We returned to our favorite food-event of the summer this year and it continued to live up to all the hype.  Savor the Summit is an event in Park City, where many of the restaurants move their service to Main Street, lining the block with one long table and serving several courses to their guests.  Each restaurant creates their own special menu for this evening, showcasing new ideas sprouting from their talented chefs.

This year, we sat at Handle’s table, a restaurant that’s been on my list for quite some time.  I’m honestly a little embarrassed that we hadn’t experienced Handle until now.   I’ll blame it on a busy season and parenthood, but never-the-less, I’m just glad we finally got to have the a full experience at Briar Handly’s table.

Savor the Summit was the perfect way to get a full taste of what Chef Handly is capable of.  We were served our food family style and EVERY SINGLE DISH lived up to my expectations or exceeded them. So many of the plates were piled high with fresh, seasonal veggies, cooked to perfection with plenty of texture and flavor. The meats incorporated into the meal, were also cooked and seasoned just right.

One of my favorite bites of the night came from the dish above glittering with fresh cherries, pickled rhubarb, seasonal mushrooms, pheasant confit, brussels sprouts, and scattered herbs.  Every fork-full gave a balance of fresh and satisfying flavors. 

The eclectic, pure nature of the food and atmosphere proved to be authentic and though I got to taste so many dishes on this evening, I am already looking into getting more experiences with Briar Handly’s food!

Past Savor the Summit experiences:

Savor the Summit 2015 at Reef’s

Savor the Summit 2013 at Reef’s

Savor the Summit 2012 at Royal Street Cafe

Savor the Summit 2011 at 350 Main

Ever since we drove up the hill to Park City to dine at The Nelson Cottage, I haven’t stopped talking about the meal with encountered.  Did you know High West Distillery just opened up a new pre-fix menu restaurant??  It’s easy to miss but its stealth is part of its charm.  The cute blue bungalow is just one door down from the popular, and often times hard to get into, High West Distillery restaurant and saloon.

We were led to our seats at the classic long table that is the centerpiece of the Savor the Summit event – Main Street in Park City is shut down to automobile traffic, opening it up to a wonderful ‘Eat in the Street’ evening. We decided to start with a cool and refreshing Italian Pinot Grigio, perfect closure for the hot day. The warm evening had everyone in good spirits, and as the sun set over Main Street, servers brought around smoked salmon crostinis for the first course.

As the night progressed, we tasted several other wines; a Côtes du Rhone, and an Israeli Cabernet Sauvignon that was my drink of preference for the remainder of the meal. As a main course, my mom ordered the sweet and juicy rack of lamb, served over a lightly spiced mixture of beans and cooked apricots. The most memorable dish of the evening was my halibut, which had been steamed in a bright green banana leaf, with lemon slices, leeks, carrot greens, and a kick of spicy green curry on top.

After the main course and before dessert, people started getting up to deliver the envelopes and roses to Bryn, whose boyfriend was proposing to her that night. After everyone had delivered Brent’s messages to her, he asked her to marry him right then and there. She said yes!! Everyone snapped photos and cheered as the servers brought around a light fruit salad flecked with mint leaves. We relaxed and conversed with our neighbors and drank more delicious Israeli wine as patrons started to drift off to different after parties.

This family owned restaurant put on a great evening, which I’m sure will be remembered for years to come by Bryn and Brent. We enjoyed Reef’s hospitality and will be sure to check out their daily menu on our next visit to Park City!

Deer Valley continues to bring good food to the East side of the Wasatch Front. They recently opened up a new restaurant at The Lodges at Deer Valley, The Brass Tag, where you can get a feel for the mining days, while enjoying a moderately priced meal along with big flavored cocktails and wine.

At the Brass Tag you can watch the chefs busily getting food in and out of the brick oven and plating to perfection in cast iron skillets and stone platters. The dark atmosphere and earthen-ware plating, makes it easy to imagine the mining days. Even the bar is lined with old mining maps for navigating the dark tunnels under what we now enjoy for skiing. So, while you eat, you may get a little lesson of Park City’s past.

We dined in the dimly lit lodge taking in each course as it came our way. Here are a few standouts:

Appetizer- House Cured Duck and Parma Proscuitto Flat Bread – this pizza-like dish was perfectly cheesy with an earthy note adding in the duck and a crisp ending with green apple matchsticks.

Greens- Baby Spinach or Blueberry Romaine and Kale Salad – Both of these salads were a huge standout to me!  The baby spinach salad looked plain but tasted perfect.  It was dressed to just the right amount and the addition of caramelized pineapple really took it over the top.  Also, I’m a big fan of fresh herbs in my salad so the mint won me over.  As for the Blueberry Romaine and Kale Salad, it was crunchy with a rich dressing with plum, ripe blueberries and a creamy, creamy house-made lemon ricotta – need I say more?!

Entrees- Mushroom Trio and Potato Hash and the Tandoori Rubbed Quail. The Hash was right up my alley with flavorful quinoa, a farm fresh egg and a bright red pepper sauce that pulled all of the flavors together perfectly.  And the Tandoori Quail was a real kicker on the menu, this little bird had a corn bread stuffing, and was served over a coconut lime sauce and sweet potato puree but the spices on the meat really made the dish great.

Sides- Sweet Soy Roasted Broccoli with Shiitake Mushrooms and Leek and Garlic Creamed Spinach. The Broccoli and Mushrooms took me back to some of my favorite asian stir frys but much much better. The sauce was perfect with the right amount of ginger and garlic and the broccoli kept its crispiness making for a great combo of texture and flavor. The Creamed Spinach was sublime with a rich sauce and a cheese on top that I wish I would have asked more about.

Dessert- Cobbler. The cobbler served at The Brass Tag was comprised of just the right amount of fruit and moist cake and is served in the cutest little cast iron pan, you’ll want to take it home once you’ve devoured all of the cobbler (which, trust me, you will!)

Everything on the menu is accessible yet refined and the atmosphere creates an imagination for the mining days. The Brass Tag must be a locals choice if you’re in the neighborhood or not.

If you want a classic Park City dining experience there’s no other place.  Riverhorse on Main has been the place residents and visitors dine on those special occasions for over 17 years! With live music, fresh seafood, and a great drink menu, you just can’t go wrong. And did I mention they have a second level patio overlooking all of Park City’s historic Main Street?!  Summer nights don’t get any better than this!

On a recent visit to Riverhorse we checked out the latest changes to the menu, highlighting more seafood and seasonally fresh items. We started with the ahi tuna duo and just kept ordering from the ocean from there.

Living in land-locked Utah, we don’t have many chances for fresh seafood so we knew we had to try some of their favorites.  For entrees I went with the trout, a local find, while Josh went for the surf and turf.  Both were cooked perfectly, as our server Mike said – “There’s something special about the kitchen here; it’s like they sprinkle magic fairy dust on the dishes as they come out.” He mentioned many of his guests comment on the trout as the best they’ve had and I must agree.

Riverhorse also has some great cocktails along with an extensive wine list. I recommend a cool summer cocktail to start and a glass of wine to pair with your meal.  We asked our server what pairs best with the dishes we were thinking of ordering and he had knowledgeable advice that proved it’s worth- always a good sign!

What really took our nice evening out to the next level was the live music.  The night we dined at Riverhorse there was an exceptional duo playing.  We could have stayed for hours just listening while we ate and sipped. Alas, we had to relieve our babysitter but the evening couldn’t have been better.

All aspects of a perfect Park City meal are met at Riverhorse. It’s a classic spot but they keep making dining here just so enjoyable!

Riverhorse on Main

540 Main Street

I had the extreme pleasure of tasting some of the chef’s newest creations for this season at Deer Valley. They never cease to amaze me with what they come up with at Deer Valley.  This season’s menu is filled with new surprises like oolong tea infused broths, salted caramel corn flavored panna cotta, and smoked duck linguica (served in a steaming glass terrarium), not to mention their new artisan cheese line. So many flavors wowed me at this tasting!  I think Deer Valley is also stepping up their game on plating. They served a Rose Hip Glazed Niman Ranch Pork Tenderloin with Fireside Peach Relish and Parsnip Velvet on a beautiful ornate plate over a contrasting wood charger (pictured above). Only Deer Valley can constitute calling their purees velvet!

If I could recommend just a few things to you from my tasting I would say, you must try their new cheeses (pick them up at Deer Valley Grocery Cafe), the Niman Ranch Porchetta with Creamy Brussels Sprouts and Whole Grain Mustard (if not for the Brussels Sprouts alone) from Royal Street Cafe, and the Salted Caramel Corn Panna Cotta from Seafood Buffet.

Check out #DeerValleyTasting on instagram for more alluring photos of the new Deer Valley  menus!

This is part 2 of 3 posts with photos and story of our #PCprogressive Dinner with Washington School House Hotel, Libation SLC, World Kitchen Specialty Foods, Shabu and Reef’s.  Search the #PCprogressive hashtag on Instagram for more photos.

Read about our first stop at Washington School House Hotel by Mary McIntyre.

After leaving the school house with a few bites and some great wines presented by Francis Fecteau, we meandered our way down in the lower levels of Main Street’s belly into Shabu.

It’s important to note, before we go any further, that Shabu is offering $25 off when you spend $75 or more through the shoulder season.

Our second stop of the evening is owned and operated by two brothers – Kevin and Bob Valaika (read more about them here). One manages the front of house (Kevin) and the other makes his home nightly in the kitchen as the executive chef (Bob).  Located on Historic Main Street, Shabu opened in 2004 and has become well known for its unique take on Asian cuisine.

The atmosphere is dark and cozy and decorated with bold, exciting sculptures and artwork.  It’s easy to walk down Shabu’s stairs and feel like you’re away from all of the hustle of Main Street.  It’s like you’ve entered an inviting dining room with great flavors both from the bar and the kitchen that’s hidden away.  I’m not even sure if this description does Shabu’s environment justice.  It’s honestly something you have to experience.

For our Park City Progressive Dinner, Bob made us a Miso Glazed Black Cod with Asian noodle egg foo yong and wok vegetables. Beautifully prepared, the cod was perfectly flakey, savory and sweet.

We’re honored that Shabu would take the time to host us and look forward to sitting at their table during the shoulder season and beyond.  We hope you’ll round up a crew and head that way soon.

Next stop: Reef’s.

I’ve always thought Park City was lacking when it comes to breakfast options.  Well, until our last visit. Now, don’t let the name fool you, this Deer Valley staple is so much more than a grocery market. Walk into the unassuming Deer Valley Plaza, through the lobby and out the back doors and you’ll step into a little haven.

Literally, when we got out of our car, our friends asked, now where are we going again for breakfast?  They were a bit alarmed that we were stopping at a old lodge front but they quickly sided with us as they walked out to the back deck.  The cafe patio opens up to a serene pond, with views of the slopes, and lower Deer Valley lodging. Guests may sit on the comfy patio furniture, couches, or at sun covered tables as you sip on coffee and away your warm breakfast.  You may even catch a moose if you get there early, or you may see a group of paddle boarders practicing yoga out on the pond (they entertained us for a good bit).

As for the food, Deer Valley just never does disappoint, even in a more casual atmosphere like the grocery cafe. I ordered the Challah French Toast which was served with house made strawberry rhubarb compote and pure maple syrup. Josh tried the Southwestern Breakfast wrap and enjoyed it so much that we returned the next day so he could have it again.  Both were made with the Deer Valley quality that I’ve come to expect.

Other breakfast choices include Tomato Spinach Croissant, Irish Oatmeal, Quiche, Lox and Bagel, Egg and Cheese Panini, or House-made yogurt and granola. And you’ll want to peruse the grocery market too, as they sell lots of local goods like Hell’s Backbone Peach Butter, Amour Spreads, Allgood Provisions Nuts, Popart Gourmet Popcorn, and several Deer Valley specialties like their Turkey Chili Mix, Salad Dressings, Fig Grain Mustard, and Cookie mixes.

Deer Valley Grocery Cafe
1375 Deer Valley Drive in the Deer Valley Plaza Building
breakfast from 7:30am-11am

Somehow, High West Saloon has become one of the great Park City destinations for Salt Lake City locals.  If you ask High West founder David Perkins, he’s not in the restaurant business, he’s in the whiskey business.  James Dumas is in the restaurant business and rightly so. As executive chef and general manager of the saloon, James makes things happen.

(James is not pictured in the blog because, well, as mentioned above he’s the GM and executive chef.  He’s always on the move and his appearances at our dinner we’re very James-Bond-drop-in-from-the-ceiling like. ) 

However, we had the pleasure of sitting close to David Perkins and his High West belt buckle.  If you didn’t know David was the founder of High West and Whiskey Advocate’s Whiskey Pioneer of the Year you’d probably just think he was a nice guy who loves whiskey.  And, you’d be right.  But he’s also provided little a shot in the local economy and given more bragging content to Utahans – we’ve got the best snow and best whiskey around (I’m looking at you Colorado).

A night at the saloon would not be complete without some great bites.  Enter Creminelli.  Cristiano Creminelli and our favorite locavore, Vanessa Chang, brought some of Creminelli’s finest for an appetizer and joined us for the evening.

As always, Becky takes great photos of food.  To wet your appetite, I’m posting a few for you to enjoy.  Take a look at the whole menu and make it a point to go there the next time you’re looking for a night out.  As James’ staff brought out the goods for all to taste the night got even better.  As the drinks came, the laughter grew louder.

Of course, each course was paired with one of High West’s great whiskeys – Prairie Reserve, Rendezvous, Double Rye, Silver, Campfire…  The locals, with good reason, are certainly proud of what High West is doing in our great state.  Thanks David and James.

A few of our favorite highlights from the new winter menu include:  open-faced reuben sandwiches, cowboy mac n’ cheese, and we can’t forget the High West Grillswirth, a grilled krispy creme donut served piled high with whisky-laced ice cream, a dessert you must come prepared for!

A few of our favorite highlights from the new winter menu include:  open-faced reuben sandwiches, cowboy mac n’ cheese, and we can’t forget the High West Grillswirth, a grilled krispy creme donut served piled high with whisky-laced ice cream, a dessert you must come prepared for!

We’re really excited about 350 Main Brasserie’s new executive chef Carl Fiessenger (we’ll be featuring him at a SLC Mixer in February).  Let his neck tattoos tell you that something new is happening on 350 Main.  Yes, it’s a Park City restaurant on Main Street, but don’t tell Carl about the status quo.  Courteously, he may listen, but his menu is his own artwork and it tells the story of his time in South Carolina.

350 Main kindly hosted Becky, me, and our good friends Tyler and Kelly.  They recently moved here from Charleston, South Carolina for Tyler’s job at the VA hospital.  News to me, Charleston is a culinary destination with staple seafood dishes, most notably the famous shrimp and grits.

Carl came to our table and introduced himself.  As usual, we ask the history of the chef.  He #humblebrags about his time in Charleston, SC at some of the great restaurants and the world gets smaller.  At the same time, Carl’s South Carolina-influenced menu gets tested by some legit Palmetto State connoisseurs.  Serendipity.

As usual, I like for the photos to tell the story of our food.

Becky tried (and loved) the shrimp and grits, first because she loves grits (an homage to her grandmother) and second because you can’t come to a Southerner’s kitchen without trying their take on this classic dish.

The venison was served in a pastry drizzled in gingerbread sauce alongside seasonal vegetables.  The sauce inspired Becky to asked how he made it.  Carl said the idea originated from a sauce he made with his favorite snack: gingersnaps, crushed and simmered with venison stock. A nice winter taste.

Needless to say, we were all very pleased with our food.  If looks equaled taste (which it doesn’t) then we were in good shape.  The presentation was artistic-but-not-pretentious.  I often think that fancy presentations are a scheme to distract from the lacking.  I would rather my chef spend more time cooking and less time plating.  I get it.  Presentation is meaningful.  But only inasmuch as the food is worth a fanciful presentation.  It’s easy to forgive a poor presentation on the plate, less-so regarding poor flavor.  

I love what what Carl is doing at 350 Main.  It’s accessible and folksy on a street that doesn’t have much of that.  It’s still fine dining, but it’s not stuffy.  It’s tasty.  If you want a nice wine pairing, don’t hesitate to ask for Josh.  He gave us some great recommendations.