01/27/12

Sundance Report: Traffic Jam

When I say traffic jam, I’m not talking about the cars on the road during the first few days of Sundance. I’m talking about how when you’re on the press list for the Sundance Film Festival, suddenly, you get 100 emails a day (literally), from not only the Sundance office itself reporting on the official business of press conferences and awards, but from an outpouring of public relations agents representing everything from the films, to the event sponsors, to the non-event sponsor guerilla gift lounges and other off-shoot events that attach themselves to the Festival,...

01/24/12

Sundance Report: Guerilla Restaurant Comes and Goes like the Mist

Just as the Sundance Film Festival swoops into town each January, puts on a feast of entertainment and then whisks away, the Mist: Salt Lake guerilla restaurant puts on a moveable feast of food and wine for one month only, offering a dining experience just as spontaneous, curious and inspiring as the famed film festival itself.

The Mist Project is the brainchild of chef Gavin Baker (he’s worked at a lot of famous U.S. restaurants and our...

01/22/12

Sundance Report: Robot and Frank and Liberal Arts Crowd Pleasers

I happily hit the motherlode this weekend, and I’m not even talking about the foot of fresh powder we FINALLY received yesterday, making the pre-movie-viewing skiing out of this world. Even though I sat through two films in snow-drenched  ski clothes (totally worth it), my first opening weekend Sundance films were both wonderful and hugely popular with the sold-out Eccles Center crowds (1,200 people). And both were world premieres, meaning there is a palpable excitement in the air when you're part of an audience that is the very first to see a...

01/19/12

Sundance Report: Here Come the Kennedys!

If you’re in town this week and want to do a little star watching on a Friday afternoon, you might want to hang around outside the MARC (the newly renovated Racquet Club, 1200 Little Kate Rd) to watch the parade of Kennedy family members slated to do the Red Carpet Arrival walk for the film “Ethel.” Scheduled to appear at 1:15 p.m. tomorrow, Friday, January 20 are Ethel Skakel Kennedy, Rory Kennedy, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Bobby Kennedy Jr., Sheila and Chris Kennedy, Max and Vicki Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, Patrick and Amy Kennedy, Michael and Mary...

01/18/12

Sundance Report: Air on the Side of Beauty

Anyone who knows me personally knows that I’m a pretty low maintenance kind of girl. My daily “beauty” routine consists of sticking my face in the shower spray in the morning, putting on a thin smudge of kohl eyeliner (the same shade I’ve worn since college) and trying to remember to take my daily vitamin so that I might glow from within.

 But when the Remède Spa at St. Regis Deer Valley called pre-Sundance inviting me to sample an oxygen facial and a makeup consult (since it’s what all the stars do to freshen their look before a big Sundance gala or red carpet walk), I thought why not? Living at this Park City altitude (roughly 7,000 feet) I can always use more oxygen, and any chance to hang out at the...

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01/17/12

Sundance Report: Free Films for a Cause

One of the Sundance events I’m most looking forward to is next week’s Paradigm Film Project. It promises to be one of those Sundance offshoots that ends up being a gem. Here’s an event you...

11/23/11

A Taste of the Season

Let’s face it. Even though Thanksgiving isn’t quite here, the eating season is already upon us. Crisp temperatures and grey skies foreshadowing snowstorms get us thinking about (or actually making) warm comfort foods like soups, stews, roasted meats and gooey baked goods. Nothing gets me more excited about winter cuisine than the annual menu tasting at Deer Valley Resort, held for some very lucky members of the media. In the gleaming kitchen mid-mountain at Silver Lake Lodge, we gather around the table as Deer Valley’s chefs cook, eat and talk so proudly about their newest creations for the upcoming winter season it’s as though they were their beloved children. The amazing food and beverage staff shares their passion for creating in the...

Posted at 07:07 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

10/30/11

501 On Main Has Arrived!

One thing this restaurant always had going for it? Location, location, location. Right across from the post office on Main Street, with fabulous outdoor dining, in the center of the hustle and bustle of popular bars like the No Name and Oh, shucks, 501 always had the potential to be a thriving restaurant, but it (self-admittedly) had trouble figuring out what it wanted to be when it grew up.  Owned by locals Paul and Cathy Marsh since 1986, the restaurant has gone through several incarnations (it was once Zona Rosa), but has finally hit its stride as an affordable and delicious locals hangout that has found its calling.

Chef Bear...

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07/25/11

There’s a New Brunch in Town

It’s been a long while since I’ve taken the time to enjoy a leisurely Sunday meal. But seeing Talisker on Main’s advertisements for their new brunch got me out of weekend yard work mode, into a sundress, and onto Main Street last weekend for an absolutely delightful brunch experience. Talisker on Main is the private club company’s outreach to the public. Here, any of us can enjoy the wonderful cuisine that is served to its members at Tuhaye, Empire Pass and Red Cloud.

The historic building at 515 Main was once the famous Star Meat and Grocery, which served Parkites from the 1920s to 1950s. The antique tin ceilings still stand, as well as the turn-of-the-century vibe, but with some comfortable updates, like stately leather chairs and banquettes. Throw in...

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04/09/11

32 Sips

When I was asked to be a judge at Wednesday’s Park City Cocktail Contest, I happily accepted and then started getting nervous about it. I’d heard you had to sample a lot of cocktails during this event. My high energy bar hopping days ended a while back, and I’m now pretty much a wine-with-dinner drinker who hits the sack around 9 p.m. My husband told me to channel my inner 21-year-old party girl and my Irish heritage and just get after it, but I was skeptical.

The Park City Restaurant Association started putting this lively event on six years ago as a reminder to out-of-state visitors that yes, you can get a drink in Utah. Apparently, a lot of people out there still think that because our state has a large Mormon population that doesn’t imbibe, that...

Posted at 03:06 PM | Permalink | Comments: 1