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Windy Ridge Offers the Taste of Park City's Finest Without the Swank | |
| BY
NANCY HOBBS SPECIAL TO THE TRIBUNE |
January 31, 2003 | |
PARK CITY -- Main Street may be the place to see and be seen dining in this resort town, but it will cost you big time. If you are willing to forgo the voyeurism and dine off-Main, you can find the same quality, but off-Main prices, at Windy Ridge Cafe. It doesn't have the glitz of places such as Wahso, Grappa or Chimayo, also owned by restaurateur Bill White, but this less affluent sibling comes from the same stock. At its core, the locals have learned, Windy Ridge maintains White's high standards in a more humble environment. In fact, locals usually fill most of the cafe's rustic, chunky wood tables. But more and more, outsiders are discovering that Windy Ridge offers affordable daily lunches and weekend breakfasts, as well as top-flight dinners at a reasonable cost. "Value-driven" is how manager Paul Start describes the cafe. You won't find linen tablecloths (but then you couldn't see the great tables, anyway), expensive stemware, fine china or a lot of pricey accoutrements. It is casual dining, and the decor reflects that. Antique columns, obviously collected from different sites, are placed throughout to add charm and, in some spots, serve as dividers. When it comes to the food at Windy Ridge, named for a peak in the Uinta range visible from the cafe, most offerings could fit under the umbrella of simple and comforting. Lunch entrees, for example, range from creamy "mac & cheese" ($7) and fried chicken with mashed potatoes ($8.50) to almost a dozen sandwiches, including a delectable flame-grilled hamburger served on focaccia ($8) or spicy meatballs and cheese on a hoagie bun ($7). Fresh fruit or a green salad is included with entrŽes, but on our visit the salad was so tiny, it almost looked like a garnish. Windy Ridge is open Saturdays and Sundays for breakfast, continuing into lunch. We ordered buttermilk pancakes with caramelized apples ($7.95) and French toast made with sourdough French bread ($7.95), both good enough to guarantee a return visit. Also delicious are the breakfast quiche with its incredibly flaky crust and perfectly cooked filling ($5.95), and a layered Southwestern breakfast skillet -- actually served in a small cast-iron skillet -- with corn tortilla, scrambled eggs, pinto beans, peppers and onions, cheese and salsa. A hearty and filling meal for a reasonable $6.95. Dinner, however, is when the creative team, led by dinner chef Martin Combes, really shines. The one-page menu is not extensive -- there are only eight entrŽes, none over $18, and a like number of salads and appetizers -- but the variety in those selections is impressive. The duck wontons ($7) sounded intriguing; luckily, we didn't pass on them. Six crispy wontons filled with tender, herb-seasoned duck were attractively presented around a small bed of baby field greens and complemented by a luscious curried mango sauce that doubled as dressing for the salad. A puff-pastry strudel filled with wild mushrooms and tangy goat cheese, also served with greens as a starter ($7), left us anticipating the main course. The roasted cornish hen was recommended by our server, and for good reason ($17). But even better than the fowl were the side dishes: polenta gnocchi, fried to crispiness on the outside but soft in the middle, and creamy garlic mashed potatoes. Rich cassoulet with tender duck and flavorful lamb over a white bean ragout also was delightful ($18). Other entrŽe choices include salmon or perch, boeuf bourguignon, a grilled pork chop and a couple of pasta dishes -- something for most every palate. Though the cafe's beer and wine list isn't extensive, it is adequate, and wine can be ordered by the bottle or glass. The market at Windy Ridge also is impressive, with a case full of beautiful desserts and baskets filled with artisan breads (the cafe's bakery supplies all of White's restaurants with pastries and breads), as well as a long display case of savory items for carry-out, including individual quiches, fried chicken by the pound, salads and generally three or four kinds of hummus. Even if you don't need anything from the on-site deli, take a moment to peruse the offerings. And while you are there, check out the lights, pieced of cut glass and reminiscent of beautiful peacock feathers. At Windy Ridge Cafe, you can enjoy the high-quality fare found at some of Park City's finest restaurants, but at less bruising prices. And with its off-Main location, you don't have to worry about parking. There is plenty in the cafe's back lot. New Metropolitan Chef Metropolitan owner Karen Olson has hired Adam Findlay, former chef de cuisine at the Globe Cafe by Moonlight, as the new executive chef for her upscale Salt Lake City restaurant. The current chef, Jonathan Perno, is returning to his native New Mexico and considering opening his own restaurant. Findlay, who has been at the Globe for almost two years, graduated from the California Culinary Academy in 1999. While studying there, he also worked at The Grand Cafe in San Francisco's Hotel Monaco and the Bay city's Oritalia, and later at the Fusebox in Atlanta. Winemaker Dinner Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar, at The Gateway in Salt Lake City (20 S. 400 West), is holding a special four-course winemaker dinner Feb. 19 with the Stimson Lane Vineyards & Estates of Columbia Valley, Wash. Fleming chef Donavon Tejero is preparing a menu with panko-crusted fried oysters, caviar-topped cheese puffs, sea scallops in wasabi cream, grilled salmon and lamb, to accompany wines from some of Stimson's wineries, which include Chateau Ste. Michelle, Columbia Crest, Domaine Ste. Michelle, and Northstar and Snoqualmie Vineyards. The dinner begins with an hors d'ouevres reception at 6:30 p.m. Cost is $70
per person, which does not include tax or gratuity. Call 355-3704 for reservations. Windy Ridge Cafe
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