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GASTRONOMY'S 7 RESTAURANTS & CLUBS

SALT LAKE CITY'S SEAFOOD MECCA

By Martha Hollis

Fishing in Utah's Great Salt Lake may be futile—but dining in Salt Lake City's Gastronomy restaurants promises the freshest fish available anywhere. Do not worry about distance to the source, Delta airline's helps the incredible dining group to be included in the top 60 seafood sellers in the country, with an annual volume exceeding $8 million.

The six downtown properties and one neighborhood location are all in restored historical buildings. Once inside each property contemporary, sleek designs rich with local art take over.

Owners John Williams, Tom Sieg and Tom Guinney began in 1978 renovating the condemned 1906 New York Hotel. Today The New Yorker is the highest Zagat-rated restaurant in the state. Its 100 seat intimate setting offers main courses such as Dungeness Crab Cakes, Northern Italian Style Shellfish Stew or Medallions of Veal with Foie Gras. Upstairs is the Market Street Oyster Bar, nostalgically filled with thirteen painted murals and its still life of fresh oysters, lobster, crab, mussels and clams—all pristine on sparkling ice while tempting kettles warm their famous clam chowders, ciopinno, oyster stew and lobster.

The Market Street Grill, next door, begins the day serving breakfast—sturgeon with eggs cannot be beat. The fresh daily specials may include Hawaiian Monchong, Pacific Swordfish, Alaskan Halibut, Atlantic Salmon, Southern Catfish, Chilean Seabass, Petrale Sole, Ahi Tuna, Mahi Mahi, Sturgeon,  and Lobster. Varieties of oysters may include Washington State Hama Hama and Kumamoto, British Columbian Malaspina and Evening Cove, or Nova Scotian Malpeque. It is incredibly tough to decide among chilled seafood platters, chowders and stews, pasta, perfectly fried dishes salads and appetizers.

While the Market Street properties celebrate an all-American menu styling, several blocks away in the original City High School, ethnic flavors reign supreme. The Baci Trattoria has upscale Italian foods as well as a wood-burning pizza oven. Seafood antipasti include fried calamari, scampi, steamed clams, house smoked salmon and shrimp cocktail. Pastas appear with prawns, crab, lobster, shrimp, scallops, clams and mussels with various sauces, vegetables and cheeses. The second course might be fresh salmon filet, pepper-seared Ahi Tuna or broiled filet of halibut topped with a parmesan-pine nut crust.

Next door Café Pierpont in also issuing forth fresh seafoods with South-of-The-Border delectables such as coconut-dipped shrimp, ceviche, calamari or Mexican Rock shrimp salad or shrimp fajitas or blackened shrimp in a wrap. Fresh fish—salmon, halibut, mahi mahi, red snapper, swordfish or seabass—can be sauced with spicy green chile and roasted tomato sauce, chipotle chiles, or tropical mango salsa. Or one might opt for blackened salmon with tamale and tomatillo sauce, halibut or mahi mahi tacos, crab enchiladas, calamari steak or seafood brochette with lime-chile butter.

Gastronomy has perfected the culinary variations on the seafood theme in an inland venue. Come to Salt Lake City and bring a discriminating and rapacious seafood appetite.

(Note:  there are plenty other meat, poultry and vegetarian items on all menus to please nonseafood aficionados.)

Recipes

Hazelnut Crusted Sturgeon with Blackberry Barbecue Sauce
Serves 2

1 cup toasted ground hazelnuts
1 cup bread crumbs
2 sturgeon filets
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons olive oil

Mix the hazelnuts and bread crumbs together. Dip the sturgeon filets in the eggs, and then dredge them in the hazelnut-bread crumb mixture. Place the olive oil in a 12-inch sauté pan. Add the filets and cook over medium high heat, browning on both sides. Place the uncovered pan in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes to complete the cooking process.

To assemble, place the filets on individual serving plates and spoon on the sauce. Serve additional sauce in ramekins.

Sauce

1 pound blackberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup sliced onion
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup blackberry or raspberry syrup
5-ounce bottle Heinz 57 sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

Combine all ingredients in 2-quart saucepan and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Puree the mixture in a food processor

Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa
Serves 4

4 6-ounce mahi mahi filets
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Season filets with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, add olive oil and heat just under the smoking point. Cook for 3 minutes on each side. Plate filets and top with salsa.

Salsa

1 cup mango slices
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 green onions, diced
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, finely minced

Mix all ingredients together at least one hour before serving. Chill.

Contacts

Gastronomy, Inc. http://www.gastronomyinc.com
801.322.2020 phone
Baci Trattoria and Club Baci, 134 Pierpont Avenue
Market Street Broiler, 260 South 1300 East (Fresh Fish Market, Bakery & Deli)
Market Street Grill, 38 Market Street
Market Street Oyster Bar, 54 Market Street
The New Yorker, 60 Market Street
Café Pierpont 122 Pierpont Avenue

Images by: Gastronomy and Martha Hollis

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