See yesterday's post for a report on Yosemite Bug's spa; a retreat at an extra specia eco-hostel in Midpines, California.
Contrary to the lounges in conventional budget hotels
(TV blaring CNN Headline News, generic sofas, picked over danishes at the
breakfast bar), this is a common area people actually seem to enjoy
frequenting. They’ve got a live music schedule posted, and big groups of locals
seem to be eating here as well as guests. As I people-watched during dinner,
I’m surrounded by single travelers journaling, tables full of wine-sipping boomers, Asian
tourists playing a card game I can’t follow, young backpackers, and resort
employees hanging out after their shifts. I heard Spanish, Eastern European
accents, the Queen's English, and languages I couldn’t begin to place all in one
evening.
The food is as good as the crowd. The café is low key; you
stand in line to order and clear your own table, though when the line slows
down the employees in the kitchen come out to take your dishes. The menu
is better than the self-service implies; they’ve got wine, beer, and
surprisingly nice entrées for a camp-type resort. Everything from steak to
vegetarian options. I had an amazingly filling vegan chili served a top herbed rice, side salad,
whole wheat roll, and a pleasant, local pinot noir. All for $19 with tip. (I
was so ravenous I forgot to snap the picture until I was already half-way
through.) Apparently, the carnivorous options are also fantastic; the pork chop
with green chili sauce elicited an “Oh. My. God.” from one table over. And the
British backpackers next to me raved about their meals: “I’ve been dying for a
dinner like this!”
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