As I was standing at the entrance of the restaurant reading the menu, a lady exiting the restaurant stopped and told me that the food was wonderful and the service even better. She mentioned how friendly the owners were. She was right. We were greeted upon entering by a Vietnamese lady who was friendly and helpful in explaining the cuisine. I don't remember the name of the dish that I had, but it was curry-based and absolutely delicious.

We found the Taste of Saigon on the second floor of the Galleria Mall on Main Street in downtown Park City. We walked into an empty restaurant. We almost made a HUGE mistake by turning around and leaving when we walked in and found we were the only ones here! I figured an empty restaurant was NOT a good sign. However, good karma was with us, as we sat down anyway.

The owner welcomed us. She was an elegant Vietnamese woman who had a presence about her. She had a sincere smile and a warm welcome. The room was warm and had some great lanterns hanging from wall. It was simple but tasteful.

We had Vietnamese beers to start our lunch. The owner brought us a bowl of tasty, crisp fish chips that were gone in a minute. We had our beers with the Saigon Egg Rolls. I love Vietnamese egg rolls, as they are served with fresh, crisp lettuce leaves and herbs to wrap the egg rolls in. The rolls came with a delicious fish sauce.

We ordered the Spicy Lemon Grass Beef and Pho Tai Nam (rice noodle soup). Each bite was delicious. The soup was a perfect dish to order on a cold and snowy day. It warmed me up like a big bowl of homemade soup does. It was a perfect ski resort lunch.

I shouldn't have been worried about the place being so empty. First off, most folks don't come to town for lunch. They are on the hills skiing. Main Street is more active once the sun goes down. However, we did notice Taste of Saigon does a brisk takeout business with local merchants. It seems it's very popular with Main Street shopkeepers for takeout lunches. Taste of Saigon seems to have a very loyal customer base who are local, which tells a lot about a resort eatery.

Also, we had been having sticker shock in Park City. Since the Olympics, the prices have soared through the roof. Our lunch with appetizers and beers was less than $30. Most entrees are around the $10 mark. This may seem about average in most cities, but for Park City, this was a bargain!

I am a fan of Vietnamese cooking and Taste of Saigon is about as good as it gets. If you tire of the burgers and pizza in town, I can highly recommend Taste of Saigon as an exotic alternative.