These are two different restaurants in two very different spaces. Handle, located just off of Park City’s Historic Main Street, stands out in a town that caters to visitors where some operators, frankly, phone it in. HSL on the edge of downtown SLC is Handle’s cousin in the city. The common denominator is, of course, Chef Briar Handly, who is the impresario behind what panelist Lydia Martinez called “The Briar Handly Experience.” Chef Handly is an enfant terrible who can’t stop playing with his food. But sitting still is only prized by preachers and school teachers. We, on the other hand like our chefs to have poor attention spans which result in surprise and, from Handly, delight, regardless if you’re in a party of 20 or two. (The latter was experienced by panelist Jennifer Burns, who watched in awe as the servers and kitchen produced one of “the most phenomenal experiences ever.”)—Jeremy Pugh
Handle: 136 Heber Ave., Park City, 435-602-1155, handleparkcity.com // HSL: 418 E. 200 South, SLC, 801-539-9999, hslrestaurant.com
