What kind of food is Bosnian?

What started out yesterday afternoon as trying out a new restaurant in a strip center, ended up more like having dinner in the home of a good friend, but, I'm getting ahead of myself.

Yesterday morning Gretchen and I were driving up 33^rd South and she said, "There's a new Bosnian restaurant over there." We talked about it for a few minutes and decided to try it "sometime". Between her photo club meeting yesterday afternoon and the Symphony last night, dinner out was the only alternative. It came down to a choice between "Tasty Thai" and the new Bosnian place.

We chose Bosnian and weren't disappointed. When we arrived we were greeted and seated by the chef/owner, Ibro Sameric, his wife Mila works right beside him. I thought that this restaurant, "Old Bridge Café" had more choices than our usual Bosnian place, Café on Main, Gretchen thinks fewer menu choices. Whatever the case, the food was great.

If you're looking for a restaurant where the Sysco truck pulls up every Monday and Thursday and the food comes hot out of the microwave, this isn't the place for you.

We started with a portion of Zeljanica; a totally delightful appetizer of philo dough stuffed with spinach and a white cheese. A portion for each of us was my only mistake of the evening. We could have shared a portion and been satisfied. "Old Bridge Café's" portions are generous and a great value for the money.

I enjoy Cevapi, the beef sausages that are a staple and favorite at every Bosnian restaurant. I chose a half order of five and they came to the table hot and flavorful nestled between a piece of very fluffy Pita bread. To call it Pita though, doesn't do it justice. It's unlike any store bought Pita you've ever had. I also ordered Shish Kebab. The pieces of beef on my Shish Kebab were tender, moist beef rib eye steak. The chicken was pieces of breast meat that were just as moist and tender as the beef. Both had been marinated, cooked to perfection and came to the table piping hot.

Gretchen ordered the Muckalica, a Bosnian stir fry of beef, onion, mushrooms and peppers. Again the food was flavorful and hot. The special of the day was Goulash, and unlike Hungarian Goulash, the Bosnian variety includes vegetables. The Goulash was heartily recommended by fellow diners.

The bread basket was generous and served with Ibro's special unique blend of Feta, Cream Cheese, Butter and Whipping Cream. There was also a delicious portion of a Red Pepper puree that added still more flavor to an already wonderful meal. The great thing about "Old Bridge Café" is that everything is made from scratch on site.

Did I mention the desserts?

We split a piece of chocolate "Multi Layer Delight Cake" that was a delight. It was difficult to pick between that, Urmasica, Baklava and an apple version of the "Multi Layer Delight Cake". Before we left however, our host persuaded me to try a little piece of Urmasica, and it was very good.

So what kind of food is Bosnian?

Hearty, flavorful and spicy without being too hot.

The "Old Bridge Café" is named after a bridge in the city of Mostar in Herzegovina. The owners are from this city and the region of the same name. "The Old Bridge" was originally built in the mid 1500's, severely damaged during the war in the 1990's and restored in 2004.

Ibro and Mila moved to Utah over twelve years ago to give their children a better future.

It's amazing what you can learn during one dinner. We'll definitely be going back and I hope that you'll take the earliest opportunity to sample the wonderful food and hospitality of "Old Bridge Café" at 249 East 3300 South in South Salt Lake. "Old Bridge Café" is hearty cuisine, generous portions and a great value at a moderate price.