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When I moved to Utah about 13 years ago one of the first restaurants I dined in was Baci Trattoria, the Gastronomy Italian restaurant over on Pierpont Avenue. Back then I was struck by not only the world class design, architecture and décor of Baci, but also by the regional Italian dishes served there.
Well over the years I’ve enjoyed Baci off and on but never as much as in the past few months. It’s amazing to me that a restaurant a decade and a half old can still look so fresh and new. Walking into Baci Trattoria is really an eye-popping experience. But in addition to the lush décor, I think the food at Baci is better than ever. That’s due in part to the fact the Will Pliler – who is also Executive Chef at the New Yorker – is now overseeing the kitchen at Baci as well.
So visitors to Baci can now treat themselves for instance to fresh, hand-crafted raviolis which are made by Will and his expert staff from scratch every day. I was bowled over during dinner recently by a decadent plate of butternut squash ravioli served with a sage cream sauce and toasted pine nuts. And being a Gastronomy restaurant, you can always depend on the freshest seafood dishes at Baci, although I’m especially partial to their osso bucco, a big and tender veal shank braised until it falls off the bone and served with homemade gnocchi in a light cream sauce.
Perhaps more than any Salt Lake restaurant I can think of, Baci Trattoria is aging beautifully. It looks as fresh and new as the day it opened, the food there is as good as it’s ever been, and the service is spectacular. I guess you could call Baci a “not-so-overnight-success!”
