Park City
December 2025
Our stay in Park City began inauspiciously. On our first night we awoke at 1am to the sound of water pouring from the ceiling. A pipe had burst in our room. To the hotel’s credit, they upgraded us to a ridiculous two-bedroom, two-bath, two-fireplace, three-balcony suite complete with a washer/dryer and full kitchen.
The interrupted sleep proved fortuitous. We quickly learned that despite its high-altitude pretensions, overpriced and aggressively mediocre food typifies Park City’s dining scene. The $50 broken carbonara and $70 bleu steak (ordered medium rare) at the #1- and #2-rated restaurants in the city were so offensive that the merely serviceable $30 burger and fries at the St. Regis Brasserie felt like a steal. After three dinners, we gave up on eating out and put our kitchen to use. That broken pipe saved us hundreds of dollars by allowing us to cook our meals.
Thankfully Park City is not defined by its dining. Skiing is the obvious star of the show. The conditions could not have been worse for winter sports, yet they could not have been better for a beginner like me. Park City experienced one of the worst Decembers for snow in its history. The lack of powder meant a lack of crowds, allowing me to fumble and flail without fear of being run over. I was lapping the main lift every six minutes, turning the mountain into my own icy playground. Not knowing good snow from bad, I had a blast. As a bonus, I walked away with two intact ACLs after five days of nonstop skiing.
The tasting at the High West Distillery was the one “food” excursion that was actually worthwhile. Their model involves blending their own whiskey with spirits sourced from other distillers. NDAs prevented them from sharing, but it was fun to watch the hosts squirm when we asked if Laphroaig is a component of their Campfire blend. And the history lesson was a great chaser: Despite alcohol being forbidden in Mormonism, Brigham Young was himself a whiskey maker. Naturally, as governor of Utah he banned all distilleries except his own.
Ultimately, despite the poor snow and even poorer food, Park City was a perfect introduction to skiing. Properly hooked, we started planning future ski trips before we even returned to the airport.
Recipe: Classic Cuban Negative
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