Shortly after Salt Lake City won the bid to host the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, billionaire and Salt Lake City native Earl Holding initiated plans to construct a world-class luxury hotel in his hometown. The Grand America opened its doors in March 2001 and, without exaggeration, it is truly a breathtaking edifice. The hotel's twenty-four stories boast wool carpeting woven in London, marble from Carrara, Italy, and cherry wood furniture crafted in France. The European-style service is utterly impeccable.
And Grand America's premier restaurant, The Garden Café fits the push surroundings like a glove. The several dining areas are elegant yet decidedly comfortable (there is also al fresco dining in warmer weather). Given the garden motif, various shades of green predominate the color scheme, along with lively splashes of red and yellow.
All would be for naught, of course, if the cuisine were not commensurate with the spiffy environs. Fortunately, this is not the case. In the capable hands of executive chef Vincent Ordonez, the American fare with international flair is as flawlessly prepared as it is exquisitely presented. In addition, all breads, pastries, and desserts are made on the premises, and the careful attention to even the smallest detail is clearly palpable.
If you really want to savor the chef's remarkable capabilities, don't hesitate to begin your culinary journey with the wild mushroom ravioli and striped bass. A single island of handmade ravioli is topped with a diminutive pan-seared filet of striped bass, which, in turn, is crowned with a tiara of tangy tomato-cucumber relish. This arresting archipelago is then circumscribed by a sensuous sea of lemon beurre blanc. An incomparable commingling of tastes and textures, as there is just enough acidity in the tomato and lemon to offset the mellifluous richness of the beurre blanc.
Also highly recommended are the sumptuously seared sea scallops luxuriating on a sticky rice cake and accompanied by micro greens and an exotic shoyu (sweet Japanese soy sauce) vinaigrette. Ditto the "Prosciutto Pillows" imbued with goat cheese and consummated with a balsamic-pesto vinaigrette. Should you prefer a bit of greenery, you will find the baby spinach salad a most auspicious opening move. Wafer-thin slices of Bosc pear add to the festivities, as do Matag blue cheese, radicchio, and a healthy dose of toasted walnuts. A sassy port wine vinaigrette provides just the proper finishing touch.
And you need have no fears with regard to the entrées, as you will find the main courses every bit the equal of their illustrious predecessors. The bouillabaisse, for example, is one of the best representatives of the genre it has ever been my pleasure to ingest. Huge crunchy shrimp, a succulent lobster tail, plump mussels & clams, and tender morsels of striped bass & turbot swim to table in a lively and beautifully balanced saffron broth.
The horseradish & celery root crusted salmon is yet another superlative effort. Set on a bed of julienne vegetables, the pristine filet is aided and abetted by parisienne potatoes and an outrageously tasty chilled cucumber-yogurt sauce. The Hawaiian red snapper is also encrusted–but with sweet corn–and finds its consummate counterpoint in a spicy pipian (Mexican) sauce.
Carnivores may revel in a dry-aged baseball steak (so called because it is cut from the side of the round and has an oval shape; also known as a bucket steak) spruced up with roasted mashed yellow corn, baby vegetables, and an invigorating charred tomato vinaigrette. Also not to be overlooked is the Colorado lamb shank braised in caramelized onions and finished with a white Burgundy wine sauce.
Desserts are not to be missed. For chocoholics, there is the "Chocolate I.V.," a scrumptious pecan butter crust filled with chocolate mousse, chocolate ice cream, and topped off with a warm chocolate glaze and praline. Or, perhaps, the "Bostini Trifle"–literally, a Boston cream pie in a goblet–would be more to your liking. For somewhat lighter fare, you may wish to sample the luscious daily sorbets set on a melon carpaccio and garnished with a flaky puff pastry twist.
If you can't make dinner, stop by for lunch or the fabulous breakfast buffet. An extraordinary experience at table. The Garden Café is highly recommended!
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