Madison St. J.
Google
I don’t typically leave reviews, but after leaving feeling more overwhelmed than satisfied — and spending over $350 for two people on dinner — I felt compelled to share what kind of experience this truly is.
We booked Fireside Dining at Deer Valley to celebrate my husband’s birthday, expecting a more intimate, fine-dining experience. When we arrived, we were seated at a beautiful table directly in front of the fireplace and were genuinely pleased. The setting itself is stunning.
The service throughout the evening was very good, and the food itself was also very good — which makes this experience even more frustrating.
Shortly after being seated, the dining room generally became extremely busy and chaotic. The tables on either side of us had multiple children under the age of six who were not well behaved. There were many children running around the dining room, between tables, yelling, crawling around on the floor and grabbing food with their hands directly from the buffet stations. At times, the atmosphere felt more like a crowded buffet or a very expensive Chuck E. Cheese than a refined dining experience.
For $124 per person, especially given the style and quality of the food being offered, we expected a more upscale, adult-leaning environment. This felt closer to a Mandarin-style buffet atmosphere than a fine dining experience, which was incredibly disappointing given the setting and price point.
It’s truly a shame, because the food, service, and space are all excellent. However, if this is intended to be a family-friendly dining experience, that should be communicated more clearly. As it stands, it’s not the intimate or elevated experience we were hoping for — and unfortunately, we couldn’t wait to leave. Wish we could get a refund.
We had planned a sleigh ride afterward as part of my husband’s birthday celebration, but after leaving dinner feeling so overstimulated, we canceled it entirely — which was incredibly disappointing given the intention behind the evening.
A suggestion would be to reserve an area primarily for smaller tables and people wanting a more intimate experience but that wouldn't change how chaotic it is to walk around to get your food. I was almost plowed down by servers and other guests multiple times.