Heber Valley Golf

After our fist visit to the Spin Café, we had no desire to return. The food had considerable underlying quality, but the excessive use of pepper in the BBQ sauce pretty much ruined things, the excellent Buffalo Burger excepted, but how often do you want to eat an $11 burger? So, we did not return for quite a while, but eventually we decided to try it again, although that decision was made with considerable trepidation. She played it safe and ordered the Buffalo Burger, which held its place as the best Buffalo Burger we have encountered. I again ordered the three smoked meats (chicken, pork, and beef) sampler plate, and again requested BBQ sauce on the side. Unlike our first visit when sauce on the side was not an option, I got sauce on the side for two of the three meats. While the BBQ sauce was still overly peppered, it was more palatable than the first time, especially since I could control the amount. That was good enough to bring us back a couple more times.

Summing up four trips, the smoked beef is the best smoked dish because it is remarkably moist for smoked meat.. However, the Spin Café’s smoking process has an affinity for chicken. The BBQ sauce continues as in visit # 2– barely tolerable on account of the excessive use of pepper, but you can get it on the side to help you control the fire in your mouth. The Beef Brisket sandwich is second only to famous Bubba’s of Jackson Hole because Bubba’s properly serves theirs dry with a choice of three BBQ sauces on the table. Besides too much pepper, too much sauce hides the flavor of the smoked meat, and Spin goes overboard with the sauce. Rosemary-garlic baked potato pieces were as good as this dish comes. The BBQ sauce aside, the quality of the food is comfortingly consistent. You can trust that your smoked beef or chicken or Buffalo Burger will be as described here.

Ask if there is a choice between curly fries and regular French fries. Their curly fries are outstanding, the French fries are OK. The apple slaw continues as our favorite side, but the BBQ beans are
pretty good, except for all that damn pepper. There is little reason to forego slaw for one of the other choices. However, if your oder a sandwich with slaw, the juice from the slaw, which is served on the same plate as the sandwich, will soak the bottom bun of the sandwich. This is unpleasantly messy. Ask for slaw on a separate plate. Is this Heber’s best restaurant? No. It comes close, but it is the best (and only) smokehouse.

The 18,000 residents of Heber Valley share 36 square miles with 6½ golf courses-- 117 holes of golf. Golf is big in Heber Valley because there is a near ideal summer climate. Nobody gets excited if there is no rain for 6-8 weeks. When it rains, a rain that lasts for more than an hour gets a lot of attention. Humidity is 10-25%. Midsummer temperatures average 92 very dry degrees, dropping to 50 at night. If you play early in the morning, bring a sweater. *We live here, and it is not unusual for us to change clothes three times a day in summer to adjust to changing temperature. The 2,000,000 residents of the Salt Lake Valley, less than an hour away on the other side of the Wasatch Range live 1,500 ft. lower than Heber Valley. The lower altitude plus the urban heat island effect and the lack of wind makes their summer days 10-15 degrees hotter. They escape the heat by golfing in Heber Valley. So do people from Phoenix and Las Vegas.

The mountain wall surrounding the valley rises 5,000-7,000 feet above the valley floor, creating its own micro-climate. Every afternoon, a good breeze, created by temperature differences between the mountain tops and valley floor, blows across the valley. With the breeze and low humidity, it is never stifling hot. If you don’t have good tan, look out for sun burn. The high altitude (6,000 ft.) and dry air make the sun’s rays much stronger. If you live 1,000 ft. above sea level or lower, exercise at 6,000 ft. will leave you noticeably more out of breath than you expect. A rare visitor will experience mild altitude sickness– headaches for a few days. Try Ibuprofen.

Golfers can walk three of the five 18 hole public courses. The very hilly Gold and Mountain courses require carts-- the 13th green on the Mountain is 800 ft. higher than the first tee.

Golf in Heber Valley is relatively inexpensive, with one exception, the 27 hole private course a Red Ledges. The four 18 hole public courses within Wasatch Mountain State Park charge $40 with cart. The Homestead's Bruce Summerhays designed 18 public holes costs $35-70 for 18 holes. Carts are equipped with a GPS distance to the hole map. The 27 Jack Nickolaus designed holes at Red Ledges are new in 2009. Play is limited to the of Red Ledges property owners.

Advanced reservations, which can be made on line, are strongly recommended for all five courses.

All five have putting greens and a driving range. The Homestead has a practice sand trap. Speaking of traps, Soldier Hollow has fine white sand in the traps. However, when the fairways are watered every night, the sand is also watered and packs down to a wet concrete consistency.

Wasatch Mountain State Park covers 20,000 acres on the lower slopes of the Wasatch Range. The park is so large than its four golf courses are mere specs along the valley floor. Soldier Hollow’s two courses run across the lower hills of the Wasatch Range. The Gold Course is somewhat more difficult because it crosses higher, steeper slopes. Most holes demand adjusting for a downhill roll when the ball lands. On the the few that don’t, you face impressive uphill or downhill approaches to the green.

Soldier Hollow bears a perverse resemblance to Scotland’s famed links. The land between the narrow fairways was left native– a rough sage brush desert. There were no trees on the course when it opened, but they ruined the effect by planting some. The odd effect is a treeless course demanding as accurate fairway play as going down a tree alley in places where it rains. You can walk the Silver Course. Because of the steeper hills, carts only on the Gold Course.

Although Soldier Hollow is part of Wasatch Mountain State Park, the two much older courses in the park are known as Wasatch Mountain golf course. The Lake Course is almost flat. The 13th green on the Mountain Course is 800 feet higher than the first tee. One hole has a 180 feet deep dip in the middle of the fairway. Don’t be short. There are lots of trees on both courses. A few years ago, Golf Magazine rated these courses in the top 20 public courses in the nation. The Lake Course is the easiest of the four cuirasses in the park. The Mountain is more difficult because the fairways are tighter through the trees. Although there are no trees at Soldier Hollow, both Soldier hollow courses are impressively more difficult than the Mountain Course.

The Homestead is an attractive resort with an 18 hole golf course open to the public, year round scuba diving inside a volcano in 90 degree water, indoor and out door swimming pools supplied by thermal springs, and a good Sunday buffet. In addition to daily greens fees, golf packages including room and board are available. The Homestead course has fairly narrow fairways, trees, water hazards, and strategically placed traps. Some call it challenging or difficult. I call it a mean golf course. It is unforgiving and nasty, fun to play, and not terribly expensive. You can walk all 18 holes or take a cart. Only the Lake Course is flatter for walkers.
There is a small waterfalls to the left of the cart path between #16 and #17.

All have a restaurant. The Homestead has two, Fanny’s Grill overlooking the duck pond and the house trailer like building next to the pro shop which serves hot dogs, Polish sausages, chips and such and drinks. Also, the Homestead has a snack cart that travels the course selling pop, chips, and candy bars. The Mountain course has a little snack bar with hot dogs and nibbles near the 9th hole. The most attractive setting is the restaurant at Soldier Hollow with big windows overlooking Heber Valley with Mt Heber (alt. 10,000 ft.) In the distance.

Golf season starts when the snow melts, usually by April but sometimes not, and runs usually until Thanksgiving but some times not if there is a big early snow. In early April, one can ski in the morning and play afternoon golf.

When you are tried of golf, or need something for the wife and kids, the Heber area has a abundance of recreational opportunities: Wind surfing (Deer Creek Lake); hang gliding (Point-of-the-Mountain and Squaw Peak Rd.); horse bark riding at Sundance and The Homestead; trout/fly fishing in the Provo River and Mirror Lake), hot air ballooning, sightseeing flights, and gliders at the Heber City Airport; hiking; lift served mountain biking at Sundance, Park City, The Canyons, and Deer Valley, or rent a bike and tool around the Heber Valley; The Mormon Tabernacle Choir-- open rehearsal on Thursday evening, free concert every Sunday at 9:00am; fall foliage; and scenic drives-- UT Rt. 92, US 189 through Provo Canyon, and the Mirror Lake National Scenic Byway. These roads are especially impressive in the fall– mid August to the end of September.

Some of Heber Valley's more unusual activities are year round scuba diving, swimming or hot tubing inside a volcano in 90 degree water; day trips to Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef National Parks, and Cedar Breaks, Fossil Butte, Timpanogos Cave (very strenuous and reservation required), and Dinosaur National Monuments; waterfalls-- Bridal Veil along the road to Provo, and Stewart's Cascade near Sundance; salmon runs at the Strawberry Reservoir Visitor Center, Aug- Oct.; 1,000,000 acres of federally protected wilderness areas; or slide down a glacier on your butt in mid-summer on Mt. Timpanogos.
A visit to Zion's Bank on Center St. in Heber City takes you into a well restored real old west home. Feel free to wander around. Midway's Main St. has several houses designed by Queen Victoria's personal architect. What could be more Victorian than that? You don't
need addresses. You will know them when you see them. Midway's Swiss inspired Town Hall has an authentic European glockenspiel that performs every 15 min. if it feels like it. Midway’s "Swiss Days" around Labor Day is an outpouring of arts and crafts and early Americana with entertainment and home made sauerkraut.
In June, there is a vintage car show in Heber City and an Indian Pow-wow at Soldier Hollow, which also hosts a sheep dog contest sometime.

For accommodations, summer is high season in Heber Valley, but low season at nearby Park City and at Robert Redford’s Sundance Resort.

GETTING THERE Catch a nonstop from Atlanta to Salt Lake City by 8:00 am
and be in Heber Valley for a late lunch and a round of golf. Everything in Heber Valley is about an hour drive from the airport. Leave the airport on I-80 eastbound. Exit on
US 40 for Heber. It's all expressway.

Our first two visits to The Spicy Lady were a mixed bag. The first meal, on Christmas Day, was all around superb, a terrific British style roast beef and a perfect Chicken Florentine. Our second visit was a let down and a bit of a disappointment. Although nicely flavored, lamb shanks were greatly in need of longer cooking, leaving them difficult to cut off the bone, a real battle. Our third visit had good points and some not so good. Starting with the best, the Vietnamese Spring Rolls were nice and the Kangaroo Empanadas were superb appetizers. The Kangaroo, inside a pastry shell with cheese and stuff, is not to be missed. Several of us had Crème Brullee for desert. It won unanimous praise.

She had a repeat of Chicken Florentine which was not up to the standards of what was served the first time. First time, the chicken was perfectly cooked, cooked through but still juicy, easily the best prepared chicken we ever encountered in Utah with the possibly exception of the old Bonanza Cafe in Beaver. Second try, the chicken was typical a Utah disaster, so overcooked that it approached the texture of cardboard. As this is the Utah standard, if you must eat chicken in Utah, the Spicy Lady is the place to go. It won't be any worse than anywhere else, and there is a chance it will actually be properly done, just don't count on it.

I had Hungarian Goulash, a culinary classic. Any restaurant that serves such classic cuisine gets a lot of points, but while it was good, something was not quite right. I've had Goulash in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Germany, and Austria, and we make it home. The Spicy Lady's wouldn't make the cut. I think the problem was too much sour cream. The beef and onions were drowned in sour cream, rather than being accented by it. Still, you won't go wrong with it, but you will not be blown away.

Our appetizers and deserts cost about $9 each. Nobody had a a main course costing $20 or more.

Spicy Lady has a full bar, only the second in Heber City. Of course, this is Utah bar which means it is nothing like a real bar. The wrinkle is the only way you can order alcohol is if you also order food, and drinks and wine are very expensive-- state rip-off tax, it's not the restaurant. For an idea of haw baffling getting a drink is in Utah, in 2008, the State Legislature passed 187 pages of changes to the booze laws. The most important goes like this: previously, a "pour", the amount of a liquor that could be in a drink, was limited to 1 oz. A "mixed drink" could contain more than one "pours" of more than one liquor up to a total of 2.75oz. After the change, a pour is 1.5oz. maximum and a mixed drink is limited to 2.5oz. In the real world, a Martini contains contains a 3oz. pour of gin. So how much gin is in a Utah Martini, one pour of 1.5oz, or 2.5oz.? I can't figure it out, but either way, a Utah Martini is watered down.

Utah claims it liberalized booze laws for the Olympics, but when the Olympics were over, the State Legislature reversed many of the "liberalizations". A typical liberalization: "Beer gardens" could be set up by fencing off an area and posting a security guard at the gate to be sure nobody under age 21 entered the sin zone. One liberal change that stuck was that before the Olympics, restaurants were not allowed to display their wine list unless the customer specifically asked for it. Now, the waiter is allowed to ask you if you would like to see the wine list.

Restaurants cannot buy wine at wholesales prices, they pay the same a retail customers. Consequently, restaurant prices are 3-4 times retail prices (in most states, restaurants can buy wine at wholesale prices so the mark up over retail is 2-3 times). At most, but not all restaurants, BYO plus the "corkage fee" is cheaper than the wine list. The problem with BYO is that you have to go to State Liquor Store to buy wine, and the closest decent selection to The Spicy Lady is 15 miles away in Park City. You can't really BYO because only a bottle with a Uath state liquor stamp which is only on bottles sold in State liquor stores are allowed in Uath.

The Spicy Lady's wine list starts at $26 for an obscure Spanish red, which is actually pretty good. This runs contrary to typical restaurant wine pricing, where the lowest priced wine is the most overpriced bottle in terms of value for the money.

Service was chatty friendly good, and very fast even though the restaurant was almost full.

Our third visit was on a weekend night, when there was live music. All I can say is that it wasn' obnoxious.

So, after three visits to The Spicy Lady, we are still a little puzzled in deciding how good it is. When it is good, it is very,very good, but food quality is spotty. Considering the relatively low prices of the entrees, it is worth a shot, even with a trip from Park City.

Visitors golfing in Heber Valley can stay in Heber Valley, Park City, Sundance, or even Salt Lake City. Spring, summer, and fall at the famed ski ski resort center, Park City, is the low season, with greatly reduced rates compared to winter. Park City is an easy, scenic 30 minute drive from Heber Valley's golf courses. If you are staying in Park City, or even if you stay in Heber Valley, eating at one of Park City's many fine restaurants– "More Chef’s per capita that Paris– ran one ad, should be considered.

The Easy Street Brasserie, one of Park City’s best restaurants, has reopened after being closed for a couple years while construction work was going on next door and behind the restaurant. The interior looks much like the same attractive setting we remembered. The menu is short but diverse, with Lamb Shanks, Sea Bass, Roast Chicken, Prime Rib (rotating on a blazing rotisserie just inside the front door),

I’m of the view that one visit to a restaurant is not sufficient to judge it’s quality. You may be fooled by the chef having an unusually good or bad day, or changes of staff in the kitchen, or by the accident of what you ordered. Properly judging a restaurant requires several visits and several dishes. There is a puzzle about how many times we have eaten at Easy Street, which was forced to close for two years for massive contraction project next door. We ate there twice before the closure, and once since the reopening. Can we judge their consistence on three meals with a two year gap? Possibly so, for it seems to be much the restaurant we remembered. The kitchen is open to view from one of the three dinning rooms. I said I recognized the head chef. She said I was crazy. So first, our most recent meal and then the two from two years ago.

We both ordered "Pan Seared Sea Bass with Mediterranean vegetables and Spinach" ($32). The Sea bass was cooked perfectly, something you cannot count on in Utah, and as fresh as it is possible to get ocean fish in Utah. The Mediterranean Vegetables on one side of the plate were mostly excellent beans with some chunks of zucchini and leaves of wilted spinach other stuff. On the other side of the plate, the room temperature salsa was OK for out of season tomatoes. The butter was properly soft for spreading. The bread was a decent standard French style. The menu said something about Onion Bread would be returning, which we didn’t understand at the time. When I got home and looked up my earlier IgoUgo review of Easy Street, I saw that we had been very favorably impressed with Easy Street’s Onion Bread, so good move, but not here yet apparently.

Portions are large. The entree alone was very filling, all we needed for a meal.

Service was perfect. Food was on the table very quickly and the attentive staff kept water glasses filled and had the table cleared with dispatch and the bill ready.

Entrees include mussels, sea bass, rib eye, lobster mac & cheese, short ribs, veal chop, tenderloin, vegetarian pasta, seafood stew, tuna, prime rib, and roast chicken. Entrees run $23-48. Veggie sides include four types of potatoes, green beans, and sauted spinach. All priced at $5. There are five salads, $10-15. Appetizers include Buffalo Carpaccio, calmari quesadilla, deviled crab, onion soup, shrimp pate, salmon with caviar, and pizza, $9-19. There is also a small raw bar

We arrived just as the kitchen was opening and the kitchen staff was setting up in full view of some of the tables. We got to watching one cook who was putting big rubber mats down on the floor to see if he washed his hands before touching any food. It looked like he wiped them on a towel several times, but we saw no soap and water employed(there were times when his hands were out sight, so he might have washed them. We can only hope). This is a bit of a buzz kill. Probably cooking killed any germs encountered. Restaurants with open kitchens should take care to prevent scenes like this.

Based on that one meal, we would place Easy Street among Park city’s finest restaurants, which what it ought to be for prices. That conclusion was confirmed by our two meals there two summers ago. I had braised Lamb Shank ($29 in 2007), and never had to touch my knife to get the well cooked meat off the bone. The lamb was accompanied by garlic mashed potatoes, French fried onion rings, excellent asparagus spears, wax beans, and carrots surrounded by a brown sauce with a pool of pesto floating in on one side of the platter. This is a fine dish, but so was her goat cheese ravioli ($24th), which included remarkably tasty tomatoes for a mid-November meal.

On a second visit, we both had Seared Scallops in Squid Ink, another good dish after we asked the server to tell the chef we wanted the scallops cooked through, not the quasi-sushi version many Park City restaurants offer where the scallop is quickly browned but left raw inside.

Service was clearly the best in Park City. Although the wait to order was a little long, the food was on the table very quickly and the attentive staff kept water glasses filled and had the table cleared with dispatch and the bill ready.

There are two dining rooms at street level, both attractive and somewhat reminiscent of a restaurant in France, and a more informal(staff description, we didn’t see it) room downstairs.

From the transit center for Park City’s free bus system, cross the parking lot jus down hill. Heber Ave. is the street to your right. Easy street is at the far end of the short block.

A note on Park City prices. Easy Street’s prices are in line with the better Park City restaurants and the less expensive places fare not all that much less. On the trip home, we heard a commercial on the radio for Motel 6 where Tom Bodett uttered the line, "If lobster in mac ‘n cheese costs $15, is it still comfort food?" Lobster in Mac ‘n Cheese at Easy Street costs $30. That had better not be comfort food. We will probably try it on our next visit.

The menu is pricey, but during the off season, which is Spring, Summer, and Fall, Easy Street, like many Park City restaurants, regularly puts a 2-for-1 coupon in the local paper, The Park Record (sold in boxes on Main St.)

Visitors golfing in Heber Valley can stay in Heber Valley, Park City, Sundance, or even Salt Lake City. Spring, summer, and fall at the famed ski ski resort center, Park City, is the low season, with greatly reduced rates compared to winter. Park City is an easy, scenic 30 minute drive from Heber Valley's golf courses. If you are staying in Park City, or even if you stay in Heber Valley, eating at one of Park City's many fine restaurants– "More Chef’s per capita that Paris– ran one ad, should be considered. So we take a look at Ghidotti’s Italian Restaurant.

Veal Marsala was a nice dish bearing questionable resemblance to Veal Marsala. The nicely breaded veal was overcooked, making it on the tough side for veal– a struggle to cut with the side of the fork. Lacking any hint of Marsala, the skimpy sauce would merit raves had it been called "Brown pan gravy". Maybe it was meant to like that, but more likely the kitchen overcooked the sauce, driving off the delicate flavors of Marsala. The accompanying crimi mushrooms were nicely sauted, no problem here. The accompanying Arugala salad was a fine example of the popular yuppie abomination, Arugala salad. It was greatly improved by adding some of the terrific fruity flavored olive oil and balsamic vinegar that was on the table. Like I said, a nice dinner, just don’t expect Veal Marsala because the menu said it was. Come to think of it, there was no excuse given the sparse crowd for the kitchen to produce this dish. Go for Sea Bass, which was spectacular on previous visits.

Service was the usual excellent standard Ghidotti’s has maintained over 3-4 years and the decor is free of signs of wear and tear.

On past visits we have had three dishes were real stand outs– Three Cheese Lasagne (no meat sauce), Pork Osso Bucco, and grilled Sea Bass. The Three Cheeses Lasagne was loaded with three different Italian cheeses, and is the second best lasagna I’ve ever eaten– truly outstanding, and unfortunately long gone from the menu, replaced by a more traditional meat sauce lasagna that is good enough for a meat sauce lasagne, but the three Cheese one was special.

Both of us have had Sea Bass twice. The first time around, both were absolutely
perfectly cooked. Properly cooked fish is rarely encountered in any
restaurant in Utah, so Ghidotti’s got five stars for that, but the next two
servings were just a bit overcooked, still outstanding for Utah, but a small
step down from the first round. On both occasions, the fish was as fresh
as can be expected 1,000 miles from the nearest Ocean (it is possible to
get fish flown in from both coasts overnight in Park City and Salt Lake
City, which comes pretty close to being fresh fish). The thick piece of
browned crisp fish was served over a nice gremola of seasonal veggies.

Roast chicken in rosemary and garlic had no noticeable rosemary flavor, but the
garlic stuffed under the skin was mild and far from offending. The side
dishes– carrots, broccollini, and mashed potatoes were just about
perfect. On the downside, the chicken was way over cooked and dried out.
The lack of any noticeable rosemary flavor, probably another consequence
of overcooking, and the dry meat leads me to veto this dish. Don’t bother.

Braised Lamb Shank (a daily special, now a main menu item) was fine, but not terrific. Nicely
cooked so the meat was all but falling off the bone, and accompanied by a
good vegetable mix & excellent mashed potatoes. Unfortunately, the accompanying brown
sauce did nothing to highlight any of the flavors, but it was OK.

I don’t like Ravioli, but every now and then I try some just to be sure
that my dislike was not the result of an incompetent kitchen. Ghidotti’s
is the second best I’ve ever had, but it did nothing to change my opinion
of this dish. I guess if you like Ravioli, you will like this.

The rather erratic nature of the quality of Ghidotti's food reminds us that restaurant reviews need to be based on multiple visits, not one meal. Someone visiting Ghidotti's on one of heir good nights with Sea Bass would mistakenly conclude this was a spectacularly fine restaurant. Someone hitting the dried out insipid chicken would mistakenly conclude it was a grossly overpriced,incompetent place. The truth is in between, sometimes great, sometimes not..

The wine list is absurdly expensive, starting at $34 a bottle and rapidly going up. This is not unusual for Utah.

The menu includes three pasta dishes including a vegetarian one, roast chicken, pork osso bucco, sea bass, veal, beef, and a variety of appetizers. The menu changes at least twice a year, but you can always count on the basics– pasta, beef, pork , and lamb, chicken, and sea food being represented in some Italian motif.

The bottom line seems to be that Ghidotti’s is somewhat erratic. When it on, it is terrific. When it is off, it is not bad, but not outstanding either. You pays your money and you takes your chances. Want a sure bet? Go to Jean-Louis in downtown Park City, but don’t count the slightly less expensive Ghidotti’s out. It is worth a try.

The high ceilinged attractive Italian inspired dining room is spacious with lots of windows, unfortunately offering only a view of the mall streets.

The menu is pricey, but during the off season, Ghidotti's, like many Park City restaurants, regularly puts a 2-for-1 coupon in the local paper, The Park Record (sold in boxes on Main St.) and on their web site. At that price, even one of their lapses is fine buy.

The free Park City bus will take you there. If you are driving,
exit I-80 on UT 224 to Park City (at Kimble Junction), turn left at the
second light, then take the first right into Redstone Mall. Ghidotti’s is
on the left about 3/4 the way down the mall’s main street.
From Park City, you will see Redstone Mall on the left just before a stop
light. Turn right, then right again as above. Free parking.