 Shrimp Boat 266 Historic 25th Street |
 Olive & Dahlia 215 Historic 25th Street |
 Wiseguys Comedy Cafe 269 Historic 25th Street |
 Marisco’s Nuevo Vallarta 156 Historic 25th Street |
 Petite Pastries 290 Historic 25th Street # 103 |
 Lacy Lady 184 Historic 25th Street |
 Five Element Acupuncture 256 Historic 25th Street |
 Doug's Spaghetti House 373 E. 31st Street |
The wall mural sports mermaids,
sharks and a shrimp party. A pressed
brass ceiling, (like those pressed tin
ceilings but better), hardwood floors
with fish, bubbles and waves, the
shrimp boat in the front window, and
a wine and beer license make for a
comfortable dine.
The food itself, however, is a source
of serious attention. Great Harvest
sourdough and pumpernickle are the
foundation for their sandwiches.
Dishes include garlic jumbo shrimp,
homemade crab cakes, fresh salads
and dressings, fresh seafoods, homemade
chowders, varieties of fresh
fish, flown in from the coast. This is
one I really want to try.
Heidi and staff have extended their
talent for interesting and successful
ventures for our benefit and for the
benefit of our growing 25th Street.
Following on the heels of the 25th
Street successes of Ruby and
Begonia and The White Fig, Olive
and Dahlia says to me, “more is better.”
Here, those shops’ masterminds,
Sara Toliver and Jo Packham
have teamed with Pat Poce (pronounced
Posey) and Deon Tooch, the
owners of Washington Boulevard’s
“Posey Place“ to create a beautiful
hybrid of gift store and flower shop.
In fact, these four are further extending
their vision of quality to the 25th
Street landscape. Far from satisfying
the public, I think, they are creating
an appetite for even more. The quality
and interest from fresh flowers to
books, cards and wrapped gifts all
give an additional layer to the cultural
depth of downtown Ogden.
Nationally known Rick D’elia, an eastcoaster,
has appeared on such shows
as Jay Leno‘s Tonight Show, Standup
Stand-up, America's Talking,
Grand Slam Comedy Jam and others.
Matt Iseman is a Denver Coloradan,
turned Californian via Los Angeles,
working in some of that city’s most
well known clubs including the
Comedy Store and the Laugh
Factory.
Bengt Washburn has a particularly
hometown attraction, being a former
Mormon missionary. Recently,
Bengt’s comedy was good enough to
win the 2001 San Francisco Comedy
Competition. His comedy is viewed
as “always fresh, intellectual yet
accessible.”
These are just three of the acts that
have recently been featured, with
shows Thursday, Friday and Saturday
evenings. Check your newspaper,
the Street Magazine E-zine, or the
wiseguyscomedy.com Web site for
details. And how can you miss?
Tickets are an easy $10.
However, these questions sounded
like irrelevant non-issues, as a kind
waitress, moderately skilled in
English translation, expressed her difficulty
in conveying the meaning of
my questions. In a flood of Spanish
between the owner, whose name I
still can’t remember, and for which I
apologize, other staff and my kind
translator, I have garnered this opinion.
OK, we all know of the ubiquitous
Chinese restaurants that exist in
every American city. Now, we know
that they all offer Chinese food.
We’re all familiar with that concept.
Well, this is the same concept, but
Mexican. Don’t mistake me for saying
this isn’t good. It is converse,
essential. It is a solid, hometown
neighborhood Mexican restaurant,
specializing in, but not limited to,
seafood dishes and fresh-made
sauces. It is a Mexican-American
icon, just like many other of the same
in the Ogden area. I haven’t tasted
any that aren’t really good, really filling
and really satisfying.
So, without further ado, though this
restaurant may be short on ambience,
I personally will feel comfortable
trusting them to fork over a serious
meal without having to take out a
second mortgage.
In a pregnant moment, my gaze
directed through the glass display
case. I easily identified lemon New
York cheesecake, crème brulee,
crème Napoleons, chocolate mousse
wrapped in tall pirouettes of wax
paper and walnut whipped cream
cake. And there's more. The specialties
change daily, the possibilities
seem delightfully endless.
Sisters Maria and Marisa, Brazilian by
nationality, share the inspiration and
ownership of this wonderful new
arrival to 25th Street. Maria is the
business inspiration; Marisa is the
artist. Maria deferred the attention of
the interview to her sister, the artist.
Trained in New York City's Institute of
Culinary Education, interned at
Pierre's restaurant in Linghurst, N.J.
and in the City of Maseik, Belgium,
Marisa is not short on credentials.
Together, the sisters have what
seems to be a winning combination in
a Northern Utah starved for international
specialty shops like theirs.
Their concept is simple: to have a
European style pastry shop and lunch
café to fill that exact void. Right now
they are featuring Lindzer torte,
cheesecakes, Christmas cookies.
Stop by to see that something special
you've been missing since your last
trip to the coast.
I know where I'll be getting a cake
for my next dinner party.
Her philosophy is simple: present a
selection of fine antiques and collectibles
that will mirror the history of
Historic 25th Street. She also feels
strongly compelled to provide a good
alternative, to the modern purveyor of
cultural homogeneity, the Mall.
It appears she has made a strong
start in the several months since
making her business debut on 25th
Street. Antique furniture, cameras,
radios, glassware, china, pottery,
coins, art prints, one-of-kinds, etc.,
bring the shopper back at least a couple
of generations.
It appears the Lacy Lady is off to a
good start. According to Alice, the
dealer with whom I spoke, much of
their clientele is tourist. Summer visitors
and of course skiers, experiencing
our land of great afternoon light,
dry powder and excellent sunset vistas
are finding the Lacy Lady as
another welcome addition to the
Historic 25th Street business landscape.
Pamela has been in practice in Ogden
for only a month, but has practiced in
Colorado since her degree in Taoist
Education granted in Louisville, Colo. in
2001. Prior to her venturing into
acupuncture, she received her BSN and
Registered Nursing License in 1992.
She has background in Western and
Eastern medicine, but was concerned at
the state of poor fundamental health in
many of her hospital patients. Moved to
study further, something she found
acupuncture, a science and art, she felt
to be a legitimate avenue to restoring
and promoting health in an holistic fashion.
Pamela describes the treatment as a
"relationship" between patient and practitioner,
where acupuncture acts to reintegrate
the body's balance of mind,
body and spirit. She explains that
acupuncture is an accepted discipline,
practiced at most hospitals in China.
She also explains it is recommended by
the United States' National Institute of
Health.
In interview, I perceive Pamela to be
that rare person known as an altruist,
Pamela appears to look outside of herself
to others. "I want to get to know
my patients. I want to help heal people,
simply because it needs to be done.
Light is brilliant! I want to impart this
feeling to others."
As we talked, I looked eagerly around the still
familiar décor, the leaded glass and tiffany,
silently swooping biplanes, esoterica of yesteryear,
and antique furniture, all really comfortable.
"That's it!" I said firmly. "This place is like new.
I've been here a few times and it looked dingy,
but now it looks like everything's just gotten
here.!" Doug smiled. "We," he said proudly, "all
of our entire staff, have gone over every inch of
this interior and deep cleaned it." From the
tables and chairs to the airplanes diving in still
flight from the ceilings, Doug and his team have
indeed resurrected this restaurant into a very
hospitable and comfortable setting. To make it
even more comfortable, Doug serves every person
who comes in with immediate settings of
tossed salad, homemade House dressing, and
hot breadsticks, while Doug's team of chefs create
every menu item from scratch.
In regard to specialties, Doug retains an element
from his past. From dough to toppings, from the
menu standards to his custom orders, his pizza
is unique to this restaurant. He enjoys this specialty
in addition to his menu of southern Italian
offerings (mainly pastas, but also meats and a
delicious-sounding shrimp scampi) because of
his history with Godfather's. "I always wanted to
experiment and try different things with my pizzas.
I always made them different for myself,
but now, I can offer them to my customers."
Doug speaks passionately about his restaurant,
having pledged to create the finest quality
restaurant of which he and his crew are capable.
He says that many people still visit the restaurant
for spaghetti from locations as far as
Wyoming, Idaho, and the far reaches of Utah.
This patronage will, I'm sure, increase, due to
Doug's philosophy. It is two fold and simple: 1.
Serve finest quality at a family price, and 2.,
Always exceed, in service, quality and value,
what people are expecting. Doug wants people
to think of one thing when they go out in Ogden:
"This is where you come for spaghetti."
Shrimp Boat
The Shrimp Boat takes its claim to
fame from the San Francisco restaurant
“The Shrimp Boat.” Go figure.
Heidi Harwood, who is also owner of
The City Club, located 12 feet above,
in the same building, evaluates this
simply, “We already had the sign…”
This explanation, bordering on
whimsy, speaks directly about the
easy-going and comfortable surroundings
that the staff enjoys and
which they wish to extend to their
customers.
Olive & Dahlia
Walking into the Olive & Dahlia, midway
through the 200 block of 25th
Street on its south side, you are
greeted by the humid aroma of fresh
flowers and greenery, as if walking
into a greenhouse. It’s that comfortable
and yet more. Everywhere are
garden accessories and implements,
architectural ornaments. Like what?
Well, bird baths, trellises, gates, fountains,
metal figures, specially featuring
fresh cut flowers and arrangements
that can include silk elements
if desired.
Wiseguys Comedy Cafe
Some of the best and funniest nationally
touring comedians "stand-up" on
the Wiseguys stage in downtown
Ogden next to the old Greyound bus
terminal every weekend. Big for
Ogden, they are a unique opportunity
to see national entertainment without
having to travel to a major city, even if
it’s only Salt Lake, with traffic and
steep parking fees. In fact, being
right next to 25th Street’s Roosters
Café and an array of other fine dining
venues along the Two-Five Drive,
makes it even more special.
Marisco’s Nuevo
Vallarta
156 Historic 25th Street
Probing the minds of the immigrant
family and staff of Nuevo Vallarta was
my expectation, hoping the usual
interview questions would serve me
now. “What is your concept? What
makes your restaurant special? How
would you describe your cuisine?”
Petite Pastries
New Yorkers when West, recall the
German conditerei, home of the real
Black Forest Cake; the Italian
Sidewalk Café, home of gelato; the
Jewish Deli, home of New York
Cheesecake and blintzes. Well, this
is Ogden's shot at the French patisserie,
a real French pastry shop, with
the benefit of a lunch menu. Could
we ask for more?
Lacy Lady
Beverly Weiss is the pleasant and
welcoming owner of the Lacy Lady, a
boutique of antiques and collectibles
nestled comfortably between the
Gallery 25 and the Marion Hotel.
Lacy Lady has created with the help
of six "dealers" of antiques, a nice
collection of yesteryear that reaches
to the memory of middle-agers who
recall their grandparents and parents
chartreuse lamps, 1940's desks,
Brownie cameras, and what might
have been material for Andy Warhol's
collection of favorite cookie jars.
Five Element Acupuncture
Pamela Bys is the owner practitioner of
Five Element Acupuncture. Though not
traditional Western medicine, acupuncture
takes its place with other forms of
Eastern therapies called holistic, or
alternative, medicine. Acupuncture
itself teaches health and wellness as an
alternative to more aggressive medical
treatments of injury.
Doug's Spaghetti House
Doug Cannon, an unassuming gentleman casually
dressed, welcomes you into Doug's
Spaghetti House. I, having been a customer of
the Old Spaghetti Factory from years past, wondered
if it had really found a new spirit to resurrect
its past as a favorite Ogden specialty
restaurant. In fact, wandering through the old
entryway, I was still non-plused by the antiquity
of some of the outer building. Yet, stepping
through the main doors, something seemed different.
I couldn't put my finger on it, but this was
somehow much nicer than I remembered it.
Doug cordially invited me to sit with him, despite
his dinner hour approaching.
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