Z's Steak & Chop Haus

YIKES! Where to begin.
On our anniversary this week, my wife and I decided to give this place a chance instead of other high-end steak houses in Utah. Boy did we pick the wrong day. The staff was great and friendly however the place was dead. There were only two other patrons and it was very quiet but nice. We started with the fondue which was pretty good and the bread was fresh. We both had the Swiss onion soup which was way too salty and 80% bread and cheese. Not much soup for $7.00.  We ordered the main course. 21 day aged ribeye and 21 day aged New York strip. With the 1lb baked potato and spinach salad. When our waiter John brought the steaks we noticed something odd. Every 45 dollar steak I've ever ordered in the past has always come out sizzling and scalding hot to perfection. These steaks had NO sizzle. In fact my wife's New York strip was hardly warm. My ribeye was ok. (way too much pepper on the rub)  it didn't taste aged at all. Most likely they sat under a heat lamp while my baked potato was microwaved (cold center). The waiter John was very empathetic and the manager came out and tried to fix everything. They did a great job of trying to save our dinner but it hard to enjoy when your food is in the back getting re-grilled. It's especially frustrating when your spending over $150 on food. The manager did buy our deserts and sides and I'm sure on a busy night this place is very good. John was very good and we left him a huge tip for trying to fix the situation. As much as I'd like to recommend a local restaurant, I can't recommend Z's. I'm sure during peak season it's great but if you go during the week this could easily happen to you. Stick with the big dogs during the week like Spencer's, Flemming's, or Ruth's Chris.

I visited the Zermat Resort during my stay in Midway.  Unfortunately for me, there were not many Yelpers or restaurants to chose from in this small quaint town, but  since this place was conveniently located, the family and I decided to give it a try. Our first attempt was met by a "Closed" sign--apparently we went on the only day they were closed. We tried again the following night and enjoyed a pleasant fireside meal.

As I mentioned, Midway is a small town with not much to offer after a day or 2 of town-wandering, but conveniently situated near Park City and Deer Valley. Zermat Resort is a popular location for hot springs/spas and conferences, but as our visit to Zermat was at beginning of the week, the resort was relatively deserted. The enormous fireplace bathed the Chop Haus with a warm glow and provided a rustic crackling soundtrack. It seemed my family and I were to enjoy the warm dining room to ourselves. However, as the evening progressed a large group of individuals joined our dinning room. Normally, an empty restaurant is a red flag, but after taking into consideration that we were visiting on Wednesday an empty resort dining room is not necessarily indicative of the meal/experience we were about to enjoy.

We shared our meal family-style:
- Gruyere Fondue, Chilled Vegetables and French Bread -- my parents thoroughly enjoyed the Gruyere fondue and even requested to keep the cheese to dip the freshly baked Z pretzels that came with our meal. (4 stars)
-Pork Tenderloin Schnitzel with Spätzle, Spinach and Tomatoes - Tasty, but unremarkable. (2.5-3 stars)
-Braised Buffalo Short Rib, Wild Mushroom, Demi Glaze - Delicious, but how can you go wrong with braised short ribs and mushrooms. The demi glaze was rich and robust with flavor. (4 stars)
-Bread pudding - the waiter really sold this to us, but we were not impressed. (2 stars)

Service- at first our waiter was quite attentive, but after the large group arrived our tiny table of 3 was only given the perfunctory visit to check on quality and satisfaction of the meal. The supporting staff was still very attentive--my glass was never empty, and empty plates never stayed on the table. (2.5-3Stars)

Pros- Fireside table-adorable ambiance, though the restaurant when empty seemed less inviting in such an open cavernous space. I can see how charming it would be during a full house. Freshly baked pretzels-delicious! (3-3.5 stars)
Cons- Understandably, on a Wednesday, the restaurant would not be full staffed, but it was a bit off-putting to be ignored once a large group showed up. Also, prior to our arrival, we attempted to call to verify whether or not reservations were required/recommended for dinner, but no one answered the phone. Unfortunately, that did impact my feelings toward the restaurant before I even arrived.

Overall, we enjoyed our experience, however it was not as memorable as it could have been. The food was delicious, but unremarkable; the service was inconsistent, but not lacking in basic attentiveness. If I were to be in the area again and craving Gruyere Fondue or Buffalo Short Ribs, I'd consider visiting again.