Faustina

A good strategy for eating at a restaurant you might feel is just a little out of your price range is to try that place for lunch instead of dinner. At lunch you’re bound to get the same style and quality of food – giving you a feel for what the restaurant has to offer – just at a lower, hopefully more reasonable price. I use this strategy a lot for restaurants where I feel the menu is a just a bit overpriced - and for me Faustina definitely falls into this category. I consistently have gotten good food and a great atmosphere at Faustina. I actually really like the place, but the prices are a little more than what I’m willing to pay for this type of food for dinner. But lunch, well that’s a different story – and for me the price is just right.



Having had many things on Faustina’s lunch menu, I’d highly recommend the steak sandwich. The sandwich is composed of roasted red peppers, steak (cooked to your liking), green leaf lettuce, and a garlic aioli all sandwiched between toasty marble rye bread. The roasted red peppers add a nice sweetness to the steak, which is rounded out nicely with the sharpness of red onion and the creamy, garlicky aioli. It’s a little bit of a mess to eat but it’s definitely worth it. Other standout sandwiches also include the juicy Faustina burger cooked to a perfect medium as well as the chicken cordon bleu sandwich. Although I’ve never had it, a friend of mine highly recommends the salmon sandwich (served with crispy bacon) if you’re looking for something not too heavy; the crab cake sandwich is also another sound seafood favorite. Sandwiches are served with either sweet potato chips or a mixed green salad garnished with beet chips; the serving size is generous enough for a full lunch. If you’re feeling like a bigger plate, also available are pastas from the dinner menu and a variety of salads and soup – at lunchtime sizes and prices.

If you do have an inkling to hit Faustina up for dinner, there is a definite Italian slant to the dinner menu and there are some great pasta favorites you should try like their classic pesto, acorn squash ravioli, lasagna, and pasta diavolo (if you like spicy). There are also items that take a modern twist on a few classics like salmon Wellington and mac n’ cheese. Although I wasn’t personally a fan of the salmon Wellington or the mac n’ cheese, the pasta dishes I’ve had have been quite nice. I enjoyed the hearty lasagna in particular as it has pepperoni in it which is a nice surprise amidst the layers of gooey cheese. My problem with dinner at Faustina isn’t that it isn’t good, it’s just it isn’t a good deal (at least in my eyes…and I don’t necessarily consider myself a cheapskate when it comes to food). I just think that there is a big difference between a casual eatery and a fine dining establishment – and to me Faustina clearly falls into the casual eatery category. With their hip and modern interior, young staff, and modern take on classic food – I would think that Faustina should be aimed at those interested in cool but moderately priced food. But Faustina seems fine with what they’ve got and it doesn’t look like they’re in the market to change. If this is the case, I’m just fine with Faustina being forever a lunch destination for me.

Faustina ~ Salt Lake City, Utah
454 East 300 South
Chef Jared Young
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