Such a seafood feast involves a meal with an ocean view. However, this was our lunch on the slopes on a ski day in a yurt along the slopes.
When it comes to a mountain resort, that’s how they roll at Utah’s Deer Valley Ski Resort (https://www.deervalley.com/). While Deer Valley is known for its top-notch lifts, testing, grooming, lessons and all the things that make a perfect ski experience, they are just as valuable when it comes to food.
The choices on the resort’s trails and base areas are numerous and growing: this winter they debuted hundreds of acres of new ski terrain, which will create even more foodie dream spots. But even now, there are enough fantastic places to eat to make the Deer Valley food trip worthy. Here are some, but not all, of my favorites.
Fireplace: In 2001, Deer Valley’s food and beverage team had a brilliant idea: transform the resort’s Empire Canyon Lodge into a European flair dining spot and use its many enormous fireplaces to prepare each course. It worked. To this day, Fireside is offered every week from Wednesday to Sunday evenings and is extremely popular; enough that you’ll want to reserve well in advance.
The four-course menu reflects the experience of the European Alps. From guests’ favorite raclette cheese, to the meat roasted over an open fire to amazing desserts (and of course cocktails and an excellent wine list), you will be both amazed and charmed.
You can also increase the atmosphere by scheduling a horse-drawn sleigh to take you there. The free shuttles through the resort work well too.
Chute 11: When is a yurt a sublime ski food experience? If there is a DJ on site, he will play the right background music and serve dishes that will amaze you.
Chute 11, in its second year, is an unassuming outside yurt at the Empire Canyon base, serving fresh oysters, caviar, seafood towers, lobster mac and cheese sandwiches, craft cocktails, and all the champagne you want.
You can sit outside or inside; or do what we do and split the difference: dine indoors and then shift to a sunny outdoor table for dessert and bubbles. Chute 11 isn’t cheap, but you’ll always remember it – from the taste to the setting.
Deer Valley Turkey Chili: It is said that it is illegal to visit Deer Valley without eating a bowl of their beautiful turkey chili. A proprietary recipe that has been loved for decades and is served at virtually every Deer Valley resort eatery. Not your everyday chili, the DV chili is a white-style chili (no tomatoes) with a velvety texture that comes from one of its semi-secret thickening ingredients: creamed corn.
It’s hearty and flavorful and you can even buy a chili kit to make it at home.
Glitertind Skier’s Lunch Buffet: Stein Eriksen Lodge is a must visit (or stay if you can) in Deer Valley. Historic and charming – and named after the skiing legend himself – it’s worth stopping in even for a cocktail. But treat yourself and ski to one of the most extensive yet elegant slopeside lunch buffets in the industry.
Choices range from sliced roast beef and turkey to as many cheeses to sumptuous desserts. The surroundings are beautiful and sun-drenched with a view of the slopes. You can enhance the experience by booking one of their Alpenglobes; your own little warm bubble for dining, right on the edge of the slopes.
There’s so much more: Some of the many must-sees to experience include the Dungeness crab tower at the Royal Street Cafe, the famous DV chocolate chip cookies (served pretty much everywhere), and a flashback to the 70s experience at Sticky Wicket, where you can order a ‘Wong Banger,’ the resort’s cocktail, created in honor of freestyle ski legend Wayne Wong, who is an ambassador there.
Just next to DV you can go to the Viking Yurt (https://www.vikingyurt.com/) for a unique experience.
Park City’s main streets are just down the road and offer a whole different world of dining. Don’t worry about enjoying it: you can ski on it.
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