Looking to escape the  90+ degree heat that is baking the Salt Lake City Valley during the peak summer months? Well then jump into your car and take an incredibly scenic drive up Little Cottonwood Canyon! The mountain weather up the canyon at Snowbird is perfect this time of year and with the wild flowers spread all over the mountains, the hiking and biking is off the charts!! Plus, Snowbird’s Cliff Lodge is offerings some incredible sick deals right now … so why not make a mini vacation out of it? Not only will you save some cash staying at one of the best hotels in Salt Lake, but you can also check out one of the best restaurants in Utah – The Aerie Restaurant at The Cliff Lodge.

Located on the tenth floor of The Cliff Lodge, The Aerie is open five days a week in the summer, and serves progressive New American Cuisine, using the finest local ingredients enhanced by advanced culinary techniques.

So on to our review. Last week, Kevin and I escaped the summer heat wave hitting Park City and decided to drive over to Snowbird to do some hiking. We decided to make a “stay-cation” out of it and booked a room at The Cliff. Our hike was beautiful, awe inspiring, and all the other words you could throw at the Wasatch Range during the summer. I love this state! But I’m sure you want to know more about the food right? Forget the flowers, forget the hiking, and the Cliff’s sick rug collection … Let’s talk about food, let’s talk about The Aerie Restaurant!

During our stay at The Cliff, we ate some of the best food we’ve tasted in Utah! The delicious cuisine offerings at The Aerie Lounge and Sushi Bar is sure to please!  With it’s classy atmosphere, stunning views of the mountain through their ceiling high windows, and superb entrees, we were more than satisfied at the end of our dining experience. Our dinner consisted of Kevin’s Wild Fig Glazed Pork entree, my Ahi Steak and Wasabi Mashed Potatoes entree, and to top it off, the spectacular Chocolate Fondue Fruit and Dessert Platter.

While The Aerie is certainly not the cheapest place for food (our meal was well above $100.00), it is certainly one of the best we’ve experienced. My Ahi was seared to perfection with a deep red hue which melted right in my mouth. The Wasabi mashers are not for the faint of heart, as they have an incredible kick, but complimented the Ahi exquisitely. Kevin commented that his pork was also cooked perfect, was very flavorful, moist, and was just the right portion to allow room for a little dessert. That brings me to . . .The Chocolate Fondue Platter! This enormous dessert is plenty large enough to share between four people, offers fresh cut fruit, cookies, coconut macaroons, and many other bakery delicacies. I will be having sweet marvelous dreams of this dessert for the rest of my life!

We had a great experience all around, but the highlight of our stay was definitely the killer food at The Aerie. So if you are looking for a mini-vacation and an escape from the Valley, make sure you take the 15 minute drive and check out this fabulous award winning restaurant! If you’ve been there already, make sure you leave us a comment and tell us about your experience. Dinner reservations at The Aerie are strongly recommended. For more information, see The Aerie‘s page on Ski Town Restaurants.

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