Fine dining at Park City Mountain’s Lookout Cabin
Mid-mountain magic
Winter/Spring 23-24
Written By: Ted Scheffler | Images: Courtesy Park City Mountain and Ted Scheffler
It may come as a surprise, but one of Park City’s most alluring fine dining destinations isn’t on Main Street or in Deer Valley or even in Kimball Junction. Originally built as a snowcat maintenance facility, Lookout Cabin restaurant is located at approximately 9,000 feet on Park City Mountain in the oldest existing building at what is considered Canyons Village.
Located near the midstation of the Orange Bubble Express chairlift, Lookout Cabin is both rustic and elegant, offering guests a high-end lunch dining experience replete with white tablecloths, a full-service bar, a gourmet menu, top-notch service, and cocktails, beer and wine by the glass or bottle. Not exactly your daddy’s mid-mountain cafeteria fare.
Although, it wasn’t always so. Following its early life as a snowcat facility in the 1980s, the building was transformed into a ski-up burger shack before being remodeled and relaunched as a classy sit-down restaurant with an exhibition kitchen and grill in the center of the dining room. The views are nothing short of spectacular, especially on the outside deck, which looks over the resort.
Alex Malmborg, senior director of mountain dining at Park City Mountain, oversees 11 food and beverage outlets plus a banquet department and two commissaries. He’s pretty much seen it all — but operating a fine dining establishment mid- mountain has its challenges, as you can imagine. For example, everything used at Lookout Cabin — from steaks and seafood to toilet paper — is transported to the restaurant overnight via snowcat. According to Alex, “The restaurant is frequently impacted by wind, snow and even avalanche control work. It is not uncommon to have fresh produce arrive partially frozen.”
One time, he says, “we were doing a special sleigh ride dinner and the lobsters from our seafood purveyor were late to arrive. When they finally arrived at the base, we had to put the box of live lobsters in a sled on the back of a snowmobile to get them up the mountain to the restaurant. About halfway up, the snowmobile hit a bump, spilling the box of lobsters onto one of the ski trails. People were skiing by, and lobsters were crawling all over the ski trail.”
Serving fresh lobster after a sleigh ride gives you some idea of the posh cuisine at Lookout Cabin. For many years, Chef Chris Durfee and his team have been pleasing discerning customers with menu items that run the gamut — from pan-seared, apple-braised pork belly and sous vide Wagyu steak with Roquefort béchamel, to bison Bolognese, fondue and oysters Benedict.
Care for a glass or bottle of wine with lunch? Lookout Cabin’s robust wine list makes it stand- out from most on-mountain eateries. The offerings range from Puydeval Cabernet Franc from France and Ruchel Godello from Spain to Germany’s Urban Riesling and Italy’s Vietti Nebbiolo.
If craft cocktails are more to your liking, consider The Orange Bubbles, which is made with Ketel One Peach & Orange Blossom Botanical, Aperol, orange bitters, Prosecco, soda, and fresh orange and lemon.
When the PBS food show “Moveable Feast” came to Utah to film a couple of episodes in the summer of 2023, they chose to feature Lookout Cabin for its exquisite, Rocky Mountain cuisine and stunning location. If you’re looking for a unique and elegant on-mountain dining experience, ski or ride to Lookout Cabin this winter season, where every meal comes with a side of breathtaking views.
