You don’t have to be a grease monkey to enjoy Billy Blanco’s
The Carne Asada Fajitas, right, with mashed potatoes and gravy, and the Chicken Barbacoa Burrito with seasoned French fries at Billy Blanco's restaurant in Park City.
The Roadhouse Burger with seasoned French fries at Billy Blanco's in Park City.
A view of the dining room at Billy Blanco's in Park City. The dining room features motorcycles and classic cars on hoists.
The Carne Asada Fajitas with mashed potatoes and gravy at Billy Blanco's in Park City.
I first heard about Billy Blanco’s in Park City from a friend’s recent enthusiastic Facebook post. Knowing I would be in the vicinity covering the Sundance Film Festival shortly thereafter, I made a mental note of it.
At the end of a hectic day in Park City — on what just happened to be the most treacherous day of travel due to snowy conditions — we decided to pull off (or better put, to slip or slide off) the Jeremy Ranch exit of I-80 and give our white knuckles a chance to unclench.
Pulling into the parking lot for Billy Blanco’s in the Quarry Village shopping center was no easy task. As we backed into a parking spot, in the hopes we could more easily exit with the still-stockpiling snow, we watched one car slide into a light pole while attempting to park.
Entering Billy Blanco’s was a welcome respite. Concerns about the storm and the rest of our journey home immediately dissipated once we were inside and able to begin soaking up the atmosphere.
Billy Blanco’s is billed in style as Motor City Mexican, as well as a burger and taco garage. We weren’t really sure what that meant, until we entered and got a better look around.
The garage description was actually quite literal. The front door handles, for example, were giant wrenches. There were large murals on the walls depicting cars and racing themes. Seats at the bar were toolboxes. There were actual classic cars and motorcycles on hoists inside the dining room. The bathroom itself featured rolled-up blue cloth hand towels — the same kind mechanics use in garages. When you are done drying your hands you simply put the hand towels in a container where they can be washed and reused again later. The only thing missing was grease-cutting soap in the dispensers. Then again, regular soap did just fine, thank you.
There were TVs showing live sporting events situated throughout the restaurant and wall decor also exhibited a clear Detroit racing and sports vibe.
My two teenage daughters had accompanied me on this day to Park City — they had wanted to catch a bit of the Sundance experience on Main Street while I was working — and after a brief 10-minute wait we were seated at our table. The fact that the restaurant was still quite busy on a Monday night in the middle of strong snowstorm was a good testament to how popular this place must typically be.
The food we sampled was definitely delicious. We went through two rounds of complimentary chips — which came with two types of dip, one a semi-spicy salsa and the other an apparent-Ranch based flavor.
I couldn’t resist ordering my go-to favorite of Fajitas, with carne asada, or grilled steak. The fajitas featured an abundant carne asade combination that also included grilled portobello mushrooms, onions and green peppers. A side plate contained sour cream, guacamole and lettuce.
The meal came with three smaller-sized, house-made corn tortillas, kept warm in aluminum foil. Mixing everything together made for a finger-licking good concoction. There was way more meat mixture than could possibly fit within the three small tortillas — which was not necessarily a bad problem to have. I took the rest home and had fajitas again the next day by simply grabbing a larger tortilla from our refrigerator.
In fact, all the portions we ordered were large and leftover-worthy. My daughters ordered the Chicken Barbacoa Burrito and the Roadhouse Burger. I took a share of both and would have been happily satisfied with either as a full order.
The Chicken Barbacoa Burrito was juicy and extremely favorful. It included shredded lettuce, Mexican rice, iceberg lettuce, chile de arbol crema, and jack and cheddar cheeses.
The Roadhouse Burger featured a 1/3-pound Angus chuck patty augmented with mayo, lettuce, house bread and butter pickles, tomato and onions on a grilled bun. It was a handful, but worth every bite.
Entrees came with the choice of one side, from a list that included rice and beans, seasoned French fries, coleslaw, tater tots, mashed potatoes and gravy, and greens. We can tell you that the French fries and the mashed potatoes and gravy were both most excellent.
Additional menu items include Mexican fare such as nachos, chimichangas, tacos, burritos, enchiladas and quesadillas, as well as American items such as burgers, wings, chicken, ribs and a hot dog. Soups and salads are also on the menu.
Billy Blanco’s is moderately pricey, but if you happen to find yourself in the Park City area and are looking for a unique dining experience and a fun atmosphere, we found Billy Blanco’s to be an awesome port in the storm.
BILLY BLANCO’S
Where: 8208 Gorgoza Pines in Quarry Village, Park City
Prices: $3-$18
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Info: (435) 575-0846, billyblancos.com
