March Madness

March has been the month for travel - and not just the usual weekend warrior road trips - there have been lots of adventures to faraway states! I was down in Nashville, Tennessee for a Bachelorette, followed by a ski trip to Colorado, a brief weekend of downtime, and soon I head west again to California; flying into Long Beach for a wedding and road trippin out to Joshua Tree and Palm Springs.

I'm invigorated by all this travel. I love to fly. I love new experiences and places. I had been to Nashville prior but still had many new experiences - like the hilarious, laugh-till-you-cry Nash Trash Tour, the uniquely awesome Pedal Tavern, bowling at Pinewood Social and visits to Yahoo Brewery and Corsair Distillery. If you need recommends for a bachelorette party or otherwise, definitely inquire!

In Colorado we skied at Breckenridge, Beaver Creek and Vail, all firsts for me! I was in constant awe of their charms and beauty ranging from that hip western mountain town vibe (Breck) to the sprawling luxe resorts (BC, Vail). All of that was met with warm, sunny, spring break weather and endless pistes of super fun terrain. 

As for Southern California, I am so excited to head there as I've never been. 

So that's where and what I've been up to this month. I plan to put together some more detailed travel posts once a little more downtime happens.

I hope you are having a great March!

Park City + Alta | Utah

In January we traveled out west to PARK CITY, Utah! I fell in love with this chic mountain town and surrounding ski slopes on a trip with my dad and sister over 10 years ago. For Christmas Bob gave me a ski travel bag and the card hidden inside it revealed this trip! A bunch of friends were on board too. With easy direct flights from BOS to SLC, we rented a four bedroom house situated in between the Park City Town lift and Main Street. Utah's Wasatch Mountain Range offered plenty of snow - we had an absolute blast. Would you expect anything less?! 

Here's a look at where to play in Park City, Deer Valley and in Little Cottonwood Canyon at Alta. 

On PISTE: Lookout Cabin at The Canyons @ PCMR 

Stein Eriksen Lodge at Deer Valley (post here)

Park City Mountain Resort: Lookout Cabin is located at the top of Short Cut Lift and off the Orange Bubble Express mid-station. They offer table service, a full bar, and gorgeous views of the Wasatch Range. After an incredible morning that saw us up early for first corduroy tracks, navigating from Park City Town Lift to the Canyon slopes via Quicksilver Gondola, and skiing runs at pretty much every peak area including Ninety-Nine 90, Sun Peak and Murdock Peak, we were ready to relax. We shared a jalapeno poutine, I drank a glass of sparking rosé, and we enjoyed a cauldron of creamy Mac n Cheese.

In town: High West Distillery & Saloon is a must! Located at the bottom of Quittin' Time ski run - they're the only ski-in gastro distillery in the world! High West encompasses a rowdy, sprawling saloon as well as intimate drinking and dining spaces. We settled in a back room on some comfy leather couches to sample their award winning whiskey via flights and impressive cocktails. I wouldn't hesitate to make dinner reservations at High West next time around - the plates of alpine inspired Western fare passing by looked really good. 

I'm drinking You're a Daisy If You Do ($13) - stirred and strong with Campfire, Ron Zacapa 23, Carpano Antica + Ramazzoti. I sampled the whiskeys in Bob's High West 101 Flight ($13) - the Campfire is sweet, spicy and smoky.

Zoom is Robert Redford's restaurant located on Main Street inside a restored train depot. Pictured is my entrée of Smoked Chicken ($28) accompanied by cheddar grits, chicory lettuces + puffed farro. I was a big fan of all the appetizers we shared like Hamachi Crudo ($16) with citrus, pear, kimchee chips + a cilantro emulsion, the Fried Brussels Sprouts ($9) with dates, almonds + a fennel hatch chili mostarda, and Grilled Meatballs ($12) made with wagyu, roasted chicken, stewed chickpeas + peanuts. Zoom was a crowd pleasing and noteworthy meal.

Shabu is an intimate subterranean sushi spot ideal for date night. With two seats at the raw bar we watched ski movies playing overhead and noshed on specialty maki rolls. The Coco Loco ($18) with albacore tuna, cucumber and Thai basil topped with maguro tuna, salmon, tobiko and sweet wasabi coconut aioli was indeed crazy (loco) good! The Nitro Roll ($19) with tempura shrimp, avocado and pineapple, topped with maguro, tempura flakes and eel sauce was another exceptionally creative maki. We paired our rolls with fun Sake Flights. 

Continuing with the Park City town recommends:

Riverhorse on Main - Friends dined here for their date night and were raving. I ate here ten years ago and remember it fondly! Riverhorse is actually one of the oldest and most distinguished restaurants on Park City's Main Street and continues to set the standard for fine dining in Utah.

Rock n Reilly's - more of a warning and not a solid recommend. With a divey alpine ambiance it worked just fine to watch the Patriots playoff game but the food was supbar. Wings came out cold, they were out of about half the menu, and the meals they did have were drab and disappointing. If you do end up here - skip the food.

O'Shucks - Inexpensive beers, shuffleboard, pool and pinball. They also have a nice selection of hot beverages - I'm drinking a Hot Buttered Rum!

No Name Saloon - I love this place! In fact, adding to my list of best ski town/après bars. (Alongside Chambre Neuf in Chamonix, France and Merlin's at Whistler Blackomb, BC.)

The photos below are from Alta and surrounding mountain views in Little Cottonwood Canyon which is about an hour drive from Park City. This was my first time skiing Alta and it was beyond impressive. (I've skied Alta's adjoining neighbor, Snowbird, amazing in its own right.) Alta makes you work for it.

We ended the trip on a classic note before catching the red eye home! Goldminer's Daughter at Alta is a sprawling saloon with floor to ceiling window views of the slopes, cozy fireside seating, and excellent loaded chicken nachos. Then we headed next door for one more at The Peruvian. The cozy locals bar on the second floor of this hotel has live music, boxed wine, and the.best.shot.ski ever. It has legit ski boots, eight of them, that clip into adorable little bindings.

Westland Distillery @ Grill 23

Westland single malt whiskey is a thoughtful expression of the Seattle, Washington distillery's Pacific Northwest roots. At the core is a flavor profile of roasted and kilned barley malts, contributing deep and rich notes of chocolate, nuts, caramel and mocha. Belgian brewers yeast further enhances during fermentation producing a fruitiness that rounds out the flavor. Finally, the whiskey is matured in new American oak casks, complimenting with a vanilla and coconut finish. The result is an approachable and mature whiskey that in this instance, perfectly suits a classic steak dinner (I chose Cotuit Oysters, Steak Frites and Crème Brulee!) at Grill 23.

Be on the lookout for Westland and don't hesitate to give this wonderful whiskey a try if you spot it behind the bar or on craft cocktail menus around town!

Grill 23 & Bar

161 Berkeley Street

Boston, MA 02116