Summer is the season for hiking, mountain biking, and rock climbing in the Rocky Mountains that surround Salt Lake. To help visitors and locals fuel up before they head for the hills, several foothill and mountain eateries celebrate the warm weather months by moving tables outside and serving mouth-watering cuisine against the magnificent backdrop of the Rockies. While this list of award-winning outdoor Sunday Brunch eateries is by no means all-inclusive, it does feature some of Utah's best culinary talent.

Dishes like spinach cr�pes mornay, Asian pear and watercress salad, and English trifle buffet are enjoyed in the shadow of Alta's High Rustler ski run at Little Cottonwood Canyon's Alta Lodge (801-487-5500). Sunday brunch is served with live jazz in the lodge's dining room, sundeck and outdoor patio, June 13 through early October, from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

One canyon over, delectable dishes like cherrywood-smoked trout, poached salmon, and cranberry-walnut French toast are served against the grandeur of Big Cottonwood Canyon at the Creekside Restaurant (Solitude Mountain Resort, 801-536-5787). Sunday brunch, served inside and out on the patio, is available either buffet style or table service, June 13 through September 5, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Tucked into a small valley at the base of Little Cottonwood Canyon is one of Salt Lake's most popular and beautiful restaurants, La Caille (9265 Wasatch Boulevard, 801-942-1751). Classic brunch dishes like crab benedict, petit filet mignon, and Welsh rarebit are served in this French restaurant's manicured courtyard, surrounded by a 22-acre nature preserve. Sunday brunch at La Caille is served mid-May through mid-October, weather permitting, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Only the views of Mt. Olympus, observed from the patio, are more impressive than the wide range of fresh seafood served at the Market Street Grill and Oyster Bar (2985 E. 6580 South, 801-942-8860). The proximity of the Salt Lake City International Airport keeps fresh Alaska Sterling oysters, king crab, Maine lobster, and steamed New Zealand cockles on the menu every day of the week, including Sunday brunch, served from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For comfort food with a twist, head up Emigration Canyon to Ruth's Diner (2100 Emigration Canyon Road, 801-582-5807), a veritable Salt Lake dining institution. In the summer, brunchers sit on the restaurant's shady back deck sipping bloody marys while enjoying a variety of home-spun dishes, including huevos rancheros, chicken fried steak, and polenta benedict, all served with Ruth's famous mile-high biscuits. Sunday brunch is served from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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Media Contact: Jason Mathis +1 801-534-4913 jason@saltlake.org