New seafood restaurant making a splash in Downtown SLC.

AuthorMadison, Rachel
PositionAround Utah

Salt Lake City - A Salt Lake City building that once housed the first Ford Model T dealership west of the Mississippi River is now the home of a new seafood restaurant, CURRENT FISH & OYSTER, which serves up everything from fresh oysters to smoked salmon.

Mikel Trapp, owner of Utah's TRIO restaurants, FRESCO ITALIAN CAFE and LUNA BLANCA TAQUERIA, and Joel LaSalle of the LASALLE RESTAURANT GROUP-which operates FAUSTINA, CAFFE NICHE, OASIS CAFE and KYOTO--are the masterminds behind Current.

"We thought Salt Lake was ready for a different type of seafood restaurant," says Trapp. "We wanted to focus on offering memorable and contemporary dining, and focus on sustainable seafood and the oyster bar and do something a little bit different."

Besides the fact that Current Fish & Oyster is one of the few restaurants along the Wasatch Front serving up fresh seafood, Hillary Merrill, service manager at Current, says the restaurant's architecture and ambiance itself is also unique.

"The building was built In 1906, and the facade is the original facade," she says. "The big doors opening to the patio are actually where the garage doors from that original business were. When you take that and what they've done with the arched windows, skylights and the industrial feel, it's made this perfect blend of modern and historic."

The building, which was most recently the home of an antique shop, underwent a $1 million renovation and includes a mezzanine, which will be available for private dining events, and a state-of-the-art patio.

Merrill says the cuisine ranges from traditional favorites to a "different twist on seafood dishes." That's why the menu features popular dishes such as fish and chips or crab cakes, she says, as well as more distinctive dishes like ricotta cavatelli or smoked clam dip with house-made potato chips, all created by Executive Chefs Logen Crew and Jennifer West.

"Food-wise, we're doing a...

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