Hidden Cuisine
2740 South Highway 191
(1/4 mile from Spanish Trail Road)
Moab, Utah, 84532 (Spanish
Valley area)
Phone: (435) 259-7711
Website: http://www.hidden-cuisine.com/
Hours of Operation:
Monday: 7am – 2pm
Thursday through Sunday:
7am – 2pm, 5:30pm – 9:30pm
Tuesday and Wednesday:
Closed
Spanish Valley stretches
along Highway 191 and encompasses two counties, Grand and San Juan. Only 2.5 miles from the borderline, resting
upon a small hilltop, is a hidden gem of a restaurant. Serving American, Southwestern, and a cuisine
that most Americans only wonder about, South African; Hidden Cuisine is a must
experience restaurant. Opened two years
ago by owner and chef, Zinzi M. Chamanifard, Hidden Cuisine has received rave
reviews.
Zinzi arrived, from Cape
Town, South Africa, in America on a student visa, and now holds a culinary
degree in hospitality; and she is an acclaimed chef as well. Her training began in the kitchens of Desert
Bistro and Sweet Cravings (both located in Moab). She excelled rapidly and decided to prove her
merits by opening her own catering business.
Opportunity came knocking upon her door with the advertisement of a
restaurant location up for sale; Zinzi opened that door gladly.
At first, the restaurant
was only open for breakfast (available at all open hours) and lunch, but
recently dinner specialties are being offered Thursday through Sunday. For breakfast, items such as “Biscuits and
Gravy”, “Southwest Country Fried Steak” and “Eggs Benedict” are elevated from
ordinary to extraordinary. The pepper
gravy used for the biscuits and country fried steak is smooth, creamy with the
correct amount of cracked black pepper to enhance, not overpower. Zinzi’s hollandaise sauce for the eggs
benedict is so rich, creamy and packed with flavor. Do not be surprised to find yourself licking
the place for every drop! The biscuits
are fluffy; steak is encased within a crispy coating, yet fork tender, sporting
pepper gravy attire. Poached eggs are
perfect globes holding a golden orb of yolk, sitting upon grilled slices of ham
and draped in a silky hollandaise sauce.
Both selections came with red-skinned potatoes grilled, yet tender. As you can tell, we decided to try out
breakfast first; it was at lunch time and so, so satisfying.
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| Eggs Benedict |
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| Inside the Poached Eggs - glorious sunshine! |
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| Southwest Country Fried Steak |
The lunch menu features a southwestern version of Philly cheesesteak, wraps and salads. Dinner though, a new edition to Hidden Cuisine’s menus, has offerings that showcase Asian, American, Southwestern, Italian and South African specialties. As with breakfast and lunch, Zinzi shows off her talents, and quest for quality. Sourcing for foods is based upon quality, so local, as well as outside of Utah, companies are used. There is only one chef in the kitchen, and that is Zinzi. Her mission and vision for Hidden Cuisine is to provide quality to the customer; quality atmosphere, service, and most especially, in the food items.
Speaking of quality
service, Shauna, our waitress, is very friendly, knows the menu items, and
speaks very highly of Zinzi, her cooking skills and the food. Our visit to Hidden Cuisine was definitely
enhanced by her welcoming attitude, and quality service. There is that key word again, Quality!
Hidden Cuisine is that
type of restaurant where, no matter what speed your gear is in; stop in, sit,
eat and simply enjoy. Being curious
about new cuisines, we are looking forward to another visit; this time for
dinner and the adventure of South African flavors.
Mary Cokenour
Menus
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| Lunch |
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| Breakfast |
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| Beer and Wine |
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| Dinner |
