One of our favorite local chefs recently made a shift to a brand new restaurant in town, Stanza. We’ve followed Phelix Gardner as he’s helped open new restaurants and changed up menus over the years, always enjoying what he comes up with, so, in a way, we knew we would love Stanza.

Not too long before Stanza opened our favorite ‘special occasion’ restaurant closed, Fresco.  This cosy spot had been our place to enjoy a comforting bowl of house-made pasta for years, celebrating anniversaries, pregnancies, and birthdays.  All that to say, not only were we excited about Stanza because of Phelix but we also we’re suddenly in the need for a new special spot for pasta.

We instantly enjoyed our Italian meal at Stanza, quickly throwing back big bites of cheese filled arancini, followed by a healthful bowl of arugula salad then onto our main squeeze… pasta.  I tried the agnolotti, small pillow-like pastas filled sometimes with cheese but in this case with pureed peas and served with fresh shrimp, early summer green veggies and topped with a shellfish sauce. It was elegant and tasteful and perfectly comforting, filling my pasta void. 

My masculine date ordered the special of the day, Bolognese, also served on housemade pasta.  He ate it up as if he were in Italy for the first time (he loves Italy and eats all of the Bolognese style pastas he can possibly find while we’re there!).

Finally, we ordered dessert, whether or not we saved room for it because… cherry buckle with buttermilk gelato, who can resist that?! We also tasted a few other gelato flavors, spicy honey and thai basil, both nearly stole the show at the end of our very tasty evening.

So, did we like Stanza?  Not only like but NEED!  There was a sudden void for good pasta and gelato in our lives and Stanza came through with flying colors!

Stanza
454 East 300 South

I’m always looking for new healthy spots to dine out in town. While we definitely like to splurge on food and eat whatever we want from time to time, our main diet is pretty health conscious and light.  Mollie and Ollie is definitely a place you could dine-out to weekly or more and feel great about.

My toddler and I first tried the Strawberry Fields Salad and Green Smoothie, sharing the two and equally fighting over them both.  The strawberry salad is filled with roasted beets, strawberries, broccoli, feta and almonds, tossed in a horseradish vinaigrette.  On our second visit we also tried the Citrus Lime Roasted Garlic Stir Fry which comes with red quinoa, honey brined chicken, kale, green beans, red onions and summer squash in a savory sauce.

Both meals at Mollie and Ollie were equally satisfying and nutritious.  A few tips for eating here: while the menu is pretty awesome and easy to enjoy on its own, you can also create your own bowls and salads, which is great if you’re with a group or have anyone with dietary restrictions or picky palates in your party.  Another thing I noticed is that you can trade out meats on any of the menu items or ask for them to be lightly dressed.   Their meats are all antibiotic-free and their veggies are sourced carefully and seasonally.

Their new peach smoothie is a seasonal item and definitely worth trying but I’m guessing it will only be on the menu for a short time so grab it while you can! I could barely get a taste of it, my kiddo was pretty tight fisted with that one!

Whether your a health conscience person, like myself, or someone with a picky palate, more like my toddler, I think you’ll find something your body and mind will both enjoy at Mollie and Ollie.

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

I’m becoming increasingly conscience about the falafel I like to eat so much of.  First of all it absolutely needs to have good flavor but secondly, I especially like it when a restaurant can accomplish a great falafel without frying it.  Aubergine and Co. does both, magically well!

(there’s falafel under there somewhere!)

For our meal, we both had Mediterranean Salads, piled high with all of the toppings of our choosing.  On their Mediterranean Salad you choose a protein (chicken, salmon or falafel) and the sauces, like hummus, baba ghanoush, and tzatziki then you can also select an assortment of toppings like taboleh, chickpeas, cucumber salad, beets, olives, feta cheese, and so much more.  This is just one of the great items Aubergine and Co specializes in. They also serve chopped salads, pita sandwiches, smoothies, as well as a full breakfast menu.

I’m always looking for more places where my family can eat out casually and healthfully and Aubergine and Company is now at the top of our list!

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.

While most locals and visitors choose their slopes based on ski conditions, when the ski conditions are as good as they are now in Utah, you might start to weigh in some other variables… like what food can you indulge with at lunch.  I primarily ski at Solitude and Deer Valley so I’m going to give you my favorites at those two resorts.  I would love to hear what food you hunt down after a few runs at other local resorts. Please comment with Utah Ski Resort food recommendations!

Deer Valley

Bald Mountain at Deer Valley is now serving Pho!  Yes that’s right, traditional Vietnamese Pho with aromatic beef broth that’s been slowly and meticulously cooked, thinly sliced Wagyu beef, rice noodles and all of the toppings you can imagine including house-made sriracha sauce. Also, at the Silver Lake Lodge you’ll find a taco bar with a grand assortment of choices from red chile, lime, and cilantro shrimp to Niman Ranch Pork carnitas.

If you’re dining at Deer Valley at night you won’t want to miss the Seared Scallop served on a pink Himalayan salt block (served at Seafood Buffet), The Harissa Rubbed Cornish Game Hen paired with a cornmeal sweet potato waffle (served at The Brass Tag), or the Bourbon Praline Ice Cream (served at the Mariposa).

Solitude

Solitude has really revamped their food selection this year!  At the Roundhouse Lodge you can find Indian curries and flatbread, at the Inn – a full breakfast buffet including homemade individual portioned quiche , and at Honeycomb Grill – a variety of fresh made soups and salads including seafood chowder.

If you want a special night out at Solitude, you absolutely must have dinner at the Yurt. The menu changes all the time there but I promise an adventurous evening of delicious food.  The yurt is located less than a mile from the village of Solitude and snowshoes and headlamps are provided for your jaunt up to the fun locale. Make reservations and bring all of your best friends for a truly magical night.

I get such nostalgia attending the same food events annually.  For us, there are just a couple of events that we get really excited about every year and the Wasatch Mountain Table at Solitude Mountain Resort is one of them.  The last three years, we’ve gotten to attend this dreamy outdoor dinner with wine pairings and a view unlike any other.  At the same meal two years ago we brought a newborn with us (who slept quietly in a sling the whole dinner). This year we knew our toddler would not have the patience for a 5 course meal, so we hired a babysitter but those memories of him with us that first summer made it even more special.

This year, our dinner was a pairing of pork and pinot noir, aptly called Pigs and Pinot.  Their second dinner of the summer is Bison and Beer.  This is not only a fun chance to eat well and meet new people in a beautiful mountain setting but also to get a taste for the new management team and kitchen staff at Solitude (newly hired by Deer Valley Resort).  There is a lot to be excited about for this upcoming season.  The food at Solitude is definitely getting a makeover while the resort is still keeping its accessible charm.

If you’re interested in attending the next Wasatch Mountain Table Dinner, visit the Solitude Website.

My favorite bite of the evening was this simple peach and proscuitto flatbread (a combo that gets me every time!).

Wasatch Mountain Table 2013

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!

If you have been following me over on theVintageMixer.com, you’ve seen me journey through a quick 8 week Culinary School Program at Park City Culinary Institute.  As my program comes to a close we are preparing for a big graduation dinner.  This dinner is open to the public and I would like to extent a personal invitation to you!  Next Thursday, in the most beautiful aspen filled area of Deer Valley, you can experience a 5+ course meal plus wine pairings.  Our small class will be lead through the dinner service action by three of our instructors, who happen to be some of the best chefs in the area. I can promise you that nothing in this meal will disappoint. Come join us on this culinary adventure!

Here are the courses we will be serving:

Canapé Style Appetizers

Cured Scottish Salmon
English cucumbers, horseradish cream

Leek and Chorizo Risotto Cake
with smoked tomato jam

Miniature Cauliflower Panni Cotta
Pickled sweet onion and basil

Dinner

Chilled Poached Lobster
Carrot cardamom purée, pea shoots, carrot chip

Beet gnocchi
Lemon chèvre cream, shaved fennel, candied walnuts

Watercress and Butter Lettuce Salad
Dill-buttermilk dressing, dried apricot, pepitas, watermelon radish

Slow-Roasted Utah Elk Loin
Herb dust, quinoa, shaved asparagus, honey-rhubarb sauce

Seats must be reserved by this Friday (May 29), with full payment to reserve in advance. Dinner is $90 per person or $135 for dinner plus wine pairings. Call Park City Culinary Institute at 435-659-5075 to reserve your seat.

If there’s one single meal I recommend you splurge on it’s Omakase at Naked Fish. Omakase simply means “I’ll leave it to you.”  And when the chef is this good you’re better off if you do. When I go to Japanese restaurants (or any really high end restaurant for that matter) I’m probably in better hands leaving my menu decisions to the one cooking. They know what’s fresh and when given the creative freedom they are excited to thrill you with new flavors throughout the tasting journey of an evening out.

We recently took the omakase challenge and it paid off.  Every bite was new.  Fresh flavors overtook all my senses. This was the best meal we’ve had in a long time and I think it will be a hard one to trump.  Here’s just a sample of what was on our menu that night. (Keep in mind that the menu changes daily for omakasee because, as I said, it’s all up to the chef!).

Hot tea with sage thyme lemongrass orange peel
Sea urchin with salmon roe
Silky seaweed
Oyster with yuzu and radish
Yellow tail belly, tuna, salmon belly, Japanese makarel
Crispy Skin of smoked trout with powdered nori and yuzu creme friache
Custard grilled fish bone with dashi gelatin, Utah trout roe and sweet pikled diakon
Yam gnocchi in miso and orange sauce with shaved walnuts
Toasted grains with roasted greens and a smoked poached quail egg in fish bone broth
Scallop with shishito peppers and chicken wings
Mushrooms with sous vide elk and a nori disk

I’m probably missing a course or too because the meal was just too good to think too hard about or record. The way best meals are!  But I hope this gives you a glimpse of what a fantastic omakase experience is like!
Also, Naked Fish serves a house made soy sauce blend that is less in sodium and for a real treat ask for their table-side, freshly ground wasabi grated on a shark skin grater!