Heber, Midway and Blue Boar Inn: Embracing European Tradition in Utah’s Heartland

The Dining Room at Blue Boar Inn

I’ve been thinking a lot about Utah lately. Maybe it’s because although we’ve had a ton of snow here in Colorado, it seems as though the Utah ski resorts have even bigger snow totals, especially once you consider their base. It was almost a year ago that my boyfriend and I enjoyed a spectacular weekend of spring skiing at Snowbird and now we’re itching to go back.

The year before that, we called Sundance home for five days and reveled in experiencing Utah’s top ski resorts including Deer Vally, Park City and the Canyons. Then and also last year, we drove through Heber City, a vast, flat area only twenty minutes from Utah’s world-renowned mountain destinations and towering peaks. Settled by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the late 1850s and named after a Mormon apostle, Heber Valley of today still appears pastoral and low-key. Dairy farming continues to reign supreme, a tradition started by Swiss settlers ages ago. Ranchers claim a fair piece of action as well.

I might never have known about this area’s history had I not been introduced to its Swiss ties last fall. I might have just continued to cruise through Heber—on the way to the big resorts—without discovering its hidden charms and one exceptional destination in particular:  Blue Boar Inn.

Swiss Mascot: Saint Bernard in Lederhosen

Just slightly off the beaten path through Heber, you find Midway, a quiet enclave characterized by a sleepy main street and surrounding neighborhoods filled with European-styled homes. (I mean Old World Europe as in Swiss chalet-styled.) I accompanied my friend, Mary Dawn, here last year when we came for (of all things) a the Saint-Bernard Nationals! Mary Dawn, owner of Alpen Schatz, a boutique specializing in alpine treasures, was showcasing her goods, particularly her handcrafted Swiss dog collars, a dog show and national gathering of Saint-Bernard breeders and aficionados. I came along as her sidekick. Little did we know that we had brought a chunk of Switzerland to “America’s Little Switzerland.”

In no time at all, we found out about the area’s history, Midway’s renowned Swiss Days and Blue Boar Inn, a destination hotel and restaurant capable of transporting you to Europe from the moment you pull up to its old-styled entranceway. Inside you’re wrapped in a warm, inviting decor punctuated by sage green walls, alder wood trim and railings and a handsome collection of antiques and collectibles worthy of the finest hunting lodges in Europe. (Castles are typically referred to as hunting lodges, so don’t think little cabin in the woods.) Fourteenth-century crossbows, antler chandeliers, Western landscape and still life paintings reminiscent of Rembrandt and more add to the authentic feel of this superior establishment.

Mary Dawn and Her Bernese Mountain Dog, Another Swiss Treasure, at the Show

Just like in the best restaurants in Europe, here tables, dressed in white linens draped over rich, floral table skirts, are set with an array of finery including pewter chargers and crystal glasses. (Although only one wine glass may be on the table at a time—that’s Mormon law.) Blue Boar’s seasonally-oriented menus achieve a fine balance between traditional European specialities including schnitzel and fondue along with regional offerings such as Rocky Mountain trout (from a nearby blue-ribbon trout stream, but of course). As is the tradition in a fine European inn, breakfast, lunch and dinner are served here daily along with an award-winning brunch on Sundays. Chef Eric May also presents a special Tasting Menu every Wednesday night that changes weekly.

If you’re not inclined to sit down to an elegant meal, meander to the back of the inn where you’re sure to be enchanted by the inn’s Bavarian bar, a more casual, gathering place typified by pine flooring, European farmhouse chairs and a four-hundred-year-old bar. Fair weather days see the opening of the beer garden out back, a seemingly blissful place where I’m sure many a frosty beverage is consumed.

Mary Dawn and I toured the inn’s twelve rooms, each more alluring than the other. Named after authors and poets, each room possesses an attention to detail unlike what you find in typical places of lodging in America. An abundance of pillows, fabrics, engravings, old armoires and carefully-selected objets adorn the nooks and crannies of each of the distinctly different rooms. This inn gives “inntimacy” new meaning. Mon dieu, how I would have loved to have settled into the room with the Italian leather bed!

Blue Boar Pub

If I make my way to this bucolic part of Utah this weekend, sadly I doubt I’ll have time to peek in at the Blue Boar. The skiing still beckons and I might not have time to luxuriate, however, I can think of no better set up than to settle in at the Blue Boar and ski Utah’s top resorts (all of which are closed now; Snowbird is about an hour drive from here). In the summer, I’d imagine the area to be like “Sound of Music” in a valley, a verdant land where you pass your time hiking, biking, sightseeing on the Heber Valley Historic Railroad or shopping for handcrafted cheeses from the neighboring farms.

Or you can just hole yourself up at Blue Boar Inn and soak up European refinement and  savoir faire with someone you love.

Blue Boar Inn, 1235 Warm Springs Road, Midway, 435-654-1400 or 888-650-1400

Blue Boar Inn in Midway

Heber Valley

Snake Creek Grill: Another Delightful Dining Option

Housed in an old train depot, people frequently travel to the Snake Creek Grill from Salt Lake City to dine at this country-fresh, chef-owned and operated establishment. Here amid a bright, crisp decor, surrounded by walls and wainscoting the color of this fertile land, Chef Dean Hottle has created a dining experience that wills you to feel at home. His menu is comforting and creative, offering dishes made from the finest ingredients, many of which have been sourced locally (especially in season). Main plates include grilled hanger steak with wild mushroom sauce, crispy hash browns, green beans and carrots, creamy crab penne pasta with roasted artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes and arugula and maple mustard BBQ baby back ribs with mopping sauce, cabbage slaw and corn bread. Now that’s some pretty darn good home cookin’. Sophisticated, too. Be sure to save room for a slice of black bottom banana cream pie. It’s better than your mama’s, I’m sure.

Snake Creek Grill, 650 West 100 South, Heber City, 435-654-2133

Mary Dawn, Me and Ira, a SLC Friend, at Snake Creek Grill