I have skied for 30 years now and have skied in multiple resorts both east and west. Years ago we visited Park City/Deer Valley but did not return for many, many years. About a dozen years ago or so friends introduced us to Powder Mountain north of Ogden, Utah which is about 1 hour north of Salt Lake City and 2 hours from Park City so we started visiting there every year. Over the years we have discovered the old mountain climbing rule, hike high, sleep low and discovered that as long as we slept under 7000 feet elevation we had no problems with altitude sickness or adjustment. At the base of Powder Mountain is the small town of Eden, Utah which is around 5500 feet elevation and they have thousands of condos and timeshares that we stay in for a week or two. Eden and Powder Mountain are rustic and offer about a dozen places to eat and one gas station and one small supermarket which surprisingly has 99% of what you need. So you go to Powder Mountain to ski. It is the largest ski resort in the world in terms of skiable terrain and encompasses 6 separate mountains and is not crowded. I have skied every year there on ski runs by myself with no one on site and rarely wait in a lift line. Powder Mountain today also has the best groomed slopes in Utah. As a rule we usually spend 2 weeks at Powder Mountain and 1 week at Park City/Deer Valley and ski exclusively at Deer Valley as they do not allow snowboarders which is a plus as well as having the best food on the mountain in Utah. Also staying at the base of the mountains and down in town or just off the interstate in Kimball Junction the altitude is around 6500 feet meeting my sleeping requirements. This year we spent 2 weeks at Park City/Deer Valley and one week at Powder Mountain so as to have better access to better food options primarily and it worked out fine. We were extremely lucky as we skied up to the day the resorts were closed due to Coronavirus. In addition our timing was perfect as the snow was rapidly melting when we left and the last couple of days there the temperature approached 50. About 5 years ago we went to Deer Valley mid April on a really great price deal and literally watched the snow melt off the entire mountain. The day we left there was no snow at all left. The moral to that story is folks climate change and global warming is real and our experience demonstrates the snow goes away now a month earlier than before meaning if you ski you need to go mid January to mid February next year. To us our trips are ideal, we get to do some great skiing and get to eat in some great places. Next year I think we might do one week in each place as after 3 weeks we really are ready to come home. Nothing beats home.
Wahso Asian Restaurant Park City
Frankly I had to think about this one for a while. I had dinner here years ago and since then it has a new chef and a new team. It is primarily an Asian Fusion place as opposed to either Japanese or Chinese and has elements of both. The menu is fairly limited to about 8 to 10 appetizers as well as entrees with a few salads. The best thing about this place is the decor. I was honored to attend a State dinner at the Empress Dowager’s Summer Palace in Beijing many years ago and the decor here struck me as similar. The great old style you would see with Chinese Royalty. The wine list was very good but prices were 3X standard retail which I always have an issue with. Overall the flavor of the food was excellent. But past that to me things went downhill. When we arrived our driver advised us the average entree cost was $48 but it was overall more. My first impression was the prices were outrageous for what you got. I had a bowl of ramen noodle soup with lobster and crab and to me the noodles were what a college kid would pay $1 for in order to save money. Japanese chefs spend 40 years or more to become Master Ramen Chefs and I did not have ramen of that quality and the price was around $50. Other food items were the same. The worst part was the service. Young, poorly trained and unprofessional. It was Super Tuesday we were one of the only people there, our server appeared bored and decided to discuss politics with us for the evening, completely inappropriate. In the end I felt Wahso was overpriced for what you received with poor unprofessional service so I do not plan on returning in the future.
Goldener Hirsch Restaurant Deer Valley
I had lunch here on a ski day and it was wonderful. I came here for the Wienerschnitzel and it was a wonder. My wife had the Reuben which was also great. Service was highly professional and unassuming. The wine list is excellent and they had a good choice of half bottles which worked well for us for lunch. Staff met all requests professionally and positively. Another table got the fondue and seemed to enjoy it very much. I had apple strudel for dessert that was wonderful. I highly recommend Goldener Hirsh for one of your meals at Silver Lake at Deer Valley
Park City Bus Service
Park City has the best, most efficient, easiest to use bus system in the world. Let me repeat that for emphasis. Park City has the best, most efficient, easiest to use bus system in the world. During our visit last year even though we had a car it stayed in the garage the entire trip as we had a bus stop adjacent to our condo and we went to slopes within 5 to 10 minutes door to door every time. The Salt Lake Airport must have the highest tax in the world, I finally calculated it and it is 65% of the vehicle cost which in my mind is beyond ridiculous. So this year we decided to use the bus system exclusively, filing in with Uber/Lyft from time to time. Transportation was seamless for the most part and we usually had door to door service whenever we wanted to go and usually only waited for the bus 5 to 10 minutes and sometimes no waiting at all. Occasionally we had to transfer buses but Park City has 4 or 5 transit centers which makes bus transfers easy. It takes about 24 hours to learn the system and it is not difficult. Only at night after rush hour were waits longer and at those times Uber/Lyft were better options, though this year most likely due to the coronavirus scare it was harder to order an Uber/Lyft. In general during the day and during rush hours the buses run every 10 to 15 minutes and everys 30 minutes at night. Drivers are friendly and helpful and seats are comfortable and stops are minimal. We did not miss having a car one bit and you cannot beat the price, FREE!( It is paid for with a Federal grant, hence not free you paid for it with income tax, so why not use it). For airport transfers we found Uber/Lyft to be best and most economical, but again had a lot of trouble getting one the last day so I would strongly recommend making an advanced reservation to go back to the airport.
Deer Valley
We ski exclusively at Deer Valley every year. Our main reasons are #1 no snowboarders, #2 great food choices everywhere, #3 usually have great snow and slopes during the week are not too crowded and #4 I am very familiar with the slopes so less chance of me ending up on taking a wrong turn. Deer Valley used to be known primarily as having the best grooming but to me that is no longer the case. Actually I find the grooming at Powder Mountain best. Deer Valley also used to be known for the best overall service of most ski resorts but I have found over the years the service seems to get worse every year. Younger untrained personnel who frankly just don’t seem to care if you have a great time. The lift tickets are now in La La land though I do congratulate them on selling a discount lift ticket to military and veterans which many do not. It’s really gotten more difficult to book ski lessons there as no matter what you have to book reservations weeks in advance and the day of your lesson may not be a great day to ski but you cannot change it. I have learned over the years to book lift tickets and lessons on a daily basis and on days that I really want to ski and not feel obligated to ski. The ski school also push private lessons to a fault. Anytime you want to book a group lesson they push the private lessons whose cost is prohibitive, around $1000 a day. For us older folks who just want to go out and ski on a flexible basis, Deer Valley does not make it convenient.
Chimayo, Main Street Park City
This was our second visit to Chimayo and as the first was wonderful. They have an eclectic Southwestern menu sure to please you. Food is prepared expertly and has excellent taste and the portions are huge. So large in fact that we ordered one serving of fajitas for 3 people and it was just right and did not end up in doggie bags. The wine list is heavily favored for Spanish wines which go well with the cuisine prices however are a little high. The place is always packed so reservations are absolutely a must even on slow nights or slow seasons. You also need to request upstairs seating as downstairs is claustrophobic and usually filled with families with small children.
Fireside Dining, Top of Empire Mountain
A continued unique and favorite place for dinner at Deer Valley. If you have never been you should add it to your bucket list. It serves primarily a hearty meat and potatoes and soup and salad cuisine with a Scandanavian twist. There are 5 buffet stations where many of the items are cooked in front of a blazing fire. The first course always starts with melted cheese Raclette accompanied by a large selection of caricature meats, olives, pickles etc. 2 stations are dedicated to a large selection of soups, salads, and stews, the 4ths and main station has meat and potatoes, always a leg of lamb rotating on a string in front of the fire as well as a rib eye or prime rib with a selection of potato offerings, and a 5th station dedicated to fondue and dessert. You will not leave hungry. The wine list features Northern Alsace French and German wines which go well with the food at reasonable prices. Service is excellent so you always have a clean table when you return from the buffet with your new selections.
Edge Steakhouse, in The Canyons Resort
Another year, another fabulous visit. In all sincerity I consider this place one of the top 3 steakhouses in the USA right now. From ambience, to quality of food and service few if any places can top this place. They have a wide selection of steaks and chops including multiple cuts of A5 Japanese Kobe including steak caps which I see no where else. For my dinner I had a 6 oz Kobe ribeye cap with a lobster tail cooked to perfection, preceded with a wedge salad with blue cheese crumbles. Dessert was a chocolate souffle. We had some wonderful California Cabernets along with a Puligny Montrachet La Garenne which is quite rare. They have an outstanding wine list but the wine prices are way too high ranging upwards of 5X retail which is not reasonable. The only other issue is this place is off the beaten track and hard to find and surrounded by new construction which should be completed in September of 2020 and we were told once construction is finished they will have convenient parking available but right now they do offer valet parking at the entrance. If you are a steak lover you will simply not find a better place than this one.
Riverhorse on Main Street
One of the longest and highest rated places in Park City for years located on Main Street. I have lost count how many times I have dined here and many of those meals are memorable. We had a good dinner but I felt a slight drop off of food on this visit. Menu choices to me were limited and portion sizes interestingly were small which compared to other places was somewhat of a relief as we were tired of huge portions requiring doggie bags in the end. Not here. I was disappointed in the eggplant parmesan I had as the eggplant had a very small amount of cheese and was basically deep fried to a crisp and served with undercooked risotto. My appetizer was a goat cheese wonton again with a minimal amount of cheese and 3 small wontons. Just seemed to me to be an attempt to cut corners. They had an excellent guitar player for the evening which was enjoyable. My friends and wife enjoyed their meals and service was very attentive. Maybe it was just an off night but I have had better meals there. But in the end I still recommend it and will in all likelihood return next year. Again reservations are a must and you can forget reservations during the Sundance Film Festival as a Film Company books out the entire restaurant for 10 days solid during that time.
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