Monte, a tasting menu restaurant in South Salt Lake, officially opened on July 1, according to a August 26 report by Salt Lake Sideways. Owned and operated by chef Martin Babio and his wife Karen, the small establishment serves approximately twenty guests per night from Wednesday through Saturday.
The restaurant's concept is rooted in Babio's childhood on a remote farm in Uruguay, where his grandmother taught him to use every part of an animal and emphasized not wasting anything. This philosophy continues at Monte, where Babio avoids seed oils, has largely eliminated plastic, and composts vegetable scraps for local farms. He estimates that roughly 85 percent of the restaurant's ingredients are sourced locally.
Babio's culinary journey included working in kitchens across Montevideo, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Park City, Argentina, and Brazil. After years of hosting small pop-up dinners and working in various restaurants, Babio and Karen invested their personal resources into the South Salt Lake space, which they occupy via an agreement with Beehive Distilling.
The menu at Monte is seasonal and features a variety of international influences, including Italian, Japanese, Thai, Peruvian, Brazilian, French, and Spanish styles. Babio, who handles various kitchen tasks ranging from food preparation to cleaning, focuses on a small-service model intended to avoid stress and pressure in the kitchen. Karen manages the front of the house and service for the restaurant.
Since opening, Babio has also begun hosting collaborative dinners with other chefs to share his kitchen. He expressed a desire to showcase the quality of food available in Utah to those outside the state.
