On Friday, we said goodbye to our friends in Wyoming and hit the relatively dry roads (but snowy mountain views) to head south to Salt Lake City. Due to lots and lots of clouds, I didn’t take any photos of the drive but it was still quite breathtaking. We can’t wait until we can make another trip to Wyoming, Yellowstone, and Tetons one day. We left late morning and arrived in Salt Lake City late afternoon. After checking into our hotel, we headed into the city to explore, shop, and have some dinner. We took care of the shopping first and then headed over to Temple Square which is the world headquarters of the Mormon church. It is filled with amazingly beautiful buildings which are enjoyable to walk around. Although it is a very important site to Mormons, all are welcome and encouraged to visit.
Upon entering the North entrance to the square, there’s an interactive touch screen map explaining each of the areas of the square. We explored it quickly before heading to the various sites to photograph.
The tallest building is the infamous Salt Lake Temple.
Across the way is the Tabernacle (within which the famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir performs).
Some pretty flowers fill the courtyards.
In the southwest corner of the square is the Assembly Hall which was constructed with leftover stone from the Temple.
We photographed some of the statues as well.
As we shivered in the square, we decided to cut our visit short and head down the street to dinner. First, the Husband snapped a photo of a unique looking fountain.
We soon found ourselves at Red Rock Brewing Company.
After its namesake, the restaurant was decorated with photos of what else? Red rocks 
The restaurant is quite large and was very popular that evening, but we were able to easily get a table when we arrived.
We were seated next to the brewing room, of course!
Being a brewpub, what else would we order besides beer? In honor of Oktoberfest, there were a number of German beers on tap.
I went with the Bavarian Weiss while the Husband had the Black Bier. Both were excellent!
The Husband ordered the Bruschetta to start and we were both very impressed with the unique twist on this dish. It included buttered, toasted bread, warm/grilled goat cheese, roasted tomatoes and basil, and roasted garlic. This was an excellent start to our meal.
For his entrée, the Husband went with one of the Oktoberfest specials: the Pork Schnitzel. It was traditional schnitzel topped with fried egg and capers. On the side, it came with spaetzle, red cabbage, and some of the best warm German potato salad either of us has ever tried.
I ordered the French Onion Soup and meant for it to be an appetizer but it came as an entrée. The Husband believes that the way he worded the bruschetta order may have confused our waiter, but he still should have clarified with me instead of bringing it during the entrée portion. Either way, though, I enjoyed it. The oniony broth went very well alongside my entrée.
I ordered the Chicken Schnitzel. When I first saw it on the menu, I was concerned it might come out like a giant chicken tender topped with cheese but thought I’d take a chance. I’m glad I did! The chicken was the perfect thickness for my taste, the breading was schnitzel-y (not tender-y), and I enjoyed the demi glaze and cheeses on top. On the side I had sweet potatoes and horseradish mashed potatoes, both which were very flavorful. This was a large dish and I took back to the hotel about half for a leftover meal.
Overall, we really enjoyed our meal and our beers. Our server could have been a bit more attentive (the Husband’s water was empty for quite some time so I gave him mine), but the staff was friendly and there when we needed them. Although it’s a brewery, I double checked on their website and as I expected (being in a heavily Mormon populated area), they also brew caffeine-free Root Beer and Cream Soda. The restaurant appeared to be quite family and group friendly and the prices were reasonable for the good quality of the food. The Husband and I highly recommend this restaurant for anyone in downtown Salt Lake City.
The tour was incredibly well set-up. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and throughout the tour, in addition to seeing the brewery and having him explain Boulevard Brewery’s process with us, we saw videos on tv screens set up throughout the space.
