The Blue Boar Inn & Restaurant — Restaurant in Midway

Last weekend we ate at The Blue Boar Inn in Midway.

I wasn't super hungry but wanted to try everything. The dining area is very festively decorated, colorful, warm, and inviting. They've won so many awards that are displayed on the fireplace and walls. There are boar heads and fresh flowers; thank you for the lilies - you could smell them. It's lovely and an escape - like going to Switzerland.

To begin, I had the french onion soup, and the Mr got the Greens and Red salad (he LOVED it, and I thought it was ok). I appreciate that it was lightly dressed with house-made dressing. Everything is chef made.

My French onion soup was served in a white China bowl with, once again, a boar head. It was hearty with lots of onions and prepared traditionally with melty cheese over a piece of bread.

They brought out four small pieces of bread, two sourdough and two wheat, with butter. It's good there was just one piece of sourdough each; I could've eaten all 4. However, I needed to save room...

I ordered wood plank grilled salmon. It comes with micro greens on top and a bed of greens underneath. There was finely ground pistachio around the perimeter of the plate that added a little crunch. Details like that are what I love about eating out.

I asked for the vinaigrette dressing on the side because it has mustard, and I'm afraid the mustard taste will be too strong. I shouldn't have worried; it was incredible. After I finished everything, I was in food heaven.

He got the filet mignon and liked it, but I was so satisfied with my dish I didn't even try any of his (this is highly unusual). It just didn't seem worth it, and I was full. However, we still had to try dessert.

Again, I didn't even taste his cheesecake, and it was good but not raving good, and I was so happy about mine. It was three generous scoops of raspberry sorbet. The berries had been prepared to make them even more flavorful, but the sorbet had an intense fresh raspberry flavor. And then it had a berry sauce. Since raspberries are one of my favorite foods, and you can't take sorbet to go, I finished every bite. It came in a crisp shell (not sure what it's called).

I posted the menu for an idea of prices and menu items, but it does change.

Our waitress was good. The music was a top 40 and 80s mix, and that's my only complaint. It didn't fit the rest of the experience. Why not play Swiss music or classical?

Just as we were about to leave, a Utah-famous couple sat down at the table behind ours. I noticed the young women filling their water glasses, knees shaking, so she recognized them too. A smile was exchanged, but they looked like they wanted to enjoy a private dinner, so we didn't say hello. The dining area is spacious and can accommodate large groups. It made me wish I had a large family and we could have Christmas Eve dinner here. Or wait, maybe I can convince my business partner to have our small company Christmas dinner here!

There's outdoor seating on the balcony if you go when it's warmer. The view and area are lovely. We drove around to look at the fall trees after dinner. This is the perfect place to go for an anniversary or special occasion. Or, if you just love good food. It's romantic, locally owned, and has a lot of old money-type charm. I'd choose The Blue Boar over a pricey chain steak...

Unfortunately, the Blue Boar Inn is not what it used to be. The place seems sort of run down and less classy than it once was under previous management.

We did not receive any assistance with our luggage upon our arrival. The staff seemed inexperienced and under supervised. Very different from what it was years ago. When we returned later in the evening from dining out in Midway, there was no one at the front desk and I had to wait awkwardly to retrieve my room key. Eventually the Executive Chef (who I believe is also the new owner?) came and asked, “Can I help you?” I felt sorry for inconveniencing the kitchen staff to get my room key.

We stayed in the Emerson room, which is situated uncomfortably on the main floor right by the dining area and the kitchen. It almost seems like you have to walk through the offices and the kitchen to get to the room, which is not ideal. The room is getting very dated, with worn-through carpet and an old TV. In the morning, the plumbing in the bathroom was challenging. The water pressure in the shower was all over the place, and we had to deal with cold water. Our bathroom also did not have any shampoo. Fortunately my wife had some with her, otherwise we would have been in a bind.

The food at breakfast was delicious. No qualms there. However, we prepaid $20 per person for the meal, but our total only came to $34. I would have preferred to just pay for the breakfast rather than over pay for something I didn’t get. When asked at checkout if I wanted to include a gratuity for breakfast, I reasoned that the extra $6 I paid when I booked my room was sufficient.

All in all, I do not feel the experience was worth the hype nor the nearly $300 I paid. I guess I just feel bad that the Blue Boar Inn of old, what was such a warm and inviting mountain respite for so many for so long, is no longer that. I would hope that management can tighten up some of the things I mentioned and ensure that the Blue Boar fulfills its potential for many...

First off let me say that we had a nice evening and the food was good, but I need to explain my preferences are different so when you read this please understand that these are my preferences.

I had the following:

Crab Napoleon Avocado, Tomato, Red Onion, Bacon Vinaigrette. $15

Soup du Jour. Which was Clam Chowder. $9

Filet Mignon Roasted Fingerlings, Asparagus, Green Peppercorn Sauce. $39

The Crab Napoleon was fresh, and spot on and I would recommend this if you are going to visit. The Crab was very fresh tasting and the Avocado was perfectly ripe. The crunchy wafers were a nice touch.

The Clam Chowder had nice big chunks of Clam and they were just the right texture and not rubbery. The flavor of the Clam chowder was on the mild side and my preference is more spice but that again is just the way I like Clam Chowder.

The Filet was cooked to perfection with a nice sear on the outsides of the baseball cut. My preference is to have a crust of Koser Salt on the outside before the cooking of the steak but that is my preference. I found the Filet to be directed to a purest version of cooking the meat and that is not my preference as I like a bit more salt with a dollop of butter on top.

We finished the meal with a Cheese cake which was amazing.

The only reason I gave four stars and not five was because of the service of drinks and bread. If I am going to go to a nice restaurant, I expect the service to complement the Chiefs talents. We kept asking for more bread and my drink was not asked to be refilled until we were finished with our meal.

The decor is perfect...