Skiing, Movies, Great Dining and Parties in Utah during the Sundance Film Festival (2/06)
Skiing in
Deer Valley Ski Resort (800-558-deer “3337”) or
The SKI Magazine just recently ranked 50 ski resorts and Deer Valley Ski Resort came out Number 1 in
There’s free ski valet and storage available after pulling up to the curb where you can unload all your gear, friends, and family. There is a restriction on ticket sales, overnight Fed-Ex shipping for ski equipment on the route home, and wonderful premier fine-dining restaurants.
The mountain is fun to ski and offers plenty of terrain to satisfy all levels of skiers. No snowboards are allowed which cuts out lots of young kids and teenagers.
. Make sure to check out the many excellent places to eat all over this resort before skiing, for lunch, or après ski. The Seafood Buffet and the Mariposa restaurants are very popular. We visited the Fireside Dining (only open for dinner on Wednesday and Thursday nights right now) , and the Royal Street Café which is open for lunch and dinner every day. Reviews follow below:.
Fireside Dining in
Wednesday and Thursdays
It was a snowy evening when we embarked on a long dark winding mountain road that ended at our destination, the Empire Canyon Lodge,
Seated 15 feet from one of four blazing grand stone fireplaces, our server, Jill, explained what we would find at this amazing alpine fireside restaurant.
First to enhance the dining experience, our server recommended the Wine Pairing, that consisted of three interesting wine selections that were specially chosen to complement the food. I thoroughly enjoyed each selection as well as a glass Merlot from Humanitas Wines, a wonderful winery that donates its profits to philanthropic causes. A Beer Pairing and other wines were also available.
At the fireplace, closest to our table, two half-rounds of highly aromatic raclette cheese were perched on a special wrought iron stand as the cheese slowly melted onto a plate. This method of serving raclette was a tradition that traveled across
This cheese could easily have been a meal,however,our helpful server suggested we visit the next fireplace to choose from a selection of three stews: veal and wild mushroom, venison sausage and chicken, and the delicious roasted root vegetable. Along with these stews, we sampled the baby greens salad, the crispy potato torte, and homemade bread.
Just around the corner from the stews was a fireplace roasting leg of lamb, two of them, hanging and slowly cooking in front of the fire. The chef told us it took about two hours for the legs to cook to rare and a bit longer to medium rare. The fresh herbs, lemon, and garlic used to marinate the lamb made it so tender and succulent that it melted in my mouth! Dutch oven potatoes with leeks and Cambozola cheese accompanied the lamb, definitely a fantastic blending of tastes.
Our suggestion is to first sample the selection of food from each of these three fireplaces. Then decide upon your favorite so you can comfortably indulge yourself with a second or possibly a third helping.
Warm chocolate, caramel, and white chocolate Grand Marnier fondues were found at the fourth fireplace. There was an abundance of wonderful goodies to dip, swirl, or spear such as apple wedges, fresh pineapple, biscotti, cake, cookies, and big beautiful strawberries. A lovely way to finish this sumptuous meal.
Do not miss this truly phenomenal dining experience! Perfect for a wintry evening in the mountains. !
Only $44 per adult and $20.00 per child under 11 years old. Make reservations to ensure your evening dining plans.
Royal Street Café at the
The Royal Street Café, is nestled on the slopes of the Deer Valley Ski Area just steps from the Silver Lake Express Ski Lift. This location makes the Cafe accessible to skiers as well as non-skiers for lunch, après ski, and dinner from until .
Embarking upon this contemporary restaurant at the Silver Lake Lodge you can choose to sit at a booth with wonderful views of the slopes. There’s also an inviting second floor that is spacious and centered around a large fireplace, especially nice if you are a party of four or more.
The dinner menu consisted of first courses that included Parmesan Baked Pita Chips with Chive Hummus that is addicting; Crawfish Bisque with sourdough croutons that is divine; Deer Valley Turkey Chili; Asian Cured Duck Confit and Butterleaf Lettuce Wraps; Caesar Salad, and other nice choices. Determined to eat lightly I chose the Yellow Tuna Tartar. This delicious first course was presented on a large plate with the chopped tuna mixture in the center, surrounded by crispy herb chips embellished with a wonderful lime-caper aioli. Definitely enough for two to share as an appetizer or as a main dish for one.
For the main course, Pan Seared Salmon Napoleon was chosen over the Asian Chicken Salad and the recommended Braised Center Cut Veal Osso Buco. The black and white sesame crusted pan seared salmon, which was quite rare, was perched upon scallion sticky rice, crispy wontons, and sautéed Asian vegetables. The fresh ginger sauce and wasabi cream added to the delectable and satisfying combination of tastes in this Pan Asian dish. Upon request the salmon can be cooked to your preference. On the lunch menu, the grilled tuna tacos and the roasted game hen, asparagus and shitake mushroom potpie was absolutely delicious
After hearing the dessert choices the delicious chocolate chip cookies won out over the ice cream sandwiches.
SNOWBIRD SKI RESORT- Reservations at
It was snowing when we arrived at Snowbird, We took the Aerial Tram up to the top of the mountain and encounter lots of snow and low visibility. However, we wanted to ski this mountain, which is known for its challenging steeps, large bowls, trails through the trees throughout its three distinct areas. Before going out to ski study a trail map. Snowbird is a tough mountain, however, there’s a great variety of terrain for all levels of skiers.
Both downhill skiers and snowboards are welcomed at Snowbird. If you are starting out in the morning, you might like warming up in
Snowbird will definitely provide you with a day full of great skiing and can challenge you if you choose its advanced trails. There is a helicopter skiing/heliport for the adventurous types. Snowbird is adjacent to Alta and there is a pass you can buy to ski at both places in the same day. One can ski to the Alta side and return whenever with this dual pass for $69 per day..
El Chanate Mexican Restaurant
After a wonderful snowy day of skiing sometimes great Mexican food seems like just the ticket for dinner. We choose the El Chanate, the fairly new Mexican restaurant located on level "A" in the famous Cliff Lodge that sits at the base of the Snowbird Ski Area. This space was formerly occupied by the Keyhole Restaurant. Upon entering this inviting and nicely decorated restaurant we could see that it was a busy venue. The separate bar area was also crowded with après ski patrons and others just hanging out.
The El Chanate menu offers a large variety of items to choose from starting with appetizers. like warm crispy tortilla chips with salsa and guacamole, Black Bean Nachos, Shrimp, Jalapeno, or Cheese Crisp, and a Hot Bean Dip. We ordered the chips which were large, crispy, and fresh. The salsa and guacamole were tasty and fresh, too.
Soups and Salads were available and looked delicious when I saw some of them being served to other tables. We sampled the El Chanate Tortilla Soup and found it to be thick and chock full of wonderful ingredients including avocado chunks, fried tortilla strips, and just the right spices. A perfect dish to order on a snowy evening.
The menu had a whole page of A La Carte items like tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, taquitos, and burritos. I chose the Mahi-Mahi tacos with garlic-yogurt sauce, cheese, and mango salsa. These would probably not be the best Mexican food dish to choose if you are looking for something more traditional. They lacked that zing I was expecting and I wished after the second bite I had ordered the Black Bean Veggie Burrito!
Tequila is a specialty drink at the El Chanate. Their extensive menu of tequilas would please any tequila aficionado. You can also choose any one of the tequilas and build your own margarita. It being a snowy night and a long drive down the mountain we chose not to drink and drive. I must say though that the variety of tequilas was interesting and I would love to try one or two next time. If you are staying close by the lodge and love tequila treat yourself and definitely taste these exotic concoctions!
The El Chanate Specials were familiar dishes like Carne Asada, Chili Verde with Pork Carnitas or Mexican Shrimp. After being assured that the sautéed chicken in the Chicken Venganza’s was from chicken breasts we placed our order. We liked that it was white chicken paired with pasilla peppers, onions, garlic, and tomatoes, served with flour tortillas, rice and beans. Served on a large beautiful plate the Chicken Venganza looked delicious, however, we were disappointed when we tasted it and realized it was all dark meat of the chicken.
When the dessert menu came we chose from traditional flan, a flourless chocolate cake with cinnamon, or our choice. the mud pie with coffee ice cream in the middle! We both enjoyed this dessert and agreed that we loved the coffee ice cream! Lunch is also offered at the El Chanate, although the menu is not as extensive as it is for dinner. I think upon my next visit, selecting the traditional Mexican dishes might prove to be more satisfying.
ALTA SKI RESORT,
It had been years since my last time skiing Alta and as usual I was happy to be there. Alta is a wonderful mountain to ski and offers plenty of runs for all skiing levels. However, this ski area does not allow snowboarding. In fact, you will see T-shirts that proudly declare Alta’s independence from snowboarding that read, "If skiing was easy they’d call it snowboarding."
Alta is now equipped with the amazing Collins High Speed Quad so skiers can get up on the mountain faster, however, if it’s crowded at the base, the old Wild Cat lift, a little further up and over at the base is a great alternative.
The day started out sunny with the best conditions for fantastic skiing.
At Alta you can meet friendly "locals" and learn great things about the mountain. The first local I met on the lift told me something that I do not think is well known. He told me that if I wanted to ski down from the Wild Cat lift towards the midway Watson Shelter, a fairly new day skier’s lodge, I could hop on the Collins High Speed Quad there and go back up the mountain instead of going back to the base. This happens at the "Angle" lift station that allows skiers to get on after , because, at the base about every tenth chair is left vacant, which always skiers to hop on midway. Then he invited me to follow him down a beautiful trail with new powder from the overnight snowfall. By it was snowing there again. There are so many variations and variety of runs through trees and areas where there is more snow than any other mountain. There is a fantastic terrain park near Alf’s restaurant/Demo Center/Ski School. On each end of the mountain (Supreme Lift on the left and Wildcat on the right, you can get some great fresh snow even midway through the day and easily get stuck in deep powder.
When we stopped for a quick lunch, we went to the well designed and comfortable Watson Shelter. This shelter has three levels, that can accompany many skiers. If you plan to eat there you will be please to find large selection of grilled food, build your own sandwiches, salads, tasty soups, a huge variety of drinks, a hot chocolate machine and cappuccino machine. Desserts looked delicious and at the register while checking out, one is tempted by candies and fabulous chocolate bars, some imported, organic, and many dark and light variations..
When we finished skiing that day it was still snowing with predictions for about 12 more inches new snow! All in all, Alta may be the best valued mountain price wise ($49 per day) for the best conditions you will get compared to almost anywhere else in the
The Canyons,
We were pleasantly surprised by the Canyons Ski Resort. It has expanded into a huge skiing and snowboarding area with a variety of terrains for every level skier or snowboarder. There are expert chutes, woods, bowls, freestyle terrain, and plenty of easy slopes. One needs to study the trail map and decide where they want to ski, because this resort is quite expansive…
It also offers many places to eat, five high speed quad lifts, four regular quads, and several other lifts and as well as a couple of gondolas. The runs are fabulous with many high speed chairs/expresses plus some advanced back bowls at
This resort is still being developed with plans for a new area called Dreamcatcher that will have a lift and over 200 acres of intermediate and advanced terrain by the 2006-07 ski season.
Home of the Sundance Film Festival with a great big village and town. At the resort itself, there are plenty of restaurants and shops including Legends Bar & Grill (see review below). The town of
Legends Bar and Grill in
At the Park City Mountain Resort just around the corner from the Payday Lift is the Legends Bar and Grill now found on the ground floor of the Legacy Lodge. This well appointed bar and grill, with beautiful woodwork throughout has moved down from the third floor of the lodge and is now more accessible to day skiers.
We arrived early evening and learned that this is a private club and non members were welcomed, but members had preferential seating and no one under 21 was allowed.
The menu had a large variety of appetizers, après ski, soup, and dinner entrees. The Ahi Tuna dishes are sumptuous and the Calamari Appetizer comes with a spicy dipping sauce and is enough for sharing. Many other selections from an assortment of sandwiches and specialties are available. They also specialize in many interesting drinks from their beautiful bar.
2006 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES AWARDS FOR
DOCUMENTARY AND DRAMATIC FILMS IN INDEPENDENT FILM AND WORLD CINEMA COMPETITIONS
“On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Sundance Institute and the close of the 22nd Sundance Film Festival, we celebrate the winning artists and their films, and have been fortunate to share their stories, diverse voices, and original aesthetics with our Sundance audiences,” said Geoffrey Gilmore, Director of the Sundance Film Festival. “This year we’ve seen a number of films that deal sensitively with the timely and complex issues of cultural assimilation and community. Clearly, these compelling stories along with the quality of filmmaking have resonated with audiences and jury members alike.”
The Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was given to GOD GREW TIRED OF US, directed by Christopher Quinn. In the late 1980’s, 27,000 Sudanese lost boys marched barefoot over thousands of miles of barren desert, seeking safe haven from the brutal civil war in their homeland. The film chronicles the experiences of three of these boys who seek refuge in the
The Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to QUINCEAÑERA, written and directed by Wash Westmoreland and Richard Glatzer. Disaffected Latino teenagers come of age in a gentrifying community in the
The World Cinema Jury Prize: Documentary was given to IN THE PIT (
soul, in exchange for keeping the bridge standing. This film chronicles the daily lives of the workers
building a second deck to
The World Cinema Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to 13 TZAMETI (France), written and directed by Géla Babluani. When the protagonist decides to follow instructions intended for someone else, he finds himself at the brink of human decency, a place whose only inhabitants are the underbelly of society. In his feature debut, Babluani expertly combines story and style.
The Audience Award: Documentary was presented to GOD GREW TIRED OF US, a film directed by Christopher Quinn. The Audience Award: Dramatic winner is QUINCEAÑERA, written and directed by Wash Westmoreland and Richard Glatzer. The Audience Awards are sponsored by Volkswagen of America, and are given to a documentary and a dramatic film screening in competition, as voted by Film Festival audiences.
The World Cinema Audience Award: Documentary was presented to DE NADIE (
The World Cinema Audience Award: Dramatic was presented to NO. 2 (
The World Cinema Audience Awards are given to both an international documentary and dramatic film in the World Cinema Competition as voted by Film Festival audiences.
The 32 American films in the Independent Film Competition are also eligible for a range of other awards.
The Directing Award recognizes excellence in directing for American documentary and dramatic features in the Independent Film Competition. The Documentary Directing Award went to James Longley, director of IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS. The Dramatic Directing Award was presented to Dito Montiel for A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS.
The Excellence in Cinematography Award honors exceptional photography in both a dramatic and documentary film in the Independent Film Competition. James Longley for IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS from the Documentary Competition and Tom Richmond for RIGHT AT YOUR DOOR from the Dramatic Competition received the 2006 Cinematography Awards.
New to the Sundance Film Festival this year is an award recognizing excellence in Documentary Film Editing. Films in the Documentary Competition are eligible for this award. The 2006 prize was given to Billy McMillin, Fiona Otway and James Longley, editors of IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS.
The Dramatic Jury presents the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for outstanding achievement in writing. The 2006 prize was given to Hilary Brougher for STEPHANIE DALEY.
The Documentary Jury bestowed a Special Jury Prize for AMERICAN BLACKOUT, directed by Ian Inaba and TV JUNKIE, directed by Michael Cain and Matt Radecki.
The Dramatic Jury presented Special Jury Prizes for Best Ensemble Performance for A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS, directed by Dito Montiel and starring Robert Downey, Jr., Shia La Boeuf, Rosario Dawson, Chazz Palminteri, Dianne Wiest and Channing Tatum. The Dramatic Jury also awarded Special Jury Prizes for Independent Vision to IN BETWEEN DAYS directed by So Yong Kim and written by So Yong Kim and Bradley Rust Gray.
The World Cinema Documentary Jury presented Special Jury Prizes to INTO GREAT SILENCE, written and directed by Philip Groening and DEAR PYONGYANG, written and directed by Yonghi Yang.
The World Cinema Dramatic Jury presented a Special Jury Prize to EVE & THE FIRE HORSE, written and directed by Julia Kwan.
The Shorts Jury presented the Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking in a tie to BUGCRUSH, directed by Carter Smith and to THE WRAITH OF COBBLE HILL, directed by Adam Parrish King. The Jury Prize in International Short Filmmaking was given to THE NATURAL ROUTE (
The 2006 Documentary Competition Jurors are Joe Bini, Zana Briski, Andrew Jarecki, Alexander Payne and Heather Rae.
The 2006 Dramatic Competition Jurors are Miguel Arteta, Terrence Howard, Alan Rudolph, Nancy Schreiber, and Audrey Wells.
The 2006 World Cinema Documentary Competition Jurors are Kate Amend, Jean-Xavier de Lestrade and Rachel Perkins.
The 2006 World Cinema Dramatic Competition Jurors are Irene Bignardi, Lu Chuan and Thomas Vinterberg.
The 2006 Shorts Jurors are Georgia Lee, Sydney Neter and John Vanco.
Other awards presented at the ceremony included the Sundance/NHK International Filmmakers Award and the Alfred P. Sloan Prize.
Now in its tenth year, the Sundance/NHK International Filmmakers Award was created to honor and support emerging filmmakers with their next screenplays – one each from the
The 2006 Sundance/NHK Jurors are: Wim Wenders, Hector Babenco, Anthony Drazan, Marcos Bernstein, Fiona Mitchell, Joan Tewksberry, Toshio Endo, Yoshio Kakeo, and Shunichi Nagasaki.
The film that received the 2006 Alfred P. Sloan Prize is THE HOUSE OF SAND, directed by Andrucha Waddington and written by Elena Soarez. The Prize carries a $20,000 cash award and is designed to increase the visibility of outstanding independent films on science and technology and to showcase the work of emerging filmmakers tackling compelling topics in science.
This year’s Alfred P. Sloan Selection Committee includes: John Underkoffler, Greg Harrison, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Dr. Martha Farah and Dr. Antonio Damasio.
Festival Sponsors
The 2006 Sundance Film Festival sponsors help sustain Sundance Institute’s year-round programs to support independent artists, inspire risk-taking and encourage diversity in the arts. This year’s Festival community includes: Presenting—Hewlett-Packard Company, Entertainment Weekly, Volkswagen of America, Inc., and Adobe Systems Incorporated; Leadership Sponsors—American Express, Delta Air Lines, DirecTV, Intel Corporation and Sprint; Sustaining Sponsors—Aquafina, Blockbuster Inc., CESAR Food For Small Dogs, L’Oreal Paris, Moviefone, The New York Times, Sony Electronics Inc., Starbucks Coffee Company, Stella Artois®, Turning Leaf Vineyards, and the Utah Film Commission.
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is the premier showcase for American and international independent film. Held each January in and around
Presenting 120 dramatic and documentary feature-length films in nine distinct categories, and 80 short films each year, the Sundance Film Festival has introduced American audiences to some of the most innovative films of the past two decades, including sex, lies, and videotape, Clerks, Smoke Signals, In the Bedroom, American Splendor, Napoleon Dynamite, Born into Brothels, and Me and You and Everyone We Know. Beyond the streets of
Sundance Institute
Dedicated year-round to the development of artists of independent vision and to the exhibition of their new work, Sundance Institute celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2006. Since its inception, the Institute has grown into an internationally recognized resource for thousands of independent artists through its Sundance Film Festival and artistic development programs which provide a range of concentrated creative and financial support for fiction and nonfiction filmmakers, screenwriters, documentary film editors, composers, playwrights and theatre artists. The original values of independence, creative diversity, and discovery continue to define and guide the work of Sundance Institute, both with artists in the
Main St.
where all the action is especially during the film festival. There are many pubs, restaurants, movie theaters and clubs that stay out till the wee hours. That is difficult if you are coming for the skiing. The resort is huge and has plenty of groomed runs along with advanced terrain, back bowls including Jupiter, Scotts, and McMonkeys to name a few. Payday is a high speed six person chair and a good one to start on. From there, ski to more intermediate areas and down to the high speed King-Con Quad if you opt out of the advanced higher area and black runs. There is a great selection for everyone and Ski Magazine ranks