The acclaimed Blue Plate Diner is nestled among quaint residential/commercial buildings in the Sugar House district of Salt Lake City. Sugar House is a very popular neighborhood. I’d liken it to Broad Ripple, but with an updated business district.
The diner is certainly understated, but breakfasts, lunches, and dinners here are anything but. Classic diner fare, hearty choices, with generous servings, you won’t be disappointed. Richard and I have eaten here each trip to Salt Lake, sometimes twice. I can’t say enough.
Blue Plate was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, where host Guy Fieri was blown away. They smoke salmon for their dishes in the alley behind the restaurant. All items are homemade, and Blue Plate boasts a 1949 soda fountain. The service is very friendly and accommodating. The coffee is smooth, rich, and keeps on coming.
Take a look inside:
Blue Plate Diner’s 1949 Soda Fountain & Counter Seating
I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this place. The front section of the restaurant is open for outdoor seating in any weather. Yes, during cooler or down right cold months, the owners drop down clear insulating sheeting, and crank up space heaters to keep diners nice and cozy. We’ve never eaten inside the actual restaurant, preferring the atmosphere on the outer deck.
So, what did I order? I went for it. After all, Richard is the one recovering from heart surgery, right??? I have coveted the biscuits and gravy over many visits. That day I gave into temptation. This is the half order.
Half Order Blue Plate Diner Biscuits & Gravy
And I cannot, really cannot, resist Blue Plate’s Smoked Salmon, Grilled Onion & Tomato Eggs Benedict. Take a look at my plate:
Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict with Grilled Onions & Tomato Slices
Oh, my mouth is watering. The eggs were perfectly poached. I figure all the Hollandaise was offset by the half orange slice on the plate. HA! The home fries were crispy and hot! Yummmmmmy!!
And I cleaned my plate, both of them. Heaven . . .
Not to be outdone, Richard opted for lunch, and a Reuben Sandwich with Waffle Fries and Russian Dressing. He actually took half of his sandwich back to the hotel – smart man.
One Happy Camper
Not sure when we’ll return. But, if we’re headed westward again, we’ll set the GPS for the Blue Plate Diner. Seriously awesome!
Salt Lake City is one of my favorite places. While we were out for a late breakfast, I asked Richard why I liked Salt Lake so much? “It’s young. It’s clean. There’s a lot of energy,” he replied.
And that’s exactly why I love it. It’s vibrant. The city is surrounded by mountains, the home of the University of Utah, and host of the 2002 Winter Olympics. And the food. Over several visits to SLC, we’ve had as many awesome meals. One place on my food bucket list was the Red Iguana.
Here’s one dining experience to die for – Killer Mexican Food
Red Iguana is a Salt Lake City institution that started business in 1965 with traditional Mexican recipes from the Cardenas family. The restaurant remains owned and operated by the family.
Red Iguana’s legacy is the mole – seven different kinds!
We were greeted with a basket of tortilla chips and homemade salsa. Because the restaurant is known for it’s mole variations, our waitress brought us a “flight” of their seven different moles – all made by Red Iguana. We scooped up samples with tortilla chips. Richard preferred Mole Amarillomade with golden raisins, yellow tomatoes, yellow zucchini, guajillo, aji and habanero chile. I liked the traditional Mole Negro. (I use a powered version in Turkey Enchiladas in Mole.)
Richard ordered a chimichanga with Mole Amarillo, served with homemade refried beans that were perfectly done, and homemade flour tortillas, perfect, too.
I came for much heartier fare. Yes – the Red Iguana Killer Combo Plate! Come to Mimi! One-cheese enchilada, a Taco a la Iguana, a beef flauta topped with guacamole and sour cream, a chile relleno and . .
a beef tostada. OMG – seriously yummy. And a Negro Modelo with lime to wash it all down. Ole!!!
Such happy campers are we! And, yes, my husband drove me from Jackson, Wyoming to Salt Lake City just so I could eat here! I am loved, beyond comprehension – lucky girl.
Red Iguana is very popular, so be prepared to come early or late (closed on Sundays). During normal dinner hours, the wait can be up to two hours, but so well worth the wait! There are two other locations in the city. This location, close to downtown (736 W. North Temple), does not have a bar where you can sit and have a drink while waiting for your table. But there’s free valet parking in an adjacent, on-site lot, and the serving staff is phenomenal.
I visited my family earlier this month to celebrate my grandson’s fifth birthday. Quinten is just the sweetest boy, except maybe for his little brother! I couldn’t miss out on his landmark birthday!!
Quinten loves birthday cake, and I’d planned to make him a BIG chocolate cake using my Chocolate Texas Sheet Cake recipe.
Meet Auggie Doggie! She’s a sweet girl we rescued from the Crow Indian Reservation three years ago. At the time I was working for a small museum in Garryowen, Montana, and every summer the museum hires interns to help work the summer tourist season, and they live on the museum grounds. Two of our recruits that year were real animal lovers.
Auggie Doggie
There is no shortage of animals in Big Horn County – horses, cattle, dogs, cats, porcupines, snakes, skunks, coyotes, turtles, rabbits, deer. Everyone at the museum has personal animal stories. Once a hawk flew into a small shop on the property – pretty exciting. Another of our interns killed a bull snake that was going after a litter of young kittens. The biggest snapping turtle I’ve ever seen was strolling around the parking lot before it was corralled into a box and safely returned to the Little Big Horn River.
As I wrote in March, our wedding anniversary was March 28. Guess who forgot? Yes, none other than my husband, Richard.
Before we were married and over the years, he and I have joked about our “marital contract” – the one written on the back of our marriage certificate, artfully negotiated the night before our wedding. The contract joke always came in handy, like when Richard stands in my way while I’m cooking, or when he forgets to turn off his closet light and close the door, or when he’s late to pick me up at the airport. On those not so rare occasions, I would threaten to review the contract to make substantial and punitive changes. Of course, he’s never had the opportunity to review those provisions that affect the wife’s parts of the contract, because I’m perfect in every way!
