We have a St. Regis Hotel less than 45 minutes away from Salt Lake City known as the Deer Valley location. There are only 11 St. Regis locations in the U.S. and one is right at our doorstep. A beautiful drive up Parley’s Canyon and a 90-second funicular ride up the mountain gets you to one of the most glamorous hotels around, with a celebrity chef-owned restaurant, J & G Grill, and glorious views of America’s number one ski resort, Deer Valley. It’s is the perfect recipe for a fairy-tale evening.
St. Regis graciously hosted my husband and me for dinner leaving me feeling spoiled and super excited to share my experience with you. Believe it or not, there are price points for every budget at St. Regis and an intelligent, hospitable staff on par with the great New York hotels yet as personable and unpretentious as a local establishment.
St. Regis’ history is so rich, I hardly know where to start. I loved hearing how the atmosphere well represents Mrs. Astor’s love for diamonds and fresh flowers. The hotel is embellished with elaborate flower arrangements and if you’re observant you’ll find diamond shapes in much of the decor.
John Jacob Astor, who later died on the Titanic, obviously loved his wife and trusted her taste in decor, but his taste loved a good Bloody Mary. Each St. Regis has a signature blend. At the Deer Valley location, they serve the 7452 Mary, a blend of Park City’s own High West Distillery Vodka with tomato juice/seasonings, topped with a celery/wasabi spuma, black Hawaiian lava salt rim and a Worcestershire / Tabasco pipette so each guest can season their drink to taste. And I can’t forget midnight dinners and champagne saberings (yes, SABERing, as in a sword used by the calvaries of old used to open a champagne bottle at sunset). These are just a few signature touches and traditions of the St. Regis.
Each St. Regis bar has a one of a kind tryptic behind the bar. The Park City locaiton showcases a local artist’s depiction of the mining times. The faces and colors of the painting were absolutely stunning. This piece of art is worth a trip to Park City just to just stare at while having a cocktail (I recommend the Ginger Margarita).
We dined at celebrity chef Jean-Georges’ creation, the J & G Grille. Although, Jean George wasn’t there himself, we did get to meet the very capable chef de cuisine, Matt Harris, who impressed us with brilliant flavors and his friendly southern conversation. He charmed us with his passionate innovation, from barbecuing local pig at the outdoor fire pit every week in the summer to his own charcuterie. Much of his ingredients are locally sourced – Beehive Cheese, Crumb Brothers bread, as well as local beef and greens. Even the mustard was made with Polygamy Porter from Wasatch Brewery.
Our favorite flavors of the evening were the lamb chops, grilled to perfection, and served with pistachio pesto and carmelized brussels sprouts. We also enjoyed the Rice Cracker Crusted Tuna served rare with citrus chili sauce and sliced scallions. Though we had our favorites, I must say that no dish disappointed us. And ending with salted caramel ice cream and Tokaji Hungarian Dessert Wine left us starry eyed from our glamorous evening.
Here is the menu from our evening:
Trotter Charcuterie (I learned a few new terms this evening) : A whole Berkshire pig from Christiansen Family Farm in Vernon, Utah. The trotter was cured in house and served with spicy radish greens from High Star Farms, Grilled Organic Sourdough toast points from Crumb Brothers and house-made, whole-grain mustard made with Polygamy Porter from Wasatch brewery.
Rice Cracker Crusted Tuna A rectangle of sushi grade tuna crusted in egg whites and crushed rice crackers then fried and served rare with citrus chili sauce and sliced scallions. This was paired with Ramey Russian River Chardonnay.
Tai Snapper, Nut & Seed Crust, Sweet & Sour Jus A 6 oz portion of snapper crusted with a nut and seed mix then served over mushroom vinaigrette with heirloom tomatoes, fingerling potatoes, pearl onions and fava beans.
Grilled Lamb Chops, Pistachio Pesto and Brussels Sprouts Lamb chops are grilled and served with basil pistachio pesto and caramelized Brussels sprouts finished with basil. We were served the sleek impressive Jayson Red Wine to pair with this course.
Crème Fraiche Cheesecake, Roasted Plum & Raspberry Sorbet A creamy cheesecake with a traditional crust made from house made graham, finished with Raspberry Sorbet and Lavender Flour.
Salted Carmel Sundae Sundae with Salted Caramel ice cream with caramel Popcorn and Peanuts.
Warm Chocolate Cake, Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream Chocolate cake is cooked to order and served with a molten center and vanilla ice cream and a lace tuile.
This looks amazing! What a fun anniversary or special occasion idea!
your night sounded spectacular but to read it in detail… my goodness what a treat! so special.
Oh my!!! My husband went on a business trip last week to Atlanta and stayed in a St. Regis there. He promises to take me there with him next time, but maybe we'll just go here for an over-nighter!
I don't want to rain on any parade, but this place is so expensive, and not always consistent, that it's hard to want to go back another time. Seven dollars for a beer that's four and a half at the next most expensive resort and three in town. You can't order a decent (small Utah) glass of wine for under $18-20. Ordering a decent bottle almost requires taking out a loan. So, the extras are just nuts in pricing. It was $68 for two burgers, beers, a single house salad, tax and tip. Dinner with a bottle of wine is pretty much impossible to get out the door for less than $250 even being careful. It's also not always consistent, which at this price should be a given.Being hosted for a dinner guarantees the best food preparation and no sticker shock. After you pay for the same dinner and a good bottle of wine, let us know if it's a better deal than the same caliber places in town.
Dear Mr. Schiffman,I understand what you are stating but I want you to know that there really are several price points at the St. Regis in Deer Valley. You don't have to get the full meal to have a great experience. I think it would be fun just to go up the furnicular, browse around the hotel, and enjoy a pizza and dessert ($20 total). Or you might splurge and order an entree or the prefix menu on a special occasion like a anniversary or birthday. I hope that my point came across that you don't have to spend a lot to enjoy the St. Regis. Of course, if you order appetizers, drinks, and desserts your bill will be high but you can still enjoy the St. Regis without ordering everything. I hope that helps.Thanks for your comment.Becky
What a fabulous, elegant evening.
You'll have to help me out. The cheapest pizza is $11. The cheapest dessert is $8. Drinking water is free. Tax on $19 is over a dollar. You stiff the server with no tip and you'll still be over $20.The cheapest glass of red wine to go with that pizza is the Trapiche Malbec at $9 for a 5 oz pour. It sells at the State wine store for $8.99 for 25.4 ounces. That's over a 500% markup. There is no other restaurant in the State with that kind of chutzpah. For 2 people to split the cheapest pizza, cheapest desert, a glass each of the cheapest wine, tax and minimum acceptable tip is going to cost just over $46. If you're LDS, or don't consider a beer, or wine, to be as essential as the protein you are eating for dinner it's a lot cheaper. My original comment was that as soon as you add anything, but water to the meal, it cannot possible be called cheap. You've not said anything to show otherwise.I agree the food is good, going up and nursing a single beer or cocktail on the terrace is a great afternoon. Especially, during the Sunday afternoon jazz.I suspect we'll have to disagree on this one.
Looks like a spectacular evening. I adore dining on good food in elegant settings. We recently went to a fancy resturaunt to celebrate our engagement! & it was such a great night.
Great review. I have heard about Regis, but not been, yet. This looks like a wonderful special occasion spot. thanks for sharing!ps – brownbag's comment made me laugh.
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