Utah Food Writers Celebrate March Madness at the Metropolitan

If you're a new reader of Kalyn's Kitchen, Friday Food Porn is a bit of fun where I share photos of things I "may or may not" have eaten that week. I started doing this when I first got a good camera and was taking photos of everything edible. South Beach Dieters may need to cover their eyes, since Friday Food Porn can be seriously not-South Beach Diet friendly.

This week I had a food adventure I knew I'd want to share. Recently my blog was featured in the Deseret Morning News, the biggest newspaper in Utah. Through that, I got re-acquainted with Valerie Phillips, the Deseret News Food Editor, who invited me to a special dinner for food media hosted by The Metropolitan in downtown Salt Lake City.

Let's see now, if you were a food blogger and got invited to a dinner where you might get to meet a lot of food writers, and it was at a restaurant widely reported to be one of the most outstanding food experiences in Utah, would you even hesitate? I didn't think so.

Definitely the Metropolitan did not disappoint. I also got to catch up a bit with ever-busy Vanessa, who promises she will resume blogging soon, and briefly met another Salt Lake City resident who's a well-known blogger.

It was also interesting to hear about The Metropolitan's "culinary team" of four chefs. Rather than having one executive chef, the team works together to create new flavors for the restaurant. It's an innovative concept which seems to be working well.

Since some believe it's a violation of food journalist principles to accept free food and then review the restaurant, let me make it perfectly clear, I don't do reviews. This is a home cooking blog, where once in a while I have fun writing about restaurants I really like.

Now, here's what we had for our fabulous dinner at The Metropolitan.

Pre-dinner appetizers were Kobe Beef Sliders, seriously delicious and my first time trying Kobe Beef. Now I know what all the fuss is about.

Dinner started with a creamy, very spring-tasting Asparagus Soup, garnished with pancetta, cracked pepper, and artfully drizzled olive oil. (I should have asked for some drizzling tips while I had the chance.)

Next was a salad with Mizuna wrapped in a thin strip of English cucumber, served with cauliflower browned in butter. You've probably had Mizuna in mesclun mix.

Manila Clams in Tabasco Cream Sauce were beyond fabulous, especially the spicy kick to the sauce, which I loved. That's Valerie's thumb as she helps set up the shot!

Taking photos in a dark restaurant is still a challenge for me, and I'm sorry this shot of Lamb Chops with Orzo, Feta, and Baby Zucchini didn't do it justice, but this was the best lamb I've ever tasted. Valerie chose the Blue Nose Bass with Artichoke Barigoule, Sun-Dried Tomato Ravioli and Anchovy, which she said was delicious, but that photo was even worse than this one!

Finally, a dessert sampler with Tropical Float, Panna Cotta, and Turtle Chocolate Brownie and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, my favorite of the three.

If you're a reader who's a South Beach Dieter, you can see that I completely abandoned my diet for the evening. (Remember, I've been on phase three for quite some time now. Do not try this at home!) Thanks so much to Valerie for graciously including me in a lovely evening and to The Metropolitan for a wonderful dinner.

The Metropolitan
173 West Broadway
Salt Lake City, Utah 84101
(801-364-3472)

Blogger Disclosure:
All the food shown in these photos was paid for by the restaurant. I don't really write restaurant "reviews" but once in a while I talk about restaurants in Salt Lake and Restaurants in other cities where I've had great meals.