Those looking for a great meal in Zion Canyon just got a few more delicious options. The Bit and Spur, located at 1212 Zion Park Blvd. in Springdale, recently reopened after being closed for the winter after undergoing major remodeling and an addition. The oldest parts of the building, dating back to the ‘60s and ‘70s, were torn down to make way for the new kitchen, dining, and live performance areas. The familiar front pool table area and bar remain, much like it has been since their addition in the winter of 1994.
“The idea was to build the entirely new kitchen and expand the dining and patio areas, but retain much of the same good energy and same great food,” said Alex Pelton, co-owner. “The expansion gained us about 60 seats total, between the expanded dining room and much more patio.”
With a new 800-square-foot private back patio available for parties and private events, they added a lot more of what Pelton referred to as “quality dining experiences.”
“The main intention of the remodel was to expand the kitchen size that we’d considerably outgrown. The expansion allows us to do much more off-site catering as well as accommodating the much increased volume of visitors entering Zion Canyon every year,” said Pelton.
For live music, the area has also been much expanded from the small footprint it once occupied, and the new room utilizes movable hanging partition walls. Remarkably, the remodel kept on an incredibly tight schedule of just four months, actually coming to completion early for the reopening on March 9.
Just down the street at 1515 Zion Park Blvd., King’s Landing Bistro has just opened.
Thomas King and his wife, Phu, moved recently from Las Vegas to Springdale to open Zion Canyon’s newest dining establishment. The Kings have placed King’s Landing in the spot at the Driftwood Lodge, which was formerly occupied by Parallel 88 but had been closed for the past three seasons.
King’s Landing Bistro features an eclectic menu including fresh salads that feature kale and endive, quinoa, and more as well as appetizers ranging from puff pastry tarts to charred octopus. The compact menu showcases the bistro’s uniquely prepared entrees, like beef tenderloin medallions, roasted chicken breast, salmon, and the King’s burger. They also feature a separate vegetarian menu that includes a few extra vegan and vegetarian options for those so inclined. Additionally, they have a third menu for sweets and desserts that features strawberry and rhubarb crisp, molten chocolate lava cake, espresso créme brulee, four flavors of homemade ice cream, vanilla gelato, and affogato.
The Kings found their way to Springdale by way of their good friends Tina Lee and Michael Vitangeli, who opened the new 9 EAST restaurant at 709 Zion Blvd., the new location nestled next to The Desert Pearl Inn. From the pasta and pizza dough to the gelato and sorbet, everything is made fresh. The salmon is even smoked on the premises. It offers dishes like herb-crusted seared beef carpaccio with celery arugula salad, caper berries, shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano, and citrus olive oil or creamy tomato basil and bread soup with Taggiasca olives, Parmesan fondue, and basil-infused olive oil as well as rigatoni Bolognese, smoked duck pizza, and Mediterranean sea bass.
Original abstract paintings incorporating sweet, fragrant spices like clove, allspice, and ginger enhance the atmosphere.
Executive chef Michael Vitangeli and executive pastry chef Tina Lee said that they are ready to introduce Springdale locals as well as national and international visitors to a casual, innovative new Italian restaurant with Mediterranean influences. In partnership with The Desert Pearl Inn, Lee and Vitangeli say that they intend to make Springdale an even more enticing culinary destination. Reservations are recommended. Call (435) 619-8200.
