Deer Valley Resort opens on December 3rd. Yep, that’s tomorrow!! So, in just a few hours not only do some of the most appetizing ski runs open to the public, but so do some of the best restaurants in the industry. Deer Valley chefs are trained from all over the world and are the best chefs of any ski resort. Each ski lodge miraculously transforms into exquisite fine dining establishments during the evenings. I have some of the highlights of each Deer Valley Restaurant for the 2011-2012 Season.
Our evening began as a group of food writers chose their seats along a white draped table in the kitchen. That’s right, the kitchen. I sat shoulder to shoulder with the chefs that I so highly respect and other food writers whom I aspire to be like some day. We feasted on the highlights of each Deer Valley Restaurant’s best fare of the season, savoring each distinct flavor.
The meal started with a bang, Lobster Pozole with made-in-house hominy. This soup is served at the famous
Seafood Buffet in Deer Valley.
We then moved on to the Jerk Marinated Grey Snapper, also served at
Seafood Buffet. This dish had a tasty Jamaican coconut sauce and chili oil that would knock your socks off its so good.
Our third course was a Tomatillo and Cornmeal Crusted Sturgeon Fillet, served over brilliant colors of roasted red pepper and black bean, found at the
Mariposa. The Mariposa is highly acclaimed for its excellent wine list along with some of the most spectacular foods you’ll find in Deer Valley. The corn as well as the Honey Wine Vinegar of this dish were both sourced locally. You don’t even want to know how long they shucked corn to pre-pare for the season.
Our mouths watered as we spotted the next dish, Roasted Chicken Breast Picatta served on beautiful house-made spinach pappardelle pasta with bright butternut squash. You’ll find this dish on the menu at
Royal Street Cafe.
At this point I couldn’t even remember what course we were on or how much I had eaten but I knew I had to try the next dish… Seared Venison with a Bear Lake lamb bacon pancake (yes, I said bacon pancake!), elderberry jam, and a pan-fried tiny quail egg. This was the most creative dish of the night and possibly my favorite (although it’s hard to pick a favorite with this line up). I especially loved to hear that the elderberries for the jam were picked straight off the trees on the Deer Valley mountain.
Fireside Dining serves this dish and if you haven’t been to fireside you must put it on your to do list for this year!
Now on to dessert. The faint of heart might be too full at this point to even think about dessert, but not me. I miraculously found room to enjoy every bite. Our first dessert was a Pomegranate Napoleon made with local Slide Ridge Honey and a mascarpone mousse. This dessert is served at
Seafood Buffet.
This dish is when I really had to toughen up, because I knew I couldn’t miss out on any taste of it. A Milk Chocolate Cremeux Tart with salted caramel, yuzu jam, and a sesame cracker on top. A winning combination of exotic citrus, rich chocolate and my favorite, salted caramel. This dessert is another reason you must visit
Mariposa and a grand finale to our flawless meal.
If you’re looking for an epic long distance dinner, I highly recommend you trying any of the restaurants at Deer Valley. They each have their own personality and flavors yet they all will make you feel like royalty. And with Deer Valley only being 40 minutes away from Salt Lake, its not even that far of a trek to check them out.
For more information on the restaurants at Deer Valley, please visit their websites below. Reservations are required.
This post was a pleasure to write and even more so, tasting all of the best foods at Deer Valley, was an extreme delight for me. I feel a sweet connection to Deer Valley in that my time working there helped shape me into who I today. I worked for Deer Valley in guest services at a lodge for a while a also in the lodging marketing department, all the while learning about the culinary world of such a high class ski resort.
What a fabulous meal and opportunity! You know I always make room for dessert too.
I'm with you on the Bear Lake bacon pancake, that quail egg looks tasteeee.