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A quick trip to Salt Lake City (and I mean quick; like less than 24 hours) has already yielded an awesome eatery and yet another awesome local coffee shop. Upon arriving in Salt Lake City, I grabbed my phone and searched the Googles to see what places are near. “Breakfast in Salt Lake City” pulled up a few options and as always, Yelp reviews are typically first. More on how I feel about Yelp later.
What to Eat for Breakfast
As our plane touched down, I started searching for places for breakfast. We seriously needed food considering we were up at 3:30 a.m. for our 6:15 a.m. flight that I made us late for. Hang on, it’s coming. Anyhow, we made it with about 10 minutes to spare and our plane even left early. But yeah, no breakfast and no coffee made Monica a tad bit cranky. Jacob survived, but we knew we had to find a place that was good, local and wasn’t McDonalds. First name that caught my eye; Pig and a Jelly Jar. Um, the name alone made me want to know more, so of course I took the bait and clicked on their website link.
Eclectic Charm
At this point, we were both hungry so the decision was easy and quick. I opened Maps on my phone, typed in Pig and a Jelly Jar and pressed ‘go’. I would love to tell you where in Salt Lake it is, however the streets and addresses are all based on longitude and latitude and I honestly have no sense of direction anyhow. What I can tell you is that Maps took us through what appeared to be an area that was on the verge of revitalization, but I can’t confirm that. Buildings were old and vintage, worn, with an industrial feel. Houses were probably 1950’s or so, one story large, with large porches and cement foundations.
Located on a corner, Pig and a Jelly Jar is located on the corner of Harvey Milk Blvd and S 400 E and has a cute patio for guests who bring their pups. The patio is adorned with weathered, almost junkyard style salvage pieces of random metal. It’s rather cute and eclectic and it definitely fits the neighborhood character. It’s a small café with less than 15 tables. Most of the tables fit two to four, but they have a couple of tables for larger groups. If you have a group of more than 6 or 8 and you’ve all decided on breakfast or brunch in Salt Lake City, it might not be a good option in the middle of December.
Support Local
One of my favorite things is finding these local hole in the wall eateries that are using local ingredients, or as much local as they can. They use Salt and Smoke for custom sausages, Hugo Coffee Roasters for their coffee, Stone Ground Bakery, Rosehill Dairy and local breweries and farmers for all of their menu items. Everything is house made; even the pickles. Which were AMAZEBALLS.
The Menu
As stated on the front of their menu “Pig is a uniquely Southern influenced diner – brunch driven, serving breakfast and lunch all day”, which is actually a genius restaurant idea. This allows more variety for the customer without pigeon holing them into one meal or the other. Plus, who doesn’t love a Buffalo Chicken sandwich before noon? I don’t know about you and your family, but when there’s a lot of us, there is bound to be someone who doesn’t want breakfast for breakfast.
Their menu was small, however they did list “Pig Specialities” which was a list of 5 items that they are known for. Then there was the “Pig Staples”; think of your basic American breakfast items. You know, eggs, pig, potatoes, breakfast sandwiches and such. Then scrambles, sandwiches, salads and small bites follow for brunch, each with roughly 5-6 items in the category. Bonus points here for small menu. Large menus are overwhelming to this indecisive foodie. Small menus make choices easier, at least for me. They have several weekly specials as well, like all you can eat Buffalo Chicken Tenders and $5 Chicken and Waffle Thursday.
We were seated quickly, after our table was cleaned and greeted promptly by Ross, our server. He was super casual, but for this place, it was perfect. It wasn’t a stuffy restaurant so why expect a stuffy server. Ross looked like he had worked there a while and was friendly, fast, and efficient; all great things when you’re dealing with the hangries. Yup. I’m pretty sure I just created a new noun.
What’s for Breakfast or Brunch
Because of Pig, I’m considering collecting pie tins and serving all of my food at home in them. I’m sure it wouldn’t be as cute as Pig, but I might give it a shot. Anyhow, Jacob ordered the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich, changed his mind when he saw food being delivered and then went back to his original plan. Good thing he did. He wouldn’t have enjoyed the plain breakfast sandwich as much as he enjoyed this mashup of Franks Red Hot, blue cheese crumbles, artisan bun and homemade pickles. The pickles, well more like a cucumber, were thick sliced and delicious. I’ve never had a pickle taste so good and the fact that it was on this sandwich made the entire meal that much more satisfying. The sandwich was served with fresh cut fries that were cooked to perfection.
I opted for a Pig specialty, Chicken and Waffles. The waffle was delicately dusted with powered sugar, topped with butter and a crispy butterflied chicken breast and an egg over medium. On the side was a cute little pitcher of syrup. The chicken was crispy, but not over crunchy. The waffle crispy and firm on the outside, enough to hold up to the chicken and egg on top. I finished it. All. Not a bite to spare.
I enjoyed a cup of local coffee and we always order water. We aren’t the beer-before-noon type, and honestly coffee and food was the only thing on our minds. We didn’t even look at the beer menu, but by the looks of the pictures on their website, they look pretty damn tasty.
A Jelly Jar
Hanging on a chalkboard sign in the restaurant was a special “3 Jars of Jam for $22”. I asked Ross about what flavors they had, he shared them and then asked if I’d like to taste them. Well of course. I mean, who doesn’t love homemade jam. And these were flavors I had never heard of before. But Ross peaked my interest when he said they had strawberry coconut. He proceeded to deliver three little ramekins of the strawberry coconut, blueberry lavender, and lemon pineapple rosemary. All of them were so good that we walked out with the three jars of “Pig Jam”.
Ross said these jams are good with scones, biscuits, waffles, and can be paired with cheeses and crackers. If you’re a jam fan, these are the best I’ve tasted. They are truly jams, with pieces of fruit throughout. I can’t wait to get these on some scones and biscuits for the holidays! The jams are made by Butcher’s Bunches and can be purchased online or in Utah at select merchants. They are having a holiday sale right now where you can get 15% off with the coupon code BlackFriday. Butcher’s Bunches has a great story and they use locally grown fruit and produce for their products. What’s even better is seeing a restaurant partner with local producers. Partnerships like this are mutually beneficial and what helps make small businesses so successful.
Would We Go Back
Absolutely! In fact, we just ate there this morning and this is being published the same day! When we find a place that is just that good, why not share it. Jacob mentioned it to his office crew and here I am sharing it with the rest of the world. Pig and a Jelly Jar is a fantastic place for breakfast, brunch and even drinks. I already have on the list to try something from their drink menu the next time we are in or around the Salt Lake City area. The service, the food and the vibe was awesome and we will definitely be back.
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