The Snake Creek Grill is located in Heber City, Utah which is just a short 15-20 minute drive from Park City. The Heber Valley, including Heber City and Midway, offers a variety of activities including snowmobiling, Heber Valley Railroad scenic trips, snow tubing at Soldier Hollow, hot spring soaks and scuba lessons at the Homestead Resort volcanic crater, cross-country skiing, golf, Provo River fly fishing, hot-air balloon rides, just to name a few. So if you take a side-trip excursion over to the Heber Valley and get hungry, you may want to give the Snake Creek Grill a try.
Appetizers
We had dinner at the Snake Creek Grill on a Saturday evening at 6pm. By the time we left around 7:30pm, the place was full. It’s not a very large restaurant and they highly suggest reservations and so do we. We were seated promptly and our waitress took our drink orders and explained the specials for that evening. We started off with trying two appetizers which in hindsight, was way too much food, but we had our Groupon again this and wanted to try more dishes than usual.
We ordered the Crunchy and Spicy Onion Rings with Blue Cheese Dip ($7.95) and the Hoisin Glazed Calamari and White Shrimp, Nappa Cabbage Slaw with Edamame ($12.95). The onion rings were the worst my friend had ever had. They had a thick, tasteless batter that appeared and tasted like it was not cooked through, very doughy and not very crispy, certainly not “Crunchy” like the description. The blue cheese dip was the only thing that made it worth eating, but after a couple bites we decided it wasn’t worth the calories. We would have told our waitress our opinion, but another server saw the rings sitting at our table without any activity and offered to box them up for us before our waitress came back. On a side note, there were two other servers on constant patrol, besides the waitress. that were very attentive to guests – refilling water, scraping food bits off the table, etc.. at perfect moments of necessity. Anyway, the onion rings were no good that night. But the calamari appetizer, on the other hand, was very tasty. I do not know what “white shrimp” is, but it tasted like, well, shrimp and was also good.
Main Course Entrées
For the main course, my friend chose the Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Smoked Sweet Paprika Rub on a Bed of Sauteed Greens, Creamy Corn Polenta Cakes, Rhubarb Pan Sauce and Oven Roasted Root Vegetables ($22.95). I choose one of the specials which was Fresh Australian Barramundi (also known as Asian seabass) topped with Mango Salsa, Mashed Potatoes and Black Beans($28.95).
My friend loves pork, especially when it is done right. Lately, the pork he has ordered at other restaurants, like Shabu, has been overcooked and dry. Joyfully surprised, the pork was finally cooked right this time. The pork was tender, succulent, juicy and very flavorful. All accompaniments on the plate were also just as delightful. The roasted vegetables where tender, but not overcooked, and full of flavor. The polenta cakes had a nice outside crust and a rich, creamy middle. The slightly bitter greens went well with the rich pork slices.
My entree was just as tasty. The fish was cooked to perfection, moist and flaky, with a nice contrasting outside crust of Parmesan breadcrumbs. The tangy-sweet mango salsa was a nice accoutrement to the mild fish. The mashed potatoes were rich and creamy and the seasoned black beans were good, but not my favorite. Portions were perfect, not too big or fashionably small. I did take photos of our dishes, however it was very dark and the only photo that came out well enough was the pie picture below.
Dessert!
I overheard our waitress describing the desserts saying that people come to the Snake Creek Grill just to try the Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie ($7.95). So how could we not try it? It was one of the best banana cream pies I have ever had. This masterpiece sits on a chocolate cookie crumb crust with layers of chocolate ganache, bananas, pastry cream and topped with whipped cream, chocolate shavings, fresh strawberries and mint sprigs. What’s not to love?!
Overall, we liked the Snake Creek Grill and would return. It is on the pricey side and I would consider it a “special occasion” restaurant for us. The service was superb, the ambiance quaint and cozy, and the food (aside from strange onion rings) was outstanding. Our total bill was $86.60 – $50 Groupon = $36.60 + $25 (cost of Groupon) = $61.60 + Tip. Not a Bad Deal!
Snake Creek Grill Location
The Snake Creek Grill is located in Heber Old Town on 650 West 100 North, tucked away in a mini “Western Town” with ol’ Western-looking buildings. Here is a link to their menu page.
Leave a Reply