One of Park City’s most popular gathering spots – both for locals and visitors alike – is family owned Hearth and Hill, created by Brooks Kirchheimer and his associates. Well, in March Kirchheimer and his team launched a sort of Hearth and Hill spin-off called Hill’s Kitchen, a clever derivation of New York City’s infamous Hell’s Kitchen.
Hill’s Kitchen combines a complete catering kitchen capable of executing food and beverage for events up to 500 guests, fronted by a 25-seat daytime café with full specialty coffee service, fresh-made pastries and sandwiches, and pre-packaged takeaway items for breakfast and lunch, located just a couple doors down the block from Hearth and Hill.
According to the folks at Hill’s Kitchen, “At the helm of Hill’s Kitchen alongside Chef Jordan Harvey is Executive Pastry Chef Jessie Rae Nakoneczny (Stein Eriksen Lodge, Sundance Resort, The Saltry), who helped open and continues to spearhead the pastry program at Hearth and Hill. Together, along with Banquet Chef Alvaro Cisneros and Pastry Sous Chef Chris Staughan, the duo is excited to present a menu composed of fresh comfort foods such as quiches, Stromboli, grain bowls and wraps, in addition to a variety of irresistible bakery goods, including danishes, muffins, cheesecake, cookies and scones. A selection of iced and hot coffee beverages using sustainably produced beans from female-founded local coffee roaster Publik, will accompany smoothies, tea and non-alcoholic beverage selections and a select list of craft beers and wines by the glass.”
The Hill’s Kitchen catering menu is extensive and ranges from finger foods such as mini quiches, Swedish meatballs, crab-stuffed peppadews, and shrimp lettuce cups, to dips, salads, soups, party platters, sweets, boxed lunches, and proteins like roasted salmon with chimichurri, almond-crusted trout, flank steak with horseradish sauce, and more. In short, there’s something for everyone, including vegan, gluten-free, and vegetarian selections.
My wife and I were invited to enjoy lunch and check out Hill’s Kitchen, and so the focus here is on the cafe and takeout menu. The cafe doubles as a coffee shop with a wide selection of coffees, lattes, teas, smoothies and more, including wine and beer. But the first thing to catch the eye is the large pastry case, full of yummy things like a variety of croissants, muffins, cookies, brownies, Danishes, a pie of the week by the slice or whole, monkey bread, cream puffs, scones, cheesecake and much more. Don’t leave without ordering the scrumptious Nutella and hazelnut Danish and/or the pecan sticky bun.
Hill’s Kitchen Cafe is a walk-up and order affair for takeaway treats or to enjoy in the small but comfy dining area. In addition to the aforementioned pastries, there’s a hearty selection of breakfast items like the veggie burrito ($8), quiche ($7), morning muffin ($7) and such.
The lunch menu includes meat and veggie strombolis ($14), an Italian grinder ($16), grilled cheese with dill havarti, Woodland cheddar, garlic aioli and sourdough ($10), a grain bowl ($12), veggie wrap ($13), salads, and soups like tomato basil ($6) and corn chowder ($6). For my lunch, I chose to go with the meat stromboli, stuffed with calabrese, Italian sausage, and mozzarella cheese, with a side of marinara sauce for dipping. The stromboli was excellent and served warm. I found it odd, however, that the red sauce for dipping was refrigerator cold. Not lukewarm or even cool, but cold.
For my wife’s lunch, she opted for Hill Kitchen’s chopped chicken salad ($13), which is a generously portioned affair containing all but the kitchen sink: Romaine lettuce, red cabbage, broccoli, shredded smoked chicken, julienned carrot, cucumber, snap peas, scallions, a sliced hard-cooked egg, and crispy ramen noodles on the side with a heavenly ginger-sesame vinaigrette.
In a town some would say is overrun with eating options, Hearth and Hill’s new Hill’s Kitchen is still a welcome new addition for folks looking for top-notch professional catering, as well as delectable from-scratch meals and snacks for takeaway. And stay tuned, because Brooks Kirchheimer and his gang are coming to Salt Lake City soon with a second Hearth and Hill in the Sugar House neighborhood, as well as a high-end restaurant called Urban Hill in the Post District west of downtown.
Photos by Ted Scheffler
Culinary quote of the week: “Seeing is deceiving. It’s eating that’s believing.” – James Thurber
FOR MORE RESTAURANT REVIEWS GO HERE.
THIS CONTENT IS FROM UTAH BITES NEWSLETTER.
Subscribe to get the latest Utah Bites news and reviews
Originally trained as an anthropologist, Ted Scheffler is a seasoned food, wine & travel writer based in Utah. He loves cooking, skiing, and spends an inordinate amount of time tending to his ever-growing herd of guitars and amplifiers.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS: click on their logos to visit their website
[nextcode_gallery id_gallery=”4″]
