Spruce is the sleek new restaurant in Park City’s Dakota Mountain Lodge—a Waldorf Astoria property at the Canyons Resort. As you might expect, the place is seriously swanky. Modeled after its wildly successful “sister” restaurant in San Francisco, it’s stylishly appointed—every inch defined by clean lines, fine materials, all very luxe. You’ll be hearing a lot more about Spruce, from its impressive in-house charcuterie to executive chef Mark Sullivan’s tempting dinner menu, executed locally by chef de cuisine Saundra Middleton.
For now, I’m just here to suggest that you belly-up to Spruce’s long white Carrara marble bar, settle into a faux ostrich-leather chair and order a $16 Spruce Burger—a serious contender for the best bar burger around. And it’s not just about the absolutely juicy, perfectly medium-rare (by request) Niman Ranch beef on a house-made English muffin-type bun. It’s also about the presentation: a proper linen placemat and napkin, condiments in tiny dishes, house-made thin-sliced pickles and pickled red onions on the side. Add medium-thick, semi-crisp fries and fresh aioli for dipping, and you just about have it. Just select a cheese (because really, who is going to skimp and forgo cheese on a gorgeous burger like this?) from an excellent little list of artisan offerings. Yes, it’s a $16 burger, but it’s worth every dime.
As long as you’re dining at the bar, you should know that Spruce’s bartenders are friendly but serious mixologists with stashes of fresh fruits and herbs on hand and an arsenal of muddling implements to release their every essence. An “East Side” cocktail—a blend of Hendricks Gin with fresh lime juice, mint and cucumber—made a lovely prelude to the burger.
SPRUCE
2100 Frostwood Ave.
Park City
435-647-5566
SprucePC.com
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