#SLC in the dark (Taken with instagram)
Interesting article in the Salt Lake Tribune, which discusses the possibility of utilizing the historical Rio Grande Depot as a year-round urban market. Just the thought of this gets me excited. Ever since I visited the Ferry Building in San Francisco, I’ve had the itch to see something similar take place here in Salt Lake City.
Here’s hoping that they are able to get this organized and on its way to becoming a reality!
Hard Times Cafe, Utah State Prison
The next time you’re driving past the Utah State Prison on I-15, you may notice a small sign on the side of the road outside of the Olympus correctional facility that says: “Hard Times Cafe. Open to the public.”
I was a bit incredulous, so I did some research and discovered, that, in fact, there is a small cafe right outside the prison gates that is operated by inmates of the Utah State Prison. The majority of clientele are the employees at the prison, who have limited breakfast and lunch choices inside the prison. Obviously, Hard Times classifies as Sketchdining, so our Sketchdining crew had to stop by for lunch and check it out.
Oh my. It’s not a good thing that I’ve discovered this. Our local favorite food shop, Caputo’s, carries Pata Negra, which is a type of Spanish ham made from the black Iberian pig. I’ve wanted to try this ham ever since Anthony Bourdain raved about it on his show. Trouble is, I figured I would have to travel to Spain to try it out. The Iberico pigs are allowed to roam through the forests and eat acorns, grass and other herbs. It is an extremely rare ham, and isn’t exported much out of Spain.
As you can see, the price represents just how rare this ham is in the U.S. It’s currently priced at $149 per pound! I had one very small slice, about half the size of the palm of my hand, and it was $1.50. One one hundredth of a pound. And it was worth every penny. Melted in my mouth the minute I tasted it. One of the guys behind the counter calls the Pata Negra “meat butter.” Pretty fitting description.
I’m glad that we have local stores, such as Caputo’s, that are willing to take a risk and carry products that doesn’t necessarily appeal to the majority of consumers. Thanks to Tony and Matt for being the risk-takers and elevating the culinary environment in Salt Lake City.
If there’s a cooler stop sign in SLC, I haven’t seen it.
Sketchdining: Navajo Hogan
Remember back in the school days when Navajo Taco day rolled around? I always enjoyed those days as I watched the lunch lady pile beef, tomatoes, and lettuce on a delicious fry bread. It was a welcome change from the corndogs and tater tots that we ate far too often.
