We gave the 501 On Main Restaurant in Park City a try this time with our Groupon discount. We had dinner reservations for 6pm on a warm July Saturday evening. Glad we made the reservations because it was an exceptionally busy evening on Main Street that day. They gave us a table on their “patio” seating right out in front of the restaurant curb, normally a parking space during the winter months. Luckily, that side of the street was already shaded, so it was quite pleasant to sit outside and watch all the activity up and down Main Street. They do have canopy umbrellas for shade as well.
Drinks, But No More Guinness 🙁
Our friendly waiter, Zac, took our drink order which was a local Wasatch Beers’ brew, The Devastator Double Bock ($6) and I chose a French Cosmo ($12) which had Grey Goose Vodka, an elderberry liquor, Cointreau, among some other flavorings I can’t remember. It was good, but kind of tasted like sweet pink lemonade with vodka. At $12 a pop, I wouldn’t order it again.
The beer list had several variations of Guinness on tap, my friends favorite, including a black and tan, a black and blue and a Guinness Float. But Zac apologized and told us that they are no longer serving Guinness because the restaurant doesn’t want to pay for the nitrogen any more. That’s fine, but when you give your customers a beer menu which lists at the top 4 versions of Guinness on tap choices, you should have them or remove them from the menu. I just expect more from high-end restaurants. Don’t start off by disappointing your customers by listing items you know you don’t have or tell them up front. And its not like this was a recent change, they haven’t had the Guinness for quite some time.
Salad & Entrée: Please Sir, I Want Some More!
My friend ordered the new spicy Buffalo Chicken Salad ($14) and I chose Deep Sea Scallops ($26). The chicken salad comes with Romaine lettuce dressed in a mildly spiced blue cheese dressing with blue cheese crumbles, carrot curls and celery which is topped with crunchy chicken tenders bathed in a house made hot sauce. The scallops were pan seared and served with edamame over a carrot and ginger purée with a lemon-thyme sauce, topped with micro-greens and fresh thyme. My friend enjoyed his chicken salad which had just the right balance of spice, sauce and blue cheese. The chicken was tender, juicy and stayed delightfully crispy under the sauce.
My scallops were seared perfectly and the combination of the carrot puree and thyme sauce was a really nice pairing. I cleaned my plate. My only complaint – I was still hungry! I felt like this was more of an appetizer-sized plate than main entree. They even have a selection of light entrees which this did not fall under and I felt my friend’s salad was more substantial than my entree dish. There were five scallops, 10 edamame beans and a few teaspoons of puree. I don’t expect a mound of scallops or bowl-fulls of edamame and carrot puree, but I guess I just expected a little more for $26. I know I’m not at the Red Lobster Buffet and with high-end restaurants it’s all about the ingredients, quality not quantity. Needles to say, it was very tasty and I’ll leave it at that.
There were some other entrees I would have loved to sample, like the organic fresh risotto, baked ratatouille, Scottish salmon as well as appetizers like pear and brie purses and stuffed spinach and goat cheese empanadas. So the next time you’re in town and in the mood for some fresh, regional cuisine, stop by 501 Main and give it a try.
Bill total for 2 people = $62.90 – $40 Groupon = 19.52 + $20 (Groupon cost) = $39.52 + Tip (on original total).
Easy to remember address: 501 Main Street, Park City, UT / Phone: 435.645.0700
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