AWARDS & REVIEWS
Just Talkin' 'Bout Shaft - Wining and dining with Alta-tude at 9,000 feet.
(As reported in The Salt Lake City Weekly
- June 28th, 2007.)
Click here to read the full article (2.1M .pdf file).
c2002 Zagat Survey of America's Top Restaurants
"The top 10 restaurants in Utah are... Shallow Shaft, Alta Ski Resort...[listed
with nine other restaurants]." (As reported in The Salt Lake Tribune
January 2, 2002.)
The Salt Lake Tribune, July 20, 2001
"The Shallow Shaft strikes culinary gold in Alta."
The Event Newsweekly, July 29, 1999
"Main course selections at the Shallow Shaft are nothing less than an artist's
masterpiece... Timothy Garling has transformed the Shallow Shaft over the past
decade from a simple steak house to one of Utah's finest, intimate gourmet
restaurants."
Salt Lake Magazine, July/August 1998
"The Shallow Shaft Restaurant has matured into one of Utah's best restaurants,
with excellent cuisine in a casual setting."
Zagat Survey 1997 Rocky Mountain Restaurants
"Small and unpretentious," the Shallow Shaft is the "top southwestern
restaurant in Utah."
Zagat Survey 1995 Update Rocky Mountain Restaurants
"A cozy, dinner-only hideaway where classically trained chef Tim Garling turns out
savory Southwestern dishes, runs an on-site poultry and fish smoker, rolls handmade pastas
and designs delectable desserts; newcomers as well as long-term regulars are made to feel
like family in this ski and summer season mountain dining room where you can mine a deep
shaft of good cooking." Rating: "Don't Miss Under Any Circumstances."
Deseret News, July 30, 1993
In the Weekend section of the Deseret News, dining out writer Al Church,
wrote, " Here we were, amid the splendor of Little Cottonwood Canyon, surrounded by a
boisterous Saturday night crowd, complete with the singing of happy birthdays for unknown
diners. Even the funky ski paraphernalia that lined the interior couldn't distract us.
There was only the sound of "oohs" and "aahs" coming from our booth.
There could have been an avalanche, a forest fire or other calamitous occurrence, and we
would have been oblivious. This focus and concentration was somewhat unusual considering
that the five of us have fairly well traveled and educated palates, having savored meals
from San Francisco to New York and beyond. Our reverent silence threw our attentive and
self-assured waitress. Only moments before we had been engaging in snappy repartee. Now we
were quietly rhapsodizing about our entrees in hushed tones of awe. "Is everything
all right?" she queried with genuine concern. We nodded in agreement, celebrating our
wondrous dinner... First time visitors to the Shallow Shaft should not be put off by the
breezy and funky decor or the fact that pizza is a featured menu item. Gourmet cuisine
that is both creative and memorable is the true hallmark of the Shallow Shaft.
Rating:
Five Stars (highest)"
Utah Holiday, July 1992
In the July 1992 Issue of the now defunct Utah Holiday Magazine, Genevive Rowles warned
readers, "Don't be mislead by 'steak house.' The Shallow Shaft may have been a steak
house at one time , but today the aromas wafting from the intimate restaurant perched on a
hillside overlooking Alta's gloriously wildflower-carpeted mountains hint of culinary
creation bordering on the exotic... Chef Garling has an inspired way with
flavor
combinations that please and surprise, but never to the point of overkill. He uses herbs,
spices, and cheeses native to the Southwest, and from Greek and Italian cuisines, the
better to enhance food from as close as Utah and as far as Australia..."
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