I have to confess that my favorite part of brunch isn’t the breakfast part, but rather the lunch portion of brunch. I’m not a big breakfast eater, so bacon, sausage, eggs and the like aren’t the reason I go to brunch. Thankfully, most brunches include lunch items, and that includes the Sunday brunch at Sterling Steak & Lounge in Park City’s Kimball Junction.
Before I get into the details of Sunday brunch at Sterling Steak & Lounge, a bit of genealogy is in order. Dating back to the early 1980s, Lance Sterling worked in the food and beverage world, including spending some time at Stein Eriksen Lodge. That was prior to his partnering with Issac Tigrett, the founder of House of Blues and Hard Rock Cafes, to help Tigrett expand the House of Blues portfolio. Sterling would come to own the Atlanta House of Blues and he would go on to run more than 13 music venues in Southern California, working with a roster of world-renown artists.
Fast-forward to the present: Jackson Sterling, who grew up working in his father’s businesses and is said to have managed a 2,500 seat brunch when he was 15, partnered with his father, Lance, to open Sterling Steak & Lounge. It’s a venue that serves top-notch cuisine, but also features the live music that the Sterling family is so steeped in. The restaurant/lounge is gorgeous – a spot that manages to combine uber-classy decor and furnishings with guitars, photos, artwork and such from the world of rock and roll. Collectible guitars from the likes of Sammy Hagar and others decorate the walls of the restaurant and lounge, and live music is a regular feature in the evenings.
Kudos to the Sterlings for hosting a Sunday brunch that locals who aren’t rich can afford. The all-you-can-eat buffet is priced at a mere $38 per person, or one buck per year of age for kids 12 and under. So, for a nine year old it’s nine dollars. For pricey Park City, that’s a STEAL!
Steakhouses tend to be fairly dismal – like old “gentlemen’s clubs,” – dark and brooding. Not Sterling Steak & Lounge, where stone walls, wood floors, splashes of pink and blue furnishings, a large fireplace, stage, colorful woven rugs, and beautiful copper bar are among the features that make this dine, drink & music venue so uniquely eye-popping. Even the restrooms are super stylish.
During brunch, there is a carving station which, when we visited, served prime rib with au jus and baked ham. There’s also an omelet station offering guests custom-made omelets with a wide array of fillings.
My wife loved her omelet made with fresh mushrooms, tomato, onion, spinach, peppers, cheese and more.
Sterling’s brunch has salad lovers covered too, with an array of salads and dressings to select from.
If breakfast foods are more your thing, enjoy a freshly made waffle from the waffle bar, as well as bacon, sausage, eggs and such.
My first pass at brunch included chilled shrimp from the chilled seafood station (with a choice of spicy or regular cocktail sauce), a slab of tender and juicy prime rib, mac & cheese (with bacon or without), and Caesar salad.
And let’s not forget the fully stocked bar and Sterling’s outstanding wine and beer list. We enjoyed sipping Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay with brunch, but you may prefer a freshly made mimosa, fresh juice, or a craft cocktail.
Come in for dinner at Sterling and the regular menu features steaks, obviously, but also tenderloin lasagna, pan-seared scallops, seared ahi tuna, parmesan-crusted sea bass, lemon-caper chicken, and more, including an array of appetizers and side dishes. Definitely give the decadent lobster mac & cheese a go, or perhaps the equally naughty lobster mashed potatoes. The Tuna Napoleon appetizer also hits all the right notes.
I haven’t visited Sterling Steak & Lounge yet since the weather warmed up but was told that there’s a rooftop deck from which to enjoy the free concerts from the adjacent Newpark amphitheater. And, that sounds simply sterling!
Photos by Ted Scheffler
Culinary quote of the week: “Breakfast is a meal but brunch is a culture.” – Matt Basile
