Category Archives: Scene

Park City Arts Fest This Weekend!

The Park City Arts Fest starts tonight and I won’t kid you; the downtown area becomes a zoo ten times worse than during Sundance and many of us locals run the other way. More than 200 vendors from 30 States and Canada exhibit mostly high-priced ‘art’ in booths that line Main Street. There’re all sorts of really cool items and I’ll post some photos after tonight. I like to go on the locals opening night stroll and leave the crowd scene to everyone else.

If you aren’t afraid of crowds then you will most likely dig the mingling vibe that arrives with the event. Artists from across North America are happy to hang and chat with you and share their stories. You will also undoubtedly run into those you already know.

The festival runs from Friday evening at 5:00pm through Sunday evening at 6:00pm all along Main Street. The $10 tickets go to support the Kimball Arts Center in Park City. There’re over-priced food and beer vendors at the top of the street but skip those and have a better-tasting sit-down meal at one of the several Main Street restaurants with patios.

Utah Restaurants Win With Wine Spectator

It’s safe to say that Utahns know a thing or two about their beer and wine regardless of what you think about our crappy liquor laws. Sure, the mixed drinks could be downed by a 6-year-old without any effect but the stuff meant for sipping and not getting wasted is getting some renowned attention.


Twenty of some of the Beehive State’s best dining spots just got a nod from Wine Spectator Magazine. The annual ‘Best of’ issue featured 3,748 award winners, spanning all 50 U.S. states and over 80 other countries and territories. “Wine Spectator congratulates each and every one of this year’s Restaurant Award winners,” said Marvin R. Shanken, Editor and Publisher, Wine Spectator. “The commitment of this year’s winning restaurateurs to building high-quality wine programs has been extraordinary. There has never been a more exciting time to be a wine lover.”

I’ve been to most of these at some point in time and not only is the food epic but so is the bill. Make sure you save up when you go wining. Why can’t there ever be a restaurant with a killer wine list but a total that doesn’t cost you next month’s rent?

Award Restaurant Name Location
 

Aerie

Wine Strengths: California, France

Wine Pricing: Moderate
Cuisine: Contemporary
Entrées: $14 to $39
Prix Fixe: available
Corkage Fee: $12

Snowbird, UT
 

Bangkok Thai On Main

Wine Strengths: California, Bordeaux

Wine Pricing: Expensive
Cuisine: Thai
Entrées: $16 to $35
Prix Fixe: available
Corkage Fee: $20

Park City, UT
 

Glitretind Restaurant

Wine Strengths: California, France

Wine Pricing: Moderate
Cuisine: Contemporary
Entrées: $26 to $59
Corkage Fee: $25

Park City, UT
 

J&G Grill

Wine Strengths: California, France, Italy

Wine Pricing: Expensive
Cuisine: Steak house
Entrées: $24 to $62
Prix Fixe: available
Corkage Fee: $25

Park City, UT
 

Tuscany

Wine Strengths: California, France, Italy

Wine Pricing: Expensive
Cuisine: Italian
Entrées: $18 to $55
Corkage Fee: $12

Holladay, UT
 

350 Main New American Brasserie

Wine Strengths: California

Wine Pricing: Expensive
Cuisine: Regional
Entrées: $28 to $60
Prix Fixe: available
Corkage Fee: $15

Park City, UT
 

Bistro 222

Wine Strengths: International

Wine Pricing: Moderate
Cuisine: American
Entrées: $19 to $49
Corkage Fee: $10

Salt Lake City, UT
 

Blue Boar Inn & Restaurant

Wine Strengths: California, France

Wine Pricing: Moderate
Cuisine: European/continental
Entrées: $27 to $38
Prix Fixe: available
Corkage Fee: $15

Midway, UT
 

Cena Ristorante

Wine Strengths: California, Italy

Wine Pricing: Moderate
Cuisine: Italian
Entrées: $17 to $35
Corkage Fee: $20

Park City, UT
 

Edge Steakhouse

Wine Strengths: California, France, Italy, Spain

Wine Pricing: Moderate
Cuisine: Steak house
Entrées: $28 to $95
Corkage Fee: $20

Park City, UT
 

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar

Wine Strengths: California

Wine Pricing: Expensive
Cuisine: Steak house
Entrées: $24 to $45
Prix Fixe: available
Corkage Fee: $12

Salt Lake City, UT
 

Fresco Italian Café

Wine Strengths: Italy

Wine Pricing: Moderate
Cuisine: Contemporary Italian
Entrées: $17 to $32
Corkage Fee: $12

Salt Lake City, UT
 

Goldener Hirsch Restaurant

Wine Strengths: France, California

Wine Pricing: Moderate
Cuisine: American/European
Entrées: $30 to $45
Prix Fixe: available
Corkage Fee: $20

Park City, UT
 

La Caille

Wine Strengths: Bordeaux, Champagne, California, Italy

Wine Pricing: Expensive
Cuisine: French
Entrées: $29 to $60
Prix Fixe: available
Corkage Fee: $15

Sandy, UT
 

Log Haven Restaurant

Wine Strengths: France, California, Italy

Wine Pricing: Inexpensive
Cuisine: Contemporary American
Entrées: $22 to $37
Corkage Fee: $15

Salt Lake City, UT
 

Painted Pony Restaurant

Wine Strengths: California

Wine Pricing: Inexpensive
Cuisine: Contemporary
Entrées: $25 to $36
Corkage Fee: $10

St. George, UT
 

Spotted Dog Café

Wine Strengths: California

Wine Pricing: Moderate
Cuisine: American
Entrées: $13 to $35
Corkage Fee: $10

Springdale, UT
 

The Farm At Canyons

Wine Strengths: California

Wine Pricing: Moderate
Cuisine: Seasonal
Entrées: $32 to $45
Corkage Fee: $20

Park City, UT
 

The Mariposa

Wine Strengths: California, France

Wine Pricing: Moderate
Cuisine: Contemporary
Entrées: $35 to $50
Prix Fixe: available
Corkage Fee: $20

Park City, UT
 

The Tree Room

Wine Strengths: Canada, United States

Wine Pricing: Moderate
Cuisine: Contemporary American
Entrées: $30 to $46
Prix Fixe: available
Corkage Fee: $15

Sundance, UT

Your best bet is to grab Park City’s Park Record newspaper and take advantage of their two-for-one coupons. Just this week I saw ones for Bangkok Thai, 350 Main and Goldener Hirsch.

Now, go tell your friends that not only can you buy a drink around here but you can find a decent glass of wine too.

The August issue of Wine Spectator hits the stands July 22. All of the restaurants can be found through WineSpectator.com’s Restaurant Search.

TICKETS SELLING OUT FOR THE PARK CITY FOOD & WINE CLASSIC

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It’s not hard to get excited about food. And wine. Maybe that’s why one of Park City’s newest fests draws the eager and hungry from all over the world during a time when things just start to get interesting around the historic mining town. The July 9-13 Park City Food and Wine Classic features vintners who share their thoughts and spirit(s) with hundreds of folks with a passion for the outdoors and the mountains. With seminars like Hike and Hops, Gallop and Grill, Cast and Cabs, the Fest invites us to do what we love while learning what it pairs well with. I keep wanting to do the SUP and Suds but that one sells out almost as soon as tickets go on sale.

PCFoodnWine13 (34)

I painted my own bottle when the Paint Mixer in PC hosted an extra special seminar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hurry or you too will be left sitting on the curb outside the State Liquor Store. The tickets-ranging in price from $55-$175- are selling out- at least the ones for the more (really cool) adventurous events.

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At least take in the Stroll of Park City ($90) if you can’t get into anything else. You’ll walk the stretch of Main Street with what essentially amounts to a scorecard; sipping wine and scarfing down mouthwatering apps for three hours straight. Each “Stroll stop” offers its own variety of wines and food bites so that you get to know the locals.

2014 Stroll Stops include Wasatch Brew Pub, Bangkok Thai, Miner’s Park, Silver, Riverhorse on Main, Sky Lodge, Kimball Art Center (deck), High West Distillery &PCFoodnWine13 (30) Saloon, Town Lift Plaza, Mustang, Zoom, Butcher’s Chop House & Bar, Buona Vita, Rock & Reilly’s and more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

FYI- It’ll be sunny and warm so wear a hat, sunscreen and comfortable shoes.

 Here are a couple of choices if you are in the market for a fresh lid.

 

Flirty

I fell in love with Flipside Hats the moment I saw them at last year’s Outdoor Retailer show. The Pacific Northwest business repurposes scraps into the cutest flora

kyral hats. The Kyra has a wide canvas brim and a super soft cotton top.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Functional

This new take on the safari hat protects not only your nose but your upper back and neck. The Quick Shade DLX Floppy from Seirus has a built in, ultra-soft nylon bandana for extra UV and sun protection where we often forget to shade. And if the wind starts to kick up dust you can bring it over your face like a bandito.

  seirushat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Look/New Era For Wasatch Beers

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Squatter’s Craft Beers is growing up and I don’t know how I feel about that. Same for its brother brand Wasatch Brewery. The two icons of the Utah craft brew revolution, the ones with the edgy sense of humor aimed squarely at the Utah way of life, are going for a cleaner, crisper and, in Squatter’s case, a more nostalgic look. It’s like the ski bum who now shaves and wears dress slacks. Squatter’s and Wasatch have matured.

By the time I got to Park City, Squatter’s Pub Brewery in Salt Lake City was giving Wasatch Beers and Brewpub, Utah’s first microbrewery est. 1989, a run for their money. They consistently one-upped each other with brews like the Wasatch 1st Amendment Lager (“Exercise your First Amendment right to a great beer”) created after Utah imposed a beer excise tax. Like most non-Mormons in Utah, I connected with the daring sense of humor. By 2000, the two companies merged to form Utah Brewers Cooperative; you distinguish between them as the maltier tasting Wasatch appeals more to younger palettes while the hoppy Squatters’ blends tend to attract the drinks and dinner crowd. The loud labels reflected the rebellious Park City past-mine and theirs. So does a tamer beer-look mean I too must mature? I drink wine now but I want my beer to be fun.

oldbeer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The “old” look. Photo courtesy Wasatch Beers

I was reassured at today’s brand launch that the irreverence is still there. We’ll still see beers like Polygamy Porter (where you can’t have just one) or Provo Girl (enjoy her in a toolshed) but they will now be smartly dressed. And customers are buying it.

polygphoto courtesy Wasatch Beers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“It’s been a whirlwind these last few months,” said Wasatch founder Greg Schirf. “Growth is over 43 percent year-to-date and that’s before all our new packaging is fully implemented.” Wasatch brews will now feature popping colors on a solid black label, while Squatter’s beers, in celebration of their 25th anniversary, recall a bit of history with sepia-tinged labels and artsy images. Squatter’s has also rolled out two new flavors for the summer- Bumper Crop Honey Ale and Wee Peat Scottish Ale.

IMG_5070

Last year, the Co-op introduced their beer in cans so you can take the party where bottles shouldn’t go. The new flavors are perfect for tubing on the Weber River and one-handed dancing at the local concert series at Deer Valley or Newpark. See? We don’t have to grow up just because the look changes.

Cocktails The Lite Way

  Leave it to summer vacations to creep up and smack you down with fancy drinks. I’m sailing out on the Disney Fantasy May 3 and I’m terrified. I finally got into bikini condition and those umbrella spawns of Satan lay in wait. Alcoholic drinks are heavy with calories, sugar, and even salt but if you must drink (as I feel I should) I’ve come across some healthier options to order. Here are some ways to lighten the load:

  1. *Ask for seltzer water over soda or tonic that way you avoid the extra sodium and other additives.
  2. *Flavored sodas themselves are just plain toxic but if you must, use diet soda over the regular stuff. The alcohol should mask the diety taste and you’ll save a couple of hundred calories.
  3. *Order drinks with natural ingredients- coffee, lemon, berries, ginger. Their proven health benefits may not offset the negative effects of alcohol but it’s a nice little offering to the psyche.
  4. *If you have to have that screwdriver or sex on the beach don’t use anything other than fresh-squeezed or 100 percent fruit juice as a mixer. Normal bar juices have added sugar.
  5. *Light alcohols not only have fewer calories but less “congeners” than darker alcohols. Plus, those byproducts of fermentation are usually serious hangover culprits.
*One shot (1.5 ounces) per drink. Multi-alcohol cocktails float in high calories. Also, sip don’t chug your 8-ounce glass. You’ll drink less in the long run and just may be able to drive at the end of the night.

Suggestions from the bar:

Fruit mojito (rum, seltzer and muddled fresh fruit)

Seabreeze

Mint Julep

Bloody Mary

Screwdriver

Tequila Sunrise

Lite White Russian (use skim milk)

Tom Collins

Tropical rum punch with fresh 100% fruit juice and light rum

Fuzzy navel

Pina Colado with coconut milk and fresh pineapple. Do not let them use a mix!

Mimosa (seltzer not soda)

Now, go ahead and raise a toast to the end of ski season and the return of bikini season!

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