"My dad calls us a food and wine pairing," laughs Alexis Furikioti Pham of she and her husband Viet Pham, co-owners of Pretty Bird Chicken on Prospect.
Being chosen as the Best Fried Chicken in Utah by Food and Wine Magazine is their latest accolade, joining Pham's selection as a James Beard finalist, being named one of America's Best New Chefs by Food and Wine, and beating Bobby Flay twice on the Iron Chef show and the Food Network Star program.
"My background is in wine, his is in food, and we met at the Beaver Creek Food and Wine Festival," Alexis continues. So dedicated are the owners of the four Pretty Bird outlets, Pham "even proposed to me at our downtown Salt Lake location in 2018," Alexis smiles.
Some were surprised when Pham turned to fast casual Nashville chicken after a career in fine dining, where his meticulous artistry running Forage in Salt Lake City saw him produce unique nightly tasting menus. His sharp eye for detail enhances every Pretty Bird dish; Pham even adapts his ingredient shaker technique to maintain consistency as grains of different sizes and weights shift during distribution. Alexis says PC is the perfect spot for Pham’s exacting approach because “people here value high quality, flavorful food.”
Although busy full-time with Pretty Bird’s culinary and management aspects, "We love cooking at home," she enthuses, noting that her Greek background and Pham's Vietnamese heritage "create unique, unexpected flavors."
As for the name, it's a joke inspired by the Dumb and Dumber film, from a scene set in an apartment complex just blocks from Pretty Bird's Salt Lake location. Pham had dreamt of owning a chicken restaurant and says, “When I saw the scene I knew right away - that's the name!"
A Pretty Bird by any other name would taste just as sweet, spicy and crunchy as this couple’s unique offerings, adding another (chicken) feather to our dining scene cap.