The private gated communities with second-home winter retreats, concierge services and members-only restaurants of Park City are out of reach to most of us ordinary Salt Lake folks, but recently I discovered a way in. Talisker on Main is meant for the public, though it offers a high-end, elite-like experience. The evening started with a perfect peach bellini and only went up from there.
Talisker owns The Canyons Resort, The Park City Waldorf Astoria at the Canyons, Tuhaye Golf Course, Homes at Empire Pass in Deer Valley and Red Cloud Properties. Their reputation extends well into the black books of Park City’s most acclaimed patrons.With several members-only clubs and restaurants, their insider society and luxurious brand seems inaccessible.However, they have a small, intimate restaurant open to the public. First opened during the 2009-2010 ski season, the establishment is now looking to find a place on locals’ ‘must eat’ list. I was fortunate to experience Talisker on Main recently.
The photos of club members that line the walls of the dining rooms, the chess tables in the living room, the wall of wines and the open-air kitchen in the main dining area all work together to greet you and make sure your evening is complete. Should that not be enough, keep walking and you’ll find a small patio with a cozy fireplace and twinkle lights strung above the candle-lit tables and comfortable outdoor seating. That should do it.
Yes, the atmosphere welcomes you in for the evening. But it’s for nothing if the food doesn’t match.The evening started with a bellini and ended with caramel and chocolate with much to daydream about in between. I can’t remember a table where I enjoyed my meal more than at Talisker on Main. Complete with wine pairings and small bites from the chef, a new level of satisfaction found me after every bite. Here is our evening’s menu:
Appetizers:
Roasted Corn Soup
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Red Shrimp
Carrot and Zucchini Terrine
Entrees:
Pan Roasted Lamb Loin
Buttermilk Fried Chicken Breast with greens and a honey biscuit
Sous Vide Duck Breast
Desserts:
Aguacate Cheese Torte
Gelato Trio
Sorbetto Trio
Provencal Torte
Warm Chocolate Tart
My favorite tastes of the evening:
Appetizers- the red shrimp appetizer with all day braised pork shoulder over spring peas; the braised pork was perfectly moist and flavorful and the perfect combination for the spring peas
Entree- the pan roasted lamb loin entree with oyster mushrooms, juniper quinoa, and a fennel and tart cherry saute; this quinoa was exceptionally full of taste and the mushrooms were perfectly cooked adding an earthy flavor to the dish
Dessert- the Pistachio Sorbet (perfectly creamy and slightly salty)salty ice cream is a relatively new phenomenon that I’ve fell in love with and this pistachio flavor was incredible.
And I won’t soon forget the Warm Chocolate Tart which came with a rich caramel sauce and homemade marshmallows; the caramel, chocolate, and marshmallows were the perfect combination of familiar flavors with an upscale twist to create a decadent and tasty dessert.
Appetizers- the red shrimp appetizer with all day braised pork shoulder over spring peas; the braised pork was perfectly moist and flavorful and the perfect combination for the spring peas
Entree- the pan roasted lamb loin entree with oyster mushrooms, juniper quinoa, and a fennel and tart cherry saute; this quinoa was exceptionally full of taste and the mushrooms were perfectly cooked adding an earthy flavor to the dish
Dessert- the Pistachio Sorbet (perfectly creamy and slightly salty)salty ice cream is a relatively new phenomenon that I’ve fell in love with and this pistachio flavor was incredible.
And I won’t soon forget the Warm Chocolate Tart which came with a rich caramel sauce and homemade marshmallows; the caramel, chocolate, and marshmallows were the perfect combination of familiar flavors with an upscale twist to create a decadent and tasty dessert.
I enjoyed enjoying the lavish lifestyle if even for just one evening. On your next trip to Park City from Salt Lake, go there.
815 Main Street
Park City, UT 84060
Reservations 435-658-5479
Hours: 5:30-10:00pm
This place sounds fabulous! my current favorite fine dining, and possible my favorite place in all SLC is Fresco. the outdoor patio, the warm fireplace, the kind & knowledgable staff, the amazingly decadent dishes. I don't know that i could pick a favorite reason. I just love the romance of it.
Nothing beats the patio at Ruth's, beautiful music, great scenery, and a diner drive in and dives atmosphere. Gotta love a classic.
Probably the finest meal I've ever had in Utah was at Log Haven. My husband and I were married there and went back for our 1st anniversary. I'll never forget it, the pork loin and sweet potato gnocchi I had were beyond amazing.
Its hard to pick just one favorite, I have had so many exquisite dining experiences. I would have to say one of my favorite places to visit that I have been to many times would be Cafe Terigo. The scallops or the fettuccine take the cake but everything I have had there was excellent.
Many of my top dining experiences in Utah have taken place at Tiburon. I've never been disappointed with the food or service, plus I love the cozy, charming feel of a house-turned-restaurant.Seriously, I cannot wait to try Talisker on Main. I already have the perfect occasion picked out. Thanks for highlighting it!
fine dining in utah? hmmm…bistro toujours (deer valley resort) back when it first opened. service was top notch, and the food was well balanced. after the original executive chef took off for other opportunities, the food quality went down, and never recovered. sadly.
I also have to agree with amylashelle. I would say may favorite dining experiences are a nice evening sitting at Fresco on thier patio have a couple tastings of different dishes. Another favorite is sitting on the patio at the Paris for a cheese plate and wine or at Em's because they have very knowledgable staff member and suggest something new almost everytime I go in.
We are headed there tonight for my bday! I could not be more excited to see your review today. Favorite dining experience would have to be tin angel. it is far from fine dining, but we love it all the same….
Now THAT looks like a place to try. I'm not sure where my favorite place is but fine dining to me doesn't always mean formal. Casa de Visconti is quite fine.
I would say I've had two really great "fine dining" experiences in Utah (although you should ask me at some point what I think about the whole fine dining thing). One would be a more traditional experience at The Mariposa at Deer Valley Ski Resort – the ambiance, the service, the sablefish, the dessert…all added up to a special meal. The second is what I would call a more modern fine dining experience at Forage. Multiple courses of intricately designed food was a special pleasure.
My favorite fine dining experience was probably in Wahso a few years ago— the atmosphere was perfect, and every bite of the meal was decadent and so, so lovely. I still have dreams of that perfect duck. . .
I just had a great dining experience at Sapa Grill. We sat outside in the garden area. It was beautiful, and both the food and service were fantastic.
With a husband in grad school, our fine dining experiences have been relatively limited, though we do seek out and enjoy the delicious local fare as often as our checkbook allows.For our first anniversary, it seemed appropriate to go somewhere decidedly swanky. We chose The New Yorker on 60 West Market Street in downtown SLC. They offer a "value priced" meal (http://www.gastronomyinc.com/ny/images/val_pric_din.jpg) that portioned and priced incredibly well for the delicious three course meal you receive. We both chose the 6oz filet mignon, which is smothered in delicious crab bearnaise sauce. My favorite restaurant in my hometown in Texas serves a very similar steak, so I was in heaven x3.
I had a chance to see Talisker during the Park City Food and Wine Festival. It was beautiful and I wanted a chance to go back! My favorite fine dining experience in Utah probably Bambara followed by the Red Door for drinks or Caffe Molise.
Ooo. I'd love to win this. I'm not getting in there any other way!My favorite place to eat is Shabu on Main Street. The food is great and they have a great selection of vegetarian and vegan options.snowboardgirl at gmail
I would love nothing more than to win this. We are from cache valley and so the fine dining is limited here but we love to travel to SLC and Park City. But we have been to Ruths and Tin Angel.
There used to be – many years ago – a great little French restaurant in a basement location on Main Street in Park City. I would always take my out of town friends up there. I also loved the Barking Frog (also gone, sadly). I do love the Paris Bistro in SLC on 15th/15th – lovely patio, great food.
I would love to take my wife. It sounds like a great place to go. I would also blog about it on Dave's Lunchtime=)Dave
Talisker sounds delightful! I would have to say, Takashi is one of my favorites in SLC. Best sushi, great service. Love Ems too. Great patio, fabulous food. I'm getting hungry just thinking of it!
My favorite dining experience is the patio at Eva. I love the magical little space, which looks even more lovely with each of their special cocktails. The food there is just so flavorful! It is a wonderful get away and by the end of the night there is still enough money in your pocket to pay the babysitter!
The best I've had in Utah has probably been at Spark in Provo. During the first six or eight months they were open, my wife and I had quite a few "wow this is good" meals. Sounds like we'll have to make a special trip for Talisker soon.
There is one consistency in nearly all the top fine dining experiences. The food was just one component. Always a very important one, but the complete experience — and often special company — is essential.This spring I found myself in Park City with my wife and a couple friends on a Sunday afternoon during mud season. Every one of the usual suspects was closed. However, Easy Street was open. There were more cooks in the open kitchen than in the restaurant. Our server was excellent. The wine sang. We spent half of the meal talking about bistros in Paris the mussels, calamari and soups reminded us of. The rest of the time was appreciating how good the dining is in Utah compared to our population. It's easy to find fault, but many times — life is good.
Talisker sounds like a wonderful place. I can't possibly pick my favorite, but I do love Fresco for a nice quite place. There are so many places I want to go . . . seems like an endless list.
Chef's Table in Provo has been my favorite. Completely delicious!
I love Fresco and Log Haven, but my very favorite has to be Bambara. It's been consisently good over the years and with every change of their executive chef. I'd love to try the food at Talisker.
This place sounds fantastic! You know, we don't get to go out to nice restaurants often, but one place we are in LOVE with is Benihana's. The food there is AMAZING! I'm a serious scallops fanatic and they cook them to perfection. Plus the fun atmosphere helps. IF you go for your birthday, they provide extra perks too, like dessert, a photo of your evening's guests and if you're a member of their club you can get your entire meal for free!!! The best place!!!
Where I live in rural Utah there is no fine dining…LOL. My fine dining has been at my table or my sisters!! Joni
It was a hard decision but my unbiased husband helped to choose a winner for the $100 gift certificate. Hope, please send your address to beckyros at gmail. Thanks to everyone for participating! This was one of my favorite posts and it was especially fun to read all of your fine dining recommendations! Now I have more places to add to my list to try!
congratulations hope!!! post a review of talisker on this blog so we can all see what you had etc.
or yelp it if you're on yelp. 😉
it looks incredible! too bad i wasn't paying attention 😉