Mist Project on the move | The Salt Lake Tribune

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

The Mist Project, a pop up restaurant that is set to open on Thursday, Jan 19, in Salt Lake City, lost some of its luster today when it was announced that the month-long dining event would move locations.

The dinners now will be held in the building at 173 W. 300 South, where the now-closed Metropolitan restaurant was located.

Originally Chef Gavin Baker, the producer of the event, had planned to stage his $150, 15-course meal at Paradise Palm, a tropical plant store in downtown. The lush greenery and high ceilings will make guests "forget where they are," Baker told me during an interview for this Tribune story.

Something happened over the weekend at Paradise Palm as the kitchen and equipment was being broght in that forced Baker to switch locations. Did the owner misunderstand the extent of the project? Maybe it didn't fit?

Whatever the reason, staging this event in a restaurant with a working kitchen obviously makes cooking and serving easier for Baker and his crew of local chefs and students from the Art Institute of Salt Lake City.

But the tropical setting was part of what made The Mist experience seem intriguing. I've already been to The Metropolitan so there will be no decor surprises for me and many others.

Hopefully, Baker's molecular gastronomic feast will be so amazing that we can't help but forget about the ordinary restaurant setting.