Restaurants in Canyon Rim

Though we can't know for sure, H.T. Hayashi likely had the local landscape on his mind when he built Pagoda Floating Restaurant and its accompanying hotel in 1964. The restaurant’s tall windows provide 360-degree views of the city and peaceful natural landscape, which includes a calming waterfall and Japanese koi pond filled with synchronized swimming fish.

Inside the kitchen, executive chef Jason Takemura celebrates the cuisine of Japan, Korea, and Hawaii with dishes that feature the fruits of the Pacific Ocean. He designs Japanese breakfasts of teriyaki-glazed fish, miso soup, and Japanese-style omelets, as well as lunches of oxtail ramen and garlic chicken. In the evening, he prepares signature dishes such as sake-braised Big Island beef short ribs, pan-roasted kona kampachi, and seafood linguine.

As the country recovered from World War II, Fujio Iwasaki was hard at work getting his eatery off the ground. Fearing a distinctly Japanese-style restaurant would not be well-received in uncertain times, Fujio added some Chinese items to the menu, and in the basement of the Colonial Hotel in 1946, Pagoda was born.

Today, the restaurant still delivers the classic Asian cuisine and sushi originally fashioned by Fujio, under the fresh guidance of head chef Jared Ekstrom and sushi chef Steve Nichol, who spent time in Japan as a tour guide and translator. The chefs lay out a smorgasbord of entrees such as miso sea bass and sushi such as the Baja Sunset, a Chef Steve original with spicy shrimp, cucumbers, and avocado crowned with fresh salmon and jalapeños.

Since moving to its current location, the eatery’s architecture has left as lasting an impression as the cuisine. A vertical sign stretches skyward, emblazoned with the word “Pagoda,” drawing the eye to a triangular rooftop that emulates the restaurant’s namesake structure.

No stranger to molten cheese, Back East Cheesesteaks gilds classic philly cheesesteaks with Cheez Whiz and more than 15 savory toppings. Steamed and toasted rolls cradle slices of chicken or beef that have been seared on a flattop grill. Cooks pile on provolone or processed cheese and a variety of inventive ingredients, including pizza sauce, spicy jalapeños, or mushrooms shaped like Sylvester Stallone. This rainbow of toppings echoes the multicolored pendant lights hanging from the ceiling, which cast a warm glow on the checkerboard-tiled floor.

Christened for the Mokihana tree that grows on the island, Moki's name nods to its menu's Hawaiian cultural heritage. Chefs adorn seafood, beef, pork, and chicken with homemade sauces, whipping up the traditional Hawaiian mixed plates that have been lauded by Deseret News. Servers then place the steaming plates, fresh salads, and cold shakes atop tabletops in the festive dining room, where vibrant tropical decor and cheerful island knickknacks speckle the walls. Moki's supplements its casual dining area with a charming gift shop of island-inspired goodies and souvenirs, and the restaurant's drive-thru supplies cars, trucks, and low-flying parasails with freshly made takeout meals. The restaurant also offers extensive catering services for private parties and special events, providing clients with amenities such as whole-roast pigs, fire-breathing shows, and luau-dance performances.

Each crowned by a small flame, circular oil lamps create the warm, low lighting and romantic atmosphere of Little Basil Thai Cuisine, bathing the chef's upscale renditions of Thai staples in their soft glow. Curries and stir-fries employ a whirlwind of vegetables and the diner's choice of poultry, beef, tofu, or vegetarian duck. The restaurant's wide range of beers, wines, and sake complement artfully plated specialty dishes such as striped bass and duck panang curry. Traditional desserts, such as fried bananas, compete for sweet teeth's attention with flights of ice cream, which plate three separate flavors side by side so diners can sample each and decide which one deserves the metaphorical cherry on top.

As Basil’s doors flung open in 2009, the Columbus Dispatch reported on the owner's inspiration: his mother Judy Ruanphae’s string of successful Thai restaurants—beginning with Thai Village in Chicago’s Wicker Park—that she ran with her husband while her son Rhome was growing up. Rhome borrowed his mother’s culinary mastery for Basil, which teleports taste buds to the jungles of Thailand with a menu of authentic southeast-Asian cuisine. Chefs gather rice or egg noodles to lay the foundation for many entrees, such as specialty kee mow, a soft or crispy maelstrom of rice noodles with thai basil, tomatoes, and bell peppers. The pla radprick invites forks to spear a whole fried tilapia adorned with sweet-and-sour garlic sauce and cilantro. The menu also features a rainbow of curry dishes, soups, done-up salads, and appetizers to keep ravenous diners from eating their napkins. The seasoned confines of a former antique shop welcome diners to Basil, decked out with bare brick and a retro advertisement for ice painted on the back wall. As a glittering chandelier casts light on colorful curries, wine-dark panels of varnished wood gaze at diners from the wall, and exposed lengths of ductwork add a neoindustrial aesthetic without the overkill of steam-powered dessert trays or austere Orwellian maitre d's.