The Soup Kitchen

By Arikka Fullmer

http://www.slcsoup.com
2012 S 1100 E, Salt Lake City

The Food (taste/flavor/quality of food & drinks)
>>>>= a favorite, can count on it being good every time

The Atmosphere (environment, wait staff, comfortableness)
xx= nothing to write home about

Price (what to generally expect to pay per person per entree)
$ = under $10


Value (what you get for your money)
***** = superb -lots of quality/taste for what you pay

There's nothing more classic than tomato soup and a cheese sandwich.
With temperature's dramatically dipping in the West I had to revisit my favorite soup server. The Soup Kitchen in Sugarhouse is perfect for a college student on a budget or a banker on a break from counting beans.
You may have to stand in line but as you move closer to the counter you can smell the bubbeling soups.
You'll change your mind several times before you order.
Grab a tray with paper lining, use plastic tongs to pick a variety of bread sticks for dipping, wheat, garlic, or cheese!
I order the sandwich/ soup combo, creamy tomato and eggsalad on wheat bread.
It's a twist on the classic combo that I love! The Soup Kitchen's tomato soup is filled with chunks of tomato and onion. The cream is subtle and the herbs don't overpower.
For a moment you'll be back at your grandmothers kitchen table slurping down a traditional winter warm up.
The chalkboard menu is diverse, every type of sandwich you can image with six types of soup. The quality is consistant, the service is friendly. There's always a hustle behind the counter but count on waiting for  your sandwich, don't worry soup is served hot and quick.

The dining area is 'vintage' with a slightly neglected style. You might have to brush previous diners crumbs off your table. But no one here cares, it's like dropping in on your neighbor.

The best beers in the Southwest

Dozens of brewers in the Southwest Win Medals at the 2008 Great American Beer Fest


By Angele Sionna


Attention beer lovers - if you weren't able to go to the Great American Beer Fest, don't dispare. You can try many of the best beers without leaving the Southwest!

Here's a look at the brewers in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah who took home gold, silver or bronze medals in the Great American Beer Fest this month.

Category: 4 Fruit or Vegetable Beer - 87 Entries
Bronze: Sangre de Frambuesa, Santa Fe Brewing Co., Santa Fe, NM

Category: 6 Coffee Flavored Beer - 28 Entries
Gold: Java the Hut, CB & Potts Restaurant & Brewery (Flatirons - Westminster), Broomfield, CO
Silver: Big Shot Espresso Stout, Twisted Pine Brewing Co., Boulder, CO
Bronze: Double Espresso Stout, Barley Brothers Brewery and Grill, Lake Havasu City, AZ

Category: 9 Specialty Honey Beer - 33 Entries
Bronze: Honey Moon Summer Ale, Blue Moon Brewing Co., Golden, CO

Category: 11 Other Strong Beer - 32 Entries
Gold: Derail Ale, Durango Brewing Co., Durango, CO

Category: 12 Experimental Beer - 82 Entries
Silver: Fifteen Avery Anniversary Ale, Avery Brewing Co., Boulder, CO

Category: 14 American-Belgo Style Ale - 36 Entries
Silver: Brush Fire Ale, Pump House Restaurant & Brewery, Longmont, CO

Category: 15 American-Style or German-Style Sour Ale - 34 Entries
Bronze: Fifth Element, Squatters Pub Brewery, Salt Lake City, UT

Category: 17 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer - 79 Entries
Silver: The Legend of the Liquid Brain Imperial Stout, Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver, CO

Category: 20 Kellerbier/Zwickelbier - 23 Entries
Bronze: Zwickel, Chama River Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM

Category: 21 Smoke-Flavored Beer - 31 Entries
Bronze: Second Hand Smoke, The SandLot, Denver, CO

Category: 22 International-Style Pilsener - 22 Entries
Silver: Yep, Still Boneheads, The SandLot, Denver, CO

Category: 24 Bohemian-Style Pilsener - 34 Entries
Gold: Pleasantville Pils, Durango Brewing Co., Durango, CO
Silver: Pallavicini Pilsner, Pug Ryans Brewery, Dillon, CO

Category: 25 Munich-Style Helles - 30 Entries
Bronze: BS Helles, The SandLot, Denver, CO

Category: 26 Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest - 16
Entries
Silver: Westy Export, CB & Potts Restaurant & Brewery (Flatirons -
Westminster), Broomfield, CO

Category: 35 German-Style Schwarzbier - 23 Entries
Gold: B3K, Wynkoop Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Silver: Cherny Bock, Bohemian Brewery, Midvale, UT

Category: 36 Bock - 39 Entries
Gold: Goat Rancher, The SandLot, Denver, CO
Bronze: Butt Head Bock, Tommyknocker Brewery, Idaho Springs, CO

Category: 39 Golden or Blonde Ale - 40 Entries
Bronze: All Nighter, Chicago Brewing Co., Las Vegas, NV

Category: 49 Imperial or Double Red Ale - 30 Entries
Silver: Alpha Dog Double Red Ale, Big Dog’s Brewing Co., Las Vegas, NV
Bronze: Weekender Red Ale, Amicas, Salida, CO

Category: 50 Bitter or Pale Mild Ale - 42 Entries
Silver: Hopsmith Pale Ale, Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver, CO
Bronze: Sawtooth Ale, Left Hand Brewing Co., Longmont, CO

Category: 51 Extra Special Bitter or Strong Bitter - 43 Entries
Bronze: Standing Wave Pale Ale, Kannah Creek Brewing Co., Grand
Junction, CO

Category: 53 Irish-Style Red Ale - 31 Entries
Gold: Red Rocks Red Ale, Rock Bottom Brewing, Louisville, CO

Category: 54 English-Style Dark Mild Ale or Brown Ale - 48
Entries
Gold: Sweet George’s Brown, Dillon DAM Brewery, Dillon, CO
Silver: Old Elk Brown Ale, Walnut Brewery, Boulder, CO
Category: 56 German-Style Altbier - 27 Entries
Bronze: All The Way Alt, Desert Edge Brewery, Salt Lake City, UT

Category: 57 South German-Style Hefeweizen - 52 Entries
Gold: Wixa Weiss, Wynkoop Brewing Co., Denver, CO

Category: 58 German-Style Wheat Ale - 32 Entries
Bronze: Wasatch Hefeweizen, Wasatch Brew Pub, Park City, UT

Category: 59 Belgian-Style Witbier - 53 Entries
Gold: Mothership Wit/Organic Wheat Beer, New Belgium Brewing Co.,
Fort Collins, CO
Silver: Belgian Wit, Redrock Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT
Bronze: Squatters Wit, Utah Brewers Co-op, Salt Lake City, UT

Category: 64 Belgian-Style Strong Specialty Ale - 44 Entries
Bronze: Golden Armor, CB & Potts Restaurant & Brewery (Highlands
Ranch), Highlands Ranch, CO

Category: 65 Brown Porter - 30 Entries
Bronze: Prospector Porter, Tommyknocker Brewery, Idaho Springs, CO

Category: 66 Robust Porter - 47 Entries
Gold: Nolan’s Porter, Barrio Brewing Co., Tucson, AZ
Silver: Sweet Sanderine Porter, Il Vicino Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM

Category: 67 Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout - 19 Entries
Silver: Shaft House Stout, Dostal Alley Brewpub & Casino, Central City, CO

Category: 69 American-Style Stout - 23 Entries
Gold: Terminal Stout, Rock Bottom Brewing, Louisville, CO

Category: 70 Sweet Stout - 19 Entries
Silver: Milk Stout, Left Hand Brewing Co., Longmont, CO

Category: 72 Imperial Stout - 44 Entries
Bronze: Yeti Imperial Stout, Great Divide Brewing Co., Denver, CO
To see a full list of winners from all across the country, see beertown.org.

Dickey's Barbecue Pit

By Jerry Ireland
4811 Pan American Freeway NE, Albuquerque, NM
Menu at: dickeys.com

The Food (taste/flavor/quality of food & drinks)
>>>>= a favorite, can count on it being good every time

The Atmosphere (environment, wait staff, comfortableness)
xxx= good but could be improved

Price (what to generally expect to pay per person per entree)
$$ = $10

Value (what you get for your money)
** = okay - overpriced for quality/taste

When I was eating at Dickey's Barbecue Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I kept thinking about the line in Pulp Fiction, "It's the little differences. I mean, they got the same sh** over there that they got here, but it's just – it's just there it's a little different."

The reason: I used to frequent the original Dickey's in Dallas, Texas and it has always been one of my favorite barbeque joints. While the Albuquerque version has the same good food, some of its differences threw me a bit. But that’s what happens when you turn an original into a franchise, you loose a little of the charm and quality.

One of the things I like about the Dallas version is it is a down home cafeteria style restaurant. You get in line, get your food and get to business. In Albuquerque, it is a sit down restaurant. Also the motif of the restaurant was different. The Dallas Dickey's is essentially a dive and the Albuquerque smokehouse seemed like a cross between a TGIFriday's and the original. It lacked none of the dive quality that gives the original its charm. Now, I know this is a positive for some people, but I prefer the simplicity of the cafeteria and not having to wait for my food and refills on my drink.

In Albuquerque you have a more expansive menu. You can get starters like hot wings and nachos, several types of sandwiches (chicken hoagie, hamburgers, and ham and cheese) that you won't find at the original because a true Texas smokehouse would be embarrassed to carry these items. Also, the salad choices are much more diverse compared to the original. Again, some people may find this to be a positive, but to make room, they removed one of my favorite sides from the menu. The original has outstanding green beans, and that used to be a staple of my Dickey's experience. But when I ate in Albuquerque there were no green beans. This must be changed.

One thing that remained the same is the excellent barbecue. I ordered the beef brisket and sausage plate. The brisket perfectly melts in your mouth, which is how I like it. The sausage explodes with taste. The sauce is a bit sweet with a little tang too it. Of all the excellent Texas barbeque sauces, Dickey's sauce remains my favorite.

I tried the onion strings, which are essentially thin stringy onion rings and I liked them. I also had the Caesar salad and it is more than serviceable but nothing to write home about.

One other difference is the price. The Albuquerque smokehouse's prices were a couple of dollars extra. I assume that is because of the restaurant style seating.

These differences took away from my enjoyment of one of my favorite restaurants, but I would say that the Albuquerque restaurant is a cousin of one of the best BBQ restaurants in Texas and that makes it among the best in Albuquerque.

Este Pizza Co.

By Arikka Fullmer
2021 Windsor St Ste A, Salt Lake City, UT
estepizzacompany.com

The Food (taste/flavor/quality of food & drinks)
>>>>>= always great, unique, and flavorful no matter where you’re from
The Atmosphere (environment, wait staff, comfortableness)
xxx= good but could be improved
Price (what to generally expect to pay per person per entree)
$$$$$ $30
Value (what you get for your money)
*** = fair -you get what you pay for, not in a bad way

Este is a cozy little pizza joint in the heart of Sugarhouse, an eclectic neighborhood that houses Este well.
Tucked into the back of a free standing two story, Este consists of two simple rooms. In one, a small dining area and bar to order your pie with a sampling of single slices laid out.
The back room is the kitchen, on full display through a giant window facing the outdoor patio.
Este is one of those laid back, local as local gets places that I almost feel too uncool to be in.
But the delicious smells, and bold murals quickly make me feel very cool to finally be eating at the much raved about Este.
True to word of mouth, Este is pricey for a place with standard ingredients of pepperoni, sausage and onions.
But Este will argue you pay for what you get, and what you get and what they serve is tradition, New York style pizza.
No pineapple here!
We get the Italian flag, a red, white and green striped pie. The pesto sauce was delicious, the perfectly thin crust was flavorful and just my style. What won me over was the orzo salad, you must order a side with your pie. But pack your patience and your wallet. We weren’t greeted, were unsure how to order and waited quite awhile for our food. The atmosphere on the patio is a great place to wait though. Kick back at the tables next to the worn brick exterior, covered by an ivy canopy and string lights overhead. I will go back, next time for a more affordable single slice and wash it down with Uinta’s Kolsch, always on tap.

New Jersey Pizza Company *Updated- Again!*

By Angele Sionna

2224 E. Cedar #6
NEW website with updated menu as of August 22, 2009 pizzaflagstaff.com

The Food (taste/flavor/quality of food & drinks)
>>>>>= always great, unique, and flavorful no matter where you’re from

The Atmosphere (environment, wait staff, comfortableness)
xx= nothing to write home about

Price (what to generally expect to pay per person per entree)
$= under $10

Value (what you get for your money)
***** = superb -lots of quality/taste for what you pay

What a refreshing change of pace New Jersey Pizza Company is! Not only do they have great tasting pizza, but they use locally grown and organic ingredients and don’t charge you extra for that (like so many other businesses that seem to think organic means adding an extra $5 to the cost for customers)!

“Our efforts are dedicated to the small family farmers, ranchers, artisan cheese makers, laborers and cooks of the world, whose endless work, wisdom, and passion make it possible to bring this food to the table,” their menu boasts. Now that’s the kind of motto I like to see on the front of the menu. Someone with a passion for food who also cares about how it’s grown and the people who grow and make it. That motto shows in the taste of the pizza.

My daughters and I went to New Jersey Pizza Company for the first time this week. We were the only sit down diners, but a few other people stopped in to pick up food while we were there. The building is painted with a giant mural of Italian favorites on the outside – from soccer to the Roman Coliseum. Inside the décor feels like a new (but old fashioned) Italian farmhouse kitchen: very open, a satillo tile floor, colorfully painted walls. You walk up to the counter that doubles as a refrigerated food display and order. Fresh tomatoes of varying colors are on big plates on the counter. Behind the counter you can see the full kitchen (which looked very clean), where they were making their own Mozzarella cheese. That was impressive. I’ve never eaten at a pizza joint before so dedicated to the taste of their food that they made their own cheese (at least not that I know of).

We ordered a small (12 inch) Classic Cheese Pizza ($8). For a dollar more you can get fresh pulled Mozzarella, though I didn’t realize that at the time, as I didn’t browse the menu before placing my order. I just assumed all of the pizza was made with the cheese they were making, as that would make more sense. The kid that took my order was very nice, but didn’t tell me that was the case. He did however tell me about all of their foods, their use of organics and local products when possible. Though some of their organics are shipped in from California, I’m told. Even found out that their chickens are brought in fresh from somewhere in the South. They used to use local chickens but apparently that chicken farm as since gone out of business. Interesting. As nice as he was, he also forgot to get me a drink, but brought one out as soon as I asked. But never came back to refill it.

We sat down in the small dining room, separated from the entry and kitchen by an arched doorway. There are only a few tables and there’s no air conditioning so it was a little stuffy despite the front doors being propped open. I wouldn’t want to come here on a really hot day.

Note to parents of babies: New Jersey Pizza just got in one high chair. It usually isn't packed with families with babies, so chances are you'll be fine, but you may want to bring a stroller just in case.

Also for kids... New Jersey Pizza has special colorful plastic plates for the little ones to eat on. (Sometimes you have to ask for them, but some servers automatically bring one out.) I was glad to see that they didn’t use throwaway products like NiMarco’s does. Something else that detracted from a pleasant atmosphere (which I’m sure is not the case on other occasions), the owner was arguing very loudly with a supplier or other business associate about money. Unprofessional to do with clients in house, even if it was just me and my two girls. I felt like I was back in New York.

The sauce was fantastic! Flavors of fresh tomatoes and spices blended well together to make an almost creamy sauce. Thin but plentiful. The cheese was also generously doled out. Salty but not overly so. The crust is very thin and crispy. I expected more of a New York-style thin crust, which is really flimsy, not crispy, almost hard to hold they’re so loaded down with sauce and cheese. I really enjoy that type of pizza. I was spoiled when I lived in New York and had so many options all around. But that is not the type the New Jersey Pizza Company makes. You get lots of cheese and lots of sauce but the crust is crunchy. Our pizza was a little over cooked, though. When one of the guys working in the kitchen brought it out, he apologized for it have a dark spot on the crust and said the chef will gladly make a different one. I declined. It tasted fine. It was nice of them to offer though. And it still tasted great.

New Jersey Pizza has other enticing items on their menu. Some of the most interesting are: Caprese Salad with Arizona grown tomatoes and house pulled Mozzarella (market price); two sizes of Calzones with two types of cheese, your choice of three other ingredients, and sauce on the side ($8 regular, $11 large); Olive Plate (market price); Cheese Breadsticks with extra virgin olive oil, mozzarella, Parmesan Reggiano, and your choice of homemade sauce ($3.50 regular, $6 large); homemade lemonade and fruit sodas, all made with unrefined organic sweeteners; and many homemade deserts. I wanted to get a Farmhouse Ricotta Cannoli, but was told they won’t be making those again until the fall. I’ll definitely be trying that when the time comes and report back here!

All in all, the service may not be so great at New Jersey Pizza, but the good food makes up for it in my book. They knocked Fratelli Pizza down to my second favorite in Flagstaff, though the atmosphere and customer service (and air conditioning) are far superior at Fratelli.

[caption id="attachment_103" align="alignleft" width="180" caption="Cheese Breadsticks"][/caption]

**Update: My family went to New Jersery Pizza again tonight and had the Cheese Breadsticks ($3.50) and two different Calzones ($8) - one with tomato, mushroom and their fresh pulled mozzarella, the other with ham, salami, mozzarella and ricotta cheese. Each tasted fresh from the garden and the oven.

[caption id="attachment_104" align="alignright" width="180" caption="Calzone"][/caption]

Both the breadsticks and the calzones were served with a cold tomato sauce that tasted like it was just picked off the vine in the hot house. Flavorful because the tomatoes used to make it were flavorful, but I would have preferred a heated sauce with a few more seasonings. Still I enjoyed the meal very much. But would recommend the pizza over the calzone.

Again the service was kind of slow but at least the waiter couldn't be any nicer. I was hoping to try a desert but they were all sold out. Guess I'm going to try to get to the Farmer's Market early this weekend and hope they're serving desert there. New Jersey Pizza sells their fresh fruit juices, homemade mozzarella ($9/pound), and other items every Sunday at the Farmer's Market. (Click HERE for more info on Flagstaff's Farmer's Market.

For more photos of New Jersey Pizza Company, click HERE.
____________________________________________________