Before there was a Betty Crocker, before there were Wheaties, Big Macs, lime Jell-O and many other time-honored food classics, there was Lamb's.
On Sunday the restaurant celebrates 85 years in business. Lamb's was Salt Lake City's "power-lunch" spot long before there was such a phrase. If you were a fly on the wall, you could have overheard business deals brokered, political alliances formed and attorneys and judges mulling over cases. You'd see some of Lamb's legendary customers of the 1950s, such as LDS Church President David O. McKay, Tribune publisher John Fitzpatrick and Chamber of Commerce leader Gus Backman discussing what's best for Utah. You might find future LDS Church President Ezra Taft Benson and his wife in the northwest corner booth of the main dining room.
You'd be an older — but well-informed — fly.
"In the 1950s, all the deals were done here," said John Speros, the restaurant's current owner.
Rather than hop on the latest food fad, Lamb's has maintained its role on Main Street by simply being itself. The same booths, tables, mahogany wainscot, the back bar, counters, counter stools, light fixtures and steam table are the same as they were in 1939. The dining room chairs were imported from Austria in the 1920s. The white tablecloths, cloth napkins and the waitresses in white uniforms hark back to a bygone era.
Much of the menu is the same, although prices have gone up, and a few items — like brains, liverwurst and ox-tongue — were taken off when they dwindled in popularity. But the barbecued lamb shanks and the bread pudding are still there. The chef, Gary Christiansen, started at Lamb's as a dishwasher 34 years ago and has worked every job in the kitchen.
"Our soup recipes are the same ones George Lamb used when he started the restaurant," said Speros.
Even the anniversary celebration will be low-key, says Speros, with all diners offered a complimentary dessert of either cherry cobbler or birthday cake on Monday, since the restaurant is closed on Sunday.
"It's just another day of business for us," he said.
Behind the eatery's longevity is the rags-to-restaurant story of Greek immigrant George Lamb (shortened from Lambropoulos). His mother entrusted a farmhand with $100 in gold to take her son to America where there were more opportunities, said Speros. When they docked in New York, the farmhand took off with the money, leaving the youth on his own.
"Somehow, he eventually found his way to Utah, and then to Logan, worked up there until he'd made enough contacts to get into the restaurant business," said Speros. "He could barely speak the language even as an adult man, but he endeared himself to people and was an honest businessman. People trusted him and loaned him money to help him get started."
In 1939, he moved from Logan to the Herald Building in Salt Lake City. Ted Speros joined Lamb's in 1941. Speros had a full-time job at Kennecott and was moonlighting at a downtown coffee shop. Lamb asked Speros to run his restaurant for a week while he was ill, and the two ended up becoming partners. When Lamb retired in 1973, Speros bought him out. When Speros retired in 1977, his son, John, and daughter, Estelle, bought the business. In 1985 Lamb passed away and John bought his sister's part of the business.
John Speros grew up working at the restaurant — getting his first paycheck at age 10 — but didn't plan on it being his career. While working on a doctorate degree in pharmacology, he developed an allergy to the research animals. Instead of completing the Ph.D, he returned to the restaurant business. His son, T.J., recently graduated from Westminster College with plans to earn an master's degree in business administration and eventually work in the hotel business.
"I definitely want to remain in the hospitality industry," said T.J. Speros. "Working in the restaurant has given me great experience." And yes, the thought of taking over Lamb's when his father retires has crossed his mind.
"I'm actually pushing him away from the restaurant business, just because it's tough, any time, any day, whether in 1919 or in the year 2000," John Speros said. "It's demanding of time, people expect to be treated well and have consistent quality of food, and you have to satisfy all those things and still keep prices low so people can continue to come in on a daily basis. But I don't have any regrets; it's provided a great life for me and my family."
John Speros said the first thing he learned from his father and George Lamb is, "You first paid your bills, and whatever was left was yours. Sometimes it's not much, but you don't take it before you've made it. I don't risk the chance of losing the business because I'm trying to keep up with the Joneses."
Over the years, the downtown restaurant landscape has grown and diversified, and Speros says that's good, because having a number of good restaurants draws more people to the area overall. "Anybody who thinks one restaurant is going to entertain the whole populace is nuts."
To keep up with modern tastes, a few items were added to the menu, such as a grilled Reuben sandwich and salads with a choice of grilled chicken, halibut or salmon.
"Oysters were really popular at one time, and then the oyster beds were all poisoned and we had a hard time getting a good product. We took them off the menu and never did put them back on," Speros said.
Lamb's is one of the few places where you can still find Finian Haddie, said Speros. It's a very heavily smoked haddock imported from Nova Scotia.
"We boil it in milk with celery and serve it with a boiled potato and lemon. If you love it, you love it, and if you hate it, you hate it."
They still buy from Kessimakis Produce. "Mr. Lamb did business with old man Kessimakis 65 years ago when he first moved to Salt Lake. His son now owns and operates it. And we are American Linen's oldest customer in Salt Lake City."
Is Lamb's the oldest continuously run restaurant in Utah? That depends on whom you ask and how you define "restaurant." The Bluebird opened in 1914 in Logan, but it was a candy store, not a restaurant, maintains Speros. "In 1924, it moved and became a restaurant side by side next to Lamb's. They are the older business, but we are the older restaurant."
Guy Cardon, who owned The Bluebird for 60-odd years, disagrees. "Actually, my dad got started before Lamb's, and we started serving sandwiches about the same time we opened," said Cardon. "It wasn't real cooking, it was more of a lunch place in those days. They got the wives to cook some meals and bring them in. I don't remember exactly when we moved to this building, though."
Snappy Service recently celebrated its 100th anniversary a couple years ago after moving from State Street to Jordan Commons in Sandy. But it's always been a lunch counter, not a full-service restaurant, said Morris Daras, who has owned it since 1969.
Whatever.
Lamb's is still one of the oldest, and most influential, restaurants in the state.
LAMB'S BARBECUED LAMB SHANKS
6 lamb shanks (12 ounces each)
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder, or to taste
1 teaspoon allspice
Salt
Fresh ground black pepper
2 medium onions, chopped
3 to 4 cups of beef stock (recipe below)
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 8-ounce can tomato paste
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Chopped fresh parsley
Wash lamb shanks, place in large pot or roasting pan. Combine paprika, garlic powder, allspice; rub into meat. Add salt and pepper as desired. Sprinkle with chopped onions. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake lamb shanks without adding liquid for about 2 hours, turning occasionally, until brown. When brown, add about 1 cup beef stock. Bake about 30 minutes.
Remove from oven and place on stove over medium heat. Cover shank with remaining beef stock. Remove lamb shanks from pot, skim fat from broth. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste and lemon juice; stir to blend. Season sauce with salt, pepper and garlic powder as desired. Return shanks to pan and simmer over low to medium heat for about two hours or until meat is tender. Sauce should not be too thin. If necessary, thin with more beef stock or thicken with a little flour whisked in cold water.
Place shanks on a heated serving platter and top with sauce and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve with rice pilaf (recipe below).
BEEF STOCK
3 pounds beef bones
4 quarts cold water
1 stalk celery with leaves, coarsely chopped
1 large carrot, coarsely chopped
1 large onion, quartered
1 large tomato, quartered
6 black peppercorns
2 teaspoons salt
1 bay leaf
Wash beef bones, place in cold water. Bring to boil, skim surface scum as necessary.
Add celery, carrot, onion, tomato, peppercorns, salt and bay leaf. Simmer 3 to 4 hours. Strain, cool quickly and refrigerate. Remove hardened fat. If stock tastes too weak, boil to reduce further in order to concentrate flavor. Use as needed. Freeze if desired.
LAMB'S RICE PILAF
1/2 cup lemon juice
6 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
3 cups long-grain rice
5 1/2 cups chicken broth, boiling
In large sauce pan, combine lemon juice, butter and salt. Bring to boil. Add rice and cook, stirring until liquid is absorbed. Add boiling chicken broth. Cover and simmer over low heat about 20 minutes, until all liquid has been absorbed and rice is tender. Add more butter and pepper to taste. Serves 12-15.
LAMB'S LENTIL AL' ANGLAISE SOUP
10 ounces dried lentils
4 quarts beef stock, divided (see Beef Stock recipe)
1 cup salad oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoons Greek oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 bay leaf
1 beef bouillon cube
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup flour
1 cup tomato sauce
5 tablespoons cider vinegar
Tomato paste as needed
Wash the lentils. Cover them with water and soak overnight.
Drain the lentils and bring them to a boil in 2 quarts of beef stock. Cook, uncovered, until tender, about 45 minutes. Expect to lose about half the liquid. Meanwhile, in another pot, combine salad oil, onion, carrots, celery, garlic powder, oregano, paprika, bay leaf, bouillon cube, salt and pepper. Saute the vegetables until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add flour and tomato sauce. Mix well and simmer at least 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 2 quarts of beef stock and vinegar. Bring to a boil.
When the lentils are tender, add lentils and their cooking liquid to vegetables. Bring to a boil and simmer for at least 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. If desired, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of tomato paste for flavor and color.
LAMB'S RICE PUDDING
1 cup long-grain white rice
10 cups whole milk, divided
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
Ground cinnamon to taste
Wash and drain the rice. Combine the rice, 8 cups of milk and 1 cup sugar in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender, about 25 minutes.
In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, 2 cups of milk, 1/4 cup sugar and vanilla. Beat well.
When the rice is tender, add the egg mixture and cook over medium heat until the liquid just begins to boil. Remove from the heat and cool. Refrigerate until cold. Serve topped with ground cinnamon.
E-mail: vphillips@desnews.com