a good deal at faustina

On one of the first days of our arrival in SLC we had breakfast at The Other Place diner where I noticed another restaurant, Faustina, across the street. I wrote it down in my little notebook so I wouldn’t forget that I wanted to check it out. Lo and behold, my work neighbor Jody announced that we were going to lunch there last Friday!

The lunch deal at Faustina (454 East 300 South, SLC) is great: $10 UPDATED on 3/8/10 $11 for any item on the lunch menu, plus dessert. I had a great salad, the Smoked Sonoma Chicken Salad, with mixed greens, dried blueberries, mild gorgonzola cheese, toasted almonds, shredded smoked chicken, green apple “laces” and served with a pomegranate vinaigrette. Jody and our coworker Susan had the steak sandwich: grilled beef tenderloins on marble rye with lettuce, onion, roasted red peppers and gorgonzola aioli.  With the sandwich, you also got a little salad - nice mixed greens garnished with crispy sweet beet chips.  The dessert that came with was a decent-sized slice of moist and tasty vanilla chiffon roulade cake.  I don't usually eat a dessert with lunch, and the salad and cake was way more than I usually eat in the middle of the day.

The restaurant itself is funky, sleek and modern with warm yet earthy colors, great light fixtures and funky modern art.  It seems like it would be a great place to go in the evening for cocktails - low-key yet chic.  The dinner menu has many of the lunch menu items on it (but not that great $10 deal) plus a bunch more.  The highest priced entree is a nightly three course special for $25; the rest of the entrees range from $16 to $22, so it's certainly not crazy-spendy.

I'm definitely game to go back for the lunch deal whenever the ladies want to go.  I'd also like to try dinner there if H and I are in the mood for something slightly sleeker than our usual pub grub go-to.  Faustina is simply fine!