A place at the table: head to Utah restaurants for fresh-from-the-garden fare.

• Author: Stewart, Heather

Locally grown foods are all the rage--and several area eateries are catering to the demand with menus inspired by Utah's bountiful harvests. In fact, restaurants have been at the forefront of the local-foods movement, educating their customers about fresh food with mouth-watering culinary creations.

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Bambara, for instance, offers a nightly special that spotlights products from local organic farms. And Log Haven Restaurant hosts an annual "Meet the Makers" event that enables customers to sample fares from local producers.

Fifteen years ago the idea was a novelty--a half-baked notion imported from the West Coast. Now, the growing number of Utah restaurants that cook up local fare has contributed to a resurgence of niche farms in the state.

The Middle of Nowhere

In Boulder, Hell's Backbone Grill has been serving up fresh fare since the year 2000, well before local-food fever hit the state's restaurant industry. The grill, co-owned by chefs Jennifer Castle and Blake Spalding, has become internationally renowned for its unique dishes that rely on ingredients from Southern Utah's canyonlands region.

"Our plan was to make a place-based restaurant, to have our food really exemplify the incredible and special place of Utah," says Spalding.

Hell's Backbone Grill is open from mid-March until just after Thanksgiving, and its menu depends entirely on what is currently growing. "Right now we have a 'spicy salad' because those are the things that are growing: garlic, arugula, radishes, chives--hot, spicy, oniony flavors," says Castle.

The duo began cultivating a garden a few years ago to supply the restaurant. Last year the garden produced 8,000 pounds of vegetables, and local orchards supplied 2,500 pounds of fruit.

Additionally, 100 percent of the beef used in the restaurant is purchased from Boulder ranchers. In the early days, the two chefs asked local farmers and ranchers to grow things for the grill. They still rely on the small farming community for many of their needs.

"Everything there, because it's so isolated, either gets hauled in from far away, or you learn to improvise," says Spalding.

Ever eaten tumbleweeds? They're on the menu, as are dandelion weeds and edible flowers. But diners will also find duck, trout, lamb and other regional foods.

Reservations are a must throughout the season, as Hell's Backbone Grill is featured in European guidebooks and has been recognized by the New York Times and O magazine. Many...