of all my nonsense. The menu is intentionally concise with just five beefy selections. There\u2019s also a Beyond Meat-powered option for vegetarians. The wildest concoction is the still relatively restrained Elvis, coming with peanut butter, bacon, and cherry peppers. Prices are fair, starting at ten bucks for a single, twelve for a double.<\/p>\n

\"Cutthroat\"CutthroatCutthroat Burger \u2013 menu (Gastronomic SLC)<\/p>\n

The patty has that signature lacy perimeter down perfectly, caramelized edges that deliver sweetness and brittle crisp. It\u2019s a quality patty that hasn\u2019t been Hulk-smashed to within an inch of its life. It also packs a notably beefy punch with smoky char from furious cooking.<\/p>\n

This is by no means a dainty burger. It\u2019s not one you\u2019ll pick up and plop down, intermittently swirling a wine glass. No. This is the messy type of burger that demands table talk temporarily stop; once you pick it up, you\u2019ll be focused on finishing in a single concerted effort. Silence falls across our table as we all do just that. It\u2019s a very good burger, one of the most enjoyable I\u2019ve tried in a while. I will happily concede that it puts me in my place when it comes to smashing. I won\u2019t ever recant my pearl-clutching position on brioche buns, though. It\u2019s cake, you can\u2019t convince me otherwise.<\/p>\n

I finally managed to catch CB over at Epic Brewery on State with the added (check their IG, they appear at Fisher and Thieves Guild regularly) allure of checking out the brewery\u2019s new tap room. No sitting on concrete parking lots here. Yes, I know, I\u2019ll say it again, I am an old man. The front of Epic still retains the bottle shop and a few seats at the bar, but poke your nose out back, past the brewing gear, and there\u2019s a whole new room.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t manage to snag a photo this time, as the room was plenty busy, a mix of folks demolishing burgers in quiet contemplation, and others taking part in a make-your-own-suncatcher class. From chatting to the bar staff, it looks like they\u2019ll be expanding their programming at the new space.<\/p>\n

If it\u2019s been a while since you swung by here, it\u2019s worth a revisit. There are high and low tops, counter seating, and the whole thing opens up onto a spacious outdoor East side patio. The latter is noteworthy as it\u2019ll remain plenty shaded in the inevitable scorched earth of a Summer we should see any day now.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"BB.Q Chicken \u2013 So Ddeok So Ddeok (Gastronomic SLC)\"BB.Q\"BB.QBB.Q Chicken \u2013 Spicy Chicken Sandwich (Gastronomic SLC)\"BB.Q\"BB.QBB.Q Chicken \u2013 spicy chicken sandwich inside the bun (Gastronomic SLC)<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve almost certainly noticed the inundation of fried chicken joints these last few years; the Wasatch is teeming with pressure fryers vying for your wallet\u2019s attention. Local contenders, celeb-backed brands, and international empires alike. BB.Q Chicken falls into the latter camp, operating in nearly 60 countries with 3,500 locations. South Salt Lake was the first outpost for the South Korean brand in Utah last year. It\u2019s absolutely worth a detour if you\u2019re headed Southbound on State.<\/p>\n

Lest the name confuse you, there\u2019s no Traeger in the kitchen, no lusty post oak smoke. Indeed, the moniker refers to the chain\u2019s \u201cBest of the Best Quality\u201d mantra. In the context of the fast casual world, my first visit experience was an excellent one. Look, I don\u2019t know what the syllabus looks like at BB.Q Chicken\u2019s \u201cChicken University\u201d (yes, they have one), but I\u2019d love to take a semester.<\/p>\n

Without said schooling, I can only assume the kitchen uses magma in the kitchen. The chicken sandwich (even after a brief journey home) remained remarkably juicy; a water balloon of hot schmaltz exploding on the tongue. Be careful. I went with the spicy option that did manage to deliver some modest brow tingle, but nothing particularly oppressive. There\u2019s nothing particularly complicated going on here, which I mean in the most flattering way of course; it\u2019s just very well executed fried chicken, which, as John Lennon famously penned, is all you need. Just go with it\u2026<\/p>\n

Bonus points: skip the fries and try the So Ddeok So Ddeok \u2013 a popular South Korean street food, effectively an interleaved skewering of dense chewy rice cakes and emulsified mini sausages. The completed lattice is brushed in a sweet and slightly spicy sauce for a final flourish.<\/p>\n

\"Alhambra\"AlhambraAlhambra Shawarma \u2013 as big as your arm (Gastronomic SLC)\"Alhambra\"AlhambraAlhambra Shawarma \u2013 Supreme Shawarma (Gastronomic SLC)<\/p>\n

I have said over and over \u2013 I eat like a child when left unsupervised. If a dish says suitable for two, I typically take it as both a challenge and a personal affront. That\u2019s me in the corner of the restaurant, weeping over the calamitous aftermath of muttering, \u201cmolcajete for one, please.\u201d The above is the Supreme Shawarma from Taylorsville\u2019s Alhambra Shawarma \u2013 the brick and mortar outgrowth of their food truck original. The company describes it as \u201ca 13-inch Masterpiece\u201d. I won\u2019t argue.<\/p>\n

This thing is huge, as big as my forearm. The inside is stuffed to the tensile limits. Falafel, French fries, and a parsley-speckled tabbouleh, which delivers a lovely jade glimmer. There\u2019s a mayo-powered garlic sauce, and heapings of shaved shawarma. You can pick beef, chicken, falafel, or a mix of all of them. I\u2019ll let you guess how my inner child tackled that decision.<\/p>\n

Before you ask, I wasn\u2019t up to the task of toppling this in one sitting. Eyes bigger than the belly. Always.<\/p>\n

\"El\"ElEl Morelense \u2013 al pastor torta (Gastronomic SLC)\"El\"ElEl Morelense \u2013 al pastor torta close up (Gastronomic SLC)El Morelense<\/p>\n

For the first time in as long as I recall, possibly ever in fact \u2013 I found myself asking for a torta, not a taco. Wherever that random inspiration sprang from, thanks, universe. This thing was sublime.<\/p>\n

I believe the bread in question here is a telera roll (do correct me if my Mexican-baked goods taxonomy is off the mark), and it does a remarkable job of supporting the completed ensemble. There\u2019s a slightly crisp exterior with chew, and loads of floury, pillowy softness. Inside there\u2019s tomato, guacamole, onion, mayo, jalapenos, and the star of the show \u2013 al pastor, sliced directly from the trompo.<\/p>\n

The shaved pork is mesmerizing stuff, as it always is. There\u2019s a prominent backbone of warm clove, maybe allspice, and just a hint of sweetness. It\u2019s wonderfully seasoned, packing a powerful salty punch. You can order the al pastor, dorada style, which is, I believe, a sizzling crisp finish on the flat top, but I can\u2019t imagine messing with the meat as is \u2013 perfectly juicy as it is from the rotating spit. I won\u2019t disagree with anyone who lists this as the best in the city.<\/p>\n

On the side, I receive a trio of salsa, each knock your socks off into next week good. There\u2019s an earthy guajillo, an herbaceous, fresh, and assertive jalapeno\/serrano type salsa, and what I think might be a cremosa \u2013 a sort of creamier, oil-emulsified sauce. All three deliver unrestrained heat and flavor.<\/p>\n

I spend the next five minutes dunking, dipping, pouring, and making a monstrous mess of the kitchen counter. A child, I tell you.<\/p>\n

Want even more?<\/p>\n

Subscribe to our paid newsletter and help keep our stories free of automated advertising. Moreover, you\u2019ll get exclusive access to an unfiltered dive into all the dishes and drinks that pass my way. The good, the bad, the ugly.<\/p>\n

Subscribe NowOther useful links\"Stuart\"\"Stuart\"<\/p>\n

Hi, I\u2019m Stuart, nice to meet you! \u00a0I\u2019m the founder, writer and wrangler at Gastronomic SLC. \u00a0I\u2019m a multiple-award winning journalist and have written in myopic detail about the Salt Lake City \u00a0dining scene for the better part of seventeen years.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve worked extensively with multiple local publications from Visit Salt Lake to Salt Lake Magazine, not least helped to consult on national TV. \u00a0 Pause those credits, yep, that\u2019s me! I\u2019m also a former restaurant critic of more than five years, working for the Salt Lake Tribune. \u00a0 \u00a0I\u2019m largely fueled by a critical obsession with rice, alliteration and the use of big words I don\u2019t understand. \u00a0 What they\u2019re saying about me: \u201cNot inaccurate\u201d, \u201cI thought he was older\u201d, \u201cI don\u2019t share his feelings\u201d.<\/p>\n

Want to know more? This is why I am the way I am.<\/p>\n

This article may contain content provided by one of our paid partners. These are some of the best businesses in Utah. For a list of all our current and past relationships see our partnership history page.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s been a stubborn point of contention of mine forever \u2013 an expertly cooked old school burger beats these new-fangled smashed things. I\u2019ll take a messy, slicked forearm all day long. I am, of course, an old man shaking his fist at the clouds, and the first to admit that there are exceptions to the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14666,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[4815,4813,4811,4814,4812],"class_list":["post-14665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-utah","tag-utah","tag-utah-dining","tag-utah-food","tag-utah-grocery-stores","tag-utah-restaurants"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/vive.im\/@dc\/117283325669282416","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14665","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14665"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14665\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14666"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14665"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14665"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}