The Salt Lake Tribune, 26 September 2003, by Nancy Hobbs

Crompton's Roadside Attraction, five miles past Hogle Zoo up Emigration Canyon, has gone through several name changes and menu revisions since it closed in 1997 after serving beer, burgers and music for two decades.
 
People who have tried to rejuvenate the small, quaint diner (looking tiny compared with the massive new homes being built on both sides of the canyon) learned the hard way not to forgo the beloved burger.
 
Now comes The Sun & Moon Café, which opened mid-July, reportedly to crowds happy to once again drink frosty brews on the deck while listening to music under the stars.
 
Carl Weyant, former chef of Solitude's highly acclaimed Yurt and its St. Bernard's restaurant, and with a decade of experience in New York City before that, is owner and chef of the newest incarnation.
 
The new name doesn't have any significance, says Weyant, but it does lend itself to some fun, eclectic trinkets and artwork throughout the low-ceilinged and cozy café, which has undergone little structural change over the years.
 
In keeping with the ambience, most of the Sun & Moon menu is quick and casual, with almost a dozen sandwiches and several salads offered for lunch or dinner, plus a traditional weekend breakfast menu. Burger lovers can still find thick, juicy ones here, including a terrific garlic burger with fries ($8). But there are plenty of other options, as well. Weyant's grilled vegetable sandwich is especially good, with summer squashes, roasted red peppers and eggplant on focaccia spread with a toasted walnut pesto ($8). The Italian sausage and pepper sandwich, with onions, peppers and sausage cooked in burgundy, is piled generously on a ciabatta bun ($7).
 
The menu's grilled chicken breast sandwich is tasty, also served on the savory focaccia and dressed up with a roasted red pepper aioli. The tender smoked pulled pork is drenched in a homemade barbecue sauce that is more sweet than spicy.
 
All of the sandwiches, including classics like turkey/avocado and the BLT, as well as a more trendy veggie wrap with black-bean cream cheese, are served with fries.
 
Sun & Moon's greens include a Southwestern salad with romaine, black beans, avocado, roasted corn and cilantro with a chipotle-lime sour cream dressing, or a classic caesar topped with sun-dried tomatoes, both for $8. Add grilled chicken to the latter for an additional $3.
 
Of course, beer is still a big seller, with several Moab and Park City microbrews on tap, and more than 20 beers by the bottle.
 
Weyant's biggest departure from the locale's past history is his foray into fine dining, which could be just the niche this place needs, given the canyon's growing upscale neighborhoods. Monday through Saturday evenings after 6, diners can order off the sandwich menu or order one of the three dinner specials, ranging from grilled salmon or sea bass to premium beef filets, prime rib, pork tenderloin, lamb chops or game meats. His goal is to keep specials below $20 and to offer premium wines to accompany them, affordably priced by the glass ($5 or $6) or the bottle.
 
"My forte is typically fine dining. That's what I did in New York for years," said Weyant. We tried a couple of dinner specials recently and agree he can whip up some impressive grub. Our server recited the offerings in detail and efficiently delivered the meals, including dessert, quickly enough that we could make another evening appointment.
 
Grilled salmon over couscous was perfectly cooked and delicious, as was the mango salsa served over the fish. The salsa was cold, however, and quickly lowered the temperature of the salmon. Green peppercorn sauce over steak is a personal favorite, and both sauce and the flat iron steak were perfectly prepared. I was most smitten, however, with the accompanying gorgonzola mashed potatoes, which were creamy and full of flavor.
 
Both dinners came with delicious roasted vegetables, using the best the season has to offer. They were priced at $16 and $19, respectively.
 
For dessert, we were presented with a beautifully decorated and scrumptious piece of chocolate espresso cheesecake -- one of 15 in Weyant's rotating repertoire; and pecan pie that was just that, traditional and perfect, as it should be. Both were a reasonable $3.50.
 
Although patio season is coming to an end, lunches on the mountainside are still pleasant, with colorful leaves near their fall prime. And until it's just too cold to endure, live music will be a draw to the deck on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, as well as Sunday from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.
 
While the beat of the music is slowed down a notch or two from Crompton days, now more mellow acoustic folk or sultry jazz, Weyant has bumped up the caliber of food, perhaps balancing the scales and hopefully setting the stage for another longtime success.

Catalyst Magazine, January 2004, by Mandy Jeppsen

At seven years old, Carl Weyant learned to cook. His Irish mother had no food thumb to speak of, so he would hang around the kitchen of Rose Pinzetta, his Italian neighbor. Rose had a two-acre garden full of apple trees, heirloom tomatoes, garlic, herbs and vegetables. She taught him the secrets of authentic Italian pizza, gourmet mac and cheese, and canning food for the winter.
 
When he was 28, Weyant brought his youthful exuberance to New York Restaurant School where he spent two years under instructor Neil Becker’s wing. Soon, he was managing kitchens at upscale eateries like La Colombe D’Or and the Rainbow Room in NYC— until one day in 1999, he read an ad for Solitude Mountain Resort on the Internet. Solitude needed a multitasking chef to cook while hosting 25 people each night in a Mongolian style yurt. Within weeks, Weyant was snowmobiling food to the top of a mountain in Utah.
 
Weyant isn’t shy; a native New Yorker, his friendly manner reveals a naturally creative mind. Though he doesn’t smile for photos (he thinks a forced smile is weird), his honesty is as refreshing and relaxing as his new restaurant, The Sun & Moon Café, which he opened with his wife, Marci Wilson. The two met at Solitude, and found their restaurant after Marci’s sister mentioned the vacant Crompton’s in Emigration Canyon. The building was in bad shape, but new plumbing, fresh paint, carpet and booths renewed it. Carl and Marci now live across the street. “I like the peace of mind that I can relax when I leave the restaurant,” Weyant says, “In NYC, you can’t do that. Even just walking down the street is stressful.”
 
Featuring special entrées nightly and a regular menu of sandwiches, salads and appetizers, Sun & Moon fills a unique niche between fine and casual dining. “You can get an $8 sandwich with a pint of beer, or a rack of lamb with a $65 bottle of wine,” says Weyant. People love variety, and families can bring kids for a quesadilla or a hamburger while mom and dad enjoy filet mignon with port wine demiglace or chicken roulade with black olives, roasted red peppers and feta. All Weyant’s recipes are made from scratch, and though some people may not recognize homemade aioli, Weyant can tell the difference. “Simplicity is important. If you’re going to spend a lot of money on a good cut of meat or exotic herbs and vegetables, don’t ruin it by adding too many flavors,” he says. Sun & Moon is expanding the outdoor patio for spring and summer. They offer live music on weekends and catering year-round.

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