Bambara
202 S. Main St., Salt Lake City ; 801-363-5454
(see
map)
Neither construction nor recession can keep this restaurant from being one of downtown's most popular dining destinations.
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| Kid-friendly |
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Cuisine: American, Eclectic
Price: $$$
Hours: Call restaurant or visit Web site for exact times.
Liquor: Full Service
Corkage: $ 10
Reservations: Accepted
Accepts:    
Website: http://www.bambara-slc.com
Recommended Dishes: House-cut blue cheese potato chips, steak frites, piquillo peppers.
November 4, 2009
Reconsidering two Utah favorites
New chef at downtown's Bambara keeps the stove hot, while side dishes reveal innovative cooking technique at Holladay's Francks.
By Lesli J. Neilson
With all the construction going on, downtown Salt Lake City looks deserted much of the time. That's not the case at Bambara, located in the Hotel Monaco. Day or night, the 10-year-old restaurant bustles with business people dining on "power lunches" ($13), theatergoers briskly eating their "3 for $33" meals and other diners enjoying leisurely nights out.
The Tribune last visited Bambara in 2007 when Robert Barker was chef. Nathan Powers has been in charge of the exhibition kitchen for a year now and the food is better than ever.
The cuisine here is seasonal New American. That means appetizers such as the popular Russet potato chips blanketed with melted blue and Monterey jack cheeses ($7), a trio of torpedo-shaped, smoky, crimson piquillo peppers packed with a creative crab-and-corn tortilla stuffing ($14), and an entrée of ridiculously juicy bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin pieces, and an entrée with a maple-brined pork chop with apple-fennel slaw and white cheddar polenta ($25).
If red meat is more your style, Chef Powers makes a mean steak frites (flatiron, $26, or dry-aged New York, $34; both are 12 ounces). The flatiron we ate was expertly grilled to medium-rare and came with some of the best fries I've tasted, adorned with flash-fried rosemary sprigs and sage leaves that shattered between the teeth.
Other menu items sounded a lot better than they tasted. A pool of puréed avocado, serving as a base to a tangle of mixed greens, grapefruit segments and ricotta salata -- dollops of goat cheese on our salad -- looked like unappetizing baby food.
Luscious-sounding chocolate-pecan crostada was overcooked and dry despite embellishments of caramel ice cream and a cocoa-caramel sauce ($8). The delicious huge chunk of pecan brittle that "garnished" the dish could have been dessert by itself.
The wine list has improved considerably since we last visited. Glasses range from $6 to $14; bottles from $26 to $240. Gone are the humdrum Beringers and Estancias, replaced by the refreshing and steely Austrian Hoplers (2007 Grüner Veltliner, $9, $38) and black cherry Apulian Taurinos (2004 Riserva Salice Salentino, $10, $42).
Service was professional, though a bit too casual, and our water glasses went empty for long stretches of time. But those are minor issues. It's evident Bambara is aging elegantly.
Holladay » French restaurants in Utah are few and far between, which is why some of Franck's menu items -- fondue, escargot, coq au vin, tarte tatin -- sound so appealing. My dining companion and I chose the first two to begin our meal.
The fondue for one ($11.95), a gorgeously molten mass of Gruyère, Emmentaler and Swiss cheeses, could have happily fed four ($19.95 for two or more). Basil pesto and garlic butter sauce overpowered the tender nuggets of escargot ($9.95), making the dish way too salty.
Chef Franck Peissel's true talent shows in soups such as a bisquelike tomato-carrot soup with savory whipped cream (soup or salad comes with each entrée) and desserts like his butterscotch-chocolate pôt de crème ($7.95). Well-executed vegetables were often highlights of dishes, including the caramelized carrots that outshined the oversalty escargot, while gingered-candied watermelon was a unique and delicious addition to a plate of pan-roasted duck breast.
The kitchen falters when it delves into fusion food, with menu items such as "pan-seared diver scallops served with baby vegetables, creamy cardamom Japanese eggplant and strawberry seaweed polenta cake in a white chocolate green tea sauce" ($33.95) Come again? Again, technique was impeccable -- the five scallops were seared to perfection, for example -- but the rest of the flavors competed with each other, with a bad end result.
The burnt orange-hued dining room, complete with "chef cam" -- focused on Peissel and others preparing meals -- looks just as it did when the restaurant opened nearly four years ago. The place shows a bit of wear and lack of attention -- in the occasional burned-out light on the strands outside, in the perfunctorily polished silverware and the intermittent disjointed service -- that detracts from the overall "wow" factor of the dining experience when The Tribune last visited in 2006.
But Peissel's technique will keep me coming back. Next time I dine at Franck's, I'll order the fondue, a simple salad and glass of white wine.
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.
February 21, 2007
Dining update: Menu kicked up a notch too far
By Lesli J. Neilson
Bambara joined the Salt Lake City dining scene in 1999. It, and the Hotel Monaco in which Bambara operates, have been popular ever since. Executive chef Robert Barker began manning the stoves in 2003. Because The Tribune last visited the restaurant six months after Barker's arrival, an update was in order.
San Francisco-based Kimpton Group, which owns the Hotel Monaco, refurbished the old Continental Bank building, leaving much of its splendor intact. Grand archways, travertine marble and ironwork were weaved into the hotel and Bambara's design. The restaurant is done in warm ochre tones with mahogany accents; whimsical iron curlicues show up to frame windows, in pieces of art and in the restaurant's logo.
Enter Bambara via Main Street, or, if you valet park, by walking the length of the hotel past the private Club Bambara. An impressive exhibition kitchen sits at the center of the oblong restaurant. Seating boasts a majority of comfortable booths.
Barker was expediting -- meaning he wasn't cooking but was overseeing the ordering, firing and delivering of dishes -- on the evening I visited. While my dining experience was positive overall, I can't say it was the cuisine that I was most impressed with.
Many of the kitchen's techniques are sound, especially when it comes to grilling , but numerous dishes contained superfluous elements -- sending them into the realm of "overly contrived." I couldn't help but remember "Kick it up a notch!" one of Emeril Lagasse's famous catchphrases from his Food Network cooking shows. Lagasse may have influenced Barker while he was executive sous chef at Emeril's in New Orleans.
For example, flying-fish roe added undesirable pops to a delicate beurre blanc sauce that accompanied perfectly seared scallops ($28), parsnip purée and fennel slaw. A dry rub of togarashi, a Japanese seven-spice chili seasoning, obliterated its mild ahi tuna ($27) companion served with udon noodles, vegetables and seaweed salad.
Strips of roasted red bell peppers -- curiously called a relish on the menu -- seemed like an odd vegetable to side with the lamb T-bone ($29) and Israeli couscous. And potent Maytag blue cheese found its way, in overabundance, in the house-cut potato chips ($6) and bibb lettuce wedge salad ($8.50) with applewood smoked bacon.
A few dishes did stand out as examples of balance and precision. Spinach salad ($7.50) with triangles of Cambozola triple cream cheese, yellow beets and a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds was nicely composed and well-dressed. The beefy, bitter and earthy elements all came together in the Wagyu beef carpaccio ($12) with baby spinach salad and white truffle oil and herb vinaigrette. And a deft grill station cooked a perfectly medium-rare filet mignon ($34), complete with textbook crosshatched grill marks.
On the sweet side, a moist tres leches cake ($7.50), resting atop a pool of subtle pistachio crème anglaise and donning a dollop of vanilla bean ice cream, received bursts of sweetness from cranberry-, lemon- and vanilla-soaked Bing cherries. And a chocolate charlotte ($7.50) -- a chilled chocolate ganache disc topped with chocolate mousse, encircled by chocolate ladyfingers and drizzled with macadamia nut caramel -- couldn't have been any better.
The kitchen faltered with the cider-marinated Granny Smith apples in the bibb wedge salad. The matchsticks tasted OK but were brown and looked unappealing. The corn flavor in the Utah corn bisque ($7) was too slight --and Utah corn isn't even available this time of year. And tender pale rings of hazelnut-dusted calamari needed more time in the fryer and a sprinkling of salt.
At dessert, the crème fraîche panna cotta ($7) was overly dense. A lavender-poached pear and phyllo Napoleon had a burnt garnish.
Our waiter was affable, knowledgeable about the menu and well-versed in service, including "crumbing" our soiled butcher paper-topped table. But I chuckled when he left the synthetic cork and foil on the table after opening our bottle of wine. What's the point?
The wine list has 83 selections, not including half-bottles. Thirty-seven of the 83 are available by the glass. Though replete with options, the list seems pedestrian -- Beringer white zinfandel, Estancia and Conundrum are a few examples -- except for some surprising gems, such as a lovely low-tannic Spanish 2003 Capcanes Mas Donis Barrica ($38) -- a blend of grenache and syrah that paired well with our beef, lamb and tuna entrées.
Bambara has a stylish décor and high-caliber service going for it. Now, if Barker and his team could show some restraint in the kitchen and fine-tune some of their techniques, the restaurant could satisfy all of the senses.
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.
December 12, 2003
By Nancy Hobbs
Some restaurants have fantastic views that take your breath away; others are cozy, the perfect place for a romantic evening. Bambara blasted onto Salt Lake's dining scene by turning the historic and stodgy Continental Bank offices into something futuristic. More than four years later, you can still feel the energy cooking inside Bambara the moment you walk in the door. The restaurant's whimsical spiral trademark, instantly recognizable in its logo, is replayed over and over within its perimeter: in the multicolored carpet, on the burgundy and gold upholstered booths, in massive swirling ironworks framing high-reaching windows, and even close at hand, in the unique spiraled silverware.
And in the center of the restaurant, again setting it apart from the crowd, is a slightly elevated "exhibition kitchen," where the cook staff can be seen putting together many of the menu's dishes. (As business slows, they also can be seen yawning and looking bored, which might not be so good.)
The design elements have been at Bambara since the beginning. Fresh to the restaurant is a new chef, Robert Barker, who assumed the toque last summer, but introduced his own menu only a few months ago.
With Texas roots and New Orleans influences, most notably as executive sous chef at Emeril's, in addition to stints in several of Wolfgang Puck's establishments, Barker's influence at Bambara promised to be interesting. A couple of recent visits offered some insight.
We started with a menu holdover and Bambara favorite: blue cheese house-cut potato chips, that were hot out of the fryer, crunchy and delicious topped with crumbled, tangy cheese. A basket of fresh bread and bowl of hummus was delivered next, and quickly devoured. First to disappear was the flat bread, impressive in appearance and flavor, and perfect with the creamy hummus, but soon to follow its demise was leavened bread with a nice crumbly texture and hint of lemon flavor.
A handful of delicious salads, priced à la carte from $6.50 to $7.50, are a nice transition before dinner, with choices including mixed greens with pear and feta, classic Caesar or a wedge of bibb lettuce with roasted red pepper, kalamata olives and feta with a yogurt-dill dressing.
The variety of items on the dinner menu is impressive, with shrimp, salmon or scallops for fish-lovers; a meatless artichoke ravioli with asparagus and wild mushrooms; Morgan Valley rack of lamb, chicken, pork and a couple of steak choices. Since we had previously tried Barker's strip loin steak at lunch (definitely a splurge at $15) and decided it was one of the best we have ever tasted, with lots of pepper on the outside and a melt-in-your-mouth finish, we decided to try the dinner menu's New York strip with a slightly different preparation, this time for $25.
True to his Texas tradition, this guy grills a mean steak.
Both steaks came with roasted potatoes, which were certainly good. The dinner also came with haricots verts, otherwise known as deliciously fresh and skinny green beans, which are a nice addition. My single complaint about the lunch version was that it was only meat and potatoes. It begged for something green, or at least colorful, on the plate.
The dinner steak also was served with a homemade Worcestershire sauce, which was good, but not as tasty as the excellent cabernet-rosemary demiglaze that accompanied the lunch steak.
A dried cherry port wine sauce adorning the sautéed Muscovy duck breast also was delicious, as was the flavorful meat, sliced and fanned out around delectable bourbon mashed sweet potatoes.
Another nice choice was a generous serving of prawns, sautéed and served over fettuccine with a light sauce of fresh tomato, parmesan and truffle butter.
The spicy shrimp served at lunch on a Southern-style po' boy sandwich also was excellent, garnished with coleslaw and a piquant chipotle ketchup ($12). More economical, but still pricey, was the tasty and filling turkey wrap ($8.50).
Happily, service at Bambara was excellent on both visits, a welcome improvement over previous experiences at the restaurant.
Chef Barker has put his mark on Bambara, adding some spice with several menu additions and making a first visit or return appearance to the downtown diner worth the price of admission.
August 27, 1999
Downtown Dining Gets A Jolt From Bambara
By Anne Wilson
Taste buds getting jaded? Try this new recipe for funk: Take one historic bank building. Keep the big windows, high ceilings and gray brick exterior. Mix in a good amount of outrageous color and garnish with scrolled metal. Add a chef who isn't afraid to experiment, someone like Scott Blackerby. Call it "Bambara" and pronounce it "bom-bara."
This new restaurant, inside the Hotel Monaco Salt Lake, is a high-voltage addition to downtown dining. The mix of vibrant colors and varied building materials entertains the eye. An exposed kitchen contributes physical energy and sound. As for taste, Chef Blackerby's menu has it, from Asian-influenced seafood and pasta in Thai curry broth to his own twist on American meat and potatoes.
Blackerby comes to Utah by way of Dallas (Nana Grill), Atlanta (Peachtree Cafe) and Los Angeles (Swank Tulipe). In his travels, he developed a style of cooking that blends flavors from Asia, Italy and France with traditional American foods. The result is dishes with depth -- and a difference.
Bambara's transformation from bank to restaurant is remarkable. The walls are now adobe yellow, with windows framed by swirling metal and deep burgundy fabric. Burgundy and gold reappear in the booths' lively upholstery and in the richly appointed bar, which is separate from the restaurant.
The kitchen is a dominant influence at Bambara. It's fun to watch, but there is a certain amount of noise that comes with it. It transmits an energy reflected in Blackerby's menu, which he intends to change with the seasons.
Among his boldly flavored starters is thin slices of buffalo, seared and paired with arugula, a peppery green. The subtle finish to this carpaccio ($10.50) is white truffle oil, which tastes like an earthy olive oil.
The onion cheese strudel ($6.50) is just as rich. Flaky pastry is layered with chopped mushrooms and creamy cheese, then flavored with rosemary. This time the flourish is sweet onions, cooked to a jamlike consistency. It comes in a portion generous enough for two.
Also recommended is Blackerby's creamy roasted corn bisque ($5.50), with the added succulence of crab.
Salads are a la carte and large. They include a Caesar ($6.50), which came divided at our request with large shavings of manchego cheese and a light dressing (almost too light on one portion) that is milder than most. A more exotic salad mixes avocado, mango and petite green beans with a cilantro-ginger dressing ($7.50).
Blackerby's well-rounded selection of current entrees offers fish, shellfish, chicken, lamb, pork and beef. He pairs them with pasta or such grains as couscous or the wheatlike farro, used in an eggplant pilaf with lamb sirloin ($23).
His interpretation of an American classic pairs tender filet mignon, glistening on a pool of shallot-flavored sauce, with a potato gratin spiked with blue cheese ($25). The cheese is the more dominant flavor in this dish but doesn't overpower the meat. Everything has a big taste.
Shrimp, scallops, mussels and linguini in a curried broth ($16.50) sounded like lighter fare. But the sweetish, creamy broth, flavored with coconut, curry and lemongrass, gave it an unexpected richness.
Blackerby also serves up a meatless dish of bowtie pasta, summer tomatoes, roasted peppers, Greek olives and feta cheese ($12); chicken with mushrooms, pearl onions and celery-root-flavored mashed potatoes ($17.50); and his signature dish, tea-cured duck with ginger-plum glaze, baby bok choy and basmati rice ($22). Desserts (all $6.50) are influenced by the seasons.
Bambara places a premium on service, but the staff is still a bit green (the restaurant has been open less than three weeks.) While our server was friendly and knowledgeable about matching wines to food, he still needed notes on menu items. The only real glitch on this particular evening was a delay between the appetizer and salad, a matter of timing that will doubtless work itself out. Bambara seems destined to takes its place among Salt Lake's best.
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