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High West Debuts New Distillery at Park City’s Food and Wine Classic July 9

Photo courtesy Hugger Industries

High West Distillery, Utah’s first legal distillery since 1870, will host four signature events including the opening-night party of the Park City Food and Wine Classic to highlighting High West’s award-winning all-American spirits and it’s new spot at Blue Sky Ranch.

“We’re really looking forward to the return of the classic this summer,” High West Proprietor David Perkins said. “It’s such a blast every season, bringing together so many top chefs and food enthusiasts from around the world, and we’re especially excited to be showcasing four events this summer.”

The July 9 opener will showcase Perkins’ new state-of-the-art distillery at Blue Sky- as yet unopened to the public. High West executive chef James Dumas and his kitchen crew will serve an array of culinary creations, each crafted to complement High West’s award-winning spirits and Blue Sky’s stunning views and ranch experience. Wine experts will also be around with a selection of international and domestic wines and they will have live music to boot. Tickets cost $165, and the event runs from 6 to 8:30 p.m.

Another classic event returns to Blue Sky on Friday, July 10, from 12-2:30 p.m., for “Moonshine on the Mountain.” Spend the afternoon in a veritable whiskey academy, learning about (and tasting) single malts, bourbons, and ryes, paired with food. Perkins will be on hand, and a VIP tour of the new distillery will follow the luncheon. Tickets cost $95.

On Saturday, July 11, join High West for “Reds, Rye and Ramble,” a hike led by High West ambassadors that offers breathtaking views of Park City. The trek starts at Park City Mountain Resort and weaves through dramatic aspen forests, ending at High West for lunch and winetasting with Moniker Wine Estates. After the meal, enjoy a signature High West cocktail and tour of the distilling operation in the historic building. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., and tickets cost $95.

Join High West in closing the weekend with the “Hair of the Dog Road Ride” on Sunday, July 12, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dumas, Perkins and festival founder Jason Ornstein take you on an intermediate-to-advanced 25-mile road ride through scenic stretches of Park City and Deer Valley. Then after sweating out those ‘toxins’, wolf down lunch – and one last irresistible cocktail to cap off an indulgent weekend. Tickets cost $95. Riders are asked to meet at High West Saloon at 703 Park Avenue at 9:45 a.m.

Unlike other food and wine festivals, Park City’s incorporates our mountain adventure lifestyle so you don’t have to feel guilty imbibing. More than two dozen food and wine tastings, seminars, bike rides, hikes, fishing excursions and more are all led by world-renowned experts in Park City’s famous Wasatch Mountains. “This event blends the absolute best of Park City: outstanding food and drinks, and world-class outdoors,” said Jason Ornstein, owner of Team Player Productions, which organizes the Food & Wine Classic.

Ticket prices range from $50 to $225, and can be purchased by visiting the Classic’s website. Act fast – most events sell out quickly.

Proceeds from ticket sales benefit the People’s Health Clinic, a nonprofit that provides healthcare for uninsured individuals and families in Utah’s Summit and Wasatch counties. Last year, the classic raised more than $30,000 for the clinic. In all, Team Player Productions has raised more than $2 million for local charities.

Events

Park City’s Top Ten Dining Spots

Jill Adler 2 comments

It’s not easy finding an affordable restaurant in Park City. The real problem is with the value to quality ratio. You don’t often get what you pay for. You get an average meal and average service and spend up the wazoo for it. You leave jaded. By the time you blow your paycheck on dinner it’s easy to feel like your meal wasn’t worth the expense.

The summer two-for-one coupons you can find in the Park Record save the day!

All of a sudden your dinner is so much better because you just saved $25. But there are some restaurants that don’t need to offer coupons because they are already reasonable and delicious. Like Vinto Park City–

You know you’ve got a dining ‘find’ in Park City when a kid’s meal is cheaper than most side dishes at the other places. Yet the modern decor, wood and steel tables, over-sized, semi-circular booths, attentive waitstaff and open kitchen of this Italian eatery shout “chic” rather than “Chuck E. Cheese.”

Settle in with a glass of wine (nearly everything is $1 an ounce) then order the tender meatball appetizer with tomato sauce, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and grilled toast. For non-meat eaters, there’s the sun-dried tomato and goat cheese flatbread or the grilled artichoke hearts with wild arugula in a shallot vinaigrette.

The entree menu might look limited at first glance with just five pasta dishes and two “pane toscano” (Italian flatbread sandwiches) but the kitchen is happy to whip up whatever combination of ingredients you can imagine. Make sure you get at least one thin-crust, wood-fired pizza for the table. Ones like the Tuttabella (housemade sausage, fresh tomato, caramelized onion, garlic, roasted peppers, mozzarella) come stacked with fresh ingredients. The desserts like the delicate crispy Apple Crostata tart echo the artful blending of flavors to cap off your evening.

With coupons leveling the playing field this summer here are my top 10 choices for a night in Park City:

Chimayo – Park City Restaurateur Bill White adds eclectic southwestern flair to Main Street with this dark, sophisticated food den. Make sure you start with the signature margarita and finish with the Mexican chocolate fondue.
Prime Steakhouse– You’ll find no finer piece of meat in all the land than here at this upscale piano bar and steakhouse. A night out will cost you a paycheck but the standing 2-4-1 offer all summer long takes some of the sting out.
Silver Star Cafe – Just off the Park City Golf Course and Spiro Trail lies a little artists’ community. The café echoes the artsy vibe with walls decorated by local photographers and painters, and a menu featuring locally sourced Western fare. Save a few bucks and lunch on the outside patio. Or just come for a drink and the live music Thursday-Saturday in the summer.
Handle – Talisker on Main’s former chef jumped ship to helm this cozy spot inside the Gateway Suites (aka Sundance ticket office). Known for small plates with unusual twists, it’s surviving in a place where most restaurants go to die- ie. Renee’s, Jean Louis, Al Dente.
Goldener Hirsch– Tucked into the Silver Lake Village at Deer Valley Resort, the Hirsch is all Austrian fairytale from the Bavarian vines on the stucco to the wiener schnitzel and fondue. The small restaurant continually wins Wine Spectator awards and accolades from international travel publications. It’s the perfect date night spot.
Bandits – Jeans and a T-shirt do just fine in this family friendly barbecue joint. The generous portions of meats and sides barely leave you enough room for dessert. But definitely leave room.
Fletchers – Plaid accents and reclaimed barn wood complement the comfort food on this trendy menu. With a restaurant, bar and lounge, Fletcher’s is getting to be that place where the cool kids dine or at leastsit down for the blueberry white chocolate bread pudding. Only open Thurs.-Mon.
Loco Lizard – You’ll find a modified version of Mexican food here so come without expectations. You’ll drool over the bottomless chips and salsa, as well as the mondo burritos and five-alarm mole. The patio’s open for weekend brunch, lunch and dinner in the summer.
Cafe Terigo – The tastes of northern Italy and the south of France find their way to Park City in this intimate café with one of the best patios on Main. Pan seared scallops on sweet corn risotto with roasted red pepper and arugula purees? Yum! Nothing’s cheap but everything is delish. Try a late lunch instead to keep you from chocking on dessert when the bill arrives.
Vinto– The modern decor, wood and steel tables, over-sized, semi-circular booths, attentive waitstaff and open kitchen of this Italian eatery shout family chic. The environment is boisterous and friendly and the food and prices satisfy all ages.

Dining

Common Ground

Jill Adler Leave a comment

The Wild and Scenic Film Festival isn’t happening until January 2016 but this beautiful selection from the 2015 event demonstrates what organizers aim to achieve by gathering top filmmakers, celebrities, leading activists, social innovators and well-known world adventurers to Green Valley, California each year.

With shorts like Common Ground- about the fight to preserve our iconic western landscapes for future generations – they strive to inform, inspire and explore solutions to heal the land and people who inhabit it.

Family Friendly

New Contour Music Festival Kicks Off Jackson Hole’s Summer

Jill Adler Leave a comment

When you live in the mountains there seems to be no end to the summer festivals. These wide open spaces are idyllic and ideal for gathering the masses. Telluride has their Bluegrass Fest, Aspen has their Jazz Fest; the Snowmass Mammoth Fest, Big Sky’s Music in the Mountains, Bend’s Peak Music Festival, and the list rolls on. Now, Jackson Hole, Wyo., is getting a jump on the summer music season with the inaugural Contour Music Festival, June 11-14.

The cowboy town will roll out four nights and three days of nationally touring bands and artists for an innovative experience of music, culture, and arts in the Tetons. Unlike other fests, the more than 40 hand-selected and artists like Thievery Corporation, The Polish Ambassador, and Sweater Beats will also play at venues around town.

The main stage will be at the base of Snow King Mountain in the ballpark but after the encores, “late night” acts will perform at classic local venues like the Pink Garter Theatre, Center for the Arts, the newly renovated Silver Dollar Bar, and the Town Square Tavern.

The Detes:

FRIDAY, JUNE 12
Main Stage:
The music starts at noon with Paranome followed by local electronic duo Head to Head. After this, you will not want to miss The Cave Singers. This high-energy indie rock band out of Seattle put on an amazing show to a small crowd at the Pink Garter Theatre in the summer of 2012. They are sure to get the party started outside at Snow King.

After the Cave Singers is a back-to-back tour de force of electronic music, including Emancipator and The Polish Ambassador, that carries the Festival into the evening.

Late Night Concerts:
Town Square Tavern –live DJ music from Tiger Fresh, Sweater Beats and Sango.
Pink Garter Theatre –more full-band electronic experience featuring Cure for the Common, Late Night Radio and Papadosio.

Center for the Arts –Quixote – “Composer Anthony Magliano, along with an award-winning band…create music with instrumental foundations and diversity that is meant to inspire movement within the group’s other half; dancers, multimedia designers, and aerialists.
Silver Dollar Bar – If you are looking to change things up and experience a local Honky Tonk dance floor, head on over to the Wort Hotel for the down home sounds of Country Hammer followed by One Ton Pig – the resident country/bluegrass band of the Silver Dollar Bar.

SATURDAY, JUNE 13
Main Stage:
The action heats up with local funk outfit Sneaky Pete and the Secret Weapons followed by Cure for the Common. DO NOT MISS The Congress. This group out of Denver will blow you away with their take on American rock and roll – great songwriting and amazing vocals from lead singer Jonathan Meadows paired with the incredible guitar talent that is Scott Lane. Up next, Roadkill Ghost Choir, Sage Francis, Autograf, and closing out the main stage for the second night of the festival is an amazing indie-progressive rock band out of Nashville you will want to see through until the end – Moon Taxi.

Late Night:
Town Square Tavern – get your Yacht rock on with “Home at Last: The Nth Power perform Steely Dan” followed by Orgone.
Pink Garter Theatre – DJ sets from PRSN, G Jones and Djemba Djemba
Silver Dollar Bar –Country Hammer followed by Spirit Family Reunion (also performing main stage on Sunday).

SUNDAY, JUNE 13
Main Stage:
Sunday does not slow in pace at all with two of the most anticipated acts (Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires and Thievery Corporation) closing out the night.
The day opens with a funky set from Fort Knox 5 followed by the acoustic foot-stomping sounds of Spirit Family Reunion.

Religious or not, everyone will be testifying to Robert Collier’s Gospel Brunch Set with the sweet and soulful sounds of the pedal steel. Reva Devito Band and The Nth Power warm up the stage for two acts that may be the highlight of the festival weekend.

From the Daptone Records/Brooklyn scene, the breathtaking Charles Bradley and his backing band bringing uptown funk and soul to the Tetons.

To close out the festival weekend on the mainstage is the internationally-acclaimed electronic duo Thievery Corporation. Their reputation and their records speak for themselves. Save some energy for this set.

Late Night:
Town Square Tavern – Head to TST for funk with McTuff and The New Mastersounds.
Pink Garter Theatre – Dance it up at the Pink Garter for an electronic throw down featuring Shaprece, Deltron 3030 and Mike Thunder.
Center for the Arts – DJ sets by El Papa Chango, Barisone and The Librarian.

Pack your car, book your flight, find a place to stay, whatever you have to do to get to Jackson next week. Be sure to get your tickets in advance and upgrade to the “All Night Long Pass” so you don’t miss a beat. Or you can enter here for a chance to win two Main Stage Weekend Tickets and Two Grand Adventure passes to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.

For tickets, full schedule, area and lodging information visit: www.contourmusicfestival.com

FYI- There is no tent camping in town in Jackson. Contact Jackson Hole Reservation to find a place to stay or try couchsurfing.net. The closest campgrounds are 20 minutes away.