Blue Boar Inn

As we said before, J's birthday on Tuesday was thwarted by the "no wine before the polls close" election day rule. Thus we celebrated his big 3-5 a couple days late, at the Blue Boar Inn.

We'd heard great things about the Blue Boar Inn and with the Sundance Film Festival just around the corner, we decided a posting about The Blue Boar could serve helpful for Park City visitors.

The Blue Boar Inn looks like a Swiss chalet...right down to the Swiss Flag that was billowing in the brisk November wind. Inside the decor was country cottage; picture lots of antlers (chandeliers, coat hangers, even the toilet paper holder in the bathroom was made from a deer antler), comfortable couches and a roaring fire.

The restaurant immediately scored points for attention to detail: the hand towels on the bathroom counter were imprinted with the signature blue boar and they even had a bottle of hand lotion on the counter. (Ladies, you know what I'm talking about.)

The wine list's variety was equally impressive (by Utah standards) though the markup, at 100% for most bottles, was not. We selected a bottle of Argyle Pinot Noir to remind us of our days in Portland, grimacing at what we had to fork over to have it.


Our lovely server took our mind off the pricey wine markup up by dropping off a little Amuse Bouche - Wild Boar Ravioli with Arugula Pesto - compliments of the chef

From there it went something like this:


Macaroni & Cheese -Fontina & Gruyere Cheese with Herbed Bread Crumbs, Truffle and Shaved Prosciutto - $9

Sounds rich, right? It wasn't. In fact, this mac and cheese was delightfully smooth and light.


Coriander Dusted Jumbo Prawns - Miero Citrus, Watercress Risotto, Lemon Basil Butter - $11

J enjoyed the prawns but found the risotto to be a little flat.


Spicy Tomato & Fennel Soup - $8

Between this and the mac and cheese I was feeling like a kid again; minus the romper pajamas.


Red Beet Jus, Arugula & Chevre Salad - $11

J loves anything with arugula and this salad was no exception. The fresh pear that was hidden underneath the tower of arugula was a nice surprise. The chevre was served fried and on the side (think chevre McNuggets).


Brown Sugar & Juniper Rubbed Bison, Huckleberry Thyme Jus, Braised Rapini, Butternut Squash Raviloli - $36

The meat was as soft and luxurious as velvet, but the truckload of broccoli and tomatoes on the plate seemed out of place with the hucklebery thyme jus and butternut squash ravioli.


Center Cut Beef Tenderloin, Tapenade Crust, Gorgonzola Gnocchi, Charred Red Pepper Coulis, Balsamic - $36

While tender, J found that the meat lacked any flavor; the same could not be said for the red pepper coulis, which overpowered everything in the dish. The gorgonzola gnocchi was dense and dry.

Nonetheless we were stuffed from our meal and planning to skip dessert, but our sweet server wanted to buy J dessert for his belated birthday celebration. He selected the Crème Brûlée, possibly because he likes to crack the sugary shell more than anything else.

Vanilla Crème Brûlée - compliments of our server

With our check we received a little parting gift: two chocolate boars, which I gobbled down like vitamins. And I couldn't resist an extra sweet treat from a plate by the door: a delicious sugar cookie frosted in white and covered in blue sprinkles. The cookie was everything I want in a sugar cookie: soft, warm and sweet.

Would we go back? If we lived closer, probably. But The Blue Boar Inn is an hour drive from Salt Lake City. We'd sooner walk up our block where we can enjoy neighborhood favorites The Paris Bistro and Fresco than waste the time --and gas-- required to drop a couple hundo at The Blue Boar Inn.

- K

The Blue Boar Inn
1235 Warm Springs Road
Midway, UT 84029
(435) 654-1400

Technorati Tags: Restaurant - Fine Dining - Sundance - Zagat - Park City - Gourmand Syndrome