An inventive genius in the kitchen
By Ani Robertson
Riverhorse on Main has an inventive genius in the kitchen and a long list of dining awards on its walls. Chef Seth Adams wasn’t sure what he wanted to do going through school in Pittsburgh, but all signs pointed toward food.
“My dad was a good cook, always cooking for parties and barbecues, and I liked doing those things with him.” When Seth won a Johnson and Wales National Recipe Contest in high school for a dessert, his steed was saddled.
Summer and weekend catering jobs led to culinary school. An internship in Deer Valley proved to be the turning point in Seth’s life. The small town atmosphere, the skiing, the friends he made, the opportunities to travel kept bringing him back to Park City.
“I was the banquet chef at Snow Park Lodge, sous chef at Morton’s Steak House in Chicago, and executive sous chef at the Grand Summit in Canyons.”
He was hired as Executive Chef at Riverhorse on Main in 2004. Seth and a partner bought the popular Main Street eatery in July 2011, and a decision was made to renovate. The local interior design company, FORM, was hired, and the result is magnificent.
“I got a long-term home. I run the restaurant and do the food the way I want.” Now there is a cozy lounge where the kitchen used to be, the kitchen moved to the back of the former Masonic Lodge, and a privately-accessed dining room seats up to 25 people. The main dining room opens onto a second floor deck overlooking lively Main Street.
He loves what he does. “I love the people: I cook simple foods in ways that taste good and look good. It’s what I would want to eat.”
There are items on his menu he dares not remove, like the Macadamia Nut-Crusted Halibut, Riverhorse Potstickers with Asian Vegetables, his Utah Red Trout with Pistachio Nut Crust, and the Trio of Wild Game: buffalo, venison, and elk. He keeps lobster on hand as someone always wants Surf and Turf.
“Forty five percent of the people want the halibut; if I took it off the menu, customers would get mad! When I removed the Trio of Wild Game from our selections one summer, three concierges called.”
Riverhorse on Main is “an eclectic American restaurant.” Seth likes to visit with his customers. According to wife Casey, this chef ’s passion is all about creation. She calls his fried goat cheese “pillows of love.”
Reservations are a must. Prepare to be entertained. Epicureans will find their niche: Riverhorse on Main, Park City’s premier dining spot since 1987.
540 Main Street, 435 649-3536, riverhorseparkcity.com
