When you’re out to eat and scanning the menu, where do your eyes go first? Drinks, maybe, but then you are probably scouring the entree section for your main dish. But you’re completely overlooking the A-plus appetizers!
Chelsea Fairbourn says the stars of the show are in the small plates. She shares 14 starters from five different restaurants.
Don’t Pass Up These A-Plus Appetizers
Gourmandise: Salt Lake City, Draper
This restaurant is a Studio 5 staff favorite. Of all the times the staff has been there, the appetizers haven’t been touched! The avocado toast is delicious. It gives you that lingering summer taste, with cherry tomatoes and a hint of lemon. The fall version is their acorn butternut squash toast. Topped with caramelized onions and a balsamic drizzle, it is perfect for a cozy night out. Chelsea’s favorite is the French raclette. It’s cheesy, creamy, and totally unexpected. This one is a little harder to share, but would make for good light dinner.
Provisions: Salt Lake City
Provisions has a long list of appetizers, so of course we needed to try this one! A good setting doesn’t hurt, and this restaurant is darling! They do brussels sprouts really well. They are crispy, and come with a poached egg on top. An unexpected stand out is the shaved butternut squash. You would expect it to be warm, but it is served cold. So it is a totally different experience. It comes with cheese over the top and pumpkin seeds. Chelsea’s favorite is the steamed pork buns. It is a little steamed sandwich with pork and pickled cucumbers inside. This one is a little more substantial, so it could serve as your whole meal.
Eva: Downtown Salt Lake City
This little downtown spot is the perfect, sharable restaurant. It’s cozy, it has a community feel, and it is known for it’s small plates. Their shaved brussels sprouts were a stand out. Another is the fried cauliflower over a bed of ricotta cheese. Chelsea’s favorite is the spinach and potato gnocchi. It’s so creamy, and is the small plate version of comfort food. This also makes for a small, light dinner.
Black Sheep Cafe: Provo
Black Sheep is known for their entrees, but their appetizers stole the show! The nachos are excellent. They have green chile french fries that come with egg on top. So when you’re cutting into them, there are lots of different flavors going on. Chelsea’s favorite is the fry bread. It is honey lavender, and you mix that with honey butter and it is absolute perfection. The dough is light and fluffy, not too dense, so it is good to pair with an entree.
Cheesecake Factory
Because we are all going end up there, right?! Their entrees come in huge portions, so you could really replace any entree with an appetizer and it will be a pretty normal size portion. Their tamale corn cakes are really good. The buffalo blasts are unique. They have a kind of rice paper coating rather than the traditional breaded chicken. Chelsea’s favorite is the pork sliders with fried pickles. It is definitely one you could use as your entree.
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