As a visitor to Park City, don’t be surprised if Main Street swallows you up and becomes the place where most of your time is spent. The restaurants, the shopping, the history, the views, it’s no wonder this is where tourists flock to. However, if one searches just a little outside the ‘Main Street bubble’ there are some truly fantastic restaurants somewhat tucked away in some of Park City’s best, cozy little corners. Lespri Prime Steak and Sushi Bar is one of these places and they are certainly succeeding at veering tourists as well as locals away from Main and into these parts of town. Nestled in an area known to locals as Prospector, Lespri is one of Park City’s best kept secrets. They serve sushi that is artfully prepared with unique combinations and special house-made sauces infused with fresh ingredients that will delight your taste buds. If it’s a steak you’re craving, Lespri specializes in USDA Certified Prime meat. Only the top 2 percent of all meat ever receives this certification. Even the seasonal salads, which are more like pieces of art, are beautiful and delicious. In the back of the building, a large sidewalk space transforms into a wonderful summer outdoor patio for Lespri as well as Good Kharma. It is the perfect place to grab a glass of wine, a bite to eat and enjoy the summer breeze in an open, outdoor area that’s not directly in the middle of Main Street.
During the winter months, Lespri Prime Steak and Sushi Bar attracts quite the apres crowd for their innovative and high grade sushi menu as well as full bar menu. Their sushi chef who is now also their head chef, Scott Benson was classically trained in the culinary arts, but his immense love for sushi grasped his attention and hasn’t let go for the past 9 years. Although the craft of sushi has its extremely traditional techniques, Scott has brought a playful and creative twist to his sushi rolling. He encourages diners to order ‘off the menu’ items or even create their own. Such as this rice-less roll (pictured above) that is made with the highest grade tuna, salmon, crab and shrimp meat, avocado and citrus, rolled in cucumber. A perfect roll for those who don’t want a roll made with rice or seaweed. This roll is not on the menu, but if you are willing to try one of the chef’s creations, don’t be afraid to ask for something else!
The Emperor Roll
When visiting for their happy hour each day from 5-6 p.m., buy any roll and get another roll of equal or lesser value for free. A pretty good deal considering the high quality of fish you are receiving. At Lespri, the chefs truly care about your sushi experience. They don’t ever put mayonnaise in the crab meat which is pretty common in most sushi kitchens, they never use imitation nor mix imitation meat in with their crab, they never fry their rolls, however they do add tempura to give it that crunch that a lot of us seek (myself included), but once I tried their rolls, I didn’t miss the fried aspect of sushi. Every bite was so fresh and delicious, it was all I needed.
Lespri is the perfect spot to apres if you are looking for some delicious sushi, a glass of wine from their incredible wine list, and an intimate setting. Find yourself here and don’t be surprised if you just end up sticking around for dinner. Their entire menu is absolutely wonderful.
