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Many gamblers know the comforting feeling of having a secret ace up their sleeves.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No one else may know about it, but it\u2019s there to serve the one who has it.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the kind of philosophy that surrounds Hidden Ace, a new drinking and dining experience located at the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley East, said Marketing Director Morgan McOlash.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe hotel opened Nov. 20, 2024, and we consider Hidden Ace to be this tucked away, Western-inspired but not Western-specific place for signature cocktails,\u201d she said. \u201cThe biggest piece of it is that it\u2019s quite hidden. It\u2019s located on floor B1, which is one floor below the hotel lobby. It\u2019s incredibly unassuming, and that kind of speaks to an \u2018insider\u2019 kind of vibe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although Hidden Ace is a bar first that is open to ages 21 and older and offers a full bar menu, it\u2019s not just a small-bites, appetizer space from a restaurant perspective, McOlash said.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/aside>\n\u201cWe\u2019re a full-functioning restaurant with rotating seasonal menus,\u201d she said. \u201cWe also have an outdoor dining area that gives us patio opportunities. We have indoor private-dining experiences as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Hidden Ace at the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley East, offers an extensive bar menu, as well as a full dining experience. Credit:<\/span> Photo courtesy of Grand Hyatt Deer Valley East<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nHidden Ace\u2019s culinary and beverage team have been busy cooking up some unique deals, said Shayla Phillips, director of experiential marketing and activities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey created the Adults Happy Meal with a local-focused menu that is available between 5-11 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hidden Ace also has extensive cigar offerings and is also available for private events such as wedding experiences, McOlash said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are also a unique, flexible event space, and the only things that might rotate more are the activations and the programming,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/aside>\nThose events include live music performed by locally based musicians, singers and songwriters and other entertainers, McOlash said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a tremendous amount of musical talent that comes through for shows,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have magicians in house who do slight-of-hand programming that is really fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
The programming is community driven, Phillips said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are trying to become a local hub on this side of the mountain for the Heber City and Midway guests,\u201d she said. \u201cDuring ski season we have live music six nights a week by local musicians. And we have good rotation around that, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wednesdays are set aside for other types of programming, Phillips said.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/aside>\n\u201cDuring the summer we\u2019re transitioning between comedy night with Kathleen McCann and trivia as well,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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Stand-up comic Kathleen McCann, pictured with her rescue pup Mija, is the MC of Hidden Ace\u2019s Joker\u2019s Wild Stand-up Comedy Show that debuts Wednesday. McCann is the former MC and programmer for the stand-up performances at the Egyptian Theatre. Credit:<\/span> Photo courtesy of Kathleen McCann<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nMcCann looks forward to hosting the Joker\u2019s Wild, the first Stand-up comedy show at Hidden Ace on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard they were doing music, and I went a couple of times,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s when I thought it was a great place to do some comedy. It\u2019s so perfect and intimate and has great acoustics and a great menu.\u201d<\/p>\n
McCann reached out to McOlash and Phillips and pitched the stand-up idea.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to be part of the very first comedy show in this brand-new, spectacular building,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/aside>\nWednesday\u2019s performances will feature comedians M_rc Wh_stl_r, Buck Seng, Melissa Merlot and Kristal Starr.<\/p>\n
McCann\u2019s roots run deep in the stand-up comedy scene in Park City. She started Cleopatra\u2019s Comedy Club at the Egyptian Theatre, where she brought in comics such as Karen Rontowski,\u00a0 Bob Kubota, Wes Martins and Debbie Lockhart, to name a few.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe goal was for me to get stage time as a comic, and the fact they paid me and it was a huge success was a bonus win-win,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
But getting comedy into Park City was a challenge, according to McCann.<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t get anybody on Main Street to do a show,\u201d she said. \u201cI would go to people and say, \u2018Standup,\u2019 and they would say, \u2018Improv?\u2019 I would say, \u2018Standup,\u2019 and they would say, \u2018Sit down?\u2019 and I would say, \u2018Standup,\u2019 and they would say, \u2018No, thank you.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/aside>\nFinally, McCann took a gig in Heber City, and that\u2019s where she met Egyptian Theatre General Manager Randy Barton.<\/p>\n
\u201cRandy came out to see what I was doing and offered me the Egyptian Theatre,\u201d McCann said. \u201cI said, \u2018I can\u2019t get five people to come out, so what do you mean 500?\u2019 but sure enough the first show was fire-marshall sold-out.\u201d<\/p>\n
McCann\u2019s stand-up programming at the Egyptian Theatre ran for 10 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe show was still running when I left town, which makes me a proud mama,\u201d she said. \u201cWe raised a ton of money for the Egyptian Theatre, and the show went on.\u201d<\/p>\n
McCann moved back to Los Angeles to pursue other opportunities.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/aside>\n\u201cI began a new career with this idea called Secret Shows\/Private Shows, which were private gigs,\u201d she said. \u201cI did a whole lot of shows I couldn\u2019t tell many people about, and my last show was at a yacht club in Catalina. They paid me $100 a minute, and I suddenly lost my fear of boats.\u201d<\/p>\n
McCann also performed an ongoing show at the Newport Beach Country Club.<\/p>\n
\u201cI found that one-percenters like it dirty,\u201d she said. \u201cThey are so my people.\u201d
\u201cThe house was built in 1928, and the decor was all art deco,\u201d she said. \u201cI did a whole series of shows there, and it was so much fun. He even let me keep all the money.\u201d<\/p>\n
Upon returning to Park City, McCann wanted to produce another stand-up show. So she reached out to Hidden Ace and tapped Merlot, whom she met during an Egyptian Theatre show.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n