Kimi’s Mountainside Bistro

For those of you who’ve been in Utah for a while, the names Kimi and Staffan Eklund might ring a bell. The Eklunds were the longtime proprietors of Absolute! restaurant downtown, and also opened Dijon. New, large, lush, heavy wooden chairs beckon you to dine indoors at Kimi’s, while the views from the outdoor deck tug at your al fresco sensibilities. You’ll want to at least share an order of toast smogen, an appetizer that takes me back to the days of Absolute!, with its Swedishinspired menu. Smogen is a creamy blend of shrimp and crab meat, garnished with fresh dill and served with slices of toasted baguette. Other seductive starters at Kimi’s include cheese fondue, made with Jarlsberg and white cheddar, and the decadent hazelnut-crusted brie. On the weekends, there’s a brunch buffet. Among those items are a Swedish baked omelet with mushroom creme; caviar eggs; home-style apricot and blueberry granola; lingonberry buttermilk biscuits with honey butter; and gravad lax with dill-mustard creme, chopped onion and Swedish knackbrod. Reviewed Sept. 3, 2009. Solitude Mountain Resort, Big Cottonwood Canyon, 801-536-5787, SkiSolitude.com