Log Haven Restaurant

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Story That Begins With a Love Letter

In 1920, Salt Lake steel baron and Metropolitan Opera member L.F. Rains built a log hideaway as an anniversary gift for his wife. Oregon timber was shipped via San Francisco and hauled four miles up Millcreek Canyon by horse-drawn wagon, landing at the base of cliffs and flowing waterfalls. The Rains family used it as a summer sanctuary; local executives followed, fishing the creek and gathering by the fireplaces to shape the future of Utah. That spirit of purposeful gathering has never left the building.

During the Depression, the property passed through new hands — a residence gained extra rooms, an ice skating pond, and horse stables — before eventually becoming a restaurant. By the late 1980s it had fallen into disrepair and was slated for demolition. In 1994, Margo Provost purchased and completely refurbished the historic retreat, setting it on the course it follows today.

The People Behind It

The experience at Log Haven is, as the team puts it, created by extraordinary people. Brandon Hargett provides operational leadership and long-term vision; Flynn and Teri Paulson bring financial stewardship; Faith Scheffler oversees weddings and special events. In the kitchen, Chef Todd Hoffee leads the culinary program alongside Sous Chef Dayton Case, Sous Chef and Pastry Chef Steve Takahashi, and Culinary Advisor Chef Dave Jones.

Hoffee's approach to seasonal American cuisine centers on local and regional organic ingredients — including produce from his own garden — paired with refined technique. The menu reflects that commitment: starters like Miso Crab Cakes with shrimp-nori mousseline and yuzu aioli, or Tuna Tartare with miso-sesame tuile and pickled shiitake; entrées such as Seared Elk Loin with pecan-maple glazed fingerling yams and port-red currant reduction, Bison Striploin with jalapeño mac and cheese and Morita chili-port demi glace, and Pan Seared Salmon over creamy parmesan polenta with artichoke-lemon pesto. Desserts from the pastry kitchen include a Maple Crème Brûlée with wild huckleberry sauce and a Ricotta Dulce-Brioche Bread Pudding with almond crème anglaise.

The Canyon Setting and the Wine

Sitting four miles up Millcreek Canyon — about twenty minutes from downtown Salt Lake City — Log Haven offers patio seating at the base of a waterfall alongside intimate interior rooms secluded enough that even large parties feel like they have the place to themselves. On summer weekends, a brunch menu adds Brioche French Toast, Canyon Fried Chicken & Waffles, and Huevos Rancheros to the rotation.

The wine program has earned the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence continuously since 1998, a recognition that reflects both the depth of the list and the knowledge behind it. Wines by the glass span Gruner Veltliner to Obsidian Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon; dessert pours include a 1994 Dow Vintage Port and an Evolucio Late Harvest Furmint from Tokaj.

Utah publications have consistently named Log Haven the most romantic restaurant in the state, and Salt Lake Magazine singled out the full team — chef, wine program, events, and ownership — in its 2024 Dining Awards, calling the place simply "more than the perfection of its location." That is a fair summary of what a century of seasonal American fine dining in a canyon can become.