Tapas for Me, and Tapas for You.

It's taken us forever, but we're finally posting about some of our most recent dining ventures, including Martine, a delightful European tapas-style restaurant in downtown Salt Lake City. 

If you've never been or never tried tapas, you really must go. This was Jaimey's first time eating (or even hearing of) tapas. In case you've never heard of them, too, tapas are appetizers in Spanish cuisine. Bonnie taught us that tapas were originally created because of a law in Spain that didn't allow people to drink alcohol without eating food, too. So restaurants began serving small appetizer-sized portions of food, so their guests could eat and drink. 

Now, tapas have become an entire style of cuisine. Wikipedia says tapas are served to encourage conversation, as eating them allows diners to focus less on the meal and more on their company. We're not sure if that is largely the intention, but we will say, our tapas-style meal was chock full of lovely conversation. Holly, Bonnie, and Shiloh accompanied us, and we had a grand time.

We loved each bite, too. And we did what many tapas restaurants intend: ordered a few tapas each to create an entire meal.  Plus, we went to Martine the last week of the Spring Dine o' Round, so we were able to take advantage of their less expensive, dine o' round menu. A plus plus. 

What we loved most about Martine:

• Sitting down to a charming table with a view, and nibbling on Greek olives while we perused the menu. 
• Dipping our warm, fresh rustic bread into that chipper balsamic vinegar and rich olive oil. Best olive oil we've ever tasted. Hands down. Lots and lots of hands down.
• Can you say, "I want the Fried Shepherds Goat Cheese with Caramelized Onions tapa?" We can. And we did. Twice. 
  
• Debating (and giggling at ourselves for being a little unclear about) whether the Provencal Salmon Creek Pork Tenderloin entree was salmon or pork.
• The robust flavor of that Salmon Creek Pork Tenderloin. Tasty, tasty!
• The Pomegranate Barbeque Morgan Valley Lamb Ribs tapa. Tender, juicy, and falling off the bone with flavor.
• The surprises on our plates: the beet that was yellow, for example, and the mushrooms that were bursting with an oyster-marsala reduction, like an explosion of yumminess in your mouth. 
• The Grilled Gingerbread dessert. It came with caramel and the house gelato. The perfect ending to a meal we hope to repeat over and over and over. 

So quaint and inviting. And the roses were real. Jaimey touched them.

We sat and ate with a view out this window. 

The Fried Shepherds Goat Cheese with Caramelized Sweet Onions and Lillet-Orange Blossom Honey Glaze tapa. It looks like a lot of cheese, and it was. But trust us, you'll eat it all up without a problem. You just will.

The Pomegranate Barbeque Morgan Valley Lamb Ribs tapa.

The Provencal Salmon Creek Pork Tenderloin entree. (Pork, not salmon.)

This entree isn't on the menu anymore, so it's sorta mean for us to put up the picture and tempt you with it. Sorry 'bout that.

The Flourless Chocolate Decadence with Blackberry Coulis and House Gelato dessert.

The Grilled Gingerbread with Caramel and House Gelato dessert.

The European Cheese Plate with Drunken Goat, Cambazola, Bleu d'Auvergne and Port Salut tapa.

Go Dine O' Round.

If you haven't yet indulged in the Spring Dine O' Round in downtown Salt Lake City, trust us on this: make some reservations now! You won't want to miss out. There are only two weeks left (the dining goes round til May 31), and it's the perfect opportunity to try out some new places that may have otherwise seemed a little too pricey.

Here's how it works: 30 restaurants in downtown Salt Lake City are offering a $15 or $30 three-course menu for 30 days in May. And anyone can order off the Dine O' Round menu. No coupons needed. Just reservations.

We ate our first official Dine O' Round meal on Saturday at The Melting Pot with Gregg and Amber, and it was delightful: a three-course, fondue meal for just over half the regular price.

We're hoping to make it to a few other places, too. Maybe Cedars of Lebanon (for their unique and savory chicken pastilla), Martine (Bonnie says the tapas are to die for), and Metropolitan, too.

Actually, we'd love to go to Bambara (for their scallops and roasted corn bisque with jonah crab and cilantro oil--the most amazing soup we've ever tasted), and Faustina, as well. Do you think we can squish all of those restaurants into two weeks?? Probably not. But girls can dream, right?

Guess that means y'all need to dine o' round, too, so we can compare notes and chat food. Will you do it for us?

Just nod your head, (rub your belly), and say yes.

Lunaberry, We Miss Your Groove.

Ok, we know. We've really, really neglected our blog. We haven't, however, neglected our stomachs. No sir. In fact, we haven't even stopped taking pictures of our food (ask our friends). Nor have we stopped going to interesting, new restaurants. We've simply been lazy about telling you all about them. It doesn't mean we don't care about you, we hope you know. It does mean, though, that we have A LOT to talk about.

Starting with Lunaberry.

Why start there? Well, because we're both craving it. Right this very moment. But they're closed, and it's late, and so we'll resign to writing about it.

In case you haven't heard of it, Lunaberry is a hip, little joint where you can eat groovy yogurt & crepes. (Their sign even says so.)

We love Lunaberry's funky paintings, mod decor and lighting. And we love that Lunaberry is so straightforward. Their menu is simple. Simply healthy and simply scrumptious. They serve all natural, non-fat yogurt, smoothies, and the part that makes them unique (and us giddy): Crepes. With nutella!

Sidenote: Jaimey was talking to someone the other day who had never heard of nutella. She was appalled. And in awe. Apparently that hazelnutty goodness isn't as well-known as it should be. So, rather than assume, we should probably emphasize the following: If you've never eaten nutella, trust us. You need nutella in your life. Read more about it here.

Back to Lunaberry.

Christa's favorites (so far):

1. Original frozen yogurt with pineapple, kiwi, and strawberries
2. Mango pineapple smoothie
3. Nutty nutella crepe with strawberries

Jaimey's choices (so far):

1. Nutty nutella crepe with bananas
2. Nutty nutella crepe with bananas (Yes, she ordered the same thing both times she's been there. She really likes it.)

We're excited to sample more options on their menu--especially the savory crepes, like the Mango Chicken and Cranbery Turkey. We'll likely go there this week, so we'll let you know how it goes. Until then, you should probably go, too. You deserve a little groove in your food, you know it.

See how happy we look?