Apex

There are few things more blissful than sipping a steaming latte to warm your bones while a blanket of white snow awaits you outside. This is a regular occurrence at Montage Deer Valley’s Apex restaurant. Though hearty favorites like brioche French toast and huevos rancheros fill the menu, the smashed avocado toast is not to be missed. The dish—which is so gorgeous, it deserves its own Instagram handle—features crispy honey-sunflower toast with avocado and a poached egg. The real fanfare comes next with the toast’s gorgeous crown of lightly dressed local greens and oven-dried grapes.

Come sundown, Apex transforms in a cozy, dimly lit steakhouse setting, with a roaring fireplace acting as the centerpiece. The kind of place you’d be just as comfortable in your après-ski gear as you would in a tie. To really wake up the taste buds, the coriander-crusted Utah pork belly is a true treat, with an incredible and fragrant banana vindaloo, oven-dried grapes, verjus reduction and chicharrónes. For a light kickoff to the meal, the salt-roasted baby beets are as fresh and flavorful as they get, paired with house-made goat milk ricotta, red beet-cranberry purée and those delicate farm-fresh greens that paired with the avo toast at breakfast.        

Chicken schnitzel

Though you can’t go wrong with a glorious steak cut (there are nearly 10 to choose from), chicken at Apex is basically the bird at it’s best. If you’re stopping in for lunch, the chicken schnitzel, with herb spätzle, cinnamon-accented braised red cabbage and lemon-caper butter, is so celebrated that it might cause a riot if it were to be discontinued. Come dinner, Joyce Farms poulet rouge, with whipped potatoes and preserved lemon broccolini, is the definition of elevated comfort food. Seafoodie? The Maine lobster risotto with leek fondue, sweet corn, confit tomatoes, pancetta and pecorino romano is warm, creamy and doesn’t hold back on the lobster goodness.

Now, dessert at Montage Deer Valley is the stuff of legends—the carrot cake, in particular. Executive Pastry Chef Stephen Jones happened upon his famous recipe on accident. Jones says he didn’t have a grater for the carrots at the time, so he opted to use a juicer and incorporated the fresh juice into the recipe. The result was a gorgeous orange confection, and the rest is history. The carrot cake is only listed on the in-room dining list, though those in the know can order it at any of the dining venues.

Shake Your Bon Bon: You know what else Chef Jones is known for? The incredible bon-bons that guests can purchase at Buzz, the on-site coffee shop, or wait until turndown when they grace the bedside table. In fact, Chef says that the resort is California chocolatier Guittard's biggest client.