Dänkblog: Salt Lake City
May 19, 2011

I just returned from a trip to Salt Lake City, and while it rained
alot, I did manage to have a good time. Although it is the
headquarters of the lily-white LDS/Mormon cult, SLC is the most
diverse city in Utah. Still a far cry from San Francisco, but
charming in its own way.

Temple Square in downtown SLC is just incredible. Open to the public,
it contains the famous Salt Lake Temple (only the purest [and
wealthiest] Mormons are allowed to marry there), the Tabernacle (home
to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir), a skyscraper which serves as the
cult's world headquarters, and a museum. Surrounding Temple Square
are various other LDS buildings, including the Family History Library
(Mormons are fanatical about genealogy).

But it is the flowers that are the neatest thing about Temple Square.
The gardens are always in bloom, with young "volunteers" replanting
them continuously. Right now it is tulips that are in bloom, a riot
of colors that might have you thinking you were in Amsterdam, except
for the lack of weed. Tulips, tulips, and more tulips. Across from
Temple Square there is the Brigham Young Historical Park, which will
start blooming later this summer.

My favorite part about visiting any city is the food. Utah is not
known for its cuisine, but like any large city, SLC has a good variety
of ethnic restaurants. Way too many Mexican restaurants, and not
nearly enough Asian ones. But I have found several that I like, as
well as several I don't, and here is my list:

Star of India, 400 South at State:

I ate here late last year, and it was gross. The decor was nice
enough, but the lamb curry was a scoop of dried out glop that looked
like it came from the bottom of the stew pot. So overloaded with
cilantro that it was inedible. Way overpriced, $12 plus $2 extra for
the naan. And I saw a Sysco truck delivering as I walked by the other
day. Sysco ingredients suck!

Everest Tibetan Restaurant, 200 South at State:

This is one of my favorite restaurants. I stumbled across it by
accident looking for the Indian restaurant above, and now I'm glad I
did. Within walking distance of Temple Square, Everest features
simple but fresh food. And I mean fresh, you can see the chef
chopping up the meat and vegetables and stir-frying them in a wok,
ready within ten minutes of ordering. The beef curry is good, and I
had the lemon chicken this time, also good and fresh and with plenty
of meat. Very reasonably priced, entree with rice starting at $9. No
evidence of any Sysco ingredients.

Curry in a Hurry, 2100 South at State:

This place got good reviews, but I didn't care for it at all. A very
small place, with two tables and a window counter, and I felt crammed
in like a sardine in a can. I ordered the half & half plate, with
curry chicken and lamb korma. The lamb curry had a weird smell,
vaguely chemical-like, while the chicken curry had way too much
chili. No cilantro, fortunately, but in this case it might actually
have improved the taste by masking the other flavors. The "naan" was
not really naan at all, but some kind of round styrofoam material that
was inedible. The soap dispenser in the bathroom was labeled "Sysco,"
which explains everything.

Himalayan Kitchen, 400 South at State:

This was my favorite restaurant of all, featuring Nepalese and Indian
cuisine. Rather expensive, my lamb curry costing $16, but it was
excellent and included the best naan I have ever tasted. There was a
little bit of cilantro in the curry, but the waitress warned me
beforehand and the pieces were large enough to pick out. I also tried
a bite of the tandoori chicken and the dall alloo ko soup, both
excellent. Sugar packets read "U.S. Foodservice," which while not as
desirable as fresh local ingredients, still beats Sysco.

I am on the warpath against Sysco. As the nation's largest food-
service distributor, Sysco has destroyed American cuisine, replacing
home-cooked specialties with pre-fabricated glop in a can. With the
exception of McDonald's - which has its own distributor - almost every
restaurant in the country uses the same Sysco ingredients, the same
Sysco frozen chicken patties topped with the same Sysco canned sauce,
served on the same Sysco plastic plates. This is profitable, since
expensive trained chefs can be replaced with cheap undocumented aliens
who simply open a can, microwave it, and serve it to you. But while
canned ravioli may be edible, it is not cuisine. No reputable
restaurant has any excuse for using Sysco ingredients.