Words by Ted Scheffler
There’s certainly no shortage of excellent dining destinations in Utah’s ski country. But, on occasion, a top-notch restaurant meal can also include a bit of adventure, such as embarking on a sunset tram ride, a horse-drawn sleigh ride or a snowshoe tour through the woods. Let’s call it eating actively. Following are four such dining adventures where getting there is half the fun.
A guided half-mile snowshoe trek in Wasatch Mountain State Park leads guests through a starlit forest to a private yurt on Pine Creek for the Creekside Yurt Dinner. Once snuggled inside, you’ll be treated to a four-course dinner that begins with cheese fondue and typically features tantalizing menu items such as backcountry braised beef, winter squash soup and chocolate panna cotta for dessert. For those in the mood, there’s also s’mores- making outside by the fire.
Originally written for Ski Utah magazine
There’s certainly no shortage of excellent dining destinations in Utah’s ski country. But, on occasion, a top-notch restaurant meal can also include a bit of adventure, such as embarking on a sunset tram ride, a horse-drawn sleigh ride or a snowshoe tour through the woods. Let’s call it eating actively. Following are four such dining adventures where getting there is half the fun.
Fireside
Sure, you could drive right up to the parking lot outside of Deer Valley Resort's Empire Lodge for an evening at Fireside Dining, where gourmet European-style delicacies like raclette, wild mushroom stew and leg of lamb are prepared in the lodge’s four stone fireplaces. But you can also trek in on snowshoes or relax under warm blankets during a horse-drawn sleigh ride to the restaurant. Your choice.Yurt
To reach the Mongolian-style Solitude Mountain Resort Yurt you’ll hike or snowshoe through a moonlit forest. Don’t worry, it’s a short hike; just enough activity to whet your appetite for a memorable four-course gourmet meal (with a menu that changes throughout the winter) cooked right on the spot by talented (and very entertaining) Solitude chefs.A guided half-mile snowshoe trek in Wasatch Mountain State Park leads guests through a starlit forest to a private yurt on Pine Creek for the Creekside Yurt Dinner. Once snuggled inside, you’ll be treated to a four-course dinner that begins with cheese fondue and typically features tantalizing menu items such as backcountry braised beef, winter squash soup and chocolate panna cotta for dessert. For those in the mood, there’s also s’mores- making outside by the fire.
Mountaintop
Once each month—when the moon is full—Snowbird hosts its Full Moon Dinner, each with a unique theme, at the 11,000-foot-elevation Summit restaurant. To get there, guests enjoy a private ride on the Snowbird Tram. Choose from the loaded buffet and set up in front of the restaurant’s floor-to-ceiling glass windows, so you can watch the sunset and moonrise, simultaneously.Originally written for Ski Utah magazine
