Eat Here Now

One for the Road: Tasty Bites to Go

Experience some of Park City’s tastiest eats without making reservations or dressing for dinner.

By Virginia Rainey Photography by Thomas Cobb January 1, 2014 Published in the Winter/Spring 2014 issue of Park City Magazine

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The Bakery at Windy Ridge

Who doesn’t love kicking back in a ski condo with a from-scratch meal that’s ready to pop into the oven? Or having a pantry full of locally grown and crafted specialty goods at their fingertips? Such culinary luxuries can help make a blissful Park City sojourn even more enjoyable, so here’s where to find some of the best around town.

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Deer Valley Grocery-Cafe

Deer Valley Grocery~Café (1375 Deer Valley Dr S, 435.615.2400) is a small outpost of one of the most popular ski resorts in the country—a destination known almost as much for its culinary prowess as for its world-class slopes. The casual café keeps its freezer stocked with a tempting array of entrées to go—just the ticket for a stay-at-home evening after an epic powder day. Go for the Mariposa meatballs; a dreamy, vegetarian lemon spinach lasagna roulade; robust roasted chicken enchiladas; grandma-worthy chicken potpie; and handcrafted pizzas. And that’s just a sampler: the little café also stocks locally made condiments, such as Hell’s Backbone apple butter, Yee-haw pickles, and V chocolates. Find it tucked into the Deer Valley Plaza, just downhill from the resort’s lower parking lot. And though its selection is limited to a few bottles, the Deer Valley Lodging front desk (located across the lobby from the café) sells wine, preempting an extra trip to the liquor store after you pick up dinner.

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Mountain Town Olive Oil

Just as the finest teas, wines, and chocolates are endlessly nuanced and complex, so too is the world of olive oil. Give your taste buds a workout at Mountain Town Olive Oil (613 Main St, 435.649.1400), where you can sample and compare the subtle flavors: herbs, pepper, green tea, or hundreds of other traces of goodness. The shop also stocks a range of flavored olive oils and vinegars—all the better to stock up for the season.

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High West Vodka

Shopping at a ski-in whiskey distillery/restaurant with a compact liquor store devoted exclusively to Utah’s internationally lauded High West spirits is truly an only-in-Park City experience. At the High West Distillery (703 Park Ave, 435.649.8300), you can find labels from Vodka 7000 and 36th Vote Barreled Manhattan to a 21-year-old Rocky Mountain Rye that is available here exclusively. And unlike at state-operated liquor stores, High West spirits are sold here on Sundays.

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The Bakery at Windy Ridge

Hidden in its own building behind local favorite Windy Ridge Café, The Bakery at Windy Ridge (1750 Iron Horse Dr, 435.647.0911) is a takeout fantasyland. The tiny storefront with a big bakery in back offers such temptations as house-made deep-dish quiche, glorious soups and salads, sheets of lasagna, to-die-for pies, and some of the best croutons around.

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Fairweather's kale salad

The über-wholesome inventory at Fairweather Natural Foods (1270 Iron Horse Dr, 435.649.4561) includes a large selection of organic, vegan, and gluten-free items. In addition to a café serving hearty soups, salads, juices, smoothies, wheatgrass shots, and premade sandwiches to go, there’s hemp milk, soy and almond milk, tempeh, tofu, and other healthy options. Look for locally owned Allgood provisions—including organic dried cherries, nuts, and fantastic trail mixes. And if it’s herbal remedies or vitamin supplements you seek, this is the place to find the biggest selection around, along with personalized advice.

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Samak Stickies

The journey to Samak Smoke House & Country Store (1937 E Mirror Lake Hwy, 435.783.4880) in Kamas, just a little more than 15 miles from Park City on the Mirror Lake Highway, is half the fun. The pleasant aroma of smoked meats hangs in the air inside this old-timey, rough-hewn log-cabin roadside stop. Specialties include heavenly wild salmon and beef jerky, smoked trout, cherry wood–smoked cheddar, enormous made-to-order sandwiches, and locally famous “Samak Stickies”—granola bars made with peanut butter and honey. Stock up for home or a day of cross-country skiing just up the road in the Uinta Mountains.

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Slide Ridge Honey

Owner Mike Holm has turned a former chain store into a showcase for local goods at The Market at Park City (1500 Snowcreek Dr, 435.645.7139). Amid all of the national brands you’d expect from a full-service grocery, you’ll also find Park City’s own Red Bicycle Breads, Slide Ridge Honey, Gold Creek Farms and Beehive cheeses, LuAnne’s Cupcakes, Summit County grass-fed beef, and plenty of other goods sourced within 50 miles. Bonus: one of the state’s biggest and best wine stores is right across the parking lot.

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