Park City, Utah

Last night when we were having dinner with Elaine and Dave, they suggested that we drive to Park City today. We followed their suggestion and it was a great one. The drive up to Park City takes us higher into the mountains and it was a beautiful morning here in Utah. Not a cloud in the sky and already quite warm but dry.

When we left Pennsylvania, our good friends Lois and Lowell were also planning a trip west. We had hoped that somewhere our paths might cross, but neither couple had a very definitive schedule. Today, in Park City, Utah, those paths crossed. We met them on Main Street in Park City.

Park City might have been named because the entire town looks like a beautiful park. There are flowers everywhere, and numerous places to sit and chat or just admire the gorgeous weather. The town is filled with wonderful quaint shops, restaurants, and galleries. While the guys sat and discussed the issues of the day, Lois and I, along with her travelling companions, browsed through the shops on Main Street.

Dave and Elaine had told us last night that Dave’s son was an executive chef at a restaurant in Park City, so we decided to go and visit him for lunch. The Versante Hearth and Grill is a wonderful, modern restaurant. The décor is just beautiful and the atmosphere has a wonderful casual elegance. We met Justin Nelson, Dave’s son, and he was very warm and gracious. This warm reception was only the start of a magnificent lunch.

For appetizers, we tried the roasted brussel sprouts (which we ate so quickly I did not get a picture of them), the calamari and vegetable tray, and a charcuterie tray which was very reminiscent of our recent trip to Tuscany. Everything was delicious but the brussel sprouts were the best we’ve ever eaten. They were roasted then tossed with bacon and a delicious reduction of white balsamic vinegar and local honey (we had to ask Justin and he shared his secret). We decided to try several things from the menu so we ordered 2 pizzas and each couple shared a sandwich. From our seat we could see the pizza dough being tossed in the air before being topped and placed into the brick oven. We ordered a margherita pizza with fresh mozorella and fresh tomatoes, and The Old Town, an Italian sausage pizza. Both were fantastic – the crust is just perfect, crisp and delicious.

The sandwiches were all marvelous but the one that really stands out is the one Jim and I tried. It was called an Italian and it was a combination of a New Orleans specialty called the muffaletta and an Italian hoagie (lots of delicious Italian meats). The layers just popped in your mouth, an explosion of flavor. I’m sure the fries felt neglected because they were hardly touched with so many other fantastic foods. Justin is an impressive chef and a warm, personable young man that I am sure is going to go very far in his career.

After saying good-bye to our friends, we visited the Olympic Training facility in Park City. In 2002, Salt Lake City hosted the Olympics and this was the site of the bobsled, skeleton, and luge competitions. The alpine skiing events were also held here. We opted for a tour of the facility and learned about the types of sleds used in the various track events. Then the shuttle took us to the top of the bobsled run and then to the top of the alpine ski jumps. The height was dizzy-ing. I had always suspected that participants in these sports might be somewhat crazy, but after seeing it first-hand, all suspicion was removed. Seriously, the facilities were amazing to see. We watched potential Olympians practice on a special run that projects them over a pool which is specially designed to soften the impact when they land after flipping in the air. Our guide also told us how Park City encourages participation in these sports with youth associations such as our local neighborhoods have for soccer and softball.

So now it’s time to leave Salt Lake City and Park City and head into Wyoming. New adventures await there, I’m sure, but I will always so fondly remember this area. It is beautiful, impressive, and yet inviting.