New vendors at Living Traditions Festival
The Living Traditions Festival (livingtraditionsfestival.com) kicks off this weekend at Library Square, and it's added a few new food vendors to keep an eye on. Chef Miatta Stevens-Nahas and her business, African Spice, serve up Ghanaian cuisine that includes jollof rice with veggies, spiced plantain on a stick and banana fritters. From Sudan, Chef Alual Kuol Majok and Am Bor Sudanese Cuisine deliver bowls of hearty chicken sheia and Sudanese kabobs. The Bolivia Utah Association also offers Bolivian fare that includes chicharrón Boliviano, a fried pork and corn dish topped with cool, vinegary salsa criolla. It's not every day that the cuisines of the world assemble within walking distance of one another, so swing by Library Square from Friday, May 17, to Sunday, May 19, for some cultural appreciation. See p. TK for more details.
Heart & Seoul Karaoke
Karaoke is widely accepted as awesome, but performing in front of the large crowds that converge in some venues might not be for everyone. If you're the kind of person who doesn't mind butchering the falsetto in "Night Fever" as long as it's with a group of people you trust, then Heart & Seoul Karaoke (67 W. 100 South, 385-325-1672, saltlakekaraoke.com) might be the place for you. It's an operation that started in Provo and has expanded its private room approach to downtown Salt Lake. In addition to furnishing groups both large and small with their own room complete with LCD screens, light shows and a huge catalog of songs, Heart & Seoul has a drink and sushi menu to keep things rolling.
Pasha Middle Eastern opens
A family-owned Middle Eastern restaurant that dips into the sultry realm of Moroccan tajine has recently opened its doors downtown. Pasha (60 E. 800 South, 801-355-1515, pashaslc.com) offers traditional dishes like shakshuka and lamb with eggplant alongside a fully stocked wine and beer menu. Pasha shares a neighborhood with Sapa and the up-and-coming Food Alley that recently broke ground across State Street, which is shaping this area up to be one of downtown's go-to spots for international cuisine. Pasha's quiet opening has started to generate more traffic, but now's a good time to check out this new restaurant while the crowds are still manageable.
Quote of the Week: "Food is our common ground."\
—James Beard
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