What lies between Reno and Yosemite? You guessed it, not much. Nicer restaurants are closed on a random Monday night, even in high-season September, and Lee Vining borders a literal ghost town so one can only imagine what wonders it holds.
Don't waste too much time wondering about Bodie Mike's. The menu seems promising, a selection of basic bar food that could be really comforting or really bad. If the Barbecued Chicken Sandwich is a fair representation, it's a bit of a bust. The chicken is too thin for the blah hamburger bun, and it's "brushed" with barbecue so no flavor got into the breast. The fries are fine and the slaw is a little watery, but neither of those is making an impression.
The Chicken Wings are made quite well, fried crispy in oil that is fairly fresh. But Bodie Mike's seems fond of making generic pieces of meat and dunking them in a sauce after they're cooked, which robs the sauces of their power. The wings have a fine buffalo sauce option, for example, but dunking them in spicy sauce and then trying to get a layer of blue cheese or ranch to stick is madness. Maybe it's less dishes for them to wash, but an occasional marinade wouldn't hurt.
I needed a vegetable that didn't come raw and cold from their small salad bar, and Corn on the Cob is a fave. This one is bland. No flavor, no savor, a touch overcooked.
To say that there's nothing in Lee Vining isn't exactly fair. Mono Lake with its mirror-surface and mysterious depths is a mighty pretty picture at sunset. A day-trip sounds lovely, a picnic exceedingly romantic. Just be sure to bring your own food instead of eating at Bodie Mike's.
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