High Sierra Topix

Double cheeseburger and a chocolate milkshake at the closest available opportunity.

If I'm coming out at Coutright or Wishon...it is always going to be a stop at Velascos in Prather-- and it will always be chili verde.

Be it first meal after or last meal before I cannot visit the East side without duck tacos and lobster tacos from Roberto's in Mammoth. Drinks, muffins and burritos at Stellar Brew.

I will put in two votes on this one, because this depends on where one's trip finishes. First comes from this weekend. Burgers or anything else on the menu at the Cutthroat Brewing Company in Markleeville. In all my years of eating burgers in various places, the "Sidewinder Burger" I had there Saturday night (7/30/22) is the finest burger I've ever had. This burger is huge with a 1/2 patty of supreme quality, ghost-pepper-jack, bacon, crunchy straw onions (these are like they sound, onions fried up so there are these crunchy superthin straw wonders) lettuce, tomato, and a chipotle aioli, on a toasted bun made there (they make their own buns!). The meat was cooked-to-perfection as per my medium request.

Lee had a different burger, their Bison burger with poblano aioli, which he also extolled as the no.1 burger he'd ever had. But there's more:

The regular fries are these beer battered fries that we both rated as our best fries ever. They maintained their crunchy exterior the entire time on the plate and whereas many places do beer-battered fries, no one has ever done with the execution of perfect french fry technique and with amazing flavor--the Sierra Nevada Pale ale (I recall that is the source of the beer batter) comes through with subtlety but clarity.

But that isn't all. On Sunday 7/31/22 we finished a dayhike near Carson Pass and were prepared to end our 3-day trip and drive home to the SF Bay Area but decided we had to drive the "wrong way" to get a late lunch at the Cutthroat because it might be another year before we're back. This led to more no. 1 all time favorites for us because, although we would have been encouraged to repeat our meals from the evening before, we were so excited by the excellence of the food that we wanted to explore other menu items. Soooo they now rank no. 1 on Lee's list for best Fish and Chips, which are apparently so legendary that folks have traveled from other continents to have it. And for me they are now no. 1 on my best bowl of chili ever for their Elk Chili. Similar to my review of their Sidewinder burger, it was the expert blending of flavors and textures that is just on another level. On top of this is the fact that their tap list is cutting edge. Their own two beers, a pilsner and an IPA are very good, and they have a dozen guest taps of top craft beers with an emphasis on the local region (ie Reno-Tahoe). However, this became the first brewery or taphouse I did not order a beer at, on Sunday. I was there strictly for the food and did not want a beer in the afternoon after hiking and before driving 3.5 hours back to the Bay Area.

However, one isn't always finishing a hike around Markleeville, so I have another vote for hikes that finish coming out CA-41. This would be Southgate Brewing Co. in Oakhurst. Oakhurst has a lot to offer for folks coming out of Ansel Adams W. (west side entry) and Yosemite. They have my favorite post-hike ice cream shop: Reimers. But for the post-hike meal, Southgate is way up there. Their execution of the usual pub food is top-of-the-line. Their sweet potato fries cannot be missed including the dipping sauce the fries come with. In their early years I wasn't so impressed with their beer but I liked the food so much I'd stop in with my students on field trips. I had been away for a few years when I got the craving for their food while leading a field trip back in early May, so we made a stop there and this reopened my eyes, nose, and palate to the wonders of their kitchen. In addition to that, their beer that I would have considered good but not memorable several years ago, has now vaulted into the top tier category.

Earlier this summer (June) I finally got to try Mountain Rambler Brewing Company in Bishop. Whereas their food is super good, I'd say it's a not quite on the exceptional level of Cutthroat and Southgate. However, until further notice, Mountain Rambler will be my destination of choice if coming out of a hike in the Bishop area. Their beer is also outstanding.

giantbrookie wrote: ↑Mon Aug 01, 2022 10:08 am Soooo they now rank no. 1 on Lee's list for best Fish and Chips, which are apparently so legendary that folks have traveled from other continents to have it. And for me they are now no. 1 on my best bowl of chili ever for their Elk Chili. Similar to my review of their Sidewinder burger, it was the expert blending of flavors and textures that is just on another level.

I will report back with my findings on this fish and chip meal lol
Thanks for the tip as we have only had beers here and never food

I went to Salsa's in Bishop (a new franchise of the same restaurant in Mammoth) when I came out of a recent trip last week. The atmosphere leaves something to be desired (they took over an unusually large space in a desolate strip mall on the north side of town and did not redecorate effectively, plus it's really dark inside) but the carne asada fries and burrito we had were both as good as the food we've had at the Salsa's in Mammoth.