Junah named one of the New York Times' best U.S. restaurants

Catch up quick: It was launched last year by restaurateurs Felipe Oliveira and Hiro Tagai and it specializes in itameshi, a blend of Japanese and Italian cuisines that originated in Japan.

• Junah was named a James Beard Award semifinalist for best new restaurant earlier this year.

Between the lines: Oliveira and Tagai are behind the ramen restaurant Koyoté, which recently secured a Michelin recommendation in the new American Southwest Guide.

What they're saying: The Times highlighted the restaurant's pork and beef ravioli-shaped gyoza, a tuna tartare special and a sake-cured honeydew melon dessert.

Flashback: Cosmica, an Italian diner in the same neighborhood, was the only Utah restaurant included in last year's buzzy list, prompting weeks-long waits for a reservation.