The Bird had been good to us so that’s where we spent our last full day in Utah.
We knew we weren’t going to take the tram so we parked at Creekside (parking lot 1) instead of parking near Snowbird Center (parking lot 2).
The conditions had become spring-like as the week progressed so we stuck to the top half of the mountain where the snow wasn’t completely slush. In fact, there were still great stashes of powder in upper Gad Valley and Mineral Basin. For the first part of the day, we were in search of fresh lines in upper Gad Valley, which proved to be difficult because of the rocks that were in the way.
Little Cloud Lift
After a quick lunch at the Birdfeeder, we took Peruvian Express lift up and then took the Peruvian Tunnel to Mineral Basin. Yes, I said tunnel. SNOWBIRD HAS A TUNNEL.
Awesome, right?!?!?! 😀
It took about 4 minutes to go through the tunnel. We spent the rest of the day in Mineral Basin.
I tried to get a picture of Henry jumping over rocks, but I didn’t bring my DSLR and my phone camera is too slow. FAIL.
Even though it was another great day at the Bird, I started getting bummed out because I knew we would be going home the next day. Time flies when you’re having fun.
——————————————
Our last dinner in Utah was at The Copper Onion.
I was nervous because we didn’t have a reservation, but there happened to be two spots available at the counter when we arrived. I love watching chefs in action so I thought we lucked out. An interesting thing I noted was the number of gloves the chefs blew through during our time there. One of the chefs wore a glove over a glove and kept changing the top glove after prepping certain foods. Is this standard food safety protocol?
Looking over the menu, I saw bone marrow, pork belly and mussels offered as appetizers; three of my favorite things! How could I say no?
Pleasant Creek Ranch Wagyu Bone Marrow: Parsley, Caper, Fennel salad, Charred baguette, $13
Braised Kurobuta Pork Belly: Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Parsnip, Preserved Cherries, $11
Mussels: Creamy Black Pepper Sauce, Toast Points, $15
The bone marrow and pork belly were AMAZING, probably the best I’ve ever had. The mussels were perfectly cooked, but the pepper sauce was a little overwhelming.
We decided not to be complete fat asses this time around and only ordered one entree. 😀 It was tough because I was really interested in the poutine!
Lamb Riblets: Warm Cauliflower and Potato Salad, $18
The riblets were fall off the bone tender and less gamy than I’ve experienced elsewhere. I really enjoyed the side salad.
For the first time in a long while, we actually had room for dessert. Usually our buttons are popping off and still, we would order dessert.
Special of the Day: Strawberry, Grapefruit and Basil Sorbet, $3
The sorbet was definitely light and refreshing. I first tasted the strawberry and the slight bitterness of the grapefruit came through at the end.
After dinner we went on a night walk around the State Capitol Building, which is just a few blocks away from our condo.
If you look closely, you’ll see people sitting on the front steps and on the surrounding wall. I guess it was prom night or something because we saw lots of kids in fancy dresses and tuxes. Damn, I can’t believe it’s been 10 years since I graduated high school. 😥
After a week in Utah, Henry said he still prefers Colorado. Given how horrible this season has been, I don’t think a fair comparison can be made. I really do hope this season is an anomaly and I’ll get a chance to come back and fully experience why Utah has “the greatest snow on earth”. So for now, I’ll just say that I ♥ Utah as much as I ♥ Colorado.
——–
SLC Eats (+our verdict):
The Copper Onion, 4/5
this girl, kc 