I don't know much about my Scottish ancestry. I think my ancestors were part of a Maxwell clan, and once or twice I found that clan's coat of arms at a local Scottish festival, but that's about it.
Contextually, I do know that Scottish cuisine isn't traditionally seen as an example of culinary excellence—it's the kind of stuff that was designed to fill the belly without paying much attention to the edification of one's soul. That said, I was intrigued when The Bruce Scottish Pub opened its doors in the Gateway Shopping Center. Now that I am a drinking man, maybe revisiting some Scottish classics with a pint or two under my belt will reveal some further insights.
One thing that I immediately appreciate about The Bruce is that it is a tribute to owner Tali Bruce's late husband William Ray Bruce. Not only was he an influential restaurateur on the Utah scene, but he was a descendent of Scottish king Robert the Bruce, who famously fought against English oppression in the 1300s. The Bruce Pub is both a memorial to Bruce's career as a local restaurateur and his Scottish heritage, which admittedly is a pretty baller legacy to leave behind for Salt Lake diners.
At first perusal of The Bruce's menu, it's clear that Chef Trevor Brown has the right culinary eye for tackling Scottish cuisine. Once you remember that old world classics like cottage pie and sausage rolls have an excellent foundation for awesomeness, it's not too hard to fall in love with The Bruce's take on Scottish food—before you ask, there is no haggis on the menu. There are some things that should be lost to the corridors of history.
As The Bruce is first and foremost a pub, taking a spin around the drink menu is a great way to start. I like the inclusion of mixed shots—the Vegas Bomb ($9) is a potent mix of whiskey, rum and Red Bull. Their beer prices aren't too bad—a pitcher of Cutthroat Pale Ale will set you back $11.
With a few drinks at the ready, it was time for my dining buddy and me to order. We split an order of scotch eggs ($10), I went with the bangers and mash ($15) and he tried the steak and ale pie ($17). Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the presence of tattie drottle soup ($6) that can be ordered with a cullen skink ($2)—IYKYK.
The scotch egg arrived sliced in half for ease of shareability, and it's got two dipping sauces. One is a gorgeous stone ground mustard, the other is a savory brown gravy. The egg itself is dynamite—it's hard-boiled yolk adds some richness to its cloak of pork sausage and crispy panko breading. Much like a sausage dish, if a menu has any sort of hard-boiled egg dish I am going to order it. I've had plenty of scotch eggs in my day, and this was one of my favorite preparations.
My friend and I noticed that the steak and ale pie came with ingredients called neeps and tatties, which prompted us to ask the server what we were getting ourselves into. As it turns out, "tatties" is a Scottish term for potatoes, and "neeps" is a colloquialism for turnips—so nothing we wouldn't want in a nice savory pie.
While I am more of a chicken pot pie fan, I have to say that the richly layered ale and veal gravy found in this pie is fantastic. Combined with the beef short rib and all those well-cooked root veggies, the steak and ale pie is something that will stick to your bones when the temperature starts dropping. Sure, it's the kind of meat pie that just has a square of puff pastry on top of a stew instead of being fully baked into a crust, but it's tasty all the same.
The bangers and mash were also decently hearty. These bangers are made from veal and pork, which imparts a grayish color to the bangers—honestly not the most appetizing of colors, but it's a small gripe because they tasted lovely. The casing provides a nice snap to these bangers when you slice into them, but that ground veal and pork mixture is almost buttery.
I am always expecting the texture of sausages to fight back with me a bit, but these bangers are happy to just melt in your mouth. They're served with plenty of mashed red potatoes, green peas and grilled onions, all of which make for a truly comforting dish of food.
As The Gateway has continued its evolutionary glow-up, it's nice to see these locally-owned nightspots making names for themselves. With a movie theater and a comedy club on the same premises, cool gastropubs like The Bruce are only going to enrich the surrounding nightlife.