For Moesinger and other restaurateurs, food, wine and service are top priority, but attention to detail helps establishments stand out. At Caffé Molise (55 W. 100 South, 801-364-8833), Friday-night guests pair the fare of Southern Italy with John Flanders Trio jazz, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Flanders has blown jazz saxophone there for 15 years.
Other fine-dining stalwarts with musical accompaniment include Epic Casual Dining (707 Fort Union Blvd., 801-748-1300), where guitarist Ryan Miller (pictured) belts blues and pop covers in the main dining room Wednesday and Thursday evenings, 6-10 p.m. And Dee Wolfe plays folk-jazz on his mandolin and ukulele at Aristo’s (224 S. 1300 East, 801-581-0888) has live Greek music on Thursdays, 6-10 p.m. Meditrina (1394 S. West Temple, 801-503-0362) on Mondays from 7-9 p.m. to create a casual vibe.
Along with ribs and sandwiches, Pat’s BBQ (155 W. Commonwealth Ave., 801-484-5963) offers an abundance of juicy sound bites. Check out Scotty Haze on Thursdays and Roby Kap on Fridays for lunchtime tunes. Additionally, numerous national and local blues acts grace the stage—recent notables include John Nemeth, W.C. Clark and The Trappers.
Then, there’s late-evening music and food. For imported beer, Southern fare and jazz and contemporary music, try The Bayou (645 S. State, 801-961-8400) Thursday through ooodSaturday, starting at 9 p.m. Gracie’s sporadically offers Daniel Day Trio, as well as DJs. Alongside martinis and small plates, Joshua Payne Orchestra mashes up jazz standards with pop classics (like “California Love” with Dr. Dre) on Saturday evenings, 9:30-11:30 p.m., at Wild Grape Bistro (481 E. South Temple, 801-746-5565).