| Wasatch Front: Food, Music Strong at Evolving Boomer Haven | ||
| By Anne Wilson -- Special To The Tribune | 08/02/2002 | |
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Baby boomer Mike LePrey spent his formative years -- the party-hearty decades of the '70s and '80s -- as the owner of D.B. Cooper's, one of Salt Lake City's most popular private club/restaurants. His subsequent involvement in other well-known clubs, including Green Street in Trolley Square and downtown's Third & Main, eventually led the middle-aged LePrey to his latest project, a private club/restaurant that he and his partners envision as a social club for boomers. LePrey and company (Chris Stathis, Margie Aliprandi and Scott Warren) believe midlife boomers are looking for restaurants that offer good food, but in smaller portions at lower prices, wine lists with breadth and a setting that allows for social activities such as dancing and cooking classes. Their Wasatch Front, which opened two months ago in a space formerly occupied by Oceans restaurant, is this concept brought to life, mostly to good effect. Like any new restaurant, the Front is suffering its share of food and service glitches. But if LePrey is serious about pushing the menu to "outrageous" heights, then Wasatch Front could enjoy a long run: It has location (midvalley, in an area with few private clubs), a gorgeous view of Mount Olympus and a spacious creekside patio perfect for Utah's temperate summer evenings. While LePrey has been preoccupied with perfecting the patio and building a better kitchen staff, he has plans for finishing the interior. The Front has a beautiful bar just inside the front door, but the split-level dining space still has an unfinished look, somewhat like a blank canvas. The colors are neutral, from the brown floor and brown tables (some of them covered with white linen) to the brown walls. LePrey wants to cover the walls with stuff about Utah, reflective of the restaurant's name. It takes time to collect that kind of memorabilia, so the Front's décor will likely be a work in progress for some time. Large windows on the east and south provide abundant natural light for daylight dining, which means lunch, weekend brunch and early dinners. In fact, one of the Front's best deals is an early (daily from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.) dinner special of marinated chicken, poached salmon or a petite filet mignon, all served with a vegetable, for $10. We tried the fillet, a nice-sized and tender piece of beef that came cooked to order, with grilled asparagus and sautéed vegetables. At that price, it's a steal. (A larger fillet on the regular menu is priced at $19.) The rest of the Front menu, billed as "new American" cuisine, is reasonably priced, from a juicy New York steak ($18), accompanied by caramelized red onions, mashed potatoes and sautéed vegetables, to chicken "marsala" ($12), a plate of pasta topped with a mix of diced white meat chicken, mushrooms and tomatoes in a delicious wine-infused sauce. Fish is well represented in the form of poached or seared salmon ($14), halibut with an herb crust ($14) or halibut baked in parchment paper with red potatoes and grilled asparagus and flavored with pesto butter ($16). While the flavors in this dish were interesting (the pesto butter was a bit skimpy), the fish was cooked past done, at least if you like it just to the flake stage. Salads are good, especially the house version of mixed greens, sliced pears and mounds of goat cheese crusted with pecans, all lightly moistened with a citrus vinaigrette ($9). It's a big salad, one that could stand in for a light dinner, or as a bigger meal when paired with an appetizer. Starters are familiar but still adventurous: lobster cocktail, sesame-seared ahi tuna or skewered chicken flavored with curry and served with a peanut sauce. Nicely seasoned crab cakes come with a Cajun-flavored mayonnaise and a slaw made of purple cabbage ($9). The bruschetta is good, too -- slices of a dense bread toasted and smeared with goat cheese, then topped with chopped tomato and red onion flavored with balsamic vinegar ($6). A bar menu offers more munchies plus sandwiches, including the excellent and large (8-ounce) Front burger, which is about as American as you can get except for the tangy balsamic aoli ($6). It comes with a good-sized mound of French fries. Dessert is not emphasized at the Front: Cheesecake and a chocolate decadence were the only options on each of our three visits. Why not offer a little more variety? Saturday and Sunday brunch service was launched in mid-July, with a menu of eggs benedict, omelets and quiche ($9); steak and eggs or poached salmon with sliced tomatoes ($12); or pancakes ($6). Brunch beverages include bloody Marys and mimosas for $2.50. (Youngsters under 12 years may order any downsized brunch menu item for half price.) Diners looking for more than food can get live piano music with dinner, Monday through Thursday, from 8:30-11:30 p.m., while fleet feet can dance to retro music Fridays and Saturdays at 10 p.m., in the Front loft. The loft, which holds approximately 75 people, is also available for meetings and private parties. Service at the Front is friendly but still inconsistent. Diners who order the paper-wrapped halibut don't always get instructions on how to open the package. And how can a bar open at the height of summer be out of ingredients for a pi-a colada? While it is still evolving, the Wasatch Front offers a nicely priced menu of good food, a growing selection of entertainment and a convenient watering hole in an otherwise dry patch of the Salt Lake Valley. Wasatch Front 4760 S. 900 East, phone: 261-0115 Hours: Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; dinner, Monday through Saturday, 5:30-10 p.m.; bar menu, Monday through Thursday and Sunday, 2-11 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m.-midnight; brunch, Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Prices: Dinner entrees from $7 to $21 Liquor: Full bar, wine list (membership fee is $25 per year or $5 for two weeks) Handicapped Accessible: Yes Reservations: Yes Takeout: Yes Outdoor Dining: Large deck Kid's Menu: Brunch only Parking: On-site lot Credit Cards: All major Anne Wilson is The Tribune's restaurant reviewer. The newspaper covers the cost of meals at restaurants reviewed and there is no connection between reviews and restaurant advertising. Wilson welcomes food and wine news, comments and suggestions at wilwrite99@aol.com. |
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