Thursday, November 29, 2007

Olympic Park


No new snow overnight – bummer.

We decide to venture out during the daylight hours. Our destination today: Utah Olympic Park.

Olympic park is home of the ski jump, luge and bobsled tracks. We opt for the guided tour and it turns out to be a great decision. Our guide is a vivacious man who starts our tour by showing us the most dangerous conveyance: the luge. These sleds go about 90 mph and any mistake is quite significant – riders get burned by the ice (yep, at 90 mph, that's what happens))

Our first stop is the tippy top of the 120 m ski jump. You can see the jumps from the main highway but when you arrive at the facility, you are awed at the magnitude. However, nothing prepares you for the view from the starting gate. These guys MUST be crazy.

Our guide gives a detailed description of the how the track works: there are actually “slots” for the skis carved into the run. And there is a layer of plastic grass-like material (think of a fake hula skirt) that the snow sits on. The start gate is actually adjusted up or down the run based on the weather conditions. They use guinea pigs (14 year-old jumpers) to take the first runs and determine the necessary adjustment.

Our next stop is the luge track. This is one of those sports that looks so very easy. You lie on your back with your ankles on the front part of the blades. It is the most dangerous of Olympic sports. We are arrive in time to watch a slider about to take a training run on the luge track. His gloves have little grippy spikes on them – used to push off from the start gate. He looks cold in his skin tight suit. He's breathing deeply and going through the turns in his head - they have no time to "think" out there, it's all programmed into their heads and muscles.

Our guide takes us to one of the turns in the luge track and we are able to catch a fleeting glimpse of a couple women on the track. Their coach is watching and we find it uncanny that he can provide guidance to them (relax, drive your shoulder down to get into the turn). They flashed by so quickly, we couldn't even tell you what colors they were wearing.

From this point, we see the tourist start of the bobsled – for $200 you and two others can ride in a bobsled with a professional driver. You'll experience 4 Gs in the turns and 80+ mph of pure icy speed. The gold medalist in Nagano Japan won with 70+ mph time. This is the fastest track in existence. However, we are going to miss the opportunity – they don't open for tourist thrills until Dec 18!

The facility boasts a museum dedicated to the 2002 Olympics. It's small but packs in a lot of memorabilia from the event in the area. And did you know that Paul was one of the cauldron lighters? – here is a photo as proof. Oops, is that the hardwood floor of the museum at the base of this picture! Otherwise, it looks pretty convincing. NOT!

We take a friend's the suggestion to dine at Chez Betty tonight, located in the Cooperbottom Inn. It's pretty quiet, there are only three other tables occupied. After review of the menu, Annette orders the Tasting Menu with the wine pairings. Paul orders from the main menu: Shrimp and Lemongrass Dumplings and Grilled Hanger Steak. The 4 course tasting menu starts with Apple Walnut Risotto - a yummy, creamy, rich offering. The chablis accompaniment is perfect.
The Goat Cheese Ravioli is served in a puddle of Roast Shallot Broth, Sweet Onion Jam and Sun-Dried Tomatoes. It's a tiny little puff of a serving - I could have eaten a few more. For Paul, the flavors don't quite come together, but it doesn't stop him from cleaning the bowl. The entree, Pork Medallions, is exquisite. It's moist and flavorful - difficult to find in today's pork market. The dessert is beautifully presented and Annette finds the frozen banana nougat much more interesting than the chocolate cake (what's up with that?) The presentation highlight of the meal is the port - it's served in a small crystal bowl, with a sipping straw that comes from the bottom. It's delicate and terribly cute. And Annette actually slurps - not realizing she was near the bottom of the portion, she manages a noisy slurp of greed.

Paul's selections are wonderful as well. The dumplings are complex and have a hint of spice in the sauce. The hanger steak is rare, the way it should be. The brie and mushroom bruschetta is wonderful, but we are slightly confused by the toast on top of a small lump of mashed potatoes. Maybe the potatoes are to keep everything "attached" to the plate.

Our waiter, Ben, is wonderful and asks how we like each course and I do believe he may actually take our comments back to the chef.

A truly wonderful meal and evening.




Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Time to hit the slope (yes, singular)

It's time to strap on the sticks and hit the slopes – well, only one slope. PCMR still has only one run open. The snow accumulation is about 4 inches (he'd rather it be 4 FEET!) But fresh, nature made snow is WAY better than man made stuff. Annette decides to kick back and read, watch movies. At the end of the day, we do hit the fitness center for a quick turn on the treadmill and a mad dash for the hot tub. You can hardly see them for the steam hovering around them.

The evening's plans are for another movie and late dinner. We thoroughly enjoy The Gangster with Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe.

Another recommended movie – see it the theater if you can – it's big and bold and suited to the big screen.

Since it's late, we mosey across the street to the Red Rock Junction and hope they are still serving. Our waitress, Pam, tells us about the recent awards won by the brewery: 2007 Great American Beer Festival Large Brewpub and Large Brewpub Brewer of the Year!

Of course, we have to try some of their offerings: Paul orders an Oatmeal Stout and Annette decides on a Honey Wheat beer. For eats, we start with the soup of the day, veggies, sausage and pasta. For entrees, we decide to have a salad and an entree:

Warm shrimp salad: Wattercress, baby spinach, roasted sweet potatoes, grapefruit, pistachios, gorgonzola with creamy lemon pepper dressing.

Salmon (special of the day) with a BBQ sauce and onion strings and their signature horseradish mashed potatoes.

The food is pretty interesting, but not nearly as interesting as Pam, who's confirming comment is “Let's get it goin'” We like her.


Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Let There Be SNOW!

Another lazy day with no new snow on the mountain. After a late brunch, surfing the web and a bit of work for Paul, we decide to get in a light workout at the fitness center.

We've planned to see “Into the Wild”, a wonderful movie directed by Sean Penn, based on an amazing book by John Krakauer. We have both read the book and talked about this story a lot at the time. I highly recommend both the movie and the book (in fact, I recommend all of Krakauer's books – he is a fabulous writer).

As we leave our resort, we notice little white flakes in the air – could it be the “S” word? Why, yes, it is. Crystal white SNOW. It was forecast for today. Before we enter the theater, we snap a quick pic on the camera phone to prove to all –

there really IS snow in Park City, Utah.

It continued to snow while the movie ran – there is an accumulation of about 3 inches on the ground.


There are a few restaurants in the vicinity and we check the menus before deciding on Hapa Grill – an "Asian fusion" grill with some very unusual offerings. I reviewed the cocktail menu and ordered a Park City – a mojito style drink spiced with fresh ginger. Refreshing and delicious. Our starters were spicy calamari and (this one is hard to believe) Asian Fries! Imagine ginger mashed

potatoes surrounded by egg roll wrappers and of course fried, served with a spicy plum sauce. In the picture on the right, the Asian fries are the ones that look like bread sticks in a tall cup.


Another Park City cocktail and our entrees arrive: Crisped Pork Ramen -- crispy fried pork loin medallion served over imported Japanese ramen noodles with fresh vegetables -- and Seadiver Scallops and Shrimp – nicely spiced with a chili pepper sauce and accompanied by roasted bok choy and rice.

WOW.


Monday, November 26, 2007

Lazy Daze, Sunday, Nov 25

It's a lazy, lazy day. Both of us are catching up on the sleep deprivation from the night before. We venture out for a mid morning Starbucks and stocking up at Albertsons.

The highlight of the day is “Death at a Funeral”, a movie presented by the Park City Film Series. The series is shown in the Park City library that boosts a real theater. A rousing comedy set on the day of a father's funeral. We won't spoil things for you, but this is definitely a movie to add to your Netflix queue.

We make our way to Main Street, the happenin' place in Park City. But on a Sunday night, it's not so happenin'. Shops were closed and very few restaurants appeared to be open. We happened on 350 Main . The facade is quite unassuming, but the interior is beautiful – stamped copper ceiling being the most notable feature.

We were impressed by the Menu de Santé (Vitamin and antioxidant rich items, low in saturated fats and calories, yet high in flavor and variety. ) Paul ordered the Grilled Vegetable and Lentil Griddle Cakes - With coconut-laced yogurt raita, fiery green bean salad, and peppered mango (having been warned of the heat level, he confirmed his choice). Annette opted for a house special starter: Tower of Ahi and Hamachi - With tobiko caviar, pineapple shoyu, and wasabi aïoli. For entrees, Paul ordered the Calypso Seafood Nage: Shrimp, warm water lobster, clams, and sliced fish slowly simmered in a coconut-lobster broth, with yams, julienne vegetables, and steamed rice. Annette was drawn to the Hapuapua (black sea bass) special – lemon, herb marinated, pan seared served atop a bed of yams with a saffron butter sauce. She was so impressed, she asked for the recipe. Our waiter tells us the chef is very open to sharing his “secrets”. We passed on dessert, determined to “just say no” to the additional calories, though the choices were very tempting.

Once we return to our “home away from home”, we settle in for a movie to end the day.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

To Snow or Not To Snow?

We've been looking forward to this voyage for many weeks. And watching the weather in the Park City area for the fluffy white stuff, since we are staying at the Marriott Mountainside resort. It's ski-in, ski-out at the base of the Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR). Many visits to weather.com told us that all of Utah was suffering from unseasonably warm weather. Which means no snow making either. Resort opening days had been pushed back and then back again. PCMR officially opened the day after Thanksgiving with one run and one ski lift. A huge disappointment for Paul and a "whatever" for Annette. Annette set out to find other activities: Pilates, indoor tennis, movies and tours of the 2002 Olympic Park. And maybe a run or two for Paul. We plan for ALL of it.

Our flight leaves SFO at the ungodly hour of 6:10am. When you back up and do a time line, it translates into a 4:45AM (gasp!) departure from home. Neither of us got much sleep, having left packing to the late hours of the evening. A quick drive to the airport, a smooth check-in at SFO, we even have time for a quick breakfast at Perry's. Annette doesn't even remember take off, she fell asleep immediately. Paul dozed as well after feigning interest in the book he took out of his carry on. Baggage pick up was quick, except for Paul's skis (they decided to stay at SFO). Rather than go directly to the resort and run the risk of our room not being available, we decide to take a quick tour of the Temple Square in Salt Lake City. Fodor's tells us it is a must see if you have a short time in SLC. The Nuvi is proficient at directing us to downtown SLC and Temple Square.


It's crispy cold and sunny, good weather for a short walk. A beautiful visitor's center depicts ancient Jerusalum and wonderful paintings of Jesus' life. The temple (pictured here) is magnificent and dominates the square. Nativity scenes from around the world are sprinkled throughout the square. A helpful docent suggests we head immediately to the Tabernacle (it's the background for another of our famous self portraits below) for an organ recital. A 30 minute performance that we enjoy, catching a little bit of shut eye as the music wafts over and around us.


For lunch, we decide to follow a recommendation of one of the Elders to eat at the Lion House Pantry. This house was were Brigham Young's home, built to accommodate his very large family. He died in this house in 1877. The Pantry offers a cafeteria style menu with a selection of 4 entrees. The rolls are the best (per the Elder). It's a nice lunch, just nice.

We make our way to Park City, and our resort. Oops, we don't have a reservation for you. Do you have a confirmation number? Very guiltily, Paul admits that he should have brought the confirmation for our time share trade. No problem, we'll call and confirm. Oops again, they are closed for the Thanksgiving weekend. Annette decides to "check out", Paul doesn't need any additional guilt, he's generating enough of his own. It does work out and we are given the keys to our suite. We then settle in for a much needed nap.

Our dinner plans are simple: take a quick walk around the resort complex and find a decent restaurant for dinner. The only restaurant open is the Baja Cantina. Reasonable Mexican fair with a few margaritas and a Modelo Negro beer. The dessert is killer: Grand Mulege: a baked banana with brandy, Grand Marnier, butter, and brown sugar topped with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, nutmeg and almonds. It put us both over the top and we waddled back to our room to crash after the sugar high.