Stanza Italian Bistro & Wine Bar Opens Today

Today is the official opening of Stanza Italian Bistro & Wine Bar at at 454 E 300 South, Salt Lake City.

I was a fan of Faustina, Joel LaSalle’s restaurant that closed in order to make way for this new collaboration between The LaSalle and Trio restaurant groups. So when I got an invitation to come to a preview dinner of the much-awaited Stanza last week, of course I wanted to check it out.

These pre-opening dinners are somewhat of a practice night for the kitchen and staff,. We ordered from a menu, and were asked to fill out comment cards, and some of the dishes may be revised based on customer or staff feedback. In fact, I was told by the general manager that the desserts will definitely see some changes.

The space that was once Faustina has been completely revamped.

The translations I could find say that “Stanza” is Italian for “Room.” And the room in this case is has a spacious, open feeling. There’s a mezzanine that would make a nice place for a catered party or business event.

The design seems to be acoustic-friendly, maybe partly due to the soft charcoal gray carpet. Although nearly every table was taken, you could easily carry on a conversation without shouting. That’s something I appreciate.  Keeping that carpet in pristine condition may be a challenge, but I’m thinking this isn’t the type of restaurant where a lot of kiddies will be dumping their meals on the floor.

Executive chef Phelix Gardner is well-known around Salt Lake City, most recently for overseeing the Scott Evans’ growing group of restaurants — Pago, Finca, East Libery Tap House, and Hub & Spoke. Others may remember him from Wild Grape and Grand America. I understand that Logen Crew, executive chef of the other LaSalle/Trio collaboration, Current Fish & Oyster Bar, had a hand in designing the dishes, too.

Stanza’s portions are comfortably satisfying. You aren’t likely to feel overstuffed or to ask for a to-go box, but you won’t go home hungry, either. Prices are more high-end than Italian chains such as Olive Garden or Buca di Beppo, but hey, this is not chain restaurant food. The dishes are imaginative, with quality ingredients, and well-executed.

Here are the dishes we ordered:

A “small plate” of arancini — three rice balls, deep-fried to crispy on the outside, gooey melted mozzarella on the inside. The spicy pepperonata sauce that accompanied gave it a good balance of flavors. ($8)

My friend, Arainna, had a Caesar Salad, with romaine hearts, a mustard vinaigrette, and anchovies. You can order it without anchovies, but Arainna liked them. ($9)

I had a Compressed Strawberry Salad. The strawberries were soaked in muscato vinaigrette and served over arugula, with chunks of goats milk ricotta and prosciutto “chips.” The combination worked. ($10)

I had the Utah trout, served over white bean puree. The crisped skin revealed flaky tender flesh, with well-seasoned flavor. I hope this is one that stays on the menu. ($23)

Arainna ordered the Veal Saltimbocca over polenta with roasted mushrooms and prosciutto. I had a taste of it (She was generous; had it been me, I would have been tempted to keep it all to myself!)  I loved the overall flavor and texture, although I didn’t taste much sage that I expected for a saltimbocca. Arainna said it reminded her more of a German-type schnitzel than the saltimbocca she’s had at other Italian restaurants.

For dessert, Arainna had a slice of pound cake that had been grilled on a flat-top grill, or maybe flamed, to give it a nice outer crispness. The accompanying vinegared strawberries AND balsamic vinegar seemed overpowering for something that is supposed to be sweet.

Perhaps the pastry chef was trying to avoid the over-the-top gooey sweetness that plagues many desserts. But in the case of vinegar, maybe  a little less is more.

Ditto for my rich, creamy panna cotta, accented with lush cherries and sage leaves. It was sitting in a pool of a cherry/vinegar liquid. Although the tartness was good for balance, I would have preferred a little less vinegar.

But, these are tiny quibbles, as I was already told that the desserts are being revised.

Based on what I saw and tasted, Stanza is already a hit.

We didn’t try any of the pastas, but don’t expect the run-of-the-mill Italian dishes. They’re classics with an adventurous twist. Such as: Carrot Torchio (milk-braised rabbit with shaved carrot), Gnocchi with green garlic pesto, peas and asparagus; Pea Agnolotti with Gulf shrimp and asparagus; Parraprdelle with lamb and mint.

For some restaurant genealogy, the LaSalle Restaurant Group owns Oasis and Kyoto, and also owned Faustina. The Trio Restaurant Group owned Café Trio in downtown and Cottonwood locations, as well as Fresco Italian Café. Owner Mikel Trapp has a long culinary history with the Park Café, Stein Erikson Lodge, Metropolitan, and Snowbird.

The two restaurant groups collaborated on the successful Current Seafood & Oyster before embarking on the Stanza adventure. It meant closing Faustina, as well as Trapp’s distinguished Fresco Italian Café.

But, that’s progress, I guess.