How fortuitous it was that I came across Faustina while searching for a great venue to enjoy brunch, as Faustina means lucky and fortunate in Latin.
When I arrived I felt like I was entering an enchanted oasis. I was graciously greeted by Faustina’s gregarious and smiling staff who truly made me feel special as they served me an array of brunch items from their menu, which were simply delicious.
I first met with Ted Ripko, Faustina’s general manager, who was kind enough to take the time out of his busy schedule to sit and chat with me.
Before I say too much here is my Q&A with Ted.
T.J.: In your opinion, what is the philosophy behind Faustina?
Ted: I think the philosophy behind Faustina is we want to provide a nice environment for those in Salt Lake City and those who want to drive downtown to enjoy a good meal. We offer a wide variety of things. Whether you’re coming in for brunch or having a great expeditious lunch during the week, you can also come in and have a nice fine dining atmosphere for dinner. We give a little something for everybody out there and the philosophy is we essentially want to create happy people.
T.J.: Would you tell me about how Faustina got its name?
Ted: Absolutely. So the story that I was told is Faustina is our owner Joel LaSalle’s grandmother’s name.
T.J.: Generally speaking, who would you say your clientele is?
Ted: I would say our demographic would be 30 to 50-year-olds. We get many business people in here for lunch, and we also get a wide variety of brunch goers, and I think that’s true wherever you go. People want to brunch.
T.J.: Would you say there is a difference between your brunch clientele compared with your lunch/dinner clientele?
Ted: Yes, I definitely think our brunch clientele is slightly different. We do get a lot of regulars who come in for brunch, lunch, and dinner. However, we do get a little bit of a younger crowd during our brunch.
T.J.: I heard Faustina is going to be remodeled relatively soon. Can you please tell me a little about that?
Ted: Yes, so we are going to reinvent and bring a new Faustina to the city. We have plans to gut the entire inside of this restaurant. We will have upper dining as well as a mezzanine and have an outdoor dining deck for private events, plus more outdoor and indoor seating. In terms of aesthetic, we are going will a completely new look. It’s going to be very modern, opened, lots of windows, but will continue to retain it’s welcoming nature for the guests that are coming in.
T.J.: How long will the renovation take?
Ted: We will be shut down during the renovation for about 45-60 days. So we’re hoping to be open in time before the holiday push.
T.J.: Would you tell me about the cuisine Faustina serves?
Ted: Yes, I’d describe us as an American bistro. Some people have been coming here for many years and think of us as an Italian restaurant. We do offer some great pastas for lunch and dinner, but we do steaks, seafood, chicken, and we do it extremely well. We don’t put too many things on our menu but our executive chef and our entire team works really hard. There is definitely something for everybody here.
After my interview with Ted , he selected some of his favorite items off of the brunch menu for me to sample. I was served steak and eggs benedict, chilaquiles, and their cinnamon swirl pancakes. My favorite was their steak and eggs, but everything tasted delicious and was delightful to the eye. The balance between savory and sweet encapsulated perfection.
While I was feasting and brunching, a server who was assisting a regular diagonally seated from me was kind enough to answer one more question. I asked her if the two most popular brunch drinks at Faustina were Bloody Mary’s and Bellini’s. She replied, “Yes, those are definitely some of our most popular brunch drinks.” Honestly, what would brunch be without a Bellini or Bloody Mary?
For me, Faustina can be summed into two words: balance and perfection.
@TheChrony