Log Haven
6451 E. Creek Canyon Rd., Salt Lake City ; 801-272-8255
(see
map)
You can't help but have a memorable experience at rustic Log Haven. Chef Dave Jones' New American cuisine complements the locale to a T.
| Overall |
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| Food |
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| Mood |
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| Service |
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| Kid-friendly |
NO |
| Noise |
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Cuisine: American, Eclectic
Price: $$$$
Hours: Open nightly, 5:30-9 p.m.
Liquor: Full Service
Corkage: $ 15
Reservations: --
Accepts:    
Website: http://www.log-haven.com
Recommended Dishes: Lamb, pork loin chop, bison rib-eye, lemon-rosemary mousse.
December 2, 2009
Classic tastes at The New Yorker, Log Haven, revisited
By Lesli J. Neilson
To get to the entrance of The New Yorker, you must first walk down a long flight of stairs -- and, depending on the weather, brave the elements. Those stairs lend an aura of exclusivity to the place, which was once the case for the former members-only restaurant. But since the state law changed July 1, The New Yorker has been open to all, without charging a membership fee.
The décor is soothing, with touches of styles past -- polished brass railings, a green-hued stained glass ceiling over the less formal café. Yet nothing about the service is passé. Our server was gracious, courteous, knowledgeable and well trained in the finer points of service, nothing like what The Tribune encountered on our last review visits in 2006. The food, under the watchful eye of Chef Will Pliler, is stellar as well.
Gastronomy Inc., the folks behind this venture, as well as Market Street Grills, Oyster Bars and Broiler, brought fresh seafood to Utah decades ago, so my dining companion and I started with six oysters on the half shell ($16). The clean-tasting, plump kusshis came from Cortes Island, B.C. Thinking of every way you may take your oysters, the kitchen accompanies the bivalves with vinegary mignonette, tangy cocktail sauce, threads of kicky horseradish, lemon wedges and Tabasco from a Barbie doll-sized bottle.
Caesar salad ($10) was spot-on and continued our umami high. Glistening Spanish anchovies garnished well-dressed romaine squares while croutons added lots of crunch. We should have asked for more toast points to sop up the rest of the piquant Roquefort-garlic butter that bathed a plate of tender, curlicued escargots ($12).
We chose a half bottle (375 ml, $26) of 2001 Trimbach Gewürstraminer, with its orange and honeysuckle notes, which went well with our first courses as the by-the-glass offerings are glaringly lacking.
Our entrées of wild sockeye salmon and filet mignon medallions (from the late summer menu; the winter menu features, among other dishes, bouillabaisse and roasted rack of lamb) were well-crafted. The coral-colored salmon ($35) was served with pesto, while each rosy, tender three-ounce beef medallion ($39) had its own sauce: crab-topped béarnaise, Madeira-truffle, and green peppercorn-brandy cream. Summer's bounty, in the form of corn, snap peas, chanterelle mushrooms, arugula, green and yellow wax beans, and zucchini, rounded out the dishes.
To end, a flourless raspberry almond tart ($7) with mango, raspberry purees and crème anglaise was lovely but what really left us in awe was the seven-dollar Grand Marnier soufflé. Only seven dollars! What arrives looks like a browned chef's hat: You break a small hole in the center and fill it with the Grand Marnier crème anglaise that's served in a tureen. The taste is out of this world; so are the three-course dinners ($28) and two-course lunches ($14) that are currently being offered. Exclusive and retro -- I like it.
Log Haven, located four miles up scenic Mill Creek Canyon, has a natural, more grandiose entrance than The New Yorker. Regardless of the season, there's something calming about Log Haven. Could it be its rustic setting, the cozy furnishings, the seasonal New American cuisine? Previous Log Haven chef Dave Jones is back behind the stoves at the restaurant owned by Margo Provost since 1994, and the food has gotten better since The Tribune last visited in 2006. And, from the beginning to the end of our meal, service was professional, cordial and unobtrusive.
A cube of juicy, sweet watermelon topped with tangy goat cheese, baby arugula and a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar was impressive as an amuse-bouche. I would rethink the herb-roasted olives and almonds ($11.50), which were fresh-from-the-oven and unappetizingly, well, hot. Squares of jalapeño cheddar from local Beehive Cheese Co. and irresistible salami from Utah's own Creminelli Fine Meats added heft, but the price for the starter wasn't justified.
Other appetizers come in portion-friendly sizes. My lamb "lollipop" (taste, $7.50; full portion, $11.50) arrived expertly grilled, juicy and pink in the center alongside truffled potato salad (which sadly didn't elevate it to anything other than well-executed potato salad), arugula and tarragon aioli.
I wish the wine list were portion friendly. The selections by the glass are few on the extensive list, which has won numerous awards. But many of the wines seem austere and don't seem to complement Jones' seasonal menu.
Salads, such as arugula, pine nuts and ricotta salata ($5.50; $8.50) tossed in lemon vinaigrette, were crafted with precision. A more complex salad with disparate ingredients of chopped egg, parmesan, chilled shiitakes, grilled sourdough and chives ($6; $9.50) wasn't as successful.
The grill station shows off its expertise with dishes such as a textbook grill-marked pork loin chop ($26.50) with candied pancetta, Gorgonzola-spiked potatoes, a grilled peach and cherry-balsamic reduction; and grilled bison ($37.50) -- rib-eye on our visits; a New York striploin is on the current menu -- which was seared to a lovely medium-rare. Crispy garlic- and parsley-speckled French fries completed the dish.
A light and refreshing lemon-rosemary mousse ($9) with a pistachio shortbread crust was the perfect way to end the meal. Whether the occasion is a wedding, anniversary, birthday or just a well-deserved night out, Log Haven still makes for a memorable dining experience.
Tribune's rating system
Overall rating
1 star Good
2 stars Very good
3 stars Excellent
4 stars Extraordinary
Entree price
$ Entree under $10
$$ $10-$18
$$$ $18-$25
$$$$ Above $25
Restaurant Noise
1 bell Quiet (under 65 decibles)
2 bells Can talk easily (65-70)
3 bells Talking somewhat difficult (70-75)
4 bells Raised voices (75-80)
A bomb Too noisy for normal conversation (80+)
The Tribune covers the cost of all meals at reviewed restaurants. Star ratings are based on a minimum of two visits. Ratings are updated continually based on at least one revisit. There is no connection between reviews and advertising.
March 15, 2006
Despite minor glitches, Log Haven still stellar
By Mary Brown Malouf
Stars don't tell a story. And good food always has a story.
Often, readers see star ratings as a shorthand version of the review, but stars reduce a textured, personal experience to black and white absolutes. Take Log Haven, for example. During the course of several meals at the Salt Lake landmark, we had some good food and some so-so food. If you just read the star ratings, you might get the impression that Log Haven is a middling restaurant.
In fact, Log Haven is possibly the quintessential Salt Lake fine dining restaurant.
That doesn't mean the food is always the best in town.
But, if I had to take out-of-towners to one restaurant to show off what I love about Salt Lake, I would take them to Log Haven, because to dine here is to be part of the story of this culture.
Any time of year, the winding drive through the pines up Mill Creek Canyon -- a perfect prelude to a leisurely dinner -- reminds you how civilization is defined by landscape. In winter, the snow deepens as you climb and arrive at the log lodge, its warm light glowing through the window panes, evoking an innate memory of the power of human companionship; eating together sustains us.
Maybe that's a little over the top, but I've eaten in so many restaurants whose owners have hired hordes of consultants, designers and contractors to manufacture a restaurant's ambience, that to find a place that has grown organically and evolved over time is rare and wonderful. Log Haven was built in 1920 by a steel baron as an anniversary gift for his wife, says the story on the menu.
Seated by a window and greeted with a complimentary aperitif, a vodka glass filled with a warm froth of carrot and orange juice spiked with ginger, we took our time with the menu. David Jones ruled Log Haven's kitchen for a decade or so, making his name as well as the restaurant's reputation. Frank Mendoza, now manning the stoves, has been executive chef since June 2005 and his ambitious menu reflects the confidence earned by his considerable experience in Salt Lake, San Francisco and Seattle.
For the prices Log Haven charges, a diner should be able to expect consistent near-perfection but Mendoza's menu concepts overreach his kitchen's cooking. Dry salmon chunks marred the creamy potato broth of the salmon chowder ($8). A special appetizer ($15), listed as lobster in aspic floating on a lettuce leaf, instead featured a single overcooked, and overpriced, scallop garnished with a fried quail egg and several potato disks -- so hard I couldn't cut them with a fork, much less a soup spoon -- floating in a beautifully strong, clear oxtail soup. The idea was sound; the gentle oceanic flavor segued nicely into the soup, but the execution was way off. A menu substitution of this magnitude at a restaurant of this caliber is unacceptable, even when announced. Desktop publishing has evolved to the point where changes like this should be listed in print and therefore invisible to the diner.
A simple salad ($6), on the other hand, was sensational: greens dressed with a marvelously complex basil dressing. A plate of smoked salmon rosettes ($16) was unoriginal, but was transformed by a sip of the server's recommended glass of Chateau Ste. Michelle Eroica Riesling ($11) into a flavor that deserved four stars, although the sidekick saffron tart was forgettable.
In adventurous American kitchens, I frequently find that the first course is the best -- the smaller portion seems to inspire greater daring and inspiration, while main courses flatten into more predictable and easily achieved combinations. That trend didn't hold at Log Haven, where all our entrees pushed the palate's envelope.
The signature dish, Utah buffalo tenderloin ($35) with corn fritters and a "red sea coffee barbecue" sauce (a version of what is known as redeye gravy in the South), is a frontier spin on basic steak. Good bison meat is like uberbeef, wilder and more textured. And in this dish, the buffalo's bare gaminess was offset by the corn's sweetness.
A gorgeously juicy Niman Ranch pork chop ($26) came with an earthy pork belly confit, which tasted like Southern pulled pork. The addition of mascarpone elevated the macaroni and cheese from mundane to ethereal and cloudlike, although a strongly vanilla-flavored cherry marmalade made the plate more peaches-and-cream than meat-and-potatoes.
The meats in the game stew ($26) -- chunks of elk, venison and buffalo -- were braised to tenderness yet retained their distinct flavors and textures; the brown sauce had the supportive sweetness of caramelized vegetables. Too bad the whole dish had been oversalted to the pucker point.
Whole squab ($25) was overly cumbersome. The bird, cooked to rare, came with an overcooked pistachio risotto and a daringly flavored, but good, cocoa sauce.
Servers were well-informed and seemed to have tasted many of the dishes. Our server told me when I ordered the squab that it was "very French." I thought he meant this as a synonym for edgy, but when confronted with the compact bird, I decided he meant that the dish actively engaged the diner to an un-American extent. It was almost impossible to dismember the squab with a knife and fork. In the end, we ended up tearing it apart with our hands, becoming far more intimate with our entree than is condoned by puritanical American table manners.
Desserts hit a high note again, especially golden butterscotch pot de creme ($8) and black chocolate pudding cake ($10).
Log Haven's lauded wine list has a nice by-the-glass selection with seasonal recommendations and specials.
Lingering over sweets and sambuca and looking out at the snow by the firelight makes a happily-ever-after ending to dinner at Log Haven. You can't just count the stars -- you have to look at the whole constellation to get the story.
Tribune's rating system
Overall rating
1 star Good
2 stars Very good
3 stars Excellent
4 stars Extraordinary
Entree price
$ Entree under $10
$$ $10-$18
$$$ $18-$25
$$$$ Above $25
Restaurant Noise
1 bell Quiet (under 65 decibles)
2 bells Can talk easily (65-70)
3 bells Talking somewhat difficult (70-75)
4 bells Raised voices (75-80)
A bomb Too noisy for normal conversation (80+)
The Tribune covers the cost of all meals at reviewed restaurants. Star ratings are based on a minimum of two visits. Ratings are updated continually based on at least one revisit. There is no connection between reviews and advertising.
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