During our trip to the Galapagos back in April-May (yeah, I know, I'm really behind on my travel posts), the Missus really took to doing stuffs in the water. One thing She picked up on was SUP (Stand Up Paddleboard) and in fact, we ended up getting one for Her. Several of Her coworkers are really into the kayak and paddleboard thing and will often plan their road trips around camping and those type of activities. So guess what the the Missus wanted?
Yep, She got some recommendations of areas to paddleboard and soon enough we were headed up the 395. Final destination a little town on the west bank of Lake Tahoe named Tahoma. But first, it was recommended that we spend a couple of nights in an area east of the Sierra's named June Lake. My mission as official planner and chauffeur for the Missus? Well, plan things out.
So, it was going to be like a 7 hour drive to where we were staying at in June Lake, which ended up being a comfortable motel/lodge named the June Lake Villager. Of course we needed to stop for lunch. It was early July and super hot, we ended up taking a break in the town of Lone Pine. I had a place picked out for a quick meal; the Lone Star Bistro. Yes, the Alabama Hills Cafe is much loved, but man, it was so busy. So instead we entered this combo ice cream-cafe-coffee-gift-sandwich shop. The place was fairly busy and we even saw some remote workers doing their thing as well. In Lone Pine!
I walked up to the sandwich counter and the friendly young lady filled me in on the "drill".
I basically filled out an "order form" and the Missus handed me two bottles of sparkling water.
I ordered the "signature" sandwich called the "Lone Pine Charmer"; with bacon, turkey, avocado, provolone, it sounded like a single sandwich would be enough for the both of us. I asked that they cut the sandwich in half, paid, and we took a seat in the covered back patio, which wasn't too hot.
The young lady who dropped off our sandwich wasn't quite as friendly….when I thanked her, she went "umph….." Can't win 'em all, right?
I was pleasantly surprised to see that Marbled Rye was used, which added an interesting yeasty-tangy-sourness to the sandwich. As a whole, a routine sandwich, basic mass produced sliced turkey; we enjoyed the cucumber and sprouts the most. It was enough for our lunch and we walked thru this western theme town to our car and headed off.
Lone Star Bistro
107 North Main St.
Lone Pine, CA 93545
From here it was up the 395. I had wanted to stop at Manzanar, it's one of those places on my "list", but it was over a 110 with crazy winds as we drove by, so that visit will have to wait until the next time.
About two hours later we got to the southern junction of I-395 and I-158. The 158 is a loop road, known as the June Lake Loop and passes four different lakes before reconnecting with the 395 just past SR 120. It was a fairly nice drive up to about 7,600 feet.
We arrived at the charming little village of June Lake and went to the motel to see if our room was ready. It was a bit too early, but I had a plan just in case. Gull Lake, the smallest of the four lakes along the loop is close by. And the Marina and launch area was just a few blocks away.
We easily found parking and the Missus set off on Her adventure.
I took a stroll around the lake a bit and then headed to the Marina Shop, which does boat rentals….I saw families and folks fishing off boats in the lake.
The area is quite charming……
I walked into the shop to get some sparkling water.
And I asked about the sign above, which cracked me up. I was told that the cats here are really tough and territorial; "they don't play around!" But there was a sweet pooch hanging out by the sign? I was told "oh, he knows better….he learned his lesson a long time ago!" I would actually find out that the sign is true a bit later on during our visit.
I had a seat and checked emails and stuff.
Looking over the lake, I felt so relaxed…..
Soon, I got a text from the motel telling me our room was ready. The Missus had the car keys with Her, so I took the short walk up the hill and got the room keys. When I walked back down to the lake, the Missus was packing things up.
Once in the room, which was quite large, it was a one bedroom unit with a kitchen; the Missus freshened up and then we took a short walk . Most of the restaurants, the general store, and businesses were on the main road. But there were some nice shops down driveways and side streets.
We weren't particularly interested in any of the restaurants; so we decided to head on over to the June Lake Brewery which was basically around the corner from where we were staying….but most everything was!
The brewery had a large, welcoming outdoor space, with a food truck at one end of the lot.
Boy was this place popular! It was the most people we'd see during our time here.
While I went to get our brews, the Missus went to order our food at the truck.
The two gals pouring the beers were so nice and friendly.
We wanted something on the lighter side since it was pretty warm out; so we got the two lagers, both were under 5% ABV.
I found us a table and waited for the Missus. She soon arrived with a buzzer which would go off when our order was ready. The Missus took to the Japanese Lager, which She thought was smoother and easier to drink than the lighter "Lager for Joggers".
There were some pretty interesting "seats" in the place.
Soon enough we got "buzzed" and I went to pick it up and return to our table.
We had gotten the "Boss Nachos" with Carne Asada. The portion size was large and this supposedly was quite spicy, the Missus was warned, but it wasn't overly hot to us. The portion size was quite generous.
The carne asada was nicely grilled, but quite chewy, and mildly seasoned. There was just a small amount of ghost pepper cheese on this, which had some kick, but there wasn't enough to really matter. The chips were routine, there was sour cream and guac added. Overall, just like what you'd get at an Americanized Mexican spot here in San Diego.
I had wanted to try the Al Pastor, so we ordered a taco.
From the bland and brittle tortillas, to the dry and flavorless al pastor, this was not to our taste.
Still, we enjoyed the vibe of the brewery and the service was quite friendly. We'd return for a brew on the following evening.
June Lake Brewing and La Parrilla Grill & Tacos
131 S Crawford Ave.
June Lake, CA 93529
After dinner we walked back down to Gull Lake and took in the view.
It had been a pretty long day; but I'd say the view and vibe was worth it!
Thanks for stopping by!
The consomme was aromatic and slightly rich without having that greasy "tongue feel" that I don't like. It was just slightly gamey, but not bland, and you knew there was some "chivo" swimming around here. It wasn't very salty and really needed the lime to help things out. I prefer my consomme having a bit more goatiness, but this was decent.
I preferred the Barbacoa, which was moist and more tender than the Birria, which was on the chewier side of things. The birria did well with a dip into the consomme, some salsa, and a squeeze of lime. While it was a level above 
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Looking at my Google Maps, I identified this as the 
Guadalajara, at least what we saw of it seemed like a nice family friendly city. This is the 
What to say about this? The meat was on the toothsome side, but the goat was oh so gamy; flavor of the pasture indeed. There was a nice goaty-smokiness to the broth which had a lightly rich tongue feel without being greasy at all. For some reason, those pickled onions were just amazing with this. The freshly made tortillas were hardy and up to the task. By far the best birria de chivo we've ever had.
Love the tortillas here, full of maize goodness, heated on the comal with drippings, it is always up to the task. The tripas have a nice mild crunch with beefy goodness. I bet you'd never figure out what it was if you were served one of these.
My goodness; this was even better than we thought! Fried to a light crispness, the interior was light, creamy, and almost fluffy. There have been times when we've had a iodine like aftertaste when having mollejas, but this was mild with a slight offal-nutty-buttery-sweetness. We actually didn't need salsa, lime, or heck, even the wonderful tortillas.
Which She enjoyed with a nice refreshing cup of Horchata! Good smoky flavors, nice maize tones. Would it make us forget 
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The generous portion fish has a mild smokiness, wasn't too salty, and wasn't fishy in the least. Think of it as "bacon of the sea". Not a big fan of the queso on the fish, but I really enjoyed and appreciated the layer of melted cheese on tortilla which ensured that things wouldn't fall apart. I do enjoy the onions and peppers and the tortilla was pliable did the job.
The fish was fried nicely, crisp, the flesh moist, no off flavors. The issue would be how skinny it was. There was so much cabbage and crema that it kind of overwhelmed the poor guppy….. Well, at least the tortilla held up, but I probably won't be getting this again.