The cafeteria has high ceilings, cozy fireplaces, and a wide choice of food stations. The walls are all glass and have unobstructed views of the mountain and the runs. This is for sure an upscale cafeteria. There are also TV sets hung from the ceiling all over the dining room. We noticed a peculiar custom in Park City of having TVs in eating establishments, turning them on to a news channels, and then turning off the sound. What is so interesting about seeing a news anchor behind a desk with no sound? We found a lot of places here did it.

However, our enthusiasm soon faded as we had a couple of dining experiences and quickly learned that you can't judge a book by its cover. The cafeteria was all glitz and no substance. First off, we were shocked by the prices. I am used to paying extra for the convenience of eating at the base of a mountain and even expect it. However, these prices were beyond that. Things like a simple baked potato were $7.95, a slice of pizza ran $7, and the ultimate insult was when my son wanted to get a small cup of fruit from the salad bar. He had less than a cup of melon and grapes and was charged $10 for it.

Some of the food was pretty good. However, it was hit-or-miss. I will admit that we enjoyed the pizza; it was top-quality and very good. The salad bar had a lot of choices and looked fairly fresh. However, I had a cup of minestrone soup one day, and the soup was 90% broth with a few macaroni noodles thrown in.

Our worst meal was our one breakfast here. By 7:30am, they had already run out of oatmeal, so I ordered scrambled eggs. The eggs were cooked on the hamburger grill and came out looking more like an overdone omelet than scrambled eggs. They were dry, overcooked, and very brown. I had two slices of dry toast that tasted like two pieces of cardboard. It was very disappointing, and I only took a few bites--$12 down the drain!

We didn't find the staff at the cafeteria very friendly. I got the impression they were all working there to support their ski habits and were resentful they were working behind a cash register and not out on the slopes.

This is by far the most convenient food outlet at the base, and we ended up here more times than we care to admit. It's too bad they put so much effort in the bones of the place and so little into the soul.