"We're not a vegetarian restaurant. But we're vegetable-driven, instead of focusing on the meat and using vegetables as an afterthought," said Pham.

What happens in the winter, when the growing season ends? "We can use preserves or pickle foods that we've grown and also use root vegetables," said Pham.

The two had culinary-school training and cooked in high-end California restaurants before coming to Utah to open Spark in Provo. But, they said, their culinary philosophy differed from that of Spark's owner. Rather than going back to California, they decided to open their own place in Utah. "The Utah economy is doing great compared to California," said Pham. "We choose to be here, because there's so much potential." (www.foragerestaurant.com)

Drive-through sushi

Peggi Whiting ran Ichiban Sushi for nearly 18 years, watching sushi go from obscure to mainstream in Utah. She sold her restaurant in 2005 and turned to developing Seal Sama teriyaki sauces.

But when former customer Keith Guevara approached Whiting with an idea to serve sushi like a fast-food restaurant, "I realized this was too good of an idea not to do it," Whiting said.

Hayai Zushi takes its name from "hayai," meaning "fast" in Japanese.

The bottom dropped out of the stock market as they were about to sign the lease.

"We had to ask ourselves, 'Are we sure?' But this actually fits the economy, because it's a lower price point. If you want sushi, it's easier to get a $5 roll at the drive-through than spend $50 for a meal at a restaurant, with the time investment and a tip."

They opened April 8, "and it's doing better by far than I did the first month at Ichiban," she said. "We notice that the first or second time, someone will come inside the store to order, because they want to see what it's like, if it's clean, see where the sushi is being made. After that, they use the drive-through." (www.hayaizushi.com or 801.364.1699)

Comedy and cuisine

The former Hard Rock Cafe at Trolley Square, 505 S. 600 East has been transformed into a combo deal: the Wiseguys Comedy Cafe upstairs and Poundcake's restaurant downstairs.

Owner Keith Stubbs also has comedy clubs in Ogden, Orem and West Valley, and wanted to expand to a downtown spot with a full-service restaurant.

"This space is perfect for what we're trying to pull off," he said. "The comedy shows are a hook to bring people in. Our food is good, and that will bring people back."