DINE

Truth be told, it’s been a bit of a week in the Springer household. My kiddo started kindergarten, pigtails and polo dress a-blazing, and my wife started teaching classes for fall semester at the University of Utah. I myself used to be a high-school English teacher, and this time of year always fills me with a bundle of nervous excitement that was even more pronounced with all the back-to-school milestones going on at my house.

After my daughter and I dropped my wife off for her first class of the semester, we decided on some comfort food while we were downtown, and opted for the Sugar House area. I had been wanting to check out Ramen Legend (2118 S. Highland Drive, Ste. 10, 801-758-8950, ramenlegendut.com) for some time, so the kiddo and I decided to pop in for an early dinner during the daily hustle that will be my life for the next nine months.

My daughter and I are no strangers to the healing power of broth and ramen noodles, so Ramen Legend spoke to both of us in the moment. Inside, it’s exactly what you’d hope for in a hip ramen joint nestled within the bustle of Sugar House’s shopping district. The sushi bar is decked out with the traditional pescatarian jewel tones of the sushi trade, the seating is ample but not too dispersed, and I’m a sucker for a gigantic mural—theirs depicts a grand melee between an oni and a folkloric hero, which is a bonus for my dorky ass.

We grabbed a spot beneath the mural and perused the menu. I went with the char siu pork bun ($4.49) to start, followed by a bowl of their black garlic ramen ($12.99). The kiddo likes her ramen simple, but the kids’ ramen ($7.99) with chicken broth and noodles was perfect.

A few weeks ago, I extolled the virtues of meat-stuffed bread, and the char siu pork bun has always spoken that love language to me. I’ve never met one of these that I didn’t like on some level—that pillowy steamed dough, the tender pork, the sweet and savory sauces are absolutely delightful. Based on my existing love for this traditional snack, I was expecting to enjoy the experience.

After a few bites, that initial enjoyment evolved into a budding respect for this particular pork bun. Yes, the thick slice of char siu pork was perfectly tender and flavorful, but this one has a few dollops of the horseradish-y green wasabi paste that is often found in American sushi joints mixed into the sauce. I am here to tell you that this small-but-inspired decision takes this appetizer to new heights—it’s savory and a little sweet from the pork, has a nice crunch from the cool cucumber, and then that horseradish tang hits you right between the eyes.

We were already off to a good start with that appetizer, so when I saw my giant bowl of black garlic ramen hit the table, I had chopsticks at the ready. All of their ramen bowls are huge, and they come emblazoned with the Ramen Legend name and logos, which is a nice complement to the ramen bar’s aesthetic. I usually go with something on the spicy spectrum, but I was curious about how they would incorporate those dark cloves of aged garlic into the mix. It starts with their signature pork broth which gets combined with a liberal dose of black garlic oil. After that, it gets all the fixings you’d expect—crunchy bean sprouts, boiled egg, bamboo shoots, shredded mushrooms and a whole heap of ramen noodles.

For those who seek out ramen for its depth of rich umami flavor, this is a musttry. You’ve got that meaty pork flavor from the signature broth, but that black garlic oil adds almost a brown butter flavor and texture to the whole mix that is fantastic. Black garlic is quickly becoming a mainstay in restaurants all over the place, and if it makes food taste this good, I can totally see why.

The noodles at Ramen Legend are on the skinny side of the spectrum, which means more of them can fit in your bowl—nothing wrong with that. They’re also exactly what you’d hope for in a ramen dish. Soft, slightly chewy and packing enough of their own subtle flavors to complement the richness of the broth they’re swimming around in. Ramen Legend’s overall menu has more than enough options for the most discerning of ramen fans, and I am looking forward to my next visit so I can get a bit more familiar with the gang.

There are plenty of places to eat in the shopping center of Sugar House, but I’d recommend Ramen Legend for those days when you’re after comfort food that still has a few surprises left to spring on you once your order arrives. I knew that I was going to enjoy myself here because I love ramen and char siu buns, but both dishes had just enough extra to make my experience here memorable. CW

ALEX SPRINGER

6856 S. 300 West, Midvale 2RowBrewing.com

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: Imperial Pumpkin Porter

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: Squeaky Bike Nut Brown

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: Roggen Rock Rye Ale

6227 So. State Redrockbrewing.com On Tap: Ginger Gose

Redrockbrewing.com 1640 Redstone Center On Tap: Little Shaky Mango IPA

30 Kensington Ave, SLC RoHaBrewing.com On Tap: EXTREME MORMON Extra Pale Ale

Multiple Locations RoostersBrewingCo.com On Tap: Cosmic Autumn Rebellion

2199 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake SaltFireBrewing.com On Tap: Charlotte Sometimes Blonde

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

916 Jefferson St W, SLC Scionciderbar.com On Tap: Highpoint Spur (Ginger) - 6% ABV

154 W. Utopia Ave, South Salt Lake ShadesBrewing.beer On Tap: Triple Fruited Sour Slushies

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

MIKE RIEDEL

BY MIKE RIEDEL comments@cityweekly.net @utahbeer

ists: Melvin Brewing out of Alpine, Wyo. and our own Epic Brewing have teamed up to release the stickiest and ickiest of beers, Cross Country Chemists IPA. Cross Country Chemists was brewed using experimental techniques to evoke unique flavors from its specialty hops. On top of that, it crossed with a vigorous dose of Myrcene terpenes, which are found in hops, bay leaves and lemongrass, and it can add a range of flavors from fruity to peppery. On top of the terpenes, a bit of phantasm powder—a concentrated form of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc grape must, which we talked about last month (Aug. 4 issue)—is used.

A moderate pour yields a honey-like hue that’s not hazed but not clear either, leading me to believe this is not filtered. Carbonation is appropriate, while the pungent nose is somewhat dry and resinous, heavy on terpene and herbal notes. In addition, there’s subtle citrus, floral aromas, a bit of cannabis and light touches of a simple sugar sweetness. There’s also the presence of an iced tea fragrance. The dominating elements of the nose vanish shortly after the initial pour, however.

Once in the mouth, you can immediately tell it’s hop-forward, but without the piquant zest found in your traditional APA/ IPA offerings. Mellow touches of dry wood, earth light coriander and lemony elements fade in and out about the middle mouth. The anonymous malt backbone is bready, although without much to balance; finish is dry, and shy of refreshing. The phantasm adds some vine sweetness that keeps the whole package from becoming a onedimensional terpene bomb. Crisp, light carbonation plays on the tongue, mediumbodied with a certain dryness. The aftertaste coats the mouth with a finish that is still quite long and dry.

Verdict: I appreciate the innovative style and exploratory brewing, but I think this brew lacks the drinkability that I’m looking for in the genre. It’s an excellent beer, but this 6.5 percent IPA is a mental and physical workout. It has an okay drinkability, which is a plus, yet I think if they could capture more of the phantasm essence that was presented towards the end, and infuse it into the taste profile more, it would be much more interesting.

Templin Family - 210 IPA: At first glance, this may look like a can of TF’s popular Ferda Double IPA. The labels are quite similar, so look ’em over carefully before purchasing. The 210 is a West Coast-style IPA, named for the state road that runs up (and down) Little Cottonwood Canyon. It’s made with large doses of Idaho 7, Citra and Strata hops.

It has a non-filtered bright orange hue when back-lighted, and shows a heavy dose of carbonation activity. Sweet nectarines and grapefruit juice first appears on the nose, followed by tropical notes of sweet pineapple mixed with a bit of lemon. Tangerines, freshly sliced, come on the finish as with the start, along with a soft pine hopping. Overall, generally good strength and delivery, with lasting appeal.

Hoppy citrus and tart oranges start the flavor, filled with some semi-dry citrus hops. Toasted grains and some bittering citrus move in with a medium intensity; warming toasty citrus peel and alcohol, with a lingering sour lemon hopping, finish things out. You definitely get a good tingle of carbonation and creamy malt base.

Verdict: Outstanding flavor as always; you always know what you are getting from TF, a very refined and balanced 6.2 percent IPA that has seamless transition and is effortless to drink. They always offer high drinkability factor, softly rounded with beautiful hopping—a must-try.

I love seeing IPAs that fall into this six percent range; I find them much more enjoyable than their boozier siblings. Both are available in 16-oz. cans at their respective shops. As always, cheers! CW

MIKE RIEDEL

@captainspringer

After taking a pandemic-related hiatus, Eat Drink SLC (eatdrinkslc.com) is back for its signature mixture of excellent local food, a curated list of wine vendors and a whole lot of exotic birds. As per tradition, Eat Drink SLC will be taking place at Tracy Aviary (589 E. 1300 South), where attendees can get the most of a truly gorgeous event space. At the moment, the vendor list includes Pretty Bird, Carson Kitchen, Yoko Ramen, SLC Eatery, Table X and Bartolo’s, just to name a few. Attendees can also expect to see a bevy of excellent wines selected by the event partners at Vine Lore (vinelore.com). If you like eating, drinking and SLC, you won’t want to miss this event.

With a nice, long Labor Day weekend ahead of us, I’m sure there will be plenty of hiking, fishing, mountain biking and whatever else you people who like being outside are into, but what about Labor Day itself? It’s always kind of a downer since you can’t really push things to the limit knowing the ol’ timecard is waiting for you to show up on the day after. So why not grab some brunch? We’ve got plenty of pubs prepping Labor Day brunch specials to ease you back into that work week.

HandleBar SLC (751 N. 300 West, 801-953-0588, handlebarslc.com):Perfect for those after something boozy and tasty, the team at HandleBar will be preparing their signature brunch menu from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. In addition to a brunch menu with a bit of Handlebar’s traditional flair, they’ll be offering a few brunch cocktails in addition to their fully stacked selection of cocktails, beer and other alcoholic delights.

Piper Down Pub (1492 S. State Street, 801-468-1492, piperdownpub.com): This old-world Irish pub will have its brunch menu firing on all cylinders on Labor Day from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Expect to see bangers of all variety, along with all the brunch classics that Piper Down has become known for. For best results, attend with a group that doesn’t get weird when you want to sing Irish folk songs together.

Green Pig Pub (31 E. 400 South, 801-532-7441, thegreenpigpub.com): Located in Downtown Salt Lake, the Green Pig Pub is also planning a lovely Labor Day brunch from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Expect to see this popular porcine pub hopping as their $3 mimosa and bloody Mary specials bring in the crowds. Plus, you can take advantage of their great rooftop patio while you get your brunch on.

Quote of the Week: “Work is the curse of the drinking classes.” –Oscar Wilde

A UTAH ORIGINAL SINCE 1968

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

26years! Celebratin g