On Friday July 21, Park City Mountain hosted the season’s first Legends Farm-to-Table dinner, with two more scheduled to follow.
Described on the PCM website as a “locally sourced prix fixe 5-course dinner,” this event brings diverse produce of the local area to diners for a high-class evening. Optional wine and beer pairings also incorporate regional makers, like Salt Lake City’s RoHa Brewing Project.
With tables outside to enjoy the summer weather, our group was seated and chatted amongst ourselves as the first course was prepared. Musical artist Aspen Adonda performed an acoustic set for the evening with a mix of covers and original pieces. Our stomachs did flips as we looked over the evening’s courses — I opted for the wine pairings and my guest requested beer.
The first two courses were both light and delicious — a caprese-like toast with apricot and magenta micro-greens served on local Red Bicycle Breadworks’ Stick Bread, followed by a blood-orange vinaigrette salad adorned with raspberries, grapes and watermelon radishes. The toast had most of us ditching utensils, and the subtle sweetness of the Clean Slate riesling brought out the caramelized sweetness of the apricot. The salad’s use of raspberries perfectly balanced the dressing, and its fried ricotta-stuffed squash blossom was the most unique treat of the night.
My guest and I agreed, the third dish was our favorite. A polenta mushroom ragout topped with asparagus and fresh shaved Parmesan; the first bite was incredible. Warm and savory, the umami of the mushroom gravy melted with the perfectly cooked polenta cake. Salty cheese and earthy asparagus rounded out the flavors. I had to stop myself from licking the plate clean.
For the main dish, a cherry-roasted herb chicken cutlet was served on a celery root puree with a rainbow assortment of carrot, zucchini, beets and micro-greens. Executive Chef Jared Hedrick, going on seven years at Legends, came out to talk about the dinner and how his culinary journey landed him at Legends. Commenting on the seasonality of the menu, he gestured to our plates. “I absolutely love Utah cherries. When we went to the farmers market and picked them up I just couldn’t stop eating them,” he said with a laugh.
This time, giving his sous chef Charles Wittick the reigns for Friday’s meal, Hedrick focused more on designing the pairings. While clearing dishes, Wittick explained that, though it’s nerve-racking, he appreciated the chance to dive headfirst into crafting the evening’s menu and that he was especially proud of the cherry-roasted chicken highlighting Utah’s mid-summer fruit.
To wrap up the meal with a sweet finish, we were brought a limoncello blackberry trifle, served in a miniature mason jar which had the group oohing and ahhing. (Tiny things really do have that effect.) The table mused about the “caramel dust” adorning the dish. Needless to say, this dessert was a crowd pleaser, and the lemon-blackberry combination was perfection. Paired with an Alexander Valley Vineyards zinfandel, as is common with blackberry, I preferred the less-acidic beer option (the RoHa Thursday IPA), which added a smooth balance.
There are two more farm-to-table dinners scheduled for the summer, Aug. 18 and Sept. 15. Reservations can be made on the Park City Mountain website for $84/person with the option to add beer and wine pairings at $30.