Great news for hungry people downtown who want to try something new.

Forty-three of Salt Lake City’s best restaurants are participating in the 8th annual Fall Downtown Dine O’ Round. In addition to the regular menu, 41 participating restaurants offer a three-course dinner for $15 or $30 per person and 33 restaurants offer Lunch On Us!, a two-item lunch for $5 or $10.

New to Dine O’ Round this autumn are: Cannella’s, Caputo’s by Night, Faustina, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar, Oasis Café, Olive Bistro, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, Sages Café and Wild Grape Bistro.

“Dine O’ Round is a favorite tradition. For many of us, changing autumn leaves means cooler temperatures, back to school and new dining adventures in Utah’s capital city,” said Jason Mathis, executive director of the Downtown Alliance.

As an added bonus, mention the Dine O’ Round special at any ArtTix Box Office and you will receive two tickets for the price of one to Ririe Woodbury Dance Company’s performance of Configurations, September 23-25 at 7:30 p.m. at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center. For more information about Configurations, CLICK HERE.

Indulge the frugal foodie in you during Downtown Dine O’ Round. There are no coupons, no punch cards and no strings attached.

$15 3-Course Dinner
Bayleaf Café
Biaggi’s Ristorante Italiano
Buca di Beppo
Cannella’s
Caputo’s by Night
Cedars of Lebanon
Copper Canyon Grill House & Tavern
The Garden Restaurant
The Green Pig Pub
Iggy’s Sports Grill Downtown
J. Wong’s Asian Bistro
Lamb’s Grill Café
Oasis Café
Olive Bistro
Red Rock Brewing Company
Sage’s Cafe
Sandbar Mexican Grill
Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana
Squatters Pub Brewery

$30 3-Course Dinner
Acme Burger Co.
Bambara
Caffe Molise
Christopher’s Seafood & Prime Steakhouse
The Copper Onion
Donovan’s Steak and Chop House
Eva
Faustina
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar
Market Street Grill
Market Street Oyster Bar
Martine
The Melting Pot
Metropolitan
Naked Fish Japanese Bistro
New Yorker
Ruth’s Chris Steak House
Star of India
Takashi
Tin Angel Café
Vienna Bistro
Wild Grape Bistro

$5 2-Item Lunch
Gracie’s
The Green Pig Pub
J. Wong’s Asian Bistro
The Robin’s Nest

$10 2-Item Lunch
Acme Burger Company
Bayleaf Café
Buca di Beppo
Caffe Molise
Canella’s
Cedars of Lebanon
Christopher’s Seafood and Prime Steakhouse
Copper Canyon Grill House & Tavern
The Copper Onion
Eva
Faustina
Iggy’s Sports Grill Downtown
Lamb’s Grill Cafe
Lumpy’s Downtown
Market Street Grill
Market Street Oyster Bar
Martine
Metropolitan
Naked Fish Japanese Bistro
New Yorker
Olive Bistro
Red Rock Brewing Company
Sage’s Café
Sandbar Mexican Grill
Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana
Squatters Pub Brewery
Star of India
Tin Angel Café
Vienna Bistro
Wild Grape Bistro

For more information, CLICK HERE.

The certification is significant, because it means 222 Main is not just aesthetically pleasing and a great addition to the downtown skyline, but also sets the standard of environmental awareness and efficiency for many other buildings being completed in the Downtown Rising project!

From the windows to the electrical system to the high-efficiency HVAC system and water system. Simply put 222 Main is a model of efficiency.

The LEED Gold Certification recognizes Hamilton’s commitment to doing things the right way from the inside out.  222 should make us all a little prouder to be associated with Downtown Salt Lake City.

Congratulations to Hamilton Partners for setting the LEED standard for Downtown Salt Lake City!

The Downtown Farmers Market has received another national accolade and is recognized in the September 2010 issue of bon appetit magazine. Perennial favorites Grandaddy Dean’s BBQ pulled pork, Mama Linda’s chile verde, and wheatgrass from Sunbridge Growers were featured as top ten lunches at Farmers Markets around the nation.

“Congratulations to our prepared food vendors for being praised for their delicious and eclectic fare,” said Kim Angeli-Selin, market manager. “Our market ranks side-by-side with markets in famous foodie cities like San Francisco, New York, New Orleans, Miami and more. Bon appetit!”

During the harvest season the Farmers Market will be abundant with berries, cucumbers, eggplant, peaches, heirloom tomatoes, melons, peppers, sweet corn, squash, pumpkin, cabbage, onions, green beans, potatoes and much more.

The Downtown Farmers Market is open Saturday mornings from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., June 12-Oct. 18 and Tuesday evenings Aug. 3-Oct. 14. The market offers a unique variety of fresh, local flavors.

“The influx of new businesses in 2010 puts us on track to hit about the same number as last year.” said Jason Mathis, executive director of the Downtown Alliance. “This doesn’t include many corporations relocating downtown like EA Sports or Goldman Sachs whose employees will significantly increase vibrancy on city streets. It is great to see so many entrepreneurs and professionals embrace our downtown.”

Businesses recently opened in the city center include:

• Blonde Grizzly (15 East 400 South): art gallery and art-related retail shop
• Pepper’s (14 West 300 South): pita sandwiches and salads
• Eborn Books (175 West 200 South, suite1003): new, used, rare books and the world’s largest supplier of Mormon titles
• TRAX Express (300 South 600 West): concessions kiosk at the Central Station
• Q Clothing (213 East Broadway): clothing and accessories (moved from 900 east and 1300 south)
• DP Cheesesteaks (83 East 300 South): authentic philly cheesesteaks
• Subway (City Creek food court, 28 South State Street): sandwiches and salads
• Roxberry (City Creek food court, 28 South State Street): smoothies, juice and frozen yogurt
• Blue Lemon Restaurant (45 West South Temple): fresh, healthy and local cuisine
• Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse (275 South West Temple): fine dining
• Deseret Book (20 East South Temple): flagship bookstore
• Everest Tibetan Restaurant (123 East 200 South): Tibetan food
• The Artful Cup (61 West 100): coffee shop connected to Utah Artist Hands
• Bocata (City Creek food court, 28 South State Street): sandwiches by Settebello owner Michael Brooks
• Taste of Red Iguana (City Creek food court, 28 South State Street): Mexican cuisine and the third location for this local favorite
• Smile Café (175 East 400 South): Asian and American cuisine
• Suki Hana (City Creek food court, 28 South State Street): Japanese cuisine
• Ekami Thai Curry (336 West 300 South): Thai cuisine
• Copper Onion (111 East Broadway): American cuisine
• Brent Godfrey Studio (240 East 200 South): photography studio

The second season for the Tuesday evening Downtown Harvest Market begins Aug. 2 and continues through Oct. 12, 4 p.m. to dusk in historic Pioneer Park. The Harvest Market is a farm-based marketplace during the most bountiful time of the year.

The Tuesday evening market allows commuters who may not visit the capital city on Saturday for the Downtown Farmers Market, downtown residents and regular market shoppers to purchase produce mid-week, supporting community and locally grown and produced food.

There are over 25 vendors at the Harvest Market including Smith Orchards, Star G Natural Beef, Gold Creek Farms Cheese, Mountainland Apples, City Cakes Bakery, Bangerter Farms, Knight Family Honey and Zoe’s Natural Garden.

“The Tuesday Market is a way for the Downtown Alliance to build on the success of the Saturday morning Farmers Market and to create another venue for fresh and local produce in the heart of the city,” said Kim Angeli, Market Manager. “Our long term goal is to have a year-round Public Market where food producers and food lovers meet. The addition of the Tuesday Market takes us one step closer to bringing that goal to fruition.”

The Saturday Farmers Market has grown to capacity and the Tuesday Market establishes an opportunity for new farmers to sell their produce. The smaller size of the mid-week market allows for easy access, convenient shopping—and there is ample parking near the park.

During the harvest season the Farmers Market will be abundant with berries, cucumbers, eggplant, peaches, heirloom tomatoes, melons, peppers, sweet corn, squash, pumpkin, cabbage, onions, green beans, potatoes and much more.

The parade theme Pioneer Spirit – Then and Now is not an accidental choice. There is a clear connection that celebrates Utah’s pioneering spirit and our rising downtown. The spirit of entrepreneurship, optimism, willingness to sacrifice, and a hope for a better future that drove western pioneers is the same spirit that fuels our downtown’s rebirth. It is the same spirit that drives modern-day pioneers who continue to come to our community from other states and countries.

To celebrate our shared urban history, the Downtown Alliance in cooperation with our partners at City Creek, will sponsor a Downtown Rising float in the big parade. The float Downtown Rising: Then and Now documents the efforts by thousands of diverse people over many years to build a dynamic downtown community as the regional center for culture, commerce and entertainment.

The float also includes a nod to Utah’s pioneering heritage–reinvigorated every week at the Downtown Farmers Market, open in historic Pioneer Park on July 24th from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. It is hard to think of a more apt way to celebrate pioneer spirit than buying fresh Utah produce, hand-made cheese and locally crafted breads in an outdoor market on the site of the first encampment of Mormon pioneers in the Salt Lake Valley.

Pioneer Park was among our city’s most vulnerable neighborhoods when the Farmers Market opened in 1992. A high crime rate and a concentration of nearby social services created a unique set of challenges. Over the past 18 years several factors have contributed to the growing vibrancy. The weekly market has been an important development tool, injecting a spirit of entrepreneurship and hope. New additions to the park’s programming like the Pioneer Park Picture Show and Twilight Concerts continue this positive momentum.

We are delighted to welcome thousands of people to our rising downtown this weekend, as we celebrate pioneers—then and now—through a venerable parade and Farmers Market. The spirit of optimism and a willingness to sacrifice for the future continues to inspire and propel modern-day pioneers today.

We celebrate the completion of projects like 222 Main and the O.C. Tanner flagship store in the renovated planetarium. We watch with great anticipation as the City Creek Center sprouts before our eyes. And this week, we heralded the announcement of a new headquarters for great Utah company and broke ground for another key piece in the Downtown Rising movement.

333 South State will be the new headquarters of Questar Corp.

Tuesday, Wasatch Commercial Management and Zions Bank announced they have partnered to build 333 South State. The building, which will be built the parking lot west of the Chamber of Commerce Building, will serve as the headquarters of Questar Corp.

This building forms a strong anchor in the Skyline district at the south end of downtown, complementing the City Creek project at the north end.

In the original Downtown Rising vision, we foresaw the Skyline District as one bustling with activity, the home of new corporate headquarters suitable for the largest concentration of office workers. The Questar headquarters fits perfectly into the vision.

The downtown Harmons is scheduled for completion in fall 2011.

Thursday, we broke ground on another critical element of the Downtown Rising movement. As residential units in the City Creek Center welcome their first residents  (with plenty more still under construction), the need for a neighborhood grocer becomes rather evident. The new 43,410 square-foot Harmons is scheduled to open in the autumn of 2011 just a few months before the scheduled completion of the City Creek project.

There has never been a better time to be associated with Salt Lake City. Something truly remarkable is going on in the capital city of the New American West. What began as a vision has become a movement and is now becoming a reality and both 333 South State and the downtown Harmons are further evidence of that.

We broke ground today on the new downtown Harmons Grocery Store,  to be built at 135 East 100 South in Block 74 of the City Creek Center.

As residential units begin to open downtwon, the new residents will need a place to buy groceries. And this is going to be an amazing place to do just that.

Harmons, one of Utah’s few remaining family-owned and operated grocers, will build a 43,410 square-foot store on the site that will feature Harmons’ signature fresh foods including artisan bread, a carving station with hot entrées, Italian gelato, and a large delicatessen full of freshly-prepared foods. The much anticipated City Creek Harmons will be the only full-service grocery store in Salt Lake City’s central business district.

Bob and Randy Harmon, grandsons of the chain’s founders Jake and Irene Harmon, said their City Creek store will be situated on two levels and will display Harmons’ well-known fresh foods, pharmacy, custom floral department, deli, pizza oven, gourmet cheese island, salad and olive bars, custom meat counter, produce department and other groceries.

Above all that will rise an 18,142 square-foot mezzanine with a credit union, a Tempér gourmet cooking product section and a cooking school. Customers will be able to enjoy eating Harmons’ variety of freshly prepared foods in an upscale seating area with a welcoming fireplace, couches, tables and chairs, and Wi-Fi access.

“We’re so proud and happy to be able to be a part of the City Creek neighborhood and provide fresh foods and essentials for everyone downtown,” said Bob Harmon, co-owner and Harmons’ vice president. “Our new store will be very different looking from the traditional Harmons store. Because we’re in the heart of downtown and surface parking is limited, Harmons will create customer parking above the store like grocers have done in San Francisco or Los Angeles. And, instead of Harmons’ familiar solid brick design, the City Creek store will have expansive glass exteriors, to be in line with downtown ordinances.”

The groundbreaking also featured comments from Bishop H. David Burton, presiding bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker; and Natalie Gochnour, chief economist for the Salt Lake Chamber.  Bishop Burton told how in October 2006, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints invited Harmons to build a grocery store for the planned walkable City Creek community, with residences, offices and retail stores that would rise on approximately 20 acres, across three blocks.

“We’re certainly grateful to the LDS Church for seeking our local grocery chain for this opportunity, and we’ve been researching, planning and testing the latest trends in fresh foods, services and processes in the grocery industry since the announcement of this store nearly four years ago,” said Harmon. “We’ve traveled the world in order to bring back the very best ideas and foods to our home state of Utah. We’re also very grateful to the design and construction team — including Okland Construction; Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, LLC; Prescott Muir Architects; City Creek Reserve, Inc.; MHTN Architects; Spectrum Engineers and Professional Engineering Services — for making our vision for the City Creek store come true over the next year.”

Anticipated completion for the City Creek store is fall 2011. City Creek Harmons will be the local chain’s fifteenth store, just behind a planned Farmington Station location.

More than $5 billion will be spent on downtown construction projects between 2005 and 2012, creating jobs for more than 1,000 construction workers, and pumping an average of $1.6 million into Salt Lake’s economy every day. said Bob Harmon.

“Harmons is doing its part to boost the local economy through the City Creek project,” said Bob Harmon. ” We appreciate the community’s enthusiasm and support of our locally-owned downtown store.”

In 2009, Harmons reported investing more than $63 million in its associates through wages, salaries, benefits and training.

Harmons employs 150 – 200 associates in each of its 13 stores including chefs, butchers, bakers and food experts who prepare Harmons’ signature made-from-scratch foods.

“We train our associates to produce fresh food in our stores,” added Harmon. “And, our customers have told us they appreciate our effort because locally-produced fresh food tastes better and lasts longer than food shipped from a grocery commissary outside of Utah. The Harmons family and our large family of more than 2,400 associates are excited, honored and ready to bring this expertise and commitment to the new City Creek store very soon.”

The announcement also builds on momentum from the Downtown Rising vision for a “Skyline District” with a parallel spine of towers on Main Street and State Street. Downtown Rising was launched in 2007, and articulated a shared vision for the future of Utah’s Capital City. A quick review of recent accomplishments and upcoming completions shows that the vision is alive well.

The 180 room high-end Hyatt Place Hotel located at the north-end of the Gateway was completed in 2009 by the Boyer Company.  Gateway Five is a four-story, 65,000 square foot building, home to Ernst & Young and Jason’s Deli on the main floor retail. The $15,500,000 project was completed in 2009. These projects complement the rise of the Gateway District, as envisioned by the 2007 Downtown Rising plan.

Demolition is complete on the North Temple viaduct of the Airport TRAX line. The viaduct is 16 months away from opening to vehicular traffic. The TRAX line is scheduled to be completed in early 2013. This is part of the regional light rail proposed by Downtown Rising that makes downtown the center point for transportation across the region.  When complete, Utah’s urban center will be connected to Salt Lake City’s international airport via a 10 minute ride.

Opening in the last quarter of 2009, 55 percent of 222 Main is currently leased, including Goldman Sachs who will occupy seven floors. Other occupants include: CBRE, Holland & Hart and Brinks, Hofer, Gilson & Lione. Developed by Hamilton Partners, this environmentally sustainable project received gold LEED certification.

A development team is moving forward on financing and feasibility Performance Center on Main. The team includes Swisher, Garfield, Traub as the public/private developer, VCBO Architecture and Moshe Safdi as architects, and Hamilton Partners as the private developer. This is a Downtown Rising signature project.

Purchased by the RDA in 2009 the Utah Theater is being converted to the Utah Film and Media Center. The RDA is looking to phase the development beginning with plans for street front retail or development of art and cultural facilities.  This project will complement the Performance Center, Capital Theatre, Abravanel Hall, Rose Wagner Center and Temple Square, cementing downtown’s position as the regional center for culture and art.

The new Broadway Park Loft buildings (one north tower and two south towers) contain a total of 88 condos, including 42 micro-business/live-work spaces, designed for small, market oriented businesses and artists, 23 two-story residential lofts, and 23 two-story penthouses with private roof terraces Designed and developed by Allen Millo and Associates, the two south towers will be finished up and ready to occupy by the end of the year.

This $24 Million O.C. Tanner flagship store opened in 2009 in the historic Salt Lake City Library / Hansen Planetarium.

When The Leonardo opens on April 15, 2011, it will offer on-site exhibits, workshops, classes, teacher training, field trips and special events that explore the multidisciplinary worlds of science, technology and art.

In November 2009, more than 65 percent of Salt Lake City voters approved a bond to fund the construction of the new Public Safety Building and Emergency Operations Center. The facility will serve Salt Lake City residents, visitors and businesses to better meet the needs of Utah’s Capital City. The project is expected to be completed by 2013.

Subcontractor bids are currently out on this $160-$180 million expansion of the Frank Moss Courthouse project.  We anticipate a three-year construction timeline, with the new courthouse opening in 2013.  the decades old Oddfellow’s Hall building was successfully moved across Market Street to make room for the new courthouse.

And last but not least:, the granddaddy project of them all: City Creek.

This extraordinary project was recently highlighted in the most recent issue of Forbes Magazine http://www.forbes.com/2010/06/29/salt-lake-city-urban-sacred-opinions-columnists-joel-kotkin.html and is being built to Platinum LEED certification.  It has been the catalyst for other downtown development including more than 30 storefront retail businesses that opened in the Central Business District in the last year.

Currently opened:

First phases of the parking garage

City Creek Food Court – with local favorite Red Iguana and Bocata

Deseret Book Flagship Store

Blue Lemon Restaurant

Richard’s Court Residences

Next up – a whole slate of projects including:

Main Street Bridge – the frame work was placed in March 2010 and opens 2012.

Deseret Building seismic retrofit is scheduled to open late 2010

Promontory on South Temple (185 units) is scheduled to open mid-2011

Rental residences (111 units) will open mid-2011

The Regent (150 units) is scheduled for completion mid-2011

Harmon’s Grocery Store will open in the fall of 2011

Nordstom, Macy’s and all other retail scheduled to open early 2012

The next eighteen months will bring significant milestones to downtown. More than $5 billion will be spent on downtown construction projects between 2005 and 2012, creating jobs for more than 1000 construction workers, and pumping an average of $1.6 million into Salt Lake’s economy every day. It is a great time to live, play, work, shop and build in Utah’s capital city.

There’s a new building coming to our neighborhood, Questar will move its headquarters to a soon-to-be constructed building at 333 South State Street.

Wasatch Commercial Management and Zions Bank announced the construction of the building today; the building will serve as new headquarters for Questar Corporation and provide retail and restaurant space.

A great symbol of Questar’s dedication to downtown Salt Lake City and to Utah, the building is designed by EDA Architects. EDA has designed iconic Salt Lake buildings and projects such like the Salt Palace expansion, the Triad Center, the Broadway Center Office building, the redesign of the Gallivan Center and the 2002 Olympic ski jumps.

This building will form a strong anchor in the Skyline district at the south end of downtown, complementing the City Creek project at the north end. In the original Downtown Rising vision, we foresaw the Skyline District as one bustling with activity, the home of new corporate headquarters suitable for the largest concentration of office workers.

Wasatch private investors and Zions Bank are partnering to build the $45 million corporate headquarters building.  Architects and engineers are all local, including EDA Architects, Inc., Dunn Associates structural engineers, Colvin Engineering Associates Inc., EELD Associates, Psomas engineers and Arcsitio landscape architects.

Governor Gary Herbert praised the partnership.   “The 333 South State building is a great example of free enterprise invigorating Utah’s economy,” the governor said.  “Economic recovery occurs when local businesses innovate and work together.   It’s not about government stimulus – it’s about government staying out of the way.   Wasatch Commercial Management, Zions Bank and Questar are focused on all the right priorities – using local energy to finance and build an anchor downtown building.”

The new building will be one of the first LEED Silver energy efficient buildings in downtown Salt Lake.  It will accommodate some 600 Questar employees in a floor plan that is 20 percent smaller than Questar’s current headquarters, but better organized and more efficient.

The Downtown Rising Vision has become a movement and is becoming a reality… and 333 South State is further evidence of that.

Welcome to the neighborhood.