Increasingly, Park City is coming to be known – at least in dining circles – as a town where it’s not uncommon or unusual to be charged $60 and up for an entree at a restaurant. Yes, I know food and labor costs have risen over the past few years. Still, it would be nice to be able to feed a small family for under $100. Which brings me to Nosh, where you can enjoy a delicious meal without taking a second mortgage out on your house.
Nosh is a small Bonanza Drive cafe with big, bold flavors. It’s the creation of transplanted New Yorker Jason Greenberg, who learned his kitchen skills at heavy-hitting NYC restaurants like Eleven Madison Park, Nobu, and Mile End Delicatessen – even opening a Balinese eatery in Brooklyn along the way. Upon relocating to Utah, Jason worked in the St. Regis Deer Valley kitchen prior to starting his own business called PC Pita, where his quest was “to create the perfect falafel,” to the delight of falafel aficionados at the Park Silly Market where he had his food cart.
Fast forward a few years – to 2020, specifically – when Jason Greenberg opened Nosh, a restaurant that specializes in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. Timing, as they say, is everything. And we all know what happened shortly after Nosh opened in February of 2020. A month later, restaurants were scrambling to create takeout menus since dining indoors was no longer an option. Sadly, Greenberg’s Nosh was so new it didn’t even qualify for PPP loans.
Thankfully, strong support from the community and loyal Nosh customers resulted in this story having a happy ending. Not only is Nosh thriving – there’s often a wait for seating – but Greenberg and his wife Katie recently opened their second Prospector Square restaurant. This one is called Stacked and specializes in “stacked” New York deli-style sandwiches. Some have clever tongue-in-cheek names like the Reubenawitzsteinberg.
When my son, Hank, visited recently during a break from law school back east, we chose to appease his craving for falafel at Nosh. It as good as any falafel I’ve ever tasted in this country and it comes in many forms: Herbed Falafel Bowl ($15), Falafel Pita ($13), included in the Chicken & FaWaffle ($22), and Nosh Platter ($30), or as a side dish ($3). The Herbed Falafel Pita is packed with fab flavors: lemon, garlic, spices, fresh herbs, classic homemade hummus, greens, Israeli salad, yogurt sauce, tahini, and pickled slaw. It’s well worth the mess you’ll make eating it!
“Small” plates at Nosh aren’t really very small and include Olives ($4) with roasted peppers, red onion, za’atar and citrus; homemade Latkes ($8), Za’atar Fries ($8) loaded with harissa fry sauce, pickled red onion, feta, and Israeli salad; Classic or Red Pepper Hummus; Babaganoush ($11); Muhammara ($12), and a big plate of Crispy Brussels Sprouts ($9) with harissa honey, tahini and candied walnuts. Those are super sprouts! Even the so-called “Small” menu items at Nosh are large enough to share.
Of course, the best way to enjoy Middle Eastern and Mediterranean fare is to share and the signature Platters at Nosh are the obvious way to accomplish that. They are very generously portioned. The Nosh Platter ($30) is characterized on the menu as “enough for 2.” Well, there were six of us who shared our ginormous Nosh Platter, which included falafel, green salad, spiced rice, herb-roasted vegetables, hummus, pickled slaw, pitas, yogurt sauce and tahini. For a few more bucks customers can add chicken, lamb or both to their Nosh Platter.
The Nosh Bowls are also very generous in size and bowl options include Herbed Falafel ($15), Braised Chicken ($16), Roasted Veggie ($15), Beef Kofta ($18), or Braised Lamb ($18). The six of us passed around the delectable bowl of herbed falafel with chickpea salad, crispy Brussels, Israeli salad, classic hummus, yogurt sauce, tahini, and pickled cabbage slaw. Yes, it was every bit as scrumptious as it sounds and looks.
According to the Nosh restaurant website, the verb “nosh” is Yiddish and means “to eat food enthusiastically.” I, for one, am always enthusiastic about indulging in – or noshing on – anything and everything that emerges from Jason Greenberg’s kitchen.
Photos by Ted Scheffler
Culinary quote of the week: “The most powerful social media … it is not the internet, it is not Facebook – it is food. This connects all human beings.” – Alex Atala
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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.