Talisker on Main
One of Park City’s newest restaurants showcases the cooking of one of the town’s favorite chefs. John Murcko arrived here by way of the Culinary Institute of America and the Ritz Carlton 20 years ago and has been dishing up delicious food ever since, most recently as executive chef at Talisker. But because Talisker is a private-community developer—a posh, top-drawer developer, but private nonetheless—only a privileged few had the opportunity to enjoy Murcko’s cuisine of late.
With the opening of Talisker on Main, the company’s first public venue, now everyone can have a taste. The charming 42-seat restaurant and the pocket patio, with its outdoor fireplace, envelop guests in comfort and style; if it weren’t for the storefront exterior, you’d never know the building began life as a butcher shop in the late 1800s. The main dining room features a gleaming open kitchen replete with black and white tiles, and a vintage chandelier hangs over the staging area, where dishes are given a once-over before being whisked to diners seated on large upholstered chairs under an original tin ceiling. There’s also an intimate wine room lined with private wine lockers and topped with an Italianate vaulted ceiling.
But the ultimate reason to visit is the food. Murcko serves up classic American items with some upscale twists. You must try the lobster hush puppies with orange-accented tarragon butter. And you can’t go wrong with a bowl of Casco Bay mussels, or the melt-in-your-mouth buttermilk chicken with angel biscuits, or the roasted Brussels sprout salad with pomegranate, pancetta and hazelnuts. The best approach may be the $52 chef’s tasting menu—capped by one of pastry chef Aimee Altizer’s exquisite desserts.
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