Provisions | Millcreek, Utah

Provisions is one of Salt Lake City’s newest restaurants and is aptly named; Provisions focuses on “local and sustainable ingredients whenever possible and prepares them in-season to achieve peak flavor.” We all know that using foods that are in-season and have a small ‘footprint’ always taste far superior to anything else. All of this was very well showcased in each of the dishes that we ordered at Provisions.

Russ and I basically share a birthday; they are only 3 days apart. So, we try to celebrate each year with a lovely meal – and we usually want to go “all out.” Provisions was the perfect place for this kind of celebration. Everything from the beautiful decor to the fresh and unique food makes you feel a special. Provisions is located in the old Lugano building on 2300 East 3365 South – and while I enjoyed Lugano, I am happy that such an amazing spot ended up being its replacement. We took our last bottle of wine from our Honeymoon in Europe, which was lovely trip down memory lane, while also diving into new and interesting dishes.

Philippe Raimbault Sancerre

Of course, one little bottle of wine just wasn’t enough for this celebration, so we also tried a few of Provisions signature cocktails: Deep Blue (Bombay Saphire, dry vermouth, olive juice, blue cheese olives, homemade cocktail onions $10) and Provisions Old Fashioned (Knob Creek Bourbon, orange marmalade, bitters, basil, rosemary $12). You guys, I could eat a whole bowl of those homemade cocktail onions – but the star of the show was the Old Fashioned. The basil and rosemary set this guy apart. Delicious!

We began our meal with the Steam Buns (pork belly, hoisin, pickled cucumber, scallion $10). I had really been missing the amazing steam buns from the now-closed Plum Alley and I was happy to say that these definitely satisfied my craving. The pork belly was thick-cut and the flavor was outstanding; I especially enjoyed the pickled cucumbers. But man, everyone always fights over the 3rd bun! Restaurants of the world – start serving these in fours. I promise, we will pay a little extra to not have a mini food fight. 😉

By far, the standout dish of the night was the Wood-fired Mussels (801 Pilsner, chilies, basil, garlic, coconut cream, grilled bread, lime $14). On our honeymoon, we had a huge bowl of mussels in Brussels (which is one of the main dishes that Brussels is known for – you can get them almost anywhere). I always thought fondly of how fresh and amazing they were. Let me tell you, these were better. They might have been the best mussels I have ever had. IN SALT LAKE CITY. I know, I was shocked too. They were huge, buttery, melty…and the sauce was incredible. The coconut cream really made it an over-the-top dish and we killed those things in probably three minutes. I can’t say enough.

For our entrees I ordered the Seared Diver Scallops (I decided to stick with the seafood theme after the muscle situation turned out so fantastic) ((celery root puree, brussel sprouts, bacon, cider reduction, shiitake $27)). Provisions followed up the muscles with an equally impressive seafood dish. The scallops were like cutting butter with a knife – they melted in my mouth. I really loved the celery root puree – it kept it light, which is important when using something rich like bacon; everything was well-balanced and it was also the perfect sized serving.

Russ ordered the Meyer Natural Grilled Beef Tenderloin (crispy potatoes, spinach, blue cheese, garlic-soy jus, tempura enkui $35). I am not a huge steak/beef eater, but this was excellent – I really enjoyed the crispy potatoes and Russ didn’t leave a dripping on his plate. He also mentioned that it was definitely worth the price tag. Both entrees were memorable.

And by now, you know that we do dessert. Usually, always. 🙂 And, I am not one to ever pass up Beignets! This beauties came with orange creme anglaise ($7) and were delicious. However, the special part of this dessert was definitely the anglaise…light and divine. The beignets were a little over-sugared for me, but easily brushed off for dipping. They were fluffy little pillows of love.

Provisions even comped our dessert because we were celebrating – and we didn’t even tell them. Our server was just THAT intuitive! Thank you so much for such a wonderful evening and a meal we won’t soon forget! A round of applause for you all. <3

Go check out Provisions for yourself!

Cheers!

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