Amber Restaurant is back with even fluffier rolled omelets
Nov 19, 2019 01:57PM ● By Justin Adams
The new owner, Bruce Lee, stands by the iconic Amber Restaurant sign. (Bill Hardesty/City Journals)
By Bill Hardesty | [email protected]
In July, a South Salt Lake historical restaurant reopened by restaurateur Bruce Lee. The Amber Restaurant, 217 E. 3300 South, serves traditional American food.
"It had really good comfort food that we could count on," said a long-time 40-year-old South Salt Lake resident who remembered going to the restaurant as a 12-year-old girl with her grandmother and aunt.
Reopening
Lee reopened the Amber Restaurant last July. He previously ran a seasonal restaurant in Panguitch.
Currently, they are open for breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. On Saturday, they are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and are closed Sunday.
"This is a labor of love," Lee said. "I love seeing people happy and saying it was so good as they leave."
They pride themselves on using premium ingredients for items from breakfast favorites to traditional hamburgers and spaghetti and meatballs. Saturday night is prime rib night.
One of their customers’ favorite menu items is the omelets. They roll their omelets rather than the traditional flip and fold method. Rolling an omelet allows the mixed-in ingredients to spread throughout rather than being clumped at the fold. Rolling also results in fluffier eggs and no brown or dry spots.
Bruce’s brother, Gary Lee, works in the kitchen where he had also worked alongside the longtime owners. So, some of the old-time favorites are coming back.
History
The Amber Restaurant was originally called Ali Baba's and was built with a traditional Arabian look. The look complemented the unique Century 21 and Century 22 dome theaters nearby. The restaurant was built in 1974 by Jeff Adams’ parents. At the age of 14, Jeff was groomed to take over. He and his wife, Adrienne, ran the restaurant under different names, settling on the Amber Restaurant.
Lee mentioned a legend that at one point the restaurant was called the Aladdin and there was a flying carpet that circled the building on a track. A check of historical records never confirmed the legend.
After 43 years, the Adams retired and closed the restaurant in December 2018.
"Recently, a senior citizen came in and told me how she came here on a blind date when she was 18," Lee said.
Such stories are why the Amber Restaurant is an South Salt Lake landmark.
