On the way back from hiking the Gardisky Lake Trail, we decided to make a "pit stop" at the Tioga Gas Mart, which is at the intersection of Tioga Road and the 395 in Lee Vining. No, we didn't need gas, but really needed to "fuel up"….that would be getting some lunch. You see, one of the places that had been recommended to us was in the Tioga Gas Mart; the gas station, gift shop, is home to a stand named "Whoa Nellie Deli". Yep, for reals…..
The menu has quite a few options; everything from Wild Buffalo Meatloaf to Lobster Taquitos to Pizza. The Missus didn't feel like having meat, so She ordered the Grilled Veggie Sandwich ($17). I had heard good things about the "World Famous" Fish Tacos ($18), so I went against my instincts and got that. We got a number and sat at one of the tables outside.
Soon enough our number was called and went to the counter to grab our lunches.
The "veggies" on the Missus's Grilled Veggie Sandwich where barely grilled, that Hollandaise like sauce was gloppy and lacked flavor.
The eggplant was quite bitter. The bun was nicely toasted. The fries were the best item, crisp and well salted.
As for my "world famous" fish tacos……
Good lord. The fish was supposedly mahi mahi, overfried, not seasoned, and dry as heck. The tortillas were like cardboard. The purple cabbage slaw was flavored with ginger and the other had mango "salsa" which really needed some spice. It was all accompanied by a pool of pasty black beans, which at least was seasoned adequately.
I know this place is kind of a cult favorite, but it wasn't our thing. It's interestng that the deli has it's own entry in Wikipedia which says "The Whoa Nellie Deli is a casual gourmet restaurant located in Lee Vining…."
Whoa Nellie Deli in the Tioga Gas Mart
22 Vista Point Rd.
Lee Vining, CA 93541
After our meal, we headed north on the 395 and took a quick side trip to the Mono Basin Visitors Center.
Where we got some nice views of Mono Basin and learned a bit about the history and geology of the basin.
Maybe next time we'll spend a bit more time here.
We headed back to our room and took a nice post lunch nap. Upon waking, the Missus wanted to head back down to Gull Lake, we took the car incase the Missus wanted to do more paddle boarding. We easily found parking, even though there were some festivities going on.
We took a stroll around the area.
As we walked past the Gull Lake Marina Shop, we saw this terrified pooch hiding by the small pond in front of the shop.
We were wondering what was going on? As we walked to the shop we saw the reason. Remember the "beware of cats they attack dogs" sign? Well guess what, I think that poor pooch found out that the sign was in fact true. Also, guess who was waiting by the sign to make a point?
The Missus decided to get one more session in, so I took a nice walk around the marina.
Since the Missus was going to be a while, I had told Her to go ahead and meet me back at the June Lake Brewery when She was done and I'd go ahead and make dinner.
This time around, since it as only myself, I had a seat at the bar in the enclosed area.
I got the Brown Ale which I really enjoyed. The young lady working the register remembered me from the night before! I also found out that the locals sit in this area and had some nice chats; including one with a gentleman from Maui!
The Missus arrived a bit later and wanted a Japanese Lager. When I walked up to the counter and ordered, the young lady told me "you already left us a nice tip, so don't worry about it, ok?" Wow, that's a new one for me! Like I said, the folks in June Lake are so nice!
June Lake Brewing
131 S Crawford Ave.
June Lake, CA 93529
Once we were done, I made a quick trip to the General Store for a couple of items.
I then returned to the room and I put together a dinner for the both of us.
After dinner we took a short stroll on Boulder Drive, aka the June Lake Loop.
We really enjoyed our stay at the June Lake Villager.
The next morning we woke early. We'd be headed to Lake Tahoe on this day. But first, the Missus wanted to get one more session in, this time at June Lake. I had read that there are only 98 parking spaces at June Lake Beach and it fills up fast. I had also read that in April a $10 per car fee had been started, which isn't such a big deal to us. The folks at the motel had told us to go early in the morning, before the crowds descend. So, what we ended up doing is to check out at right before 7am, then head on over to The Lift a coffee-tea-cafe-wine bar that opens at 7.
There was actually a line of people waiting for the place to open. We got in, got our coffees, I got a ham and cheese croissant for my breakfast and we headed off.
The Lift
2587 Hwy 158
June Lake, CA 93529
We then headed off to June Lake Beach. The entrance booth where you now pay to enter wasn't open, we had been told by the folks at the motel that it's ok, just go ahead and park. So, that's what I did. It was a lovely morning.
The Missus inflated Her paddle board and sailed off.
I went and enjoyed the view with my croissant, which was still warm. Not really a croissant per se, the crust was crisp and flaky, but it had cheese melted on it, which wasn't a bad thing.
The interior was kind of doughy, a bit too moist, but this did the trick, at least on this day since I wasn't really expecting a classic croissant aux beurre if you know what I mean.
After my breakfast, I decided to take a walk around the lake. I saw a ton of deer hanging around.
Folks were starting to arrive, many of them with their "furry friends".
This pup really didn't want to get on the paddle board, but was eventually coaxed. It was quite humorous.
I enjoyed walking along the west side of the lake which had wonderful views.
Until I smelled a very unique "fragrance" and saw four dudes enjoying the "cash crop" if you know what I mean?
So, I headed back to the beach and walked to the car. I noticed a ranger putting slips of paper on vehicles windshield. I thought this would mean we'd pay on the way out. But no, it was just a count of cars, so they would know how many cars were in when the booth opened and note vehicles as they left. Remember, there are only 98 spaces.
I returned to a table and opened a book, taking time to watch this happy pooch playing fetch.
It was so relaxing.
Eventually the Missus was done. We cleaned up, packed up, and headed to our next stop…..Lake Tahoe!
With not too much of anything, I could try the biscuits and gravy. The gravy wasn't too salty or greasy, the texture was on the lighter side of things, but it wasn't bad. The egg was perfectly easy over, the yolk having no off flavors. The breakfast potatoes nice and crisp on the exterior, the breakfast sausage routine. This was good enough to bring back memories of old school – diner breakfasts I'd had in my younger days.
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.
The fish looked not bad. As I looked at the seaweed salad and surimi salad, then had a taste of the poke, I got full on 
It might have been a bit much, but was really not bad at all. What was bad was the brown rice which was severely undercooked and hard. Not good eats.
My first thought when I opened things up was "what's up with the mac nuts?" The half nuts were just too big for this. The shoyu wasn't overly sweet, but was used quite sparingly. The quality of the fish, while not bad, wasn't to my liking. Too much "sugi" – rubbery connective tissue. The rice was cooked nicely….I forgot to ask about brown rice. I might have been traumatized after my visit to PB Poke House.
The portion size seemed on the smallish side, but still isn't bad compared to the "manini" 2 ounce portions I've seen at the chi-poke places.
Good lord, this looked totally like "saku", Carbon Monoxide treated fish. So much sugi, so dry looking, I was kinda not wanting to eat this. I tried a piece and it was mushy, yet chewy, with a metallic tinge. Yikes. 
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 
Man, when the tripe is right it is so buttery as is the tendon. The other cuts of cow are so beefy. This has some decent spice. The key is to eat it at the restaurant and let it sit over the heating element for a while before giving it a good mix. It'll sizzle away and the onions at the bottom will get soft and creamy and absorb all the beefy-spicey goodness.
According to Diego, there are 700 of these in the city, which mark historic structures in the city. Whoa, 700!
Instead of heading straight down Avenida Juarez, the main drag, we strolled down Calle José María Morelos and of course we passed a couple of churches. This one caught our attention because it was open for visitors, so we decided to take a look.
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.
As I figured it was typical "LA Kalbi" – flanken/cross cut ribs. First thing I hit up was the mac salad. It was quite plain , with a few strands of carrots. It needed some salt and pepper and was kind of "watery" as the mayo hadn't really coated the macaroni well.
At most places, the chicken would be tenderized to an even thickness, but this was not, thus some bites were pretty thick and tough.
On this visit, it seemed like the gentleman who I believe is the owner was working the kitchen, so I was interested to see how my food would turn out. The first good sign was the mac salad, which while still in need of more salt and pepper was evenly coated and the mayo not runny like on my last visit.
Man, these were a lot more hefty than I recalled. The venison, which was done medium-well, we weren't asked for a preference. had a mild gamey flavor, the Havarti was kind of wiped out by the bacon and onion jam, which added a nice sweet-pungent touch to this. I enjoyed this, but it was a bit much for the Missus.
