One of the coolest things that I got to do at the Evo’10 Conference was a special VIP dinner at the Waldorf Astoria (@waldorfparkcity). Nine days prior to the conference I received an e-mail inviting me to a VIP dinner at the Waldorf Astoria’s exclusive restaurant, Spruce. I wasn’t sure why but figured there must have been a reason so I said sure. I’m always up for trying new foods at great restaurants and I figured that I’d get to meet some interesting people, I was not disappointed.
The night started with a tour of the Presidential Suite of the Waldorf Astoria, Park City. Well, it was more of an explore on your own sort of thing while you enjoy some delicious hors d’oeuvres. There were some wonderful people from the Waldorf Astoria (Barbara Schmaelzle and Sarah Siler) as well as from the Canyons resort (Libby Dowd and Hannah Bowling) on hand to talk with us about the property and to welcome us to this event. I started touring around the place and exploring all the rooms and bathrooms and bedrooms and sitting rooms and walk in closets the size of bedrooms, the place was huge and we were only in one part of it because the second part was being rented. The suite is 5,000 square feet. It was incredible.
We were then told that we could take a look at another room in the Waldorf that was more of a single family room that had a master bedroom and one for the kids. The kitchen in that room was incredible. All the kitchens were in both the single room and the Presidential Suite. Each room had a Philips flatscreen TV of varying sizes, this included the bathrooms as well. I went through both rooms, the single and the Presidential and took photos of everything, they can be found on my Flickr Set for Evo starting with a photo of Bookie Boo and Skinny Jeans before we got into the shuttles.
Exploring the Presidential suite was fun but then we were able to go down to the Golden Door Spa (@goldendoorspapc) and see what they had to offer there. There was a lot to offer. I was just taking in how beautiful the place was, very tranquil. We looked at the workout area that included treadmills with huge flatscreens built right in. Those would be perfect for a treadmill desk. We then went downstairs to the locker rooms and various other rooms. I can’t rightly call them locker rooms because they were so elegant and clean and smelled nice, the place was just as a spa should be, peaceful, tranquil and elegant.
Now, I was pretty much the only guy on this event, there were a couple others but at this point I was the only guy walking around on this tour. I was lucky and glad that we didn’t run into anyone using the spa at that time. I guess I sort of blended in with the crowd. After that tour it was time to go up to Spruce for dinner. But first I sat in this heated stone lounger.
Spruce (@sprucepc) was very nice. I sat with some wonderful women and we laughed and talked all through the meal. The started with a Harvest Vegetable Salad with Avocado Green Goddess Dressing and Aged Ricotta. That was paired with a wine that was delicious. For our main course we could choose from either a Roasted Alaskan Halibut, Artichoke Barigoule, Chick Peas and Grilled Spring Onions or Moroccan Spiced Chicken, Couscous, Turmeric Dates and Marcona Almonds. I choose the Halibut and it was very good. I started eating it right away and missed out on taking a picture.
After dinner we were treated to the Spruce Beignets with two sauces, a cherry compote and a vanilla sauce that was so tasty. Let’s just say that I ended up eating a few more than anticipated and once that initial bowl was done we got a brand new fresh one. Bottomless Beignets, oh my!
This was one fantastic event that I was very lucky to be a part of, everyone throughout our tour was pleasant, helpful and very genuine. I got to talk to many people from the Waldorf and the Canyons resort and found out how I was chosen. They liked my blog. Wow, that floored me. They were all very nice about me bringing EvaBear along. It was not stuffy and uptight, this was a very comfortable and welcoming place, the only difference is that it has a higher price point than other locales. I didn’t feel at all awkward or out of place despite not being the most well dressed person there. I pack light, what can I say.
I would like to thank the staff of the Waldorf Astoria and also the Canyons Resort for such a wonderful evening. I really appreciated being a part of this.
Disclosure: Yes I was treated to dinner and provided with transportation to and from the Waldorf Astoria. I was not asked to write a review in return for attendance. I wrote this because I enjoyed myself and wanted to let more people know about the fine food at Spruce and the even fine people that make a place like the Waldorf Astoria run every day.
