Alta Lodge
Alta Resort, Little Cottonwood Canyon, Alta ; 801-322-4631
(see
map)
Feast on good food, take in the scenery and enjoy the company of good friends.
| Overall |
 |
| Food |
|
| Mood |
|
| Service |
|
| Kid-friendly |
NO |
|
Cuisine: American, Eclectic
Price: $$
Hours: S, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; Su, 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m.; closing Oct. 15, 07
Liquor: Full Service
Reservations: --
Accepts:    
August 20, 2004
By Nancy Hobbs
ALTA -- No one has to tell skiers how great Alta is, but if you're not one to slap on the boards, you might not have a chance to see the area up close very often. Either way, summer is a great time to reconnect. Little Cottonwood Canyon is green, lush and cool.
A canyon brunch at Alta Lodge (or one of several other options up the Wasatch canyons) is a pleasant way to take in the scenery, feast on good food and enjoy the company of family and friends.
For 30 years, Alta Lodge has been a dining destination for families. Through the off-season summer months until mid-October, Sunday's buffet brunch is the only regular offering; during winter season -- which isn't scheduled until snow starts flying -- the dining room opens for white linen and candlelight dinners. (In between, the kitchen staff does catering for private parties and weddings.)
Given its almost historic status, Alta Lodge has skirted requirements for handicap access, which generally isn't a problem for a fit bunch of skiers who can handle the covered 62 steps, even with cumbersome ski boots. But as loyal patrons age, making the trip down and then back up more than five dozen steps, at high altitude, can be daunting -- family tradition or not.
Stairs don't have to be an obstacle. Lodge personnel are ready and more than willing to shuttle customers around back in a van, providing friendly door-to-door service.
Once seated and settled, either inside the wood paneled interior or out on the tiered decks (we chose the latter), you can't help but take a moment to digest the views. The rocky face of Mount Baldy looms, with patches of purple wildflowers and majestic pines carpeting the nearby slopes. Construction is under way on a new high-speed quad that will go from the base to the top of Germania ridge, beginning directly south of the lodge, and the valley, though somewhat hazy from the heat, is far in the distance.
Closer at hand is an impressive spread of food, starting with more than a dozen salad selections, breakfast pastries, traditional bacon and eggs, and of course, desserts. Servers offer beverages (liquor is available, but not until noon) and such limited menu items as waffles, hot fried scones with honey butter and eggs Benedict or florentine (made with real hollandaise sauce).
It's easy to fill one plate with just salads, from mixed baby greens to a seafood medley of bay scallops, shrimp and squid. The watercress and Asian pear salad, served with a ginger-soy dressing, was especially good, as were the creamy crab and pineapple salad and the Italian bread salad. The fresh vegetables looked a bit past their prime (particularly the cauliflower flowerettes) and, given the abundance of sweet, fresh fruit at area farmer's markets, I was surprised with the dearth of fruit in the buffet. The bowl of mixed fruit, especially given the season, seemed tired and soggy.
Breakfast pastries are one of the highlights at Alta Lodge: flaky cream-cheese danish, moist banana bread, berry-filled blueberry muffins and hot, pillowy Utah-style scones ordered off the menu. The desserts, likewise, could be a meal in themselves, with creamy chocolate mousse, fruit tarts, chocolate layer cake and an especially delicious confection made with a flaky almond pastry filled with vanilla cream.
The centerpiece of Sunday brunch -- the hot-plate table -- is varied and different. You can get scrambled eggs, hash browns and bacon or link sausage, all of which makes a satisfying repast. More unusual offerings include terrific cheese blintzes with lingonberries to put on top; savory spinach crepes that get added flavor with a creamy cheese sauce; and chicken curry over a blend of wild and white rice, with a half-dozen condiments to complement the spice.
The nice thing about breakfast buffets is that, by the time you finish tasting almost everything and try "just a little more" of one thing or another, you are likely sated for the day. And since the day's half gone anyway, it seems the one time you can get away with taking an afternoon nap.
After all that glorious scenery, tasty food and climbing back up that mountain of stairs, you deserve it.
|
