Taggart's Grill, located up Weber Canyon past Morgan, is off the beaten path. Yet the restaurant, rich in its history and famous for its homemade food and desserts, is always busy.
Currently owned by the Tuttle family, Taggart's was originally opened by the Taggart family as a gas station in 1937. By the early 1960s, it was operating as gas station and burger joint, until it burned down later that decade.
In the early '70s, the Taggarts rebuilt what is now a small part of the current building. At the time, it was a small convenience store, which closed in 1979.
Elaine Stoddard bought the property in 1996 with plans to turn it into a tree nursery. She often got requests from fishermen in the area for beer and sandwiches, so she decided to open a restaurant instead.
In 2003, Stoddard sold the restaurant, along with her original recipes, to the Tuttle family. Steve, wife Lori and their son Berk and daughter Kelsea have expanded the menu to include Lori's wildly popular desserts, and they have expanded the building to include a stone fireplace and additional dining areas.
They have also added patio seating surrounded by gorgeous landscaping, a koi pond, a waterfall and two peacocks.
"I like making good food for people who appreciate it," co-owner Berk Tuttle said. "People are passionate about food. It has to taste good. The service and atmosphere also have to be good, and people are vocal about it."
The special care they give to their food is what keeps customers coming back. For example, the Chicken Enchilada ($10.99) is stuffed with slow-cooked chicken and cheese, then doused in a homemade white sauce, served with black beans mixed with fresh vegetables and herbs, and a basmati rice from India with a Mexican flair.
Their menu includes vegetarian items such as the Portabello Mushroom Burger ($7.99), served on a homemade bun, and the Vegetarian Pizza ($9.99), with fresh zucchini, mushrooms, olives, onions, artichoke hearts, peppers and homemade pesto sauce.
Since every dish is prepared fresh to order, they cater to special dietary needs such as gluten- or dairy-free.
They are well-known for their desserts, prepared fresh daily by Lori Tuttle. Treats like Turtle Cheesecake ($5.50), Carrot Cake ($4.50) and Rocky Road Brownies ($3.99) disappear from the pastry case in a hurry.
