When we asked for directions at the front desk, the clerk's eyes lit up and she could only say, "YUM". We knew we were in for a treat.

We found Blind Dog and headed up to the door only to find it locked. You should have seen the disappointment on our faces. Then we noticed the sign on the door, "Serving Lunch and Dinner, Monday to Saturday from 11:00am until closing". Okay, it was Thursday at 12:30pm, why was the door locked? Why was the parking lot full of cars? Then we noticed Blind Dog Sushi next door. We did not want sushi, but at least we could ask. That door was open. We told the hostess we did not want sushi, but isn't Blind Dog open for lunch? It was - lunch is served from the sushi restaurant. Okay, a bit confusing and not very well explained. But you can get lunch and many of the wonderful Blind Dog dishes here at Blind Dog Sushi, or you can get sushi. Okay - understood - we were in the loop!

Our waitress was a doll: helpful, friendly, fun, and you could tell loved her job and loved everything about Blind Dog. She turned me onto a Purple Haze, hot sake and Chambord. Okay, it was a little sweet, but I enjoyed it. Who knew I would discover a new cocktail in Utah!

The sushi area is less formal but still has the Blind Dog feel and atmosphere to it. The lunch menu is pared down a bit from dinner but offers all the favorites, like Penny's Dreamloaf, The Kobe Beef Burger, The Fondue, and The Crab Cakes. We were so overwhelmed, we had to order a few items and share. We had the cheese fondue and it was delicious. The Kobe Beef Burger for $18 was worth every penny. I have never tasted a better burger. The chicken breast stuffed with goat cheese was also a table favorite. We even got a few pieces of sushi, which was fresh and wonderful.

We all were full and happy. We were so thrilled with our lunch, we made dinner reservations here for Patrick's birthday (see separate review for the main dining room).

The sushi area is open for lunch and at dinner. You can always get sushi in this room in addition to the menu, but you cannot order sushi in the main dining room from this area. It may be a bit confusing, but once you get the rules down, you are in foodie nirvana.

Blind Dog is a must-do for Park City. I can honestly tell you that it's one of my picks for the top-ten American restaurants.

Blind Dog Grill is located in Prospector Square, a few blocks away from Main Street Park City. The grill is named Blind Dog in honor of the owner's black lab, who was hit by a car and survived but was left blind. The blind-dog theme runs throughout the restaurant. I love the white plates with the blind-dog logo across them. We did note that it is curiously similar to the black-dog theme in Martha's Vineyard. BDG has even opened a small gift corner with logo wear.

The restaurant is elegant, but in a casual, less fussy way. The staff is young, and you can tell they all share a love of working here. They light up when they talk about the menu and that night's specials. Our waitress from lunch remembered us and came over to our table to welcome us back. The feel is friendly and inviting.

This is one menu we all had a very hard time ordering from--not that it was difficult, just that it had so many great things that it was really hard to narrow our picks down. Finally, we all had ordered and realized none of us had ordered the crab cake, which got rave reviews from another guide at IgoUgo. So we ordered a separate crab cake for our table to share.

As at lunch, not one bite disappointed. I started with the lobster bisque. Who knew you could find the perfect lobster bisque in the middle of Utah in the winter? Patrick had the fresh mussels over French onion soup, and I tried it and loved it. Patrick refused to share more than one spoonful, no matter how hard we begged. We all dug in to our crab cake, and you would have to go to Maryland to find a better crab cake.

We all got steaks, except for Chris, who got Penny's signature "Dreamloaf". The Dreamloaf is a famous dish here at Blind Dog, and with the first bite, we understood why. This was the perfect meatloaf and raised the mom's meatloaf recipe to a gourmet pedestal. We all took large forkfuls and all wished we had ordered the same. (If you can't make it to Utah, look on the web page--The Blind Dog is actually generous enough to share this recipe!) The steaks were outstanding, but the meatloaf won.

Blind Dog is one of those nights that I will take away in memory from Park City. It was a night of perfect dining. We shared great food and good conversation, had fantastic service, and I love the look and feel of the space. Please, take my advice when you plan your trip to Park City, and make sure you spend one night at Blind Dog.