French Fries at the Boneyard

FRENCH FRIES ONLY NEED SALT STOP

THEY STAND ALONE STOP

ROSEMARY PARMESEAN GARLIC TRUFFLE OIL ETC IS A CRUTCH STOP

SERIOUSLY STOP

END TRANSMISSION

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I got these spuds at the Boneyard, which is a very popular bar/wine bar/restaurant. Or something. There are two different menus and like four different dining areas and it’s all very confusing and I like to meet people there and arrive late so they can tell me where the hell to sit.
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But it is extremely cool inside. There are a thousand and one photo ops. boneyard_fries-2

This is one of the bars. I approve of the brick, exposed ductwork, the periscope cupholder thing at the bar bar, and those studded chairs. Lovely and comfortable. Dear saloon owners: barstools need to be comfortable. If they are not, people will not linger and order more overpriced cocktails.

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And here is another bar. The wine bar maybe? It’s a little less busy than whatever other bar I was in but those turquoise chairs and black and white checkered floor just slay me. boneyard_fries-3

The menu I think we ordered off of is a bit more uppity than the gastropub concept of the twenty-aughts. Yes there is a cheese dip but it’s walnut encrusted baked brie. Yes they have a Caesar salad but it has brussels sprouts in it.

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They brew their own iced tea, which is nice. And they served me fake sugar and Sugar in the Raw, which is less nice. Sugar in the Raw is delicious and crunchy sprinkled on sugar cookies or mixed into hot coffee. But in a cold drink you may as well just throw gravel into your cup and pretend it tastes sweet. Though I stirred my iced tea five thousand times much to the dismay of my table-mates, drinking it was bitter bitter bitter bitter gritty sweet. P.S. Saloon operators: if you serve iced tea you also need to serve finer-ground sugar.boneyard_fries-7

But it is a light, fun place to have a beverage with other adults or to blow off steam after work. There are TVs with Sports! but it’s not overwhelming. Nor is the music or overall sound level. You can come have a good time, have a conversation and leave without feeling like you need to take a shower when you get home.

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The fries are perfect, but a little difficult to get. The Boneyard sells “herbed pomme frites” which are dusted with rosemary. They also sell “house-made french fries” with truffle oil and asiago. You have to ask for PLAIN DAMN FRIES. Considering the dipping sauces, I think these ended up as the Herbed Pomme Frites without the Herbed. Just be super clear, all you want are plain french fries: potatoes cut up, fried until brown, and salted.

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AND YOU WILL BE REWARDED. These are fantastic. They are exactly the same as if you cut them up at home and fried them yourself but without all the grease in the air. Delicious. Go just for a plate of these. Go for two. Two plates of plain fries and a beer please and maybe my companions are here somewhere but I can’t find them and well, they can order their own.

Whatever you’re doing, keep it simple. And do it better than everybody else.

Lola’s Street Kitchen

A fun thing I get to do is visit a lot of open houses. A LOT. Last Wednesday I clocked 47 flights of stairs on open house day. And some days the refreshments are a pile of baby carrots, and other days they are fully catered, and on special days, with a foodtruck. This is the story of such a day.

Lola's Street Kitchen 1 At the Lodges at Snake Creek open house (this is a cool project that is finishing completion in Midway, we’ll talk about this more later), they brought in Lola’s Street Kitchen to keep everybody sustained through the tour. Lola’s is a local truck out of Heber, and you can usually find them in the Dottie’s Kolaches parking lot or the Day’s Market parking lot (check their social media for updates). Despite the tendency of food trucks to cave into overly stereotypical and done-to-death recipes*, I am still a sucker for them. Continue reading “Lola’s Street Kitchen”

Being a Leafer in Park City

We are coming on that quick and gorgeous time of year when you must go enjoy the fall colors. Here are three quick and easy Instagram-bait locations to do just that.

Being a Leafer in Park City-6 1. This is Town Lift. Go here, take this picture. Grab a beer at the Bridge and eat on the deck. hashtag burgerlife.

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This is what lives under the snow of the ski bridge over Park Ave. Grass! And a sidewalk and some of the most delicious views of the mountain, the chairs and historic Old Town.

Being a Leafer in Park City-7 I just can’t get enough. Another beer please.

Being a Leafer in Park City-1

2. When you’re done, drive up Royal Street. Pull over everywhere you can and breath in the mountain air.

Being a Leafer in Park City-3 Try not to sing John Denver too loudly though, unless you think there might be a moose in the bushes.

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3. Then drive over to Park City Resort‘s base area and take a gander at this junk.

Being a Leafer in Park City-9 Hello, First Time, good to see you in full colors.

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Isn’t this a ridiculous place? And we are days away from the aspens turning brilliant gold as well. hashtag whatadump

Park City Farmers Market

Every Wednesday, during and after the Open House Tour is the Park City Farmers Market. But Tour day is so tiring that I know if I go to the Farmers Market afterwards I will have zero reserve, buy All The Things and have more salad than can fit in my fridge. But, if I get a coffee around 4 PM I can finagle just enough brainpower to get in, buy some corn and get the Sam Hill out of there. For those with a less strenuous Wednesday, it’s loads of fun and you could actually do all your grocery shopping there.

Where: the parking lot at the Canyons Village of Park City Resort, Wednesdays from 12-6 PM.

What. A. Dump.
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As you can imagine, there is all manner of Farmers Market fare here. Vegetables, garden plants, cheese, popcorn, tinctures and jewelry.
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Beef tent? You got it. Fresh mozzarella and butter. Chocolate sauce. Seafood. Baked goods. You got that too.
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New game: take a shot every time you see the word “artisan.” Die tragically.
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Apparel, shirts, shoes. The hat guy probably sells out every week.
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Lobster trailer? Check. FarmersMarket-12

Local bread and wood-fired pizza food truck? Obviously.
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Tie dye tent? Of course! FarmersMarket-18

And no farmers market would be complete without an Airstream. FarmersMarket-19

Here in Park City, we do not disappoint.

(But seriously, wear sunscreen and do not play that drinking game because you will totally die.)

Parking in Park City

So this weekend is one of the many summer activities that shut down Main Street in our mountain ski town of Park City, Utah. The Independence Day parade, the Tour of Utah bike race, the Arts Festival, the weekly Park Silly Market. It’s a good time for a refresher course on how to park in Park City but full disclosure: you’re better to just Uber/taxi/bus in for the 4th. TRUST ME.

1. FREE BUS
The Park City transit system is free. F R E E. Hop on, hop off, take 10 times a day, whatever. Free. (Big selling point for property by the way, “on the bus route” is more attractive than not.) You can just send your kids/spouse/friends/self out the door and off to whatever adventure you like. Case in point: this creeper shot I took of three youth fishing enthusiasts about to get on the bus. ACTUAL fishing poles, you guys, like how great is that. Do not tell me this isn’t Mayberry because I cannot be convinced.
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Continue reading “Parking in Park City”

Beyond Thunderdome: Tips for Driving in the Snow

So it snows in Utah. Like, A LOT. Often. And in tremendous quantities.
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Inevitably, we will have a dramatic storm that dumps like a foot of snow and everybody will need to get to the same place at the same time and traffic will snarl to a halt.

Hundreds of angry drivers who needed a glass of wine an hour ago, all waiting, waiting, spinning, honking, waiting. Here are my top tips for maneuvering this frosty jungle.

Continue reading “Beyond Thunderdome: Tips for Driving in the Snow”

Restaurant Review: Fairweather Foods in Park City

So while I work on my rundown of everything cool I saw yesterday on Open House tour, and because it’s lunchtime and that’s all I can think about, I thought you’d like to see one of the places the locals go for a cheap, healthy lunch: Fairweather Foods.

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It’s over in the Prospector area of Park City, over by Windy Ridge restaurant and bakery and a bit more over from the Boneyard bar.

(It’s a pretty convenient location for me I am just saying.)

Continue reading “Restaurant Review: Fairweather Foods in Park City”

Kristina’s Tips for Sundance: The Local’s Guide

dont panic its only sundance

Ah, the Sundance Film Festival. When our quiet mountain town gets its Vegas on for two weeks. I am not being facetious when I say there is no dream too big for Sundance. My office at 625 Main Street this year is turning into a lounge for Merrell shoes*, and according to the plans, they’ll be building some sort of mountain experience hallway with conveyor belts and maybe air jets? Listen, all of Main Street and other random parts of the town become a pop-up art installation. Remember, when you’re here on vacation, everything is fun and exciting. When you finally start living your life and move to paradise and live here full-time, it takes special effort to maneuver and enjoy the big events that put Park City on the map. This is my local’s guide to dealing with Sundance.

dont panic its only sundance
1. Do your research. Spend some serious time on this website: Sundance Film Festival. Know what is happening, when and where. You want to know what people are talking about, where they’re headed, and for logistics purposes, where the crowds will be headed and at what times. The first weekend of Sundance is the craziest. Yes, there are film, music and art celebrities and the star watchers and paparazzi that follow. For instance at Park City Live, on Friday night Skrillex is playing. Yes, that Skrillex. Consider yourself warned.

2. Plans will change. If you want to be a part of the festival–and I recommend it–be cool. Sundance has the inherent potential to dissolve into a crazy melee of scheduling disasters. Don’t get your heart set on anything. Adventures will find you in this space if you are open to them. Pop-up restaurants, musical performances and guerilla art installations literally erupt everywhere. Magical teams of contractors whip up living rooms on sidewalks one day and by the next morning they’re gone. Be open to the adventure. Open your mind and go check things out. Don’t try to understand the point of anything. In some ways, it’s like walking through a modern art museum. If you’re too stodgy there will be a lot of “this is art?” and “what the hell is going on here?” BE COOL. It’s an experience and if you go with the flow you will have an amazing adventure you never dreamed you would and also a great story to tell.

kimball arts center for sundance

3. There will be traffic. So. Much. Traffic. What do you expect? There are movies and events and adventure and food trucks and all kinds of jazz everywhere. If you are going to attend any of the films or events, use public transit. It’s free, and these next two weeks look out for the Sundance Shuttle signs, offering extra stops, routes and drivers. Cabs or Uber are an option, but remember this is a quiet mountain town after all, so there is a limited capacity for the number of cars that can be on the roads. If you’re not headed to any of the events, be mindful of when the scheduled events are beginning and ending and when the lifts close. (Sundance is usually a good time to ski because most of the visitors are here for the festival, not the resorts). Don’t wait to get gasoline until your gas light comes on. Hit the restroom before you leave. Have water and a granola bar in your car so you don’t get hangry on the way home. And politely utilize backroads when you can.

Side note: last year the Waffle Love food truck popped up in Prospector near the Park City Board of Realtors building. Should that happen this year I will diligently report live from the scene.

4. All the purchasing. This is one of the great benefits of having Sundance here: grocery stores, the liquor stores, and restaurants will be packed. Profit for the businesses, revenue for the tax commission. It’s a good thing. However, this means if you’re on your way home and just need one thing at the grocery store, you will probably suffer for it. So plan ahead! Treat this weekend like Thanksgiving: shop early, and maybe go a little out of your way just to save your sanity. The Fresh Market at Pinebrook is a lovely and quiet experience, and for many stores in Salt Lake City it’s business as usual. If you need booze, hit the liquor store right away. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL FRIDAY OH MY GOODNESS SAVE YOURSELVES.

5. Dining out is out. For the most part, dining out will not be in your cards for the next two weeks. Unless you’re eating at Karleen’s Uptown Fare**, at the base of the Star Hotel at the top of Main Street, that famously has a local’s-only policy during Sundance. It’s a good two weeks to cook at home or have friends over. If you do want to venture out, send some love to the restaurants off Main Street and away from the film venues. And if you can’t get those steamed pork buns at Wahso out of your head that’s fine, just don’t be a jerk to the wait staff when you can’t get a table quickly. Stay calm. And tip extremely well.

BoxOffice

Remember, the Sundance Film Festival is an adventure. A big one. A multi-faceted one. There are parts of Sundance that are altruistic and legitimately concerned with giving unknown filmmakers and artists a platform to present their blood, sweat and tears to the world. A celebration of passion. Some truly beautiful works have come out of Sundance. (Like Super Troopers. And American Ham.) There are also parts, the louder and more visible parts of Sundance that seem so commercialized that it’s easy to get disenfranchised. But marketing happens in the most magnanimous of spaces. It’s fine. Seek out the unique experiences. Go looking for something you’d never have planned on.

Be ready for the adventure.

 

2016 UPDATES:

*625 Main will allegedly be the Variety Magazine Lounge.

**Uptown Fare is moving into their new space at 1401 Kearns Blvd with, the Kimball Art Center’s temporary new digs.  The booze rule still applies though, go early and often!