DINE

I’ve yet to really dig into the excess and indulgence of Venezuelan street food, but my adoration for the no-holdsbarred approach to sandwiches already runs deep. I have yet to meet an arepa or cachapa I didn’t like, but I figure it’s time to check out the other sandwich and street food innovations that hail from Venezuela. To this end, I was pleased to see that a spot called Zaperoco (785 E. 200 South, Ste. 9, Lehi, 801-331-8695, zaperocofood.net) has been a bastion of Venezuelan food in Utah County since last year

Zaperoco’s digs are right in the shopping center across from the Lehi Roller Mills, which is quickly becoming quite a cool spot for local eats. It’s neighbors with the Hawaiian hot dog wizards at Porky’s Kauai, and it looks like the Jurassic Tacos food truck is planning on opening a brickand-mortar location in the same stretch of real estate. This bodes particularly well for Utah County foodies—or those simply in town to re-enact Kevin Bacon’s “angry dance” from Footloose on location at the Roller Mills.

I think one of Zaperoco’s main strengths is its sandwich variety. All the traditional arepas can be found within its menu, but the chief among them is the cabimera ($13). It exemplifies what I’ve found to be the signature move of Venezuelan cuisine, which is a strong desire to see how much stuff they can fit into an arepa. This one is piled high with shredded beef, shredded chicken, ham, cheese and hard-boiled eggs. It’s slathered in the Zaperoco house sauce, which is a creamy, herbaceous condiment that really ties the dish together. If you happen to be craving a top-notch arepa and haven’t had breakfast, this monster is an absolute thrill to dive into. I’ll never discourage someone from trying to pick up such an overstuffed arepa and eat it with their hands, but you may want to snag a fork and knife for this one.

Those after something ever-so-slightly smaller than an arepa will dig Zaperoco’s tapitas. There are shredded chicken ($5) and beef ($5) varieties, or you can get a mixed tapita ($5) that includes a bit of both, along with a slice of ham. The tapitas maintain the basic genetic makeup of the arepa, but their filling-to-arepa ratio is a bit more balanced. This one you can eat like a sandwich without all those meat juices running down your forearm—most of the time, anyway.

My primary objective at Zaperoco was to cross the patacon off my sandwich bucket list. For those who are hearing this term for the first time, a patacon takes the popular arepa fillings and smushes them between two plantains that have been flattened and fried to chewy perfection. The existence of plantains in Venezuelan food is one of the things that keeps me coming back; I love these starchy, slightly sweet fruits. Any culture canny enough to swap them in for bread in a sandwich is truly inspired, and so is the patacon at Zaperoco.

Let’s first talk about the use of plantains here. For the most part, the bread part of a sandwich exists only to keep the filling from gooshing out all over the place, and it’s rare to see the bread impart any flavor other than bread to the whole deal. When it does, it tends to overwhelm the innards with too much sweet or too many herbs. When you use fried plantains, however, you’re getting superior structural support, because fried plantains don’t disintegrate when soaked with a high volume of sandwich fillings. You’re also getting a very natural, subtle sweetness that works perfectly with the shredded meats and melted cheeses inside.

For the best example of Zaperoco’s patacon, you must check out the patacon mixto ($13), which comes with all the shredded meats at the restaurant’s disposal, along with a slice of grilled ham. If you’re feeling brave, you can pick this sucker up and eat it with your hands, but it’s best to take the cabimera approach and tackle this with some utensils.

In addition to monstruous sandwiches that balance flavors and textures remarkably well, Zaperoco has plenty of smaller snacks on the menu. Various empanadas stuffed with shredded chicken, beef, or potato are all available—and all under three bucks. Then you’ve got the cheesy stuffed tequeños ($1.50) that make an excellent complement to any meal, especially when you dip them in some of that herby house sauce.

Zaperoco is an excellent entry into Utah’s Venezuelan food scene, and its current location is adding some much-needed culinary diversity to Lehi’s Main Street area. I’m willing to help spread the gospel of Venezuelan cuisine to the far corners of the Wasatch Front, so having a spot that serves up some of these classics a bit further south will only aid in the cause. I’d also encourage anyone who fancies themselves a fan of sandwiches to hit this place up. The creativity, flavor combos and overall spectacle that Zaperoco instills into its menu will make you rethink anything you’ve ever placed between sliced bread. CW

ALEX SPRINGER

6856 S. 300 West, Midvale 2RowBrewing.com On Tap: Feelin’ Hazy

376 8th Ave, SLC avenuesproper.com On Tap: Less- West Coast IPA

445 S. 400 West, SLC BewilderBrewing.com On Tap: Gluten Reduced Kolsch

94 E. Fort Union Blvd, Midvale BohemianBrewery.com

1641 N. Main, Tooele BonnevilleBrewery.com On Tap: Peaches and Cream Ale

1053 E. 2100 So., SLC craftbyproper.com On Tap: Do Less - West Coast IPA

273 Trolley Square, SLC DesertEdgeBrewery.com On Tap: Orange Sienna Blood Orange Sour

825 S. State, SLC EpicBrewing.com On Tap: Cross Country Chemists IPA

320 W. 800 South, SLC FisherBeer.com On Tap: Fisher Beer

333 W. 2100 South, SLC GridCityBeerWorks.com On Tap: Extra Pale Ale

1048 E. 2100 South, SLC HopkinsBrewingCompany.com On Tap: Back to Basics Pale Ale

608 W. 700 South, SLC KiitosBrewing.com

2496 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake LevelCrossingBrewing.com On Tap: Philly Fruit Bat w/ Mango & Peach Trivia on Mondays. Bingo on Wednesdays

686 S. Main, Moab TheMoabBrewery.com On Tap: Bougie Johnny’s Rose

425 N. 400 West, SLC MountainWestCider.com On Tap: Desolation Prickly Pear

358 Park Blvd, Ogden OgdenRiverBrewing.com On Tap: Injector Hazy IPA

223 N. 100 West, Cedar City PolicyKingsBrewery.com

857 S. Main, SLC ProperBrewingCo.com On Tap: East Side Paradise - Rice Lager

254 So. 200 West RedRockBrewing.com On Tap: Perzikboom

6227 So. State Redrockbrewing.com On Tap: Perzikboom

Redrockbrewing.com 1640 Redstone Center On Tap: Perzikboom

30 Kensington Ave, SLC RoHaBrewing.com On Tap: Extreme Mormon XPA

Multiple Locations RoostersBrewingCo.com On Tap: Cosmic Autumn Rebellion

2199 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake SaltFireBrewing.com On Tap: Frankly Mr Shankly NEIPA

2020 Industrial Circle, SLC SaltFlatsBeer.com On Tap: Hazy Pale Ale 5%

916 Jefferson St W, SLC Scionciderbar.com On Tap: AVAL Rosé French Cidre 6% ABV

154 W. Utopia Ave, South Salt Lake ShadesBrewing.beer On Tap: Pleasantly Pickled American Style Sour Ale. Limited Release 6.5% abv. Pickle, Pineapple & Jalapeno

4391 S. Enterprise Drive, St. George StGeorgeBev.com

147 W. Broadway, SLC Squatters.com

Multiple Locations StrapTankBrewery.com Springville On Tap: PB Rider, Peanut Butter Stout Lehi On Tap: 2-Stroke, Vanilla Mocha Porter

1588 Stratford Ave., SLC stratfordproper.com On Tap: Lake Effect Gose

936 S. 300 West, SLC TFBrewing.com On Tap: Edel Pils

1258 Gibson Ave, Ogden TalismanBrewingCo.com On Tap: Hot Girl Summer- Lavender Honey Wheat

1722 S. Fremont Drive, SLC UintaBrewing.com On Tap: Was Angeles Craft Beer

2331 Grant Ave, Ogden UTOGBrewing.com On Tap: Love Punch Hefe (proceeds to Project Rainbow)

55 S. 500 East, Vernal VernalBrewing.com

2110 S. Highland Drive, SLC WasatchBeers.com

95 Zion Park Blvd, Springdale ZionBrewery.com

205 W. 29th Street #2, Ogden Zolupez.com

BY MIKE RIEDEL comments@cityweekly.net @utahbeer

This week, we get to have a little fun with two different versions of the same beer: wheat wines. The American-style wheat wine ale is not derived from grapes, as its name might suggest. This unique ale is made with at least 50 percent wheat malt, resulting in a full-bodied beer characterized by bready and candy flavors, finishing with a great deal of malty sweetness. The “wine” part of the name simply indicates that its ABV has crept into the stronger wine territory. Since the inception of Utah’s craft beer scene back in the mid-’80s, only three Utah breweries have created wheat wines ales: Wasatch, Epic and now Level Crossing.

Level Crossing has enhanced their take on the style by offering this strong ale two different ways: a barrel-aged version, and their more traditional version. I got to sit down recently with Chris Detrick, Level Crossing’s Head Brewer, and was able to dissect these beers and discover how different they really are.

twine Ale: We’ll start with the base wheat wine. This is the second vintage of this strong ale, the first being the 2021 version which debuted in late July. The current version has an increased ABV, from 10.5 to 11.5 percent.

The color is a cross between apricot and straw. Right up front, there is a kick of alcohol-soaked fruit in the nose; white raisins and dates are most prominent. There is a soft wheat presence in the aroma that sits behind the fruit notes, offering up a nutty quality almost like brown rice. In general, the aroma is rich and fruity, with an interesting aroma added from the wheat.

Thick, sweet fruit kicks things off up front as we take our first swigs. It’s apricot in character, with rich cremé brûlée sweetness. Light fruity esters introduce a touch of bright strawberry; up to this point, the flavors remind me of a honey-forward barley wine. Almost suddenly, the wheat enters the picture and throws some interesting complexity into the mix. There is a soft spice note that reminds me of vanilla with some dried orange peel. It’s subtle, but adds a fantastic layer to the ale’s end. The finish is long, sweet and lingering—complex, easy to approach and a bit mysterious. The mouthfeel is full and a touch syrupy in the finish. The carbonation is very soft, which helps reduce the heaviness of the body.

Verdict: This is a big beer, but Level Crossing definitely takes it a step farther. Wheat wines are an interesting concept. The majority of this beer’s malt bill is wheat, which adds subtle spice and definitely softens out the beer’s character. If barley wines are tough for you, this may be more approachable.

XVII Wheatwine Ale: This version features the 2021 vintage that has been napping in Malbec and Grenache barrels that previously stored High West whiskey. It pours a clear copper color with some light mahogany highlights. The aroma on this one is pretty bold; soon after the pour, I am getting rich toffee and oak notes. The nose opens to a mix of white grapes and vanilla as the glass sits, with no hint of hops and only the hint of bourbon notes betraying the 10.5 ABV on this beer.

The flavor is also very nice. I get rich caramel and toffee notes mixed with pears, white grapes and apricot. Some brown sugar and sweet sherry begin to take hold, but it’s constantly being influenced by the vanilla-forward oak barrels, interesting flavors that I think only enhance the beer. I don’t detect much in the way of hops, and I suspect they were mostly absent even in 2021 when the beer was fresh. Booze is well hidden, with no real heat or peppery notes.

Verdict: This ale is complex enough to share or to be enjoyed solitarily. I think you’ll have as much fun picking this apart as we did. Grab some extras for your cellar.

These are only available at Level Crossing once a year. Time is ticking. As always, cheers! CW

MIKE RIEDEL

@captainspringer

In order to build anticipation for the upcoming FanX Convention—and potentially give a few passes away in the process—the event organizers have initiated brunch protocols. Yes, the FanX Cosplay Brunch is happening on Aug. 28 for any nerd-minded individual in search of a good mimosa. The event takes place at Christopher’s Prime Tavern and Grill (110 W. Broadway, 801-8906616, christophersut.com) from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cosplay is welcome, but not required, and Christopher’s will have pop culture-themed menu items and cocktails ready to get you psyched for Utah’s biggest geek gathering. Attendees can also enter a contest to win passes for this year’s FanX, coming Sept. 22 – 24.

Ogden is officially home to Utah’s first kaiten-sushi restaurant—that is to say, sushi that gets delivered to tables via a tiny conveyer belt. The restaurant is called Sushi Pro (4337 Harrison Boulevard, 385-432-0834, sushiproutah.com), and it works a bit like a dim sum concept where diners snag what looks good from the conveyer belt, then the bill is tallied up by the quantity and color of plates at the table. Though this is a novelty in Utah, this concept has been popular in Japan for decades—and why wouldn’t it be? Any place that makes you play by its rules so you can surprise yourself is all good in my book.

A new Greek café called Jeeva’s recently joined the City Creek food court (28 S. State Street, 801-521-4633, jeevasgreekcafe.com), and I’m liking what I’ve seen so far. They’ve got chicken and lamb gyros, falafel and kabobs along with individual chicken and beef souvlaki. Jeeva’s also offers traditional Greek dishes like spanakopita and dolmathes, along with some baklava for dessert. Jeeva’s will be joining an already diverse food court at City Creek, which is one of my favorite things about venturing into the shopping underbelly of downtown SLC. Fans of Greek food and shopping-to-thepoint-of-dropping will want to check out this new spot.

Quote of the Week: “Ah, the big, bad Bat-Guy! I knew you’d ketchup with me sooner or later! How I’ve relished this meeting.” –The Condiment King, Batman the Animated Series

A UTAH ORIGINAL SINCE 1968

MON-THU 11A-11P FRI-SAT 11A-12A SUN 3P-10P

26years! Celebratin g