i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again: matt and i love food.

when we first started dating, i noticed matt was a major food snob. he wouldn’t eat at chains {except for the occasional late-night wendy’s run} and only munched on the highest quality nosh.

now, i’m just a simple gal from a small, rural town in northern california {if you’re chuckling at that fairly gross understatement, you’re not alone}. my parents love the olive garden and whenever i visit my mom we head straight to panera {i mean, that french onion soup, amiright?!} but ever since matt swept into my life, it’s been a whole new world of diners, drive-ins and dives.

we decided to treat ourselves last weekend to a restaurant we’d never been to, pago. owned by long-time local restaurant veteran scott evens, pago boasts fresh ingredients from local artisan partners such a beehive cheese, clifford family farm, fog river seafood, and others. it’s at the heart of the darling, up-and-coming 9th and 9th business district, which was recently voted the brooklyn of utah by thrillest magazine.

we started off dinner with a compressed melon salad, complete with {compressed} watermelon, honeydew, cucumber and other delicious flavors.  matt got the manilla clams, with piperade, spanish chorizo and roasted fennel. i, of course, got the burger with truffle fries.

for dessert, we got the thai tower, which was made of lychee mousse, mango curd and raspberry gelee. i was skeptical at first {since we didn’t order something with chocolate…}, but it was the perfect blend of light and sweet.

the food was amazing. everything was so fresh and cooked to perfection. it was raining the day we went, so we didn’t get to sit on the patio. this was a pity because it looked so quaint and summer-chic. plus, i’m obsessed with patios.

we didn’t miss out on too much, though, as the inside was full of ambiance. the exposed brick and {what appeared to be} reclaimed wood tables and booths felt, indeed, like a temporary transport to brooklyn {please see above paragraph re: thrillest article}. the lighting was low with simmering candles, making the whole thing feel a little like a scene from midnight in paris.

we will definitely be going again. i am so glad the foodie scene in salt lake is growing so much. i can’t wait to see what else pops up!

xoxo

cait