Long revered as the king of ski resort dining by elevating the standard for slopeside food and beverage, Deer Valley Resort quietly added a new, nighttime offering to its empire at the end of the summer. The Brass Tag is located at The Lodges at Deer Valley in the Snow Park area. The restaurant is dark and the decor does little to combat the image of a non-descript hotel restaurant, but the welcoming and knowledgeable staff coupled with a varied yet manageable menu specializing in brick oven cuisine overcomes it.
In addition to table seating, there is an intimate bar, where I dined with a friend on a recent autumn evening. Through no fault of its own, the restaurant is plagued by Utah’s “Zion Curtain” law, which means the artistry of the cocktails being concocted takes place out of customer sight. The Brass Tag offers a small signature cocktail menu, and I started with the Rosebud, concocted of Salt City Vodka, St. Germain Elderflower, lime and cranberry. There is also an interesting wine list featuring selections that don’t commonly appear on other Park City menus. As a French wine enthusiast, I enjoyed a glass of Sancerre, a crisp and aromatic wine from the Loire Valley.
Our meal began by sharing the Whole Wheat Port Salut Naan, which was highly recommended by the bartender. The warm, melted cheese dish baked to perfection in whole wheat and served with a mint, cashew, cilantro pesto was sinfully good and made for an excellent, shared first course. There is an extensive appetizer offering, and many are perfect for tasting with friends or family. Another interesting choice is the House Cured Duck and Parma Prosciutto Flat Bread.
Impossible to resist ordering one of the Chef’s Favorites listed on the menu, we shared the Brick Oven Shrimp Skillet served in a saffron roasted red pepper white wine butter sauce. A choice of three different white wine sauces is offered, the other two being curry chorizo and fresh tarragon parmesan. This flavorful, sizzling dish can be shared as an appetizer or enjoyed as an entree. There was also a wonderful salmon special we shared. The Cheddar Truffle Chive Spätzle side is a must try. It’s essentially a sophisticated version of mac and cheese, but don’t worry, you’ll ski it off in the morning.
Delicious entrees and starters aside, the primary room for improvement lies with the salads in spite of their novel presentations. The unique take on a Caesar, featuring blueberries, romaine and kale and the butter leaf salad with roasted yellow pepper, shaved onion, cucumber and heirloom carrots were rendered disappointing due to the bland salad dressings. The ingredients were superb, but more flavorful dressings would really liven them up.
Deer Valley is deservedly renowned for its decadent desserts and amazing pastry staff, so despite having already over-indulged, we could not pass on this final course. It’s a small but enticing offering, and as chocoholics, we couldn’t resist the Deep Dish Chocolate Skillet. The hot dessert, served with vanilla bean gelato was warm but over baked, making it a bit too crusty. Baked to chewy perfection, it would be a great selection to top off the meal.
The Brass Tag’s menu offerings and warm atmosphere are ideal for winter, so be sure to give it a try for après ski or dinner to complete an invigorating day on the slopes this season.
For more about The Brass Tag, visit Deer Valley’s website or call 435.615-2410.
Enjoyed our visit to The Brass Tag in September and look forward to ending our days on the slopes this winter!