Main Street in Park City is magical during the holidays. The old wooden buildings are dusted with snow like powdered sugar over gingerbread houses. The street is lit up with Christmas lights, adding snowglobe reflections over the street. The mountains frame the scene, an ever-constant reminder of the mining-town-turned-ski-town locale. And yet, when you step into Le Depot, close your eyes, and take a bite, you are transported to a neighborhood Parisian brasserie. The beautifully historic building was completed in 1886 for Union Pacific as its train depot, ticketing office, storage for baggage and freight and was even the station master’s private residence for over 90 years. The building itself is quintessential American frontier. But if you’d told me I was on Rue Montorgueil, I’d believe you. Le Dépôt captures a French brasserie experience that’s almost impossible to replicate outside of France—except here, apparently.
From Paris to Park City: The Chefs Behind Le Depot’s Menu
Operated by James Beard Chef Galen Zamarra, with Executive Chef Thomas Bernard, and Executive Pastry Chef Cassidy Cabel, Le Depot is sophisticated with the unfussiness of a neighborhood restaurant.
“Authenticity for me is important because it’s one of the things I feel like people miss when they make French food,” Chef Zamarra says. “They just don’t have the passion or the love of history for it. When I was living in France, I got really into reading old books about chefs and travel writers. Even if they were writing about food from more than 100 years ago, I just loved the tradition. And so that’s a lot of what the menu is built on—honoring that technique and history.”
The food is stunning, the ambiance is mountain chic, and delightful nooks abound for enjoying food and company. “I think it’s foolhardy to try to be something for everyone. But I do want Le Depot to be a restaurant where people can experience it in different ways,” explains Chef Zamarra.
“You can blow it out with seafood towers and filet mignon, or you can pull up to the bar for a burger and a beer. We built it to feel like a place for the community.” That includes maintaining the original charm of the building. “We kept the footprint exactly the same—it’s been like this since 1890,” Zamarra says. “There’s something special about that. The rooms have their own personalities, which allows us to offer people different experiences: a bustling dining room, a cozy bar and private events upstairs. You can choose your own adventure, but at the end of the day, it’s just dinner. It should be fun.”
Dining at Le Depot is indeed fun. In addition to the house menu, there is a bar menu and a French wine and cocktail menu. The shared plates are perfect for an après-ski, passing them around the table. The grand seafood tower is a showstopper with a rotating cast of seafood, including both East Coast and West Coast oysters, clams, lobster tail, shrimp, sea bream ceviche and scallops, each dressed. The clams came dabbed with a French pistou (similar to pesto, minus the nuts and cheese), remoulade with endive, aioli, cocktail sauce and mignonette. The bread basket itself is worth mentioning; the bread is good, but the salted, cultured French butter is phenomenal. The tartare de boeuf (beef tartare), served with cornichon pickles and cured egg yolk for added saltiness and umami, is also amazing. The dishes ebb and flow with the seasons, but foie gras, frog legs, marinated mushrooms and warm soups appear in the winter.
“I’m excited to bring in fondue and raclette this winter—not just as dishes, but as experiences. I want people to come in after skiing, put their gear by the door, and have something warm and special. We had a taste of that last year with our soup soufflé, a puff pastry–wrapped broth featuring truffle and vegetables. It’s theatrical. It’s comforting. It’s delicious.”
Executive Chef Thomas Bernard brings global experience to the table. “I started as a chef in France. I learned how to cook mostly in Monaco,” he says. “Then I worked in Courchevel, a ski resort. After that, I came to the U.S.—Los Angeles first, then Montana, Miami and Dallas. I was an exclusive private chef. But I missed the energy of a restaurant.”
Voila! Le Depot. A cerebral chef with a talent for blending tradition with classic ingredients and playful plating, Chef Bernard, along with Chef Zamarra, has given considerable thought to a seasonal menu for a mountain town. “Le Depot is a French brasserie, but we change our inspiration with the seasons. In winter, I pull from Paris—rich dishes, classic sauces, food that feels good after a day on the mountain,” says Chef Bernard. “In summer, it’s more like the South of France—Mediterranean, lighter, fresher. It’s food that fits the sun.”
To maintain the authenticity of the restaurant, the team collaborates with high-quality purveyors. “We have good suppliers who import from France,” says Chef Bernard. “All our cheeses and charcuterie are French. We also bring in French spices, vinegars—little things that add up to real flavor. It’s those details that make a difference.”
Given that, guests will be surprised at the value of quality to price. “We try to keep our prices reasonable, even with the work that goes into each dish,” he adds. “I want to serve food I’d be happy to eat—and happy to pay for. It should be beautiful and made with care, but still accessible. Even the people working up and down the street should be able to come in and enjoy it.”
See more stories like this and all of our Food and Drink coverage. And while you’re here, why not subscribe and get six annual issues of Salt Lake magazine’s curated guide to the best life in Utah?
