Unless you're downtown a lot, you might miss seeing The Judge Cafe & Grill, a charming dining spot on the ground floor of the nicely vintage Judge Building on Broadway.
But The Judge Cafe is worth seeking out, for a diverse menu of carefully prepared classics and just enough unexpected twists to keep the meal — and the dining experience — interesting.
With tables nicely spaced, the place is full of corners and niches, the result of carving a restaurant out of a historic building. There's architectural detail everywhere, painted in subdued sage and yellow, and historic pictures of old Salt Lake City over the nice dark-wood bar.
By way of contrast, though, are the new and sometimes modern pieces of original art on the walls and the totally awesome '80s soundtrack playing in the background, which let us enjoy lunch to the music of The Knack, Tom Tom Club and The Cars.
We probably would have enjoyed lunch, anyway, though.
We started with the french fries with a trio of sauces, tasty and crisp-tender seasoned fries with savory garlic mayo, smooth wasabi sour cream with just a hint of heat and chipotle ranch, smoky and spicy with just a taste of ranch's usual cool. All in all, a refreshing change from ketchup.
Two of our daughters shared a "Judge favorite," the meatloaf, and my husband had that, as well. I'm not sure how the chefs at The Judge manage to make a meatloaf that was both substantial, with a hearty, meaty bite, and light, with a savory, vegetable finish beautifully accentuated by mushroom gravy. It was paired nicely with mashed potatoes and fresh-mixed summer squash and mushrooms.
Our other daughter had a cup of soup, choosing cream of mushroom from two soups of the day, and boy, was I glad she did. This was a truly delicious soup, earthy and milky and rich, with lots of sliced mushrooms giving it nourishing heft. Hope it's simmering in the kitchen on the day you visit.
I had one of The Judge's weekly specials, the grilled nectarine and chicken salad. Grilling nectarines deepens and sweetens their flavor, making them a lovely foil for the tender-sliced chicken. They rested on a bed of romaine lettuce, cucumbers and red pepper drizzled with a rich dressing of honey and balsamic vinegar.
For dessert, the kids devoured the dark but delicate chocolate volcano cake with plenty of vanilla ice cream, while my husband and I shared the brownie sundae, with a chewy frosted brownie topped with ice cream and chocolate sauce.
We also enjoyed a couple of The Judge's cookies, one ultra-sweet and studded with chopped Heath toffee bars, and one, which our waiter called "Hope's Royale," a wonderful blend of mixed nuts and chocolate chips.
Lunch: Appetizers $4.95-$6, sandwiches $6.50-$8.95, salads $6.50-$8.95, soup and quiche $3.50-$7.50, Judge's favorites $7.75-$7.95, weekly specials about $7-$11, desserts 95 cents-$3.95.
Rating: ***
Where: 8 E. Broadway (300 South)
Hours: Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. (breakfast 7:30-11 a.m.)
Payment: Major credit cards accepted
Phone: 531-0917
Wheelchair access: Easy
Stacey Kratz is a freelance writer who reviews restaurants for the Deseret Morning News. E-mail: skratz@desnews.com