Also, this is Utah's first "nose-to-tail" restaurant, meaning that chef Adam Kreisel buys whole animals and uses every part, "to show respect for the animal," as Caputo explained it. So you might see lamb sweetbread, served on a bed of celery-laced risotto ($15) or a lamb neck and shoulder ragout with polenta and micro fennel ($18). Other dishes from the first week's menu were a salad of raw scallops and braised kale ($12); heirloom squash, ricotta and chestnut honey ravioli ($15); and risotto with clams and baby octopus ($17).

Caputo sees his customer base as "dyed-in-the-wool foodies, and people who care about sustainability and the Italian cultural tradition." Kreisel is known for adventurous dishes from past stints at the Globe Cafe, Sundance Tree Room and Acme Burger.

"Some people think it might be a stupid time to open a restaurant, but Caputo's is doing better than ever, and Adam was available now," said Caputo. "And the space was already here." (801-328-9638 or www.TIPICAcaputo.com)

Pago, 878 S. 900 East, is another restaurant that belongs to Bell Organics' RSA. Pago also uses ingredients from other local and artisan producers, including East Farms, Canyon Meadow Ranch, Morgan Valley Lamb, Taylor Made Beef and Pork, Clifford Farms, Beehive Cheese, Snake River Farms and Amano Chocolate.

The restaurant opened May 27, but owner Scott Evans began planning it back in 2006, while earning his MBA from Westminster.

"I tried to open something on a small scale," he said. "A familiar neighborhood restaurant with reasonably priced food will weather any economy."

Evans' 16 years of experience include Squatter's, The Depot, the Grand America, Stein Eriksen Lodge, Sage's Cafe and Park Ivy.

The 46-seat restaurant's brick walls and reclaimed wood tables give it a casual but polished ambience. Diners can spent $8 for a sandwich or up to $27 for a steak. Lunch dishes include Utah elk bratwurst, and open-face meatloaf sandwich. Dinner includes golden potato gnocchi ($13), chicken paillard ($16), Moroccan spiced lamb ($19). Starters include cinnamon beets with Greek yogurt, ceviche, and braised beef cheeks.

The chefs, Adam Findlay and Michael Richey, were both at the Globe Cafe before it closed in 2003. Findlay has worked at the Viking Yurt in Park City and Fishing Unlimited Lodge in Alaska; Richey at Sundance's Tree Room and The Aerie at Snowbird.

(pagoslc.com 801-532-0777)

Forage, 370 E. 900 South, is another small eatery relying on local, organic ingredients. Owners Bowman Brown and Viet Pham even have a vegetable garden and greenhouse to raise them. They plan to serve one fixed-price meal each night, with the menu changing every day.

The restaurant's much-delayed opening is now scheduled for the second weekend of June. But a few planned dishes are butter-poached crab in a carrot crepe and puffed barley; Utah beef, grilled zucchini puree and cauliflower gnocchi; slow-cooked wild king salmon with pecorino, fava beans, sweet peppers and wild-fennel pollen. Meal prices can run from $35-$70.