New restaurants are a tasty side to Sundance fare

Several new restaurants may be part of the supporting cast for Sundance filmgoers.

In Salt Lake City, the Copper Onion, 111 E. Broadway, opened Wednesday, just in time to catch some of the Sundance traffic from the Broadway Theater next door. The restaurant is owned by Ryan and Colleen Lowder.

"Three months ago I estimated that we could open on Jan. 20, and it worked out," Colleen Lowder said. "When we were looking, we really liked this space, and we thought the movie theater could use a good restaurant so people could go out for dinner and movie." Chef Ryan Lowder grew up in Sandy, attended the Culinary Institute of America, and soon began working at Jean George, the acclaimed New York City restaurant. Most recently, he was executive chef at the Spanish-themed Mercat and Italian-themed Gusto, both in New York City.

"I've had some good opportunities in New York, but we decided we didn't want to plant roots there," Ryan Lowder said. "I have a lot of friends and family here, and the dining scene is much more interesting that it was a few years ago."

Utah's quality products, such as Creminelli sausages, Amano Artisan Chocolate and Bell Organics, was another selling point.

The Copper Onion specializes in from-scratch cooking, with house-made desserts, sausages and breads (such as a heavenly scented rosemary baguette).

"We're trying to source as many ingredients locally as we can, to be responsible and true to the region we're in," Colleen Lowder said.

Signature dishes include an appetizer of sauteed mushrooms topped with a fried egg and salsa verde and an entree of piquillo peppers stuffed with beef short ribs. Other entrees, ranging from $13-19, include sauteed cod, trout, house-made pasta, steak and roasted chicken.

Seasonal vegetable side dishes, such as broccoli rabe, brussels sprouts and sauteed pea shoots with golden raisins and pine nuts, can be ordered for sharing. The vegetable selection will change with the seasons. Salads are approximately $6, and desserts such as cobbler and cheesecake are $7.

The restaurant's name was chosen because "we wanted something very 'Utah,' and something that would let people recognize that we're pretty vegetable-friendly," Colleen Lowder said. "So we named it after the state mineral, which is copper, and the state vegetable, which is the onion."

The restaurant will be open for dinner Tuesday-Sunday during the next few weeks and then will expand to lunch and dinner. (801-355-3282 or Thecopperonion.com)