You may recall that I’ve written about Kevin before. A couple summer ago he and his wife Alexa staged a terrific pop-up dining series called Arthur at Nohm restaurant. Kevin Finch hails originally from right here in Utah – Sugar House, to be precise – and has an impressive resume that began when he was fifteen working at The Grand America and includes cooking in Michelin-starred houses of the holy such as Maaemo in Oslo, NYC’s Betony, Ensue restaurant in Shenzhen, and – most impressive to me because Dominique Crenn is a hero of mine – as Chef de Cuisine at San Francisco’s Atelier Crenn. Now, and through August, Kevin is lending his skills to The Ruin with a residency and new Arthur menu that changes weekly. As I said, this ain’t your daddy’s bar food.
Kevin’s eclectic cuisine is particularly well-suited to The Ruin Mach 2 – having moved from Sugarhouse to Main Street downtown – which is eclectic itself in decor and design. It’s an eye-popping lounge decorated with bric-a-brac including women’s garments on the wall, scantily-clad mannequins, original local art, mod-style vintage furniture, comfy banquettes, a vibrant color scheme, clever lighting features, and more. The vibe is fun, funky and friendly.
The Ruin is open Monday through Sunday from 2 pm to 2 am with kitchen hours Monday through Thursday from 5 to 9 pm and a late night menu ‘til 11, and on Friday and Saturday from 5 to midnight.
I love that a portion of the cocktail menu at The Ruin is an “Ode To Our Industry” and features drinks created by a bevy of SLC’s best mixologists. They include cocktails like Jalatlaco, Stirred, from Water Witch’s Scott Gardner; one called Highly Ordered Structure from Crystal Daniels of Bar Nohm; Julie Tall’s Death’s Dance from Bar X; Cyprus en Vogue from Copper Common’s Mckay Middleton, and many more, including The Ruin Old Fashioned.
Haus Music Cocktail
There is also wine, beer, spirits, and a non-alcoholic cocktail selection. We particularly enjoyed a Phony Negroni and a tropical tasting cocktail called Haus Music made with Four Roses Bourbon, D’usse, Saffron, Coconut and Citrus, garnished with fresh mint leaves.
As I mentioned, the Arthur pop-up EATS menu at The Ruin changes frequently so you’ll probably want to take a look at it on the bar’s website to see what’s currently being offered. For example, I was looking forward to enjoying Escargot ($6) at The Ruin – Burgundy snail skewers grilled over charcoal with brown butter and roasted garlic – but it wasn’t on the menu when we visited. As I write this, it’s back on.
Spicy Nuts
Even if you’re just in the mood for a simple bar snack and a beverage, be sure to order the Spicy Nuts ($8). It’s a whopping portion of candied peanuts, walnuts, and cashews tossed with Szechuan peppercorns, Thai bird’s eye chili, and fried garlic. They are fiery and addictive. Other snack type items include charcuterie (priced at $9/$24/$35 depending on the combo ordered); “Bread and Butter” ($7), which is Leavity Sourdough with whipped butter seasoned with alliums and sea salt; and Radish and Butter ($9) – breakfast radish and whipped butter also seasoned with alliums and sea salt.
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Lettuces
Although we felt it was a tad overdressed, we loved the flavor of a dish simply called Lettuces ($12). It was a plate of young lettuces with a scrumptious sherry vinaigrette, thinly sliced radish, herbs and shallots. A recent addition to Kevin Finch’s menu is a Tokyo Turnip ($15) with nori, creme fraiche, calamansi and trout roe – a fine example of Finch’s eclectic and creative palate.
Beef Tartare
Meat lovers will enjoy menu items like Bone Marrow ($18) with grilled sourdough and parsley-shallot salad; Steak Frites ($48), which is a peppercorn-crusted culotte steak with au poivre sauce and fries; and the Steakhouse Burger ($21) of dry-aged beef on a brioche bun with roasted garlic mayo, Burgundy mustard, caramelized shallots, and Delft blue cheese. For my money, Chef Finch’s Beef Tartare ($28) is as good as any I’ve ever had, including famous Parisian versions at spots like Bofinger, Chez Julien, and Bistrot Paul Bert. The Ruin/Arthur beef tartare is finely minced raw American Wagyu top sirloin that isn’t fussed with too much: tossed simply with shallots, minced chives and roasted garlic and topped with a sous vide egg yolk.
Fries
I love that the plates the food is served on at The Ruin come from Keven and Alexa’s personal collection and each vintage plate is unique and distinct. Even the from-scratch French fries – which are among the best in the city – are served on a pretty antique plate – tossed with parsley, chives and served with roasted garlic mayo.
Roast Chicken Ballotine
Chicken dishes at Arthur/The Ruin rotate and may include Szechuan-style Hot Chicken Sandwich ($15); a Half Chicken ($40) with market veggies, mushroom, and brown butter sabayon; or the dish my wife enjoyed: Roast Chicken Ballotine ($35) – deboned breast and tenderloin with skin wrapped around a mousse of the chicken thigh with cream, topped with brown butter sabayon, and served with butter-glazed English peas, roasted mushrooms and potato pave. A simply stunning dish.
Here is some good news for fans, like moi, of Kevin Finch’s cooking. He and Alexa are planning to open a brick and mortar restaurant in the near future called, most likely, Arthur. For now, through August, we can continue to enjoy his creative cuisine at The Ruin.
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Photos by Ted Scheffler
Culinary quote of the week:“I’m the president of the United State and I’m not going to eat any more broccoli.” – George Bush
The killings took place in a region exempt from federal gray wolf protections.
(Dawn Villella |AP) A gray wolf is pictured in 2004 in Minnesota. Utah officials recently killed three wolves after they were seen near livestock in Cache County.
In a rural stretch of southwestern Cache County, state officials killed three wolves earlier this month after the animals were spotted near livestock, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources confirmed Tuesday.
The wolves were shot Jan. 9 by the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, said DWR spokesperson Faith Jolley, a move allowed because the animals were found in a small corner of northeastern Utah exempt from federal gray wolf protections.
The region, which lies mostly east of Interstate 15 and extends roughly as far south as Ogden, is considered part of the greater Yellowstone region, where the predator is in recovery. It is the only part of Utah where the state is allowed to manage wolves.
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(Christopher Cherrington | The Salt Lake Tribune)
Across the rest of the state, the animal is considered an endangered species. It’s illegal to hunt, harass, trap, shoot or harm them without permission from the federal government.
Jolley said state law directs DWR to prevent wolves from breeding in the delisted area. While the animals were not considered a pack, she said they were believed to be traveling together.
“Lethal removals ensure they don’t establish breeding populations in Utah,” Jolley wrote in a text message.
Caroline Hargraves, a spokesperson for the state agriculture department, said the wolves were found near Avon, a small census-designated community in Cache County of about 500 residents, surrounded mostly by farmland.
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Utah leaders have long been hostile to wolves for preying on livestock and thwarting hunters. The state has doled out millions in taxpayer dollars in an effort to get gray wolves removed from the federal endangered species list.
Most confirmed wolf sightings in Utah have involved lone wolves, Jolley said, though small groups have been documented on a few occasions since the first confirmed sighting in 2002.
During the past year, she said, a handful of lone wolves have migrated into Utah from Wyoming and Colorado.
Wolves from Wyoming and Idaho have made their way into Utah at least 21 times since 2004, according to DWR. In September, the agency said it was aware of at least one lone male wolf present in the state.
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Family members of four Utah children who disappeared with their mother in November are speaking out after the children were located in Croatia.
Now, the family is working through international legal channels to bring the children back home.
The children were last seen on surveillance video at Salt Lake City International Airport boarding a flight with their mother, 35-year-old Elleshia Seymour. Authorities say Seymour took the children without the permission of their fathers after posting what family members describe as “doomsday” claims on social media.
MORE | Missing Children
Seymour was arrested in Dubrovnik on January 15 after the family says news articles alerted people she was talking to in Croatia about the accused kidnapping. She now faces four felony counts of custodial interference. Since her arrest, the four children have been placed in a government-run children’s center in Croatia.
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Jill Seymour, the children’s aunt, has been in Croatia for nine days with her brother Kendall Seymour, who is three of the children’s fathers. They are trying to secure their release.
“We’re just kind of in limbo waiting to get them out,” Seymour said. “These are our kids, and we can’t get custody of them.”
She says the family is only allowed to see the children for two hours a day. Despite providing the requested documentation, the family has not yet been given a clear timeline for when the children can return home.
“They are most definitely trapped there, and they feel trapped,” Seymour said. “We don’t have a clear-cut answer. We’ve provided all the documents we’ve been asked to provide.”
The family has hired Croatian attorneys and is working with the U.S. Embassy to navigate the legal process. Utah-based attorney Skye Lazaro, who has experience with international custody cases, says Croatia’s participation in the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction could ultimately help the family.
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“In this case, it’s a good thing and a benefit that they are part of this Hague Convention,” Lazaro said.
However, Lazaro explained that the process can be slow due to translation requirements and court procedures in the foreign country.
“It requires retaining an attorney in that country who can translate the documents into Croatian and provide all the necessary information to a court,” Lazaro said. “That stuff just takes time.”
If local legal efforts stall, the family can formally petition under the Hague Convention, which may speed up the process, though it could still take several weeks.
“To have to continually say goodbye every day is very hard,” Seymour said. “It’s an emotional rollercoaster.”
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As the legal battle continues, the family is also facing mounting expenses, including short-term housing in Croatia and international legal fees. A GoFundMe has been set up to help cover costs and pay for the children’s flight home.
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Four Utah children who disappeared with their mother in November have been located in Croatia, according to various updates shared by family members.
The children were seen on surveillance video at Salt Lake City International Airport boarding a plane for Europe with their mother Elleshia Seymour in late November, 2025.
An ‘Endangered Missing Advisory’ for the four children was issued on December 10 by the Utah Department of Public Safety.
“The kids are trapped in Croatia in a state-run orphanage,” wrote the family in an update on a GoFundMe page on January 25, 2026. “We are in the country, trying to get the kids out of the custody of the local government.”
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According to another family member, who shared an update in the early morning hours of Jan. 26, 2026, Elleshia Seymor was arrested on Jan. 15 in Dubrovnik, a coastal city on the southern tip of Croatia.
“We are only allowed to see the kids for two hours a day, which we do to keep up their spirits,” wrote the family member. “I cannot understand why they haven’t released the kids to us, as no one else is requesting custody, but we will keep working to get the kids released. If all else fails, we will apply through the International Court at the Hague. Once that application is sent in, they have six weeks max to decide on the matter. So we are still working daily, but prepping for the long haul.”
Elleshia Seymour was charged on December 16, 2025, with four counts of third-degree felony custodial interference by removing a child from the state. A warrant for Seymour was issued on December 17, 2025.
2News spoke with Kendall Seymour just days later, as he continued to search for his children and his ex-wife.
“She forged my signature on passports and took them early Sunday morning,” he said on December 20. “Once someone leaves the country, it becomes months instead of weeks.”
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According to a family member, Kenny arrived in Croatia on January 18, 2026, along with other family members, and they’ve been trying to get the children released.
2News reached out to West Jordan Police for additional information and is awaiting a response.
