The Haute Cuisine Tour it's Not
While there may be hidden culinary
hot spots in the American Southwest, we did not discover them. Our fare
was mostly guaranteed to add more to your weight and your cholesterol rather
than your epicurean delight.
October 3. Jackson,
California
Denny's
This ubiquitous chain will never win
any quality awards but they do a pretty good Cheeseburger and fries, which we
each had. Nothing great but sometimes grease and calories quickly
delivered to the stomach is the way to go.
October 4. Lee Vining,
California
We were so tired and cold after
crossing 10,000-foot Tioga Pass that we grabbed the first room
we could find. I was having a breathing crisis and quickly
laid down with a big dose of my medications and never left the bed until the
next morning. We later learned we had got the last available room
anywhere in town. I'm not sure what I would have done if we could not
stop. Eugene did run out to a nearby coffee and pastry place nearby for a muffin.
Both he and I could not wait to get out of this town but the scenery in
Yosemite was spectacular.
October 5 Tonopah,
Nevada
El Marques
I had eaten here on one of my
previous trips and thought it was pretty good. Eugene retains so
skepticism about whether Mexican food is real nourishment but has gamely tried
everything that has been suggested to him. We both had the Chili Rellenos
and Beef Enchiladas. I am not sure his evaluation was the same as mine
but he finished everything. And did so in about 1/2 the time it took me.
October 6. Cedar City
Utah
Bard's Restaurant and Pub in
the Crystal Inn Hotel
Today was our longest ride so
far and we were quite tired when we finally arrived in Cedar City. We
grabbed the first hotel we encountered on the road into town and resolved to
not leave for any reason. Fortunately, the restaurant and bar served a
fine meal. I have the beef tips in pastry and Eugene had the only fish we
had encountered on any menu so far.
October 7 Zion
National Park, Utah
Noodle and Pasta
We went way up-market on
accommodations so went low for dinner. We waited for a long time for
a large meat-lovers pizza with lots of extra cheese. After a day of
hiking the canyons and losing track of each other, the pie hit the spot
October 8 Bryce Canyon,
Utah
The Restaurant at The Bryce Canyon
Resort
Whoever named this place had a good
bit of hyperbole. The food was more like a diner than a restaurant but
the place had a homey, log cabin, western style that was comfortable. We
decided not to test their chef's skills too much.
Both had the Bacon Cheeseburgers.
I had mine with fried onion rings and Eugene with French fries. I
don't think Euge had ever seen onion rings prepared deep-fried with a thick
batter coating. He tried one of mine but I doubt he will be ordering his
own anytime soon.
October 9 Escalante,
Utah
Prospector Restaurant
We did not walk more than 50 feet
from our rooms to the cafe. Pretty basic cafe fare. We ordered two
rib eye steaks but the waitress came back to tell us there was only one left.
Euge did the steak, I had a burger. Neither one killed us. The next
morning, Euge walked next door to a new-age, hippie cafe. He had his very
first breakfast burrito and could not stop saying how good it was.
October 10. Green River
Utah
Ray's Bar and Cafe
Recommended as the best in town, we
felt a bit sorry for the citizens of Green River but we had just finished our
longest ride so far and were not prepared to be judgmental.
We both had the Rib Eye Steak and
fries. Eugene wanted "chips" with his, but the waitress soon
set him straight on the proper nomenclature for Ray's cuisine. Not
remarkable but good and wholesome fare.
October 11 Green River,
Utah
La Vercruzeana
I am not sure if it was the quality
of the food or the fact that we were early, but we were the only two people in
the place. The booth was pretty worn and the table not quite clean but
the Spanish-speaking staff managed to produce a fairly tasty meal.
Nothing memorable, but still quite satisfying.
We both had the Beef Enchilada and a
Chili Relleno. I also had a beef taco, which proved to be too much.
October 12 Moab, Utah
Jefferey's Steakhouse
We stopped at a roadside cafe for
breakfast before hitting the road. After a tough day of riding though a
real downpour and a bit of hail, we were ready for a treat. The
restaurant is located in a small converted house directly across the street
from our hotel. The front desk also said it was the best steakhouse in
town.
We both shared an Iceberg Lettuce
Wedge Salad and followed that with two 12-ounce New York Strip Steaks and
"loaded backed potatoes". The place lived up to its reputation
for being expensive but the food was great! Clearly the best we have had so
far.
October 13 Blanding,
Utah
Homestead Steakhouse
Euge was introduced to Huveos
Rancheros, which he enjoyed.
The Homestead was the place right
across from the hotel so we took advantage of the proximity. We both felt
we should not have stead again after the great meal in Moab so we checked the
menu and found they also did pizza. The prices were unusually high but
the quality of the food was unusually low, so it worked out. Shared a large meat combination.
Neither of us were sick in the night.
October 14 Tuba City, Arizona
Emilio's Mexican Restaurant
This place was recommended by the
hotel's front desk as the best Mexican in town. I suspect it was the only
Mexican in town as well. Eugene and I both agreed the fare was pretty
poor but hot and quick. Eugene had Beef Burrito and Cheese Enchilada
while I had the Chimichanga with beef. Neither of us will remember this
place after tomorrow.
October 15 Williams, Arizona
Dairy Queen
Quarter pound cheeseburger, onion
rings for me, fries for Eugene. Typical American fast-food fare. I
took Euge here to introduce him to the "Blizzard". I previously
often enjoyed these while riding. They are a whipped soft ice cream mixed
with a candy you get to choose. Euge had a medium with Snickers candy bar
bits; mine was with Rollo's. He seemed to really enjoy it until I told
him they were both Blizzards were over a 1,000 calories each.
October 16 Laughlin, Nevada
Saltgrass Steakhouse
Two New York steaks with loaded baked
potatoes. I paid for our rooms and Euge got dinner. I think he got
the worst of the bargain; mid-week room rates in Nevada cities are pretty low.
We both had salads, so I guess this counts as a health meal.
October 17 Furnace Creek, California
We had a breakfast in Laughlin and
stopped in Shoshone, California after a long ride. The "famous"
Crowbar Cafe was the only food for hundreds of miles in any direction, so I had
the BLT sandwich, Euge had a burger. We were so tired that when we
reached Death Valley, we had a quick swim and called it a day. Euge did
sneak out for a bag of chips from the vending machine.
October 18 Kernville, California
Pizza Barn
Within walking distance from the Pine
Cone Inn Motel was as popular local pizza joint which served us a pretty good
large-sized “meat lovers”. The sign at the entrance said "Price,
Service, Quality; “Pick any two". I thought they got the mix, just
about right.
Euge liked his breakfast burrito in
Escalante so much that when he took a morning walk, he got a two to go from a
take-out place he passed. I tried only two bites, he finished his; but
his love affair with burritos suffered a large setback.
October 19 Santa Maria, California
Shaw's Steakhouse
The traffic on CA 186 was heavy and quite intimidating so
we were really pleased to get off the road and into a motel. It was
pretty chilly but we both jumped in the pool for a minute. The motel
manager said Santa Maria was known for tri-tips and steaks. I wondered
why, but we never did find out. Regardless, we went with the manager's
recommendation and had our standard health meal, two 12 oz New York strips with
loaded baked potatoes. This time
we passed on the salads
October 20 Santa Barbara, California
Blush Restaurant and Lounge
After a quick tour of the old Spanish Mission and a quick
ride along the tourist laden drive around the harbor and famous pier, we rode
up the main downtown drag; State Street.
This is the center of SB nightlife and is lined with trendy shops, restaurants
and bars. Early on this Saturday
night the place was packed with sidewalks full of a menagerie of locals and
tourists doing their best to notice and be noticed. The traffic was brutal and we parked the bikes for a short
walk, mixing with the throngs.
Eugene wanted to stop at the place that barred some customers via a sign
out front that boldly proclaimed, “No Wankers!’’ in large type. I suggested instead the indoor/outdoor
place opposite. Blush Restaurant and Lounge turned
out to be the only place we ate during the trip with its own website. http://blushsb.com/home/ While the portions were sized for a six-year-old’s appetite, we
had perhaps the best meal of the trip.
Eugene had the scallops and I the crab cakes. Both were outstanding and with his Caesar and my Heirloom
Tomato Salad with watermelon and mint, we went back to our hotel well
satiated.
October 21 Cambria, California
Cambria Pines Lodge
Jack Callahan and his wife Paulette invited us to their
spectacular home perched on top of a high cliff, which runs along the Pacific
beaches. We enjoyed the views and
the outstanding breakfast sandwiches with scrambled eggs and either thick ham
or sausage, which Paulette served with absolutely fabulous fresh croissants. She is a gourmet cook and the quality
of the food showed. We hit the
road again, stuffed and happy thanks to their kind hospitality.
Arriving in the San Simeon area, we fell on the Cambria
Pines Lodge completely by accident but it turned out to be a happy one. The gorgeous late-afternoon weather let
us enjoy a couple hours in the pool and hot tub where I noticed the unusual
sign that appealed to us not to use the pool if we had “active” diarrhea. Shaking off that unfortunate image, we
went to the hotel’s quite-nice restaurant where we showed some culinary
imagination by both ordering large steaks with fully loaded baked potatoes.
October 21 Cambria, California
The Sow’s Ear
We awoke to a downpour and rode through a driving rain to
the Hearst Castle State Park about 15 miles further up Highway 1. We arrived quite soaked but quickly
joined a group for a tour of the Newspaper magnate’s Xanadu-like home which he
built in the 1920’s to display his immense and eclectic collection of largely European
statuary, tapestries, architectural pieces, paintings, furniture and literally
thousands of other items dating mostly from the medieval and renaissance
periods. The castle is built on a
high hill a few miles from the Pacific Coast and is designed to take advantage
of the spectacular views. It is
now reached by buses crawling along the steep path of the original twisting
trail rising up the hillside from the sea. Our view was of the dense fog and swirling clouds through
bus windows frosted by a patina of condensed breath. Nevertheless we both enjoyed the subsequent indoors tour of
the main house.
The weather broke and sun returned late in the afternoon
after we had ridden back through the downpour to the hotel. We had decided to take a quick walking
tour of the Village of Cambria. We
passed a restaurant named the Sow’s Ear that had a sign advertising their
special dish of the evening, Cioppino.
That ended any further thought of eateries and Euge and I enjoyed a
well-prepared offering of this seafood soup/stew that is a specialty of this
area of California.
October 22 Pebble Beach, California
Sticks, The Inn at Spanish Bay
The day broke sunny and bright. We got the best of luck for our ride up the famous Highway
1, which runs from Morro Bay, north to Big Sur along California’s spectacularly
scenic central coast. Simply a
fabulous day, and one of the best reasons for people to own motorcycles. I stupidly let my bike drop while
sitting and waiting for Euge to get some pictures of Cambria. There were a couple of utility workers
right across the street and we quickly got the machine back upright but not
before I had pulled most of the muscles in my back attempting to keep it from
tipping over. Fortunately the
injury did not diminish my enjoyment of a great day. Once we got checked into the Inn, I immediately began soaking
in a very hot bath. We were late
getting around to eating so we had to go to the grill at the golf club and eat
in the bar. Both of us decided to
finish the day with a satisfying Cheeseburger with fries.
October 23 Pebble Beach, California
The Gallery Café & Sticks
I gimped around in the morning, hoping that the back would
allow me to at least hit the ball around the main Pebble Beach course. We arrived early for our tee time and
grabbed a quick bite before we started.
The Gallery Café is one level up and overlooks the large putting green
just behind the 1st Tee at Pebble Beach golf links. The ambiance is comfortable and for just over $75 you can
have two very nice plates of “Fish & Chips”. As it turned out I simply could not swing a club but we had
a good day with Euge really getting into his round; an eagle putt on number 2
which turned into a nice birdie, and we both enjoying the perfect weather and
the spectacular views in every direction.
At the hotel, I went back to the bath and Euge to the
Spa. When we finally got a bit
hungry, I suggested the closest place to our room since I was still hobbling. We went back to Sticks at the golf
club. I remember our discussing if
we should have another burger or not.
We decided to have something else instead. We were wrong.
Even the next morning I could not tell you what we ordered.
October 24 Oakdale, California
Sticks & Javi’s Oakdale Mexican Restaurant
The first thing in the morning, I called the pro-shop at
Spyglass Hill to cancel our tee times.
I had hoped that a night’s sleep would see my back better but no
luck. Even though the resort has
some kind of two-year advance notice requirement for cancellations without fee,
or something similar, they finally let us off the hook due to injury. After we checked out, Euge thought we
should take a final hot tub before getting back on the road, so we headed to
the Spa. I only stayed a short
while but he wanted to remain a bit longer so we agreed to meet at the golf
club restaurant once again. Just
before 11:30 I ordered breakfast since the menu said that they stopped serving
at that time. Euge walked in about
10 minutes later and attempted to also order breakfast. He was told no but he suggested that
the cook might be OK with an omelet.
Our waiter checked but advised him that breakfast was simply not
possible. I thought about the Jack
Nicholson scene in Five Easy Pieces http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvXVP5lSF1s but figured they had probably heard it
before. Sometimes the more upscale
the place, the less flexible they are with guests, particularly of guests who
are obviously members of the proletariat.
Euge did the only reasonable thing and ordered a breakfast Cheeseburger
with fries instead.
I was not very surprised at the server’s attitude. I had already been let known by the head
Bellman’s demeanor, attitude and body language that he felt I was just not well
enough dressed to be talking to someone holding such a high office as his. Don’t get me wrong, the Monterey Peninsula
is a wonderfully beautiful and special place, the golf courses are first rate
and all of the resort’s facilities top drawer. However the staff and many of the guests have an attitude of
superiority and entitlement that I find odious. I confess, in the past, I have had that same attitude
myself. I am thankful to have
mostly left it behind. I suspect
that this trip was my last visit to Pebble Beach at least in this lifetime but
even if my health were better I think I would probably not return. Being relieved of pretense is just one
of the gifts that come with truly letting go of trying to impress anyone,
including ourselves.
After Eugene finished is breakfast burger, we got on the
road and made very good time. His
confidence had been wonderfully strengthened and he could regularly cruise at
70 or 75 mph, 110-130 kph. We
found a Best Western Hotel in a small town of Oakdale, California shortly
before dusk. We walked to the
recommended “Fine Mexican Dining” restaurant right behind the hotel, Javi’s
Oakdale Mexican. Eugene had not
stopped talking about how good the scallops he had at Blush had been, so he
ordered some type of dish that I did not recognize that included scallops. I had the standard enchilada and burrito
combination. Eugene’s love affair
with scallops suffered a bit but neither of us was sick, although we both were
a bit shaky.
October 25 Reno, Nevada
Denny’s
We got a good early start the next morning and other than
my having a bit of concern about how much snow we might face in the mountain
passes, I felt good and ready to be back at home once more. I know Euge was missing his family and
neither of us wanted to do much stopping along the road back to Reno. I decided that we should take the main
highway Interstate 80 through Donner Pass rather than risk the higher, less
travelled but more scenic Highway 88.
About midday we stopped at the Denny’s where we had eaten our first
evening meal of the trip almost a month before. Being more experienced, we decided not to test them with
orders for real food and instead I had a chocolate Sunday with pecans and Euge
had a milkshake. Both were
completely satisfactory and satisfying.
They kind of put the proper ending to our food epic.
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