Destination Dining: Chimayo, Utah

Chimayo brings a culinary style from Southern Mexico to Southern Utah. Photo / Facebook

368 Main St, Park City, Utah

We arrived …

For dinner, after an apres-ski cocktail at the Washington School House Hotel. We had booked ahead and nabbed a cosy fireside table without any dramas.

Our first impression was …

Relief, to be out of the nippy evening and inside. Chimayo has a warm, rustic vibe, with wrought-iron lamps, booths lined with cushions and an arty, tiled floor. The restaurant is roomy and catered for our rather big group easily.

The dishes are different to the super-sized meals you're typically served in Utah. Photo / Chimayo

We started with …

Queso fundido: a platter with cheese dip, jalapeno-tomato salsa, flatbread and corn chips. It was delish - the hot cheese dip was rich and just what we felt like to warm up after a stroll through Park City. Spring had sprung, but the temperatures in Utah felt awfully wintry. The calamari - panko crumbed and paired with lime-habanero aioli - also caught my eye, but from the size of our pot of oozy cheese, I'm glad we stopped there.

The highlight was …

My main: Puerto Nuevo-style sea scallops, seared, with kalettes and pearl onions, sitting atop a blood orange-jalapeno beurre blanc sauce. The scallops were to die for - big and fresh - while the beurre blanc sauce was gorgeously rich. Kalettes, Google tells me, are a cross between kale and brussels sprouts. I don't usually love either vegetable but these are a winner - though perhaps that's because they were smothered in a buttery sauce. The dish was a nice departure from the super-sized mains I had become accustomed to a week into the trip. My companion's mains looked similarly lush. I had a bit of food envy over the duck enchiladas, while the buffalo flank steak looked like a meat lover's dream.

The Puerto Nuevo-style sea scallops, seared, with kalettes and pearl onions are to die for. Photo / Chimayo

Desert sounded …

Amazing - anywhere with "Mexican chocolate fondue" on the menu has something going for it. We deliberated for a while - after all, the fondue came with homemade churros - but decided that, alas, we just didn't have the appetite.

Come here if …

You're after a bit of fine dining following a long, hard day on the slopes. It's a warm, friendly spot with a menu to impress. And please, try the fondue for me.

- Alice Peacock