Erick Schat’s Bakkery UPDATE - Bishop, CA

 

We took a toddler on a 9-hour roadtrip to Reno and it wasn’t as terrible an idea as we thought. 

She slept for most of the first leg, and we only made one stop for sandwiches at Schat’s. There’s a park with a playground across the street, perfect for a picnic of Roast Beef on white and multigrain with Turkey. The meats are freshly sliced, but let’s be real - it’s all about the bread at Schat’s. 

It’s all good here, and it’s all good to go. We got some Shepherder’s and some Dutch Crunch for the road, and I recommend their cinnamon pull-apart Monkey Bread if they have it. The Pound Cake can be part of a complete breakfast, and we completely ate it in a day. The bread is good, and the bakkery is solid. Just wear pants with an elastic waist.

Imperial Gourmet - Bishop, CA

There is really no reason to stop in Bishop. Except hunger. Crippling, gut-ripping starvation at 6 PM, knowing you won't hit another real town until 9. 

Greasy Americanized Chinese food sounded really good at the time, and Imperial Gourmet was right there. We weren't in the right place at the right time, but apparently, the Orange Chicken was. It's GOOD. Like really good. The chicken evenly breaded, and the pieces are smaller and manageably bite-size. Fresh from a fryer with new oil, served with a lot of smiles.

The Mushu Pork comes pre-made, a generous portion of tender pork, crisp cabbage, and crunchy wood-ear mushrooms wrapped in a tortilla-like pancake. The pancake could be thinner, but the flavors, textures, and bread-to-filling ratios are right on otherwise. 

We came here craving greasy Chinese take-out, but Imperial Gourmet is actually more gourmet than I would expect. Interior is tasteful, food is very tasty, and the smaller portions seem to drive up the quality. There is still no reason other than Schatz's to stop in Bishop, and I wouldn't stop just for Imperial Gourmet, but it's a definite thumbs up and a surprisingly enjoyable place to eat!

Erick Schat's Bakery - Bishop, CA

There's is no other reason to stop in Bishop. After the pizza in Independence, I would have driven through Bishop as fast as their unreasonably crawling speed limit would let me...if not for Erick Schatz. 

Any trip through Bishop is pretty pointless, but picking up a load Sheepherder Bread lets you pretend you have a purpose. It's worth the leg-stretching stop for a bit of the purest white bread you'll ever see, made from all sorts of natural well water and flour, unbleached. The crust is chewy, the heart of the bread is cotton-soft and floats on air. Don't bother making a sandwich - the bread by itself is treat enough.

Come for the bread but skip the Sorbet. The watermelon isn't real sorbet; just sugar, water, and a red dye. The lemon is more refreshing, though. Sugary frozen foods are usually my guilty pleasure, but this is too fake for even me to like.

If you're looking for the sugar-rush, go with the Pull-Apart Bread instead. It's sweet and chewy with sugar and cinnamon, the texture is so moist it's practically bread pudding, and it's an opportunity to literally break bread with your friends...(groan). 

Don't want bread? Can't eat bread? Let them eat cake. The Dutch Coffee Cake, to be exact. A flawless breakfast boost: firm, not so crumbly as to be inconvenient, and evenly and impossibly moist all the way through. The glaze on top is just perfect.

Independence was desolate enough! Bishop is pretty barren aside from that small strip of town on the 395, and there is no way I would stop for anything other than gas if not for the bakery of Schat's. Ready-made bread is a camping staple, convenient for long roadtrips and super-light for backpacking hikes. I wish Bishop were closer so I could get this bread more often. for now, I will plan on stopping by every time I pass though!