The Salt Lake City-County Building has always had a certain stately style, even before its recent beautiful restoration. Like many other city halls across America, this distinguished building has witnessed both honorable service and occasional corruption; such is the nature of urban politics.
For a short time about 20 years ago I worked for the city in a department with a noble cause but with some shady shenanigans. Because of funding cuts, I lost my job. Ironically, the same day I was "let go," the news broke of a "phantom employee" in the same department. (Interestingly, I later met this so-called phantom employee who was a partner in a fairly successful, though now-closed, restaurant - perhaps a career he should have started sooner.)I stopped by the old coffee shop in the City-County Building for a final visit and sweet roll, listening to the echoes of the scandal as political hacks, complete with puka bead necklaces and white leather shoes (one even wore mirror sunglasses) leaned into their whispered conversations. I imagined them preparing alibis and plotting their next shadowy moves.
The times and tides of city government have certainly changed since then. The sleaziness, at least in fashion, is now a thing of the past, having been replaced by a distinctive button-down, preppy look on the part of City Hall's inhabitants.
The change was certainly evident during our recent luncheon visit to the Washington Square Cafe, located on the first floor of the City-County Building. The interior, against a backdrop of high ceilings and newly tiled floors, echoes with the specials of the day as announced by young waiters and waitresses wearing pressed, white shirts. There is nary a hint of scandal.
Tables are black lacquer, decorated with fresh flowers and china salt and pepper shakers. Specials of the day are hand-lettered in colored crayon on the backlit blackboard at the entrance.
The luncheon bill of fare regularly offers several different burgers, priced from $3.25 to $4.25 for the pastrami burger. These are served with tomato, lettuce, onion, pickles and house dressing. Price includes french fries or a salad. A dozen sandwiches, including club, turkey, pastrami, ham and swiss, BLT, grilled ham and cheese, French dip, and a vegetarian, range in price from $3.25 for the grilled jumbo hot dog to $4.50 for "Cathi's Favorite," a grilled chicken breast with lemon herb marinade.
We found the latter very good, though the melted cheese detracted from the flavor of the chicken. The hot dog sandwich was good sized, a real kid-pleaser. The dressing on the nicely prepared green salads was reportedly the favorite of Brigham Young's 21st wife, though I wondered what dressings the others might have preferred. The ham and bean soup was chock-full of diced vegetables and ham in a flavorful broth. Unfortunately, we found only two beans. The breadstick that came with the soup was spongy and splotched with barely a hint of cheese.
The hot pasta special of the day, lasagna ($3.95), displayed the kitchen's skills more evenly than the other dishes. The ample portion was served hot, covered with a pleasant tomato sauce.
In addition to the burgers and sandwiches, Washington Square Cafe features several salads, including a chef's and taco salad, along with soup, salad and sandwich combinations. Desserts include hand-packed malts and shakes, pies, cake specialties (though they are not homemade, the two we tried were very good), and sundaes.
The breakfast menu features omelettes, fresh muffins and other egg dishes, scones and doughnuts.
History lovers will certainly enjoy a tour of the City-County Building; and those who enjoy a good basic meal of predictable favorites should also enjoy a visit to the Washington Square Cafe.
Rating: ***
Washington Square Cafe, 451 S. State (first floor, City-County Building), 533-9400. Open Mondays-Fridays, 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. Accepts major credit cards and checks with guarantee card. Unmetered, two-hour parking on streets around Washington Square.