Anyone who has heard the slightest whisper about Deer Valley Resort has learned it is synonymous with quality. But quality doesn’t always mean pricey, precious or pretentious.

The folks at Deer Valley know their guests well, and when it comes to dining, they know that it isn’t always about sipping champagne and cracking crab legs. Even though that is always welcome in my book. It’s about simple, delicious food served by some of the most attentive staff you’ll find in the U.S. of A. The world even.

So of course food served in a grocery store would be held to the same standards. Really? A grocery store?

Simple. Fresh. Inventive. Deer Valley nails it every time at Park City’s best kept dining secret: Grocery~Café.

The Deer Valley Grocery~Café was originally concepted as an easy stop for lodging guests or concert goers to pop in and gather prepared take-away meals and essentials like morning coffees while staying in the nearby condos and lodging. It has morphed into my go-to dining destination thanks to crave-worthy breakfast, lunch and now dinner eats.

While the food at Grocery~Café is amazing, the views are just as stunning.

Guests are welcome to sit indoors, or out on the large deck that overlooks ducks and standup paddleboarders coexisting in the large lake at the Deer Valley base. It’s my daughter’s favorite pastime as you’ll see in this post.

But take my advice, when the weather warrants, outside is where it’s at.

I had the opportunity to sit down to a menu tasting at Deer Valley’s Grocery~Café to sample their summer dinner menu. This is a big perk of my job and I relish every bite of it.

Our dinner started with homemade beet hummus and a tequila and orange cocktail. Have you tried beet hummus? This one is made in house (naturally) and is a combination of garbanzo beans, roasted beets and tahini. A perfect starter, it’s served with Deer Valley’s famous flaxseed crackers and sugar snap peas. Those crackers…so addictive.

Next, we sampled three newly refined items on the menu.

First, the Green Goddess Grilled Cheese with fresh mozzarella, cabot white cheddar, herb pesto and fresh arugula grilled on toasty housemade sourdough bread. I love a good grilled cheese and this one is tops as a perfect combo of cheese and flavor, still retaining it’s grilled cheese status rather than an overstuffed sandwich.

Next, the Garden Gazpacho. Heirloom tomatoes are blended with more veggies, spices and then topped with cilantro oil and sautéed shrimp. Slightly vinegar-ed bites of freshness come with each spoonful, and the garlic scape as an accents was an earthy touch.

Finally, Grocery~Café’s signature Salmon Tacos, one of the most popular dishes on the menu and rightfully so. A generous portion of salmon tops corn tortillas. It’s then topped with a tangy grilled scallion citrus slaw and roasted poblano guacamole. A little crunch comes in thanks to a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds.

And this was just the beginning.

You may have noticed a supremely stunning caprese salad at the beginning of this post. The table just about fell silent when this was presented. This salad has been served at Deer Valley Grocery~Café for a number of years but only recently was reimagined by Chef Kristine Thorslund in a stunningly new, minimalist presentation. When you have ingredients this gorgeous, why over do it? The salad is composed of local Copper Moose Farm heirloom tomatoes, sweet basil, marinated baby mozzarella, lemon mosto oil, aged balsamic pearls (I know! Molecular cooking is crazy and here’s how they do it) and blackberry tar.

Then my main course: Seared Salmon. It was almost too pretty to eat. Almost. Okay, I finished the whole thing. How could I not?

A perfectly cooked filet of King salmon that flaked at each forkful rested on a bed of chilled sugar snap pea salad, micro greens and pickled onion and was topped with green goddess pesto, crispy quinoa and more delicate micro greens. The drizzle of olive oil left the dish feeling homemade rather than pretentious. Just my style of eating.

A new menu item was the vegetarian Cauliflower and Quinoa Fritters and in short order was deemed a new favorite by all at the table. Ground cauliflower and quinoa are mixed with fresh herbs, Spanish red onion and lightly fried, the set on arugula and microgreens to be dressed with a lemon yogurt. If you’re watching what you eat, watch yourself easily consume this.

Newly appointed Food and Beverage Director Jodie Rogers was center stage at the table, sharing behind the scene stories and the ingredient list of each dish for those of us wishing to know the secrets behind the dishes. Even so, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to remake these dishes at home.

But then, why would I when I can come here and not have to do the dishes?

A welcome surprise dessert was served in the form of popsicles. After enjoying a rather large tasting, the cool pops were more than welcome as a light finish to the night. However, don’t think they weren’t full of flavor too.

Strawberry and Black Pepper mingled in one set of pops while Coconut Lime and Pineapple were easily licked as the other. True to Deer Valley form, the pops were served on a tray of frozen fruit and flowers worthy of any Pinterest board.

Chef Jodie Rogers, Chef Jodie Paris and Chef Kirstine Thorslund are busy creating a name for Grocery Café, and with food prepared and presented like this, it won’t be long before this spot isn’t much of a secret anymore.

Deer Valley~Grocery Café

Menus: breakfast, lunch and dinner

• Location: Snow Park Village – base area
• Address: 1375 Deer Valley Drive South
• Telephone Number: 435-615-2400
• Dining Type: Café/Deli/Bakery
• Business Hours: 7:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m., daily

Heidi Larsen is the creator of foodiecrush.com, the blog and online magazine featuring family friendly recipes and inspiring photography. She also photographs Deer Valley Resort’s food and fine dining when not enjoying quality time on the ski hill with her husband and 11 year old daughter. See more of what she’s crushing on at Facebook and Instagram.