Savor the summit — Park City takes fine dining outside for 1,500 patrons

Park City restaurants are taking it to the street. On June 19, the city's historical Main Street will be closed to vehicular traffic, and dining tables will be set up along the length of the street in one long "Grande Table" to serve nearly 1,500 people.

In Saturday's Savor the Summit event, more than 20 restaurants will serve fixed-price meals with a backdrop of mountains and live music.

"It's really fun, it's the whole feel of being outdoors in the summer and having one long table run almost a half a mile up Main Street," said Julie Wilson, food and beverage director at Deer Valley Resort. The resort's Royal Street Café is one of the participating restaurants.

"Our table was at the top of Main Street, and we could look down the street and see one long line of tables," recalled Elaine Burns, who attended the event last year with five of her friends. "The food was fabulous, and the company was as good as the food."

The event is presented by the Park City Area Restaurant Association and other sponsors.

Although this is the third year in a row, Savor the Summit was first started back in 1984, said Wilson, who has been at Deer Valley since 1981. "Then we had a bad rain experience, and the idea was forgotten until about three years ago."

Now every restaurant has to have a rain backup plan, she said. The 50 guests at the Royal Street Café would head to Deer Valley and have their meal in the restaurant.

Meals and ticket prices vary with each restaurant. For instance, Royal Street's $85 per person, five-course spread includes diver scallop and Kushi oyster ceviche on the half-shell, grilled lamb T-bones, grilled wild salmon and seared bison tenderloin. Or for $45, you can try Cisero's four-course meal that includes entrée choices of cioppino, short rib osso bucco or wild mushroom fettuccini alfredo. Most of the restaurants also offer optional wine or beer pairings for an extra fee.

For newer restaurants, such as Talisker on Main, the event is a getting-to-know-you party of sorts.

"It will be a nice way for some who are not completely immersed with Talisker on Main to get acquainted with our tasting menu," said Briar Handly, the restaurant's chef de cuisine. "I think we'll get a good mix of locals and some newcomers."