Dinner at Hyatt Escala Provisions Company

 Last week I was invited to check
out the Hyatt Escala at The Canyons resort, Escala Provisions Company, or EPC.

As to be expected of a AAA Four-Diamond Hyatt, there's an upscale
ambience. A fireplace that gives a sense of coziness, but the polished stone
tables are spaced far enough apart that you don't feel cramped or crowded, or
as if you will be privy to conversations from nearby tables. 

The open kitchen
is far enough away from the dining area that you don't hear all the clanging of
pots and pans. We were there on a Monday night, so there were some empty
tables. But even if the dining area is full, I think you could enjoy a
conversation without having to shout. Lots of windows afford a view of the
mountains, if you're there before dark.

Jesse McDannell might seem young to
be an executive chef at age 31, but he grew up working in his grandfather's bar
and grill in New York. He
has been with Hyatt for seven years, working in nine major Hyatt properties in
four cities. This is the first restaurant he's running on his own.  And yes, he's looking forward to the excitement that will descend next month when the Sundance Film Festival begins.  He's already heard about last year's celebrity guests at the hotel, including Bruce Willis. 

McDannell is passionate about using as many
local ingredients as possible such as Provo River trout, Cox honey and Pierre
Country Bread. 

I tried the pan-seared trout entrée, and the trout was moist and
meaty, and bigger than what I ever remember catching locally. Chef McDannell
told me it's farm-raised. It made me really curious about this, because I was
unaware that there was a fish farm on the Provo River.  The trout was served over Mediterranean
couscous, which were like little pearls. 







My dining partner, Marguerite
Henderson, enjoyed the Willis Farm braised lamb shank with Parmesan Whipped Potatoes, Haricot Verts and a Blood Orange
Gremolata. Willis Farm is located in Laketown, Utah (near Bear
Lake) and is part of the Niman Ranch network of naturally raised meat. 










Although it's not a local product,
I still really liked the jumbo lump crab cakes! The chunks of succulent crab
seemed held together by sheer willpower instead of the starchy breading and
binding that so often weighs down crab cakes. 

The nightly "chef's
inspiration" chili offers a jumping off point for McDannell's creativity.
Instead of offering the same chili, night after night, McDannell said he wanted
to be able to switch things up with different types of wild game. On the night
we were there, it was a hearty buffalo chili — spicy but not too hot. On other
nights, you might have elk or venison. 

Another starter is the short rib ravioli.  I wasn't as enthused about this one — it seemed to me that the pasta was cooked too "al dente" for my taste. 













For dessert, there's a wonderful
apple cobbler, and a berry cobbler studded with little blueberries. The S'more
dessert, served in a pint jar, is an ooey-gooey mashup of flourless chocolate
cake and marshmallows. For me, it too was teeth-achingly sweet. (Another option
is to buy a s'more"kit" at the shop on your way out of the
restaurant. It's a paper bag with Hershey bars, marshmallow and graham
crackers, and guests can make their own s'mores at the outdoor fire pit. 

Portions are OK, but prices are
"Park City resort." If you want to splurge, this might be the place.