What I Ate in Salt Lake City

Four days in Salt Lake City was not nearly enough time to try all of the vegan food that the city has to offer, especially since I spent most of one day at Salt Lake City Veg Fest. I think I put a pretty good dent in the list, though.

Let's start with Seasons. OMG. This was one of the best meals I've ever had. It's closer to the fine dining side of plant based eating, but don't feel like you have to dress up to go. I savored every bite of the Tofu Veracruz pictured above. The base was whipped garlic mashed potatoes in a white wine butter sauce with capers, tomatoes, and herbs. (Plus olives but I declined them because yuck.) Nestled on top of the potatoes is herb breaded tofu, and I can't even explain how well all of the flavors and textures went together. Amazing.

Full as I was, I had to try out the Crostata de Frutta. The base is puff pastry, which made me laugh because when it came out it looked like a ciabatta roll. Once I took a fork to it, it broke down into a flaky mess, just as puff pastry should. The lavender whip cream was as light as air, and you can't go wrong with those fresh berries. Throw in the berry sauce and brown sugar crumble, and you have yourself a perfect dessert.

Everything I read on Happy Cow raved about the nachos at Boltcutter, and they did not steer me wrong. All of the toppings were on point, from the barbacoa jackfruit to the guacamole to the melty cheese. I couldn't finish it because it was a huge plate of food, so I'd recommend bringing along one or two friends to share if you're able.

Monkey Wrench is Boltcutter's next door neighbor, and it's an all vegan ice cream shop with an espresso bar. Much as I love chocolate, this lemon blueberry swirl spoke to me. There are full on blueberries mixed into the ice cream which took it to the next level. They have a lot of fun, experimental flavors in addition to some more traditional ones, and they use a base of coconut and cashews for a lovely creamy texture.

My Airbnb was a short walk away from Passion Flour, a vegan patisserie, so it was my first stop after I checked in. The chocolate cake with raspberry frosting was just the right size, texture, and sweetness. I paired it with a ham and cheese croissant which was good but not great. I was asked if I wanted it warmed up, and I did, but when the employee brought it out to me, it wasn't even close to being warm. The croissant was perfectly flaky, though, and I wish I had time to try one of their chocolate croissants. 

Piper Down Pub and Ice Haüs are sister restaurants who both include The Herbivorous Butcher's products on their menus. I made it to Piper Down Pub and pretty much cried over these Loaded Potato Skins. It has HB's Corned Beef, plus cheese, sauerkraut, green onions, and aioli. Make sure to ask for the Green Menu which is all vegan, but there are also a couple options on the regular menu. In the background of the photo is a BLT with HB's Bacon, which I ordered for good measure. Service was a little slow since the bartender had a lot to manage, but the food more than made up for it.

For my last dinner of the trip, I visited All Chay, a vegan Vietnamese restaurant. These fried shrimp were a highlight - the taste and texture are eerily accurate. I also loved the teriyaki chicken and would get both dishes again. It's a hole in the wall kind of place, and some of the Happy Cow reviews said it's in a bad neighborhood but that's not at all the vibe that I got. 

Buds is a popular vegan sandwich shop, owned by the same people as Boltcutter and Monkey Wrench. Quite a few people recommended it to me, but my schedule and their hours did not align this time around. There are a few other spots I wasn't able to get to, so they'll go on the list for next time. Overall, it was a delicious trip!