Park City Eats

Given my obsession with food, it probably comes as no surprise that my favorite part of any vacation is exploring the local culinary scene.  I can literally spend hours pouring through menus online and strategically making breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert selections.  Park City has a huge variety of restaurants ranging from contemporary American to Asian to Italian and everything in between.  The nature of a resort town is that restaurants have a very captive audience, and can therefore charge exorbitant prices for their entrees.  As residents on a very narrow budget, we sought out unique restaurants with excellent reviews, yet modest price tags.  I'd say we were successful, but I'll leave the pictures to do the talking.

Sammy's Bistro
Mahi Mahi Tacos
Cumin-lime marinated Mahi Mahi grilled and served with cabbage, cilantro, and tomatillo aioli.
Presented on three corn tortillas with mango salsa.

We stumbled upon this restaurant in a strip center near our hotel.  It was only 11am local time, yet our stomachs were growling after a five hour flight and early morning wake-up in Charlotte.  I hesitated to order fish tacos since Utah is a landlocked state, but the waitress insisted they were a very popular selection.  The verdict - delicious!  The marinated fish with the mango salsa, a squeeze of lime, and a squirt of siracha combined for great flavors.

Legacy Cafe at Park City Mountain
Salad Bar
The selections on the salad bar were quite limited, yet it was the best options given the other more traditional cafeteria options.  It was filling and left me with energy for skiing.

Bangkok ThaiPAD KHING
Fresh Ginger Sautéed with Black Bean Sauce, Black Asian Mushrooms, Onion, and Vegetables.

Prior to the entree, I had an order of vegetarian basil rolls.  They were quite good, but I was disappointed that they were served with a sweet chili sauce rather than the typical peanut sauce.  The entree itself featured a plateful of vegetables in a well seasoned sauce that I'm planning to recreate at home.

Sadly, our excellent meal at Bangkok Thai came to a horrible conclusion when Mike discovered this tack mid-bike in his curry dish.  The colored ball on the end resembled the peas in the dish.  Naturally we were quite upset and spoke with manager who insisted that it fell off a cork board and into the pot of curry.  A portion of our meal was comped, but that didn't change the fact that it could have been a horrible scenario had it been swallowed.

Nature's Wraps
Roasty Toasty Salad

Spinach, Quinoa Salad, Roasted Red Peppers, Steamed Broccoli Mix, Roasted Potatoes, Roasted Vegetables, Pick a Protein, Agave Whole Grain Mustard Dressing. 

Fresh ingredients combined to make a tasty salad that satisfied my desire for a healthy lunch.

Vinto 
Forrest Mushroom and Artichoke Pasta
fettuccini, rosemary, thyme, wild arugula, pecorino

The restaurant specializes in wood-fired pizzas, which was what I intended to eat.  However, I've had a huge craving for pasta for quite some time and couldn't resist ordering this dish.  I was very happy with my choice, especially given that the pizzas appeared quite greasy.

Sushi Blue
Snow Dance Roll, Ika Salad (Marinated Smoked Squid), Jicama Slaw
The snow dance roll was spicy tuna, shrimp tempura, avocado, cucumber, and mango
wrapped in soy paper, topped with spicy tako.

Fairweather Natural Foods
Small Salad and Tortilla Soup
This was a small yet excellent vegan restaurant and market in one.  The salad was filled with fresh veggies - mixed greens, cabbage, beets, carrots, cucumber, tomato, and avocado - and topped with a miso dressing and nutritional yeast.  The soup base tasted creamy, but the chef told me the base was a puree of roasted cauliflower and onions and tortillas.

Those are just a few of Park City's culinary offerings.  Main Street is lined with upscale eateries that I definitely would like to enjoy in the future.  Given their $30 per entree price tag, however, I think I'll be saving those visits for my future life as an attending.

So, after all of that deliciousness, can you understand my lack of enthusiasm for returning home to hospital cafeteria meals again?