Handle Park City: Where Vermont Farm-to-Table Philosophy Meets Mountain Dining Excellence

There's this moment at Handle when the server sets down the General Tso cauliflower—florets glistening with sriracha vinaigrette, impossibly crispy despite being drenched in sauce—and you realize you've been lied to your whole life about what vegetables can be. One customer put it simply: "After staying a week in Deer Valley, Handle was by far my best meal - my big family of 20+ all unanimously agreed too." That's the thing about this unassuming spot tucked just off Park City's Main Street on Heber Avenue. It doesn't announce itself with white tablecloths or pretense. It just consistently serves some of the best farm-to-table food in Park City, the kind that makes you rethink what you thought you knew about seasonal American cuisine.

Chef Briar Handly—yes, the restaurant's name is a play on his own—has been chasing perfection in Park City kitchens for over two decades. And the James Beard Foundation has noticed, nominating him as a semifinalist for Best Chef in the Mountain region three times (2020, 2022, and 2023). Not bad for a kid from Vermont who moved to Colorado at 18 just wanting to be near mountains.

From Vermont to the Wasatch: How a New England Culinary Institute Graduate Built Park City's Most Consistent Restaurant

Handly's path to becoming one of Park City's most respected chefs started accidentally. "I didn't really know what I wanted to do with my life, but I knew I wanted to be around the mountains," he's said about his move to Colorado. Working in restaurant kitchens alongside talented chefs, he fell hard for the craft—"that pursuit of perfection and making people happy with the food that I put out."

The obsession sent him back to Vermont to attend the New England Culinary Institute, a rigorous year-long program with two six-month internships. He returned to Utah for those internships, working under Park City's culinary heavyweights: Seth Adams at Riverhorse on Main, John Murcko (now of Firewood), and Bill White. After earning his stripes as executive chef at Talisker on Main, Handly saved money with his wife and business partner Melissa Gray and their partner Meagan Nash to open Handle in August 2014.

The early days were pure hustle and heart. "We still had a very limited budget when we began the process of opening Handle, so we had to call in many favors from friends and family," Handly remembers. Nash's Uncle Russell did the demo and remodel (he eats free for life). Friends built the original tables and host stand. Everyone pitched in ripping up four layers of old restaurant flooring in a space on Swede Alley that many said was cursed—countless restaurants had opened and closed there before Handle broke the cycle.

Growing up in Vermont, and just the way I like to eat and cook, it's just always been ingrained in me to cook with the seasons and highlight those ingredients that are so good at the peak of their season, Handly explains. That Vermont farm-to-table ethos isn't marketing speak at Handle—it's printed fresh on menus every single day based on what's actually available from local farmers and ranchers.

The Handle Experience: Small Plates That Actually Fill You Up (And Make You Think About Vegetables Differently)

Step into Handle's sleek, mid-century modern space with its cozy green banquette booths and you'll notice the vibe immediately—it's lively without being loud, refined without being stuffy. The kind of place where you can celebrate an anniversary or just grab a burger at the bar on Wednesday nights when they run food and drink specials that locals guard like secrets.

The menu is built for sharing—mostly small plates and a few heartier options that let you taste your way through Handly's seasonal vision. And here's where Handle gets interesting: the vegetable dishes often steal the show from the proteins, which is saying something in beef-loving Utah.

That General Tso cauliflower. It started as buffalo cauliflower when Handle first opened, then evolved into the General Tso version from their Salt Lake City sister restaurant HSL. Florets are dredged in cornstarch and coconut milk, tossed in General Tso sauce, and topped with that sriracha vinaigrette. One reviewer wrote: "The cauliflower was GF & nom.com," while another called it simply "not to be missed." It's guaranteed on the menu—one of the few constants in a restaurant that otherwise changes dishes as ingredients flow through the seasons.

The mushroom bolognese has reached cult status among regulars. At $42, it's not cheap—one NYC transplant did a double-take at the price but admitted, "I don't regret it even though that sounds crazy. Like I live in nyc and I don't know that I've even had a pasta that expensive." What makes it worth it? Umami on point, savory and cravable, topped with mascarpone cheese. Multiple reviews mention this dish specifically, with one diner noting it "tasted like a meaty dish despite being vegetarian!"

The fried chicken appears nightly with seasonally rotating sides—perfectly crispy, well-seasoned, the kind that makes you understand why it's been on the menu in some form since day one. A reviewer raved: "The chicken was perfectly crispy and well seasoned."

The kale salad has achieved near-mythical status. The Infatuation put it best: "You can tell a lot about a restaurant by its most basic salad. At Handle, it's one with just kale, pine nuts, and cheese, but it's so perfectly dressed and seasoned that you leave thinking about the leafy greens for days." One group declared it "the best any of us had ever had. It had crunch and texture."

Walk into Handle on any given night and you might also find market shellfish in coconut broth, lamb t-bones with seasonal vegetables, octopus fried crispy on the outside and tender within, or hamachi crudo with unexpected garnishes. The menu prints fresh daily—a practice they've maintained since opening—which means Handly and his team can pivot as ingredients hit their peak.

Desserts often feature creations from Normal Ice Cream, founded by Alexa Norlin who previously worked as pastry chef at Handle and HSL. The "Handle" salted maple ice cream bar—salted maple ice cream dipped in Solstice Wasatch blend dark chocolate with brown butter milk crumb—appears on the dessert menu at both Handle locations, a sweet reminder of the tight-knit culinary community Handly has fostered.

Building a Legacy: How Handle Transformed Park City's Restaurant Scene Over 10 Years

In January 2025, Handle celebrated its 10th anniversary—a milestone that feels surreal to the founding partners. "Ten years kind of flew by," Handly said, standing in front of the weathered wooden sign that's turned from light blue to gray. They've ordered a new one, but that old sign represents something important: staying power in a town where restaurants cycle through like ski seasons.

The early years nearly broke them. Handly, Gray, and Nash worked six, seven days a week. They had complete control over every detail, so "every negative review or tough night felt devastating," Nash remembers. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 forced them to close for dine-in and pivot to takeout. "Unfortunately, food doesn't really translate as well when you put it in a box," Handly admits, "but we got through it with the locals' support."

Now they run two restaurants—Handle in Park City and HSL in Salt Lake City, which opened in 2016—with a staff of over 80 people. Handly has learned to let go, trusting his chefs de cuisine Dave Rosenberger (Handle) and Kyle Williams (HSL) to execute his vision while he spends more time with his young daughter.

"In order to run this restaurant and to run any restaurant, you need staff that is loyal to you and shows up every day," he says. "Getting down to the nitty gritty, the people that have stuck with me — I mean that's part of it, the key to our success."

Handle has become a launching pad for Park City's next generation of culinary talent. Former Handle chefs have gone on to impressive ventures: Max Nelson at Central 9th Market, Alexa Norlin with Normal Ice Cream, Drew Fuller at Oquirrh, and Philip Grubisa of Beltex Meats. It's the kind of culinary family tree that signals a restaurant doing things right.

Handle's Place in Park City's Farm-to-Table Movement

What Handle has carved out of that pocket on Heber Avenue is precisely what Park City needed a decade ago and still needs today: Good, casual food and drink, refined enough to impress out-of-town friends but not so self-important that it demands draining your bank account. Well, mostly. Yes, you'll pay Park City prices—figure $$$$ on Yelp—but the quality consistently matches the cost.

The restaurant ranks #27 out of 218 Park City restaurants on TripAdvisor with a 4.4 rating, but more telling are the reviews from people who've eaten their way through the entire town. One visitor wrote: "After having hit many of the top rated restaurants in PC over a week and a half while staying on Main Street, Handle was by far the best food." Another regular customer noted: "We have been coming to Park City at least once a year for the last few years, and this is our favorite dining spot we've found. The menu is unique and interesting and well executed to produce delicious food."

Handly's commitment to local sourcing isn't just about flavor—it's about supporting the agricultural community surrounding Park City. The menu changes as things go out of season and new ingredients come in, which means summer brings peak tomatoes and stone fruits while fall delivers squashes and root vegetables. "When the farmers and growers are bringing us fruit and vegetables that are packed with flavor, and we plate it beautifully? It doesn't get much better than that," he's said.

This approach puts Handle squarely in Utah's broader farm-to-table movement, connecting mountain diners to Wasatch-area farms and ranchers in tangible ways. Every dish tells a story of where food comes from, prepared by a chef who fell in love with that philosophy growing up in Vermont and brought it west to the mountains.

Planning Your Visit to Handle Park City

Address: 136 Heber Avenue, Park City, UT 84060 (just off Main Street on Swede Alley)

Hours:

• Monday-Thursday: 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
• Friday-Saturday: 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM
• Sunday: 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM

What to Order: Start with the General Tso cauliflower (trust me) and the kale salad. Get the mushroom bolognese even if the price makes you wince—you won't regret it. The fried chicken is a guaranteed winner. For dessert, whatever Normal Ice Cream creation is on the menu that day.

Insider Tips: The bar is the best seat in the house, especially on Wednesday nights for food and drink specials. The burger—served nightly at the bar and Wednesday evenings in summer in the dining room—is one of Park City's best-kept secrets. Reservations recommended, especially during ski season and Sundance Film Festival in January.

Getting There: Metered parking available on Main Street or in the China Bridge lot with free or modest fees depending on time of day. Handle is an easy walk from most Old Town Park City hotels.

Dietary Accommodations: Strong vegan and vegetarian options—many reviewers specifically praise Handle for this. Gluten-free options available. Just ask your server.

Instagram: @handleparkcity

Handle represents something increasingly rare in resort towns: a locally owned, chef-driven restaurant that's survived a decade not by following trends but by sticking to fundamentals—seasonal ingredients, thoughtful preparation, and genuine hospitality. Handly's Vermont farm-to-table roots have flourished in Utah's mountain soil, creating a Park City restaurant that locals return to regularly and visitors remember long after their ski vacation ends.

As Handly puts it: "We're constantly pushing to keep evolving, changing with the seasons, and hopefully getting better all the time. I like to keep our guests guessing."

Ten years in, they're still guessing—and still coming back for more.