| The Paris Bistro and Zinc Bar Salt Lake City |
| By Tim Sinniger |
| The Paris Bistro and Zinc Bar New American Cuisine inspired by Italian, French and Mediterranean Cultures Chef-owner: Eric DeBonis 1500 South (Emerson) 1500 East Salt Lake City, Utah 84105 Reservations: 801-486-5585 The Paris Website |
| 24 hours before I was to fly to Salt Lake City I was flipping through my new issue of Food and Wine Magazine. There I read a article titled "America's 50 Most Amazing Wine Experiences." Of course I looked up the restaurants in Oregon and Washington. There was just one restaurant in Utah though and lo and behold it was in Salt Lake City. It was on a Wednesday night around 9PM when I called the Paris Bistro and Zinc Bar. There was the buzz of engaged conversation in the background as I was making my reservations for Friday night and it was 10PM in Salt Lake City to boot. I was excited! Could I have found a great new dining adventure? Once in Salt Lake I realized I was going to a possibly great restaurant alone, so I invited Jim, a friend of mine, who was also there on business. Now Jim is a no nonsense, simple and plain spoken person. He is not big on going out let alone drinking wine. A good beer or a whiskey is more to Jim's liking. I figured if Jim enjoyed this restaurant that would be a pretty good day in the neighborhood. Driving to the restaurant we realized that although it was only about 15 minutes outside of downtown Salt Lake, it was located in a residential neighborhood with nothing but quaint brick houses surrounding it. At first we thought we were lost until we came upon an intersection and there it was, this cute little restaurant nestled in this neighborhood with a couple of other businesses surrounding it in the historic Emerson District. The Paris Bistro was formerly a bakery and soda fountain. Its new incarnation matched the neighborhood ambience with the restaurant boasting rich wood tones and hues of red on the walls, linen tablecloths and quaint European bric-a-brac displayed throughout. |
| Tim and Jim at the Zinc Bar |
| Justin, myself, Taylor and Marie |
| Above: Morgan Valley Rack of Lamb Below: The Paris Bistro by night |
| Contents copyright Northwest Wine Fan 2007 |
| While waiting for our reservation our hostess Marie guided us to the Zinc Bar. I enjoyed a glass of 2003 Louis Latour Andeche Chardonnay while Jim sipped on a designer whiskey. Food and Wine Magazine said of the Zinc Bar "Diners hang out at this Salt Lake City bistro's adjacent Zinc Bar for lessons in food-and-wine pairing from chef-owner Eric DeBonis. His French- and Italian-dominated wine list echoes the menu, where wood-fired pizzas and traditional pastas join French bistro classics. DeBonis will even create a new dish on the spot to match an inspiring bottle of Ch�teau Beychevelle, for example, or a Batasiolo Barolo". The buzz in the bar was delightful and it seemed that most of the people there were locals. Our host Justin was pleasant and informative. He told us the history of the restaurant celebrating their 5th year. Ufortunately Eric DeBonis was on a trip out of town that evening. I was a little concerned but Justin told us we were in good hands. We ordered our wine for dinner with Justin at the bar and he came to our table later to see how we were doing. |
| The Paris Bistro has one of the best wine lists in Salt Lake City and for our dinner that night we chose a bottle of 2003 Paul Autard Ch�teauneuf-du-Pape. Their selection is worthy of taking the time to explore the list. I went online and I would have to say that while most online restaurant menus and wine lists tend not to be current, not so with the Paris Bistro and Zinc Bar. The choices I saw online a couple of days earlier were all available that night at the restaurant. The wine menu offers over 300 choices with a tilt towards good California choices as well as a formidable selection of French and Italian wines. Prices ranged from $22.00 to $375.00 with glasses of wine priced from $5.00 to $7.00. The stemware that our wine was served in was upscale and of course our wine was offered decanted. |
| Both ordered the Onion Gratinee and in my humble opinion it was one of the best I have experienced. For our entrees we headed in different directions. Jim decided to order the Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Beurre Blanc, roasted Hazelnuts and topped with Parmigiano-Reggiano. Not being a big pasta fan I was skeptical, but to my surprise it was just wonderful. The sauce was rich and paired perfectly with the ravioli. When discussing my entr�e with Taylor I told him I was torn between the Bobtail White Quail and the New Zealand Lamb. I was surprised when I asked his opinion and he replied neither. He knew what would go with our Ch�teauneuf-du-Pape. When I asked what I would be having he replied "the lamb". Being puzzled but curious I said "sure". What was delivered to the table was neither on the regular or the specials menu. My entr�e consisted of locally raised Morgan Valley grass fed Rack of Lamb served on a bed of organic farmer's market root vegetables including beets, onions, shallots, fingerling potatoes and summer squash. It was a striking presentation (see above)! The lamb brought back childhood memories of my grandmother's holiday table. There was just enough fat to embolden the taste and it was superior in every way to the New Zealand lamb we are so used to getting in restaurants these days. We ended our evening with a snifter of Grand Marnier and watching other patrons enjoying themselves. |
| What can I say... The Paris Bistro is a must stop when in Salt Lake City. The waitstaff, the wines, the fabulous food and an ambience makes you want to return time and again. It is worth the drive. Take a cab as I found that once outside the downtown business district (where you can ride the light rail for free) it is the best way to get around town. Tell them Northwest Wine Fan sent you! After dining at The Paris Bistro we also recommend these fine restaurants while in Salt Lake City: The Metropolitan Crafting fresh and seasonal New American Cuisine 173 West Broadway Salt Lake City, Utah 84101 801-364-3472 Closed Sunday Bambara Restaurant New American Cuisine 202 S. Main Street in the Hotel Monaco Salt Lake City, Utah 84101 801-990-9708 And for a great cocktail while downtown: New Yorker Fine Dining/Private Club (3day memberships are inexpensive) 60 W. Market Street Salt Lake City, Utah 84101 801-363-0166 Closed Sunday |
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| Tim Sinniger |
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