Traveling to Salt Lake--Where to get a good burger

Ok. There's one more part that I have to cover about restaurants in Salt Lake--where to get a good burger. I mentioned Crown Burger earlier, definitely a good and close place to get a burger and a good shake. But here's a few more recommendations.

Iggy's Sports Grill 423 West and Third South. Iggy's has great burgers--I love the "black and blue" with blue cheese, teriyaki sauce and skinny fried onions. But it also has the largest menu I've seen in recent memory. Lots of great stuff to sink your teeth into. So if your party can't decide what they want to eat--and you're craving a good burger, convince them to try out Iggys. I'm sure everyone will be able to find something they like.

Hires Big H Drive-in founded in 1959 on the corner of Fourth South and Seventh East. It is a Salt Lake landmark with their own root beer made into gorgeous root beer floats. This is the place for classic burgers and lots of fry sauce.

The Training Table is another old Salt Lake favorite with lots of gourmet burger combinations and deadly-but worth it-cheese fries. Once you've figured out what you want, you call in your order with the phone at your table. But the thing you have to try here is my favorite fry sauce--made with a somewhat spicy barbecue sauce instead of ketchup.

But the all time best burger I've ever eaten we just found last weekend by following the restaurant reviews I've been reading for this series of posts. It is in the Lucky 13 Bar at 135 West 1300 South. I don't know how to describe it--just an exquisite bun and good fresh hamburger and bacon. Lots of good options for toppings and you have to try the rosemary garlic fries.

Once you've tried these out, stop by the Generation Maps booth in the vendor's hall and let me know which one you think was best.

Presenter Profile: David Ouimette, CG

David Ouimette, CG, is Manager of Content Strategy at FamilySearch. His responsibilities include identifying the most valuable records for genealogical research worldwide and prioritizing records to digitally preserve and make available online. He has conducted onsite family history research and participated in records negotiations in Belgium, Canada, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and much of the United States. He previously worked in software development and product management at Ancestry.com. David has lectured at the National Genealogical Society and Federation of Genealogical Societies national conferences and the Samford and Salt Lake Institutes of Genealogy. His research specialties include Ireland, Quebec, and New England. He has contributed articles to Ancestry Magazine, APG Quarterly, Crossroads, The Septs, and BYU Family Historian. David is the author of Finding Your Irish Ancestors: A Beginner’s Guide (Provo: Ancestry, 2005). He currently serves as Vice President of the Utah Genealogical Association and is responsible for publishing Crossroads magazine.

NGS Classes:

Wednesday, 28 April 2010 in the "International" Track at 11:00 a.m.

Discovering Your French-Canadian Heritage

Saturday, 1 May 2010 in the "Records" Track at 9:30 a.m.

We All Descend from Immigrants-Discovering Old World Origins from U.S. Records

Presenter Profile: Bill Mangum, B.S.

Bill Mangum has 18+ years of experience in the software industry working for FamilySearch.org, Citrix, Novel, WordPerfect, and others. He has worked for FamilySearch for over 7 years and has learned a lot from dedicated genealogist and archivists from around the world. He finds great reward in bringing communities together to accomplish more than any one of them could do alone.

Bill has spent time in California, Utah, Florida, and Massachusetts. He has loved each of these areas but the mountains keep him coming back to Utah. He graduated from Brigham Young University. He has a beautiful wife and 4 wonderful children. Genealogy chose him and he is still trying to figure out how that happened but he loves the challenge and helping people to solve the challenges and mysteries that they encounter in finding evidence of their Family.

Bill has had the privilege to speak many Genealogy venues including: FGS Conferences, BYU Conferences, Family History Expo events, UGA Conferences, BYU Education week, and other venues. Each of these brings opportunities to learn from those that participate at the events. He is looking forward to speaking at the Utah 2010 NGS conference and sharing his expertise.

NGS Class: Wednesday, 28 April 2010 in "GenTech" Track at 2:30 p.m.

Blazing Digital Trails at FamilySearch: From Record Discovery to Links and Conclusions

Traveling to Salt Lake--Fast Food

Did you know that the model for and first franchise of Kentucky Fried Chicken was built in Salt Lake City? It's still there today at 3900 South and State Street.

And did you ever hear of fry sauce? It's a sauce of mayo and ketchup and sometimes a few other secret ingredients that you dip french fries in. During the 2002 olympics visitors were all agog with this Utah staple. At that time Katie Couric said it was a good thing she didn't live here or she would weigh quite a bit more. Now you can find fry sauce all over the place.

And then, how about a pastrami burger common to Salt Lake City? Its roots are in Utah's Greek Immigrant population that came with the mining boom resulting from the completion of the Transcontinental railroad. Several of the children who grew up in Salt Lake's Greektown opened burger joints including Apollo Burger, Olympus Burger and the home of Utah's first pastrami burger--Crown Burger. Thus many burger joints in Utah boast Gyros and Baklava along with the fries and shakes. The pastrami burger is usually served with as much pastrami as beef and a slather of thousand island dressing and swiss cheese. You can find one to the west of the Family History Library at the corner of Third West and North Temple.

Traveling to Salt Lake--Award Winning Restaurants

I've got some really good food for you here. This is my list of the BEST food in Salt Lake.

To start with I'd have to give a nod to the Diners Drive-ins and Dives picks for Salt Lake City. This is definitely the all time best stuff around and for good prices too. I am a DDD groupie, trying to catch as many as we can anytime we go to genealogy conferences. I can completely recommend the following.

• Moochies--meatball sandwiches and philly cheesesteaks to die for. 232 East 800 South.
• Red Iguana--there is usually such a wait for this one they opened a second one down the street. Skip the first at 736 West North Temple and go to the second at 866 W South Temple. Famous for outstanding moles.
• Pat's Barbeque. Pulled pork and incredible deserts at 155 West Commonwealth Avenue (2125 South) .

Then a little further from downtown:

• Blue Plate Diner--Five kinds of Eggs Benedict with other comfort foods and eclectic combinations. A little further out on 2041 South 2100 East.
• Ruth's Diner--A tradition since 1930 in a beautiful setting up Emigration Canyon. (4160 Emigration Canyon Road.) Raspberry Chicken or Chicken Dijon are my favorites.

And thanks to this blog post, I've just found that there is a new one for Salt Lake that I need to go try. Lonestar Taqueria. I'm sure it will be another absolutely divine discovery. Again, a little further out at 2265 Fort Union Blvd.

And then I would recommend to you the Salt Lake Magazine's Dining Awards Hall of Fame list.
Again Red Iguana is there for the best Mexican. And there is also Takashi for best Japanese, Cucina Toscana (just south of the Salt Palace) for Best Italian, and Mazza for Best Mediterranean. Metropolitan and Bambara are also Salt Lake Magazine cosmopolitan restaurant favorites having won best chef several times and only a couple of blocks from the conference. They are all downtown except for Log Haven (best ambience--it has always been my favorite romantic restaurant) which is at 6451 East Milcreek Canyon Road.

And then Dining in Utah has several great suggestions including two barbeque places I want to try. Q 4 U has just moved out to 3951 West and 5400 South --a bit of a drive from downtown--but they say that citysearch.com voted them in the top 10 barbeque places in the US. And Sugarhouse Barbeque's site boasts the that it has been named the best barbeque place in Utah 10 years running. At 2207 South 700 East, it's not quite as far of a drive.

Now you have to stay for three weeks to try them all out ;-) But think of all the family history you'll accomplish while you are gaining all that weight. Trust me. With these restaurants it will be worth it.

Traveling to Salt Lake--Shopping

My shopping post is going to be short and sweet. I know you are all going to be so busy working on your family history rather than going shopping, but just in case you get the inclination, my recommendation for shopping centers that are near downtown are the Gateway and Trolley Square.

The Gateway is just a couple of blocks to the west of the Library--you can hop on Trax and head down to the Gateway easily because it is in the free fare zone. Besides the food court, there are numerous good restaurants, The Happy Sumo, Fleming's Steakhouse, Tucanos Brazillian Grill, and McGrath's Fish House. And you definitely don't want to miss the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. But then there are some great stores there too. Everything from Ann Taylor and Coldwater Creek to Sanctuary Day Spa and The Walking Company.

Trolley Square is a 100 year old trolley depot that was turned into an upscale shopping area. It is over on Seventh East between Fifth and Sixth South. There are lots of exclusive little shops, jewelry stores and art galleries making Trolley Square a fun treasure hunt. Don't miss the Old Spaghetti Factory, Rodizio Grill or the Wiseguys Comedy Club.

And if you happen to need a regular drugstore, there is the RiteAid at 72 South Main (one block east of the conference) and the Walmart at 1300 South and 300 West. This Walmart is easily accessible--just a half block west of the 1300 South stop on Trax.

Traveling to Salt Lake--Restaurants close by

For restaurants, I thought I'd start with the places to grab a bite that are closest to the conference and the Family History Library. There is a great map of downtown, showing a list of restaurants and nightlife on a wider range, but let me tell you about the places closest to the conference.

The closest, closest restaurant is JBs on the corner of West Temple and South Temple right in between the library and the Salt Palace. If you are not to picky, and just don't want to walk anywhere, JB's is your place.

But if you are willing to walk a block (1/8 of a mile), there are lots of other great options right near the library and the Salt Palace.

To the South, on Second south, is Toaster's Deli. With a wide assortment of sandwiches, soups and salads, this coffee shop is an award winning place to grab a bite and get back to the conference.

To the East of the Salt Palace there are lots of other great options too. Common chain restaurants within a block are the Olive Garden at the South East corner of the Convention Center, and Benihanas across the street to the East. A new restaurant winning high awards is called the Naked Fish Bistro where you can get reservations on the website. It is right across the street from the Salt Palace on the corner of 1st South. I haven't tried it yet, but I've seen reviews all over the place. It is supposed to be fantastic Japanese cuisine. Just past the Naked Fish on First South is Cafe Molise, a good Italian restaurant with a nice garden patio and Jazz on Friday nights.

There are three favorites with the locals on the block between first and second south too. Siegfried's Delicatessen is one of my favorites from from my high school days and even though it has changed hands and changed locations it is still a great place to get authentic German food on Second South. And Lamb's Grill, is like a step back in time and is a favorite for breakfast with locals, but really has great food all around. Lamb's is on the other side of the block on Main Street between first and second south. Then of course, there is Blue Iguana with big plates of great Mexican food in a basement place down in the middle of the block.

The hotels close by have some good restaurants too. To the South is the Marriott with Elevations Restaurant, Destinations Lounge, and Starbucks. Elevations is the Marriott's American/Continental restaurant. The Hilton is a favorite place with Spencer's for Steaks and Chops. You can book reservations on their website and I highly recommend it. And the Radisson to the North of the Conference Center has the Copper Canyon Grill House, another great place where you can't go wrong with most anything on the menu.

Then to the North and East along South Temple, on the East side of Temple Square you'll find the Joseph Smith Memorial Building with the Roof, Garden Restaurant and Nauvoo Cafe, and just beyond that in Brigham Young's historic home, the Lion House Pantry. The Roof is a fine restaurant on the tenth floor with sweeping views of Salt Lake and a large gourmet buffet. The Garden Restaurant is on the other side of the floor, same view but with a more casual setting and smaller prices. And the Nauvoo Cafe is on the main floor of the Joseph Smith Building with fabulous sandwiches and bread pudding to die for. Then the Lion House Pantry is your place for home style cooking with famous rolls and food that has inspired a popular line of cookbooks.

So there you have it. There are plenty of great options right next to the conference center and the library. You don't even have to go very far.