Nordstrom Cafe Bistro

Had the most amazing day two weeks ago. It included a very dear friend who had the day off of work, an amazingly well-behaved baby, and Nordstrom’s Cafe Bistro.

Very rarely do the little babe and I get the chance to meet up with a friend during the week for lunch for a number of reasons: friends work during the week, Little One is having a crazy morning and I won’t shower until late afternoon, and/or Hubs and I are really cheap thrifty and don’t usually eat out except on special occasions.

Also, blame my California-spoiled foodie background, but I just haven’t found a whole lot of great places for lunch and dinner around here. There are some very tasty chain restaurants (Cafe Rio, to name a favorite), and some wonderful breakfast places (Park Cafe all the way), but in my opinion, eating out for lunch or dinner should be a little bit more special, especially when you’re paying at least $10 no matter where you go.

Ladies and gentlemen: meet Nordstrom’s Cafe Bistro.

The restaurant in Salt Lake’s Fashion Place mall was lovely! It’s tucked back on the second floor behind the juniors clothing, so you get to walk through the classy store and feel all classy-like on the way to the cafe. There are white cloth napkins, a clear glass divider so you can watch the chefs in the kitchen, and plenty of cozy seating either in booths, tables, or at the bar at the front. Guests order at a counter – more casual and easy to split tabs – and then are seated by the hostess and attended to by a server like a traditional restaurant. We had wonderful service – not too chatty but very attentive.

I ordered the Mojo roasted pork sandwich. Monterey jack cheese, cilantro and pickled onions, with warm red mole sauce, an elegant tower of ultra-crispy shoestring fries with, arguably the best thing in the whole restaurant (at least according to Yelp’s reviews), kalamata olive dipping sauce. It was some of the best food I’ve had since moving to Salt Lake City from Los Angeles. I am already thinking of who I can take there so I can eat there again.

They serve breakfast all day (my friend ordered an omelet that looked delicious and came with fresh fruit) and the portions of everything we saw looked very generous (I took half my sandwich home). Lunch runs between $10.50-$17.25, with some interesting salad options like lentil salad with kale and beet chips ($9.95), and heftier entrees like wild shrimp and grits with gouda cheese and andouille sausage ($15.95) and pan-seared salmon with gazpacho salsa ($17.25).

Here’s the rest of the Fashion Place Mall Nordstrom Cafe Bistro menu (may vary by location).