Fish Camp General Store - Fish Camp, CA

My brother Chris is the strong silent type, but when he talks you better listen. Because he is sweet and smart and incredibly kind, but best of all he is witty. He is the best at uttering a single line that sums up an entire situation, and he does it again right here. 

" At places like this, the food is either incredible or really, really awful," or something along those lines. He's more articulate than I make him sound. 

It's a cabin-style, self-sufficient building, painted rustic red. The inside houses a few rows of staples and several shelves of ready-to-go's, items like candy, chips, and jerky. There's also a refrigerated section, best for a beverage, and we grab some ice cold beer. 

The deli counter is staffed by a smiling woman, slinging sandwiches and pizza made to order. This Turkey Sandwich is delicious, scalloped layers piled high on a fluffy roll, customized with banana peppers, mustard, and cheese. There would have been lettuce, but we skipped it in light of the cyclospora outbreak. 

The Pizza has sausage and mushroom, and it really hits the spot. Chewy crust, an impressively even distribution of toppings over a generous heaping of cheese. It's all made with care, and it comes through in the taste. 

At a place like this, the food is either incredible or really, really awful, and at this particular place the food is just fantastic.

Jackalope's Bar & Grill - Tenaya Lodge - Fish Camp, CA

It's been a long drive so for the first night, it's room service in the room. 

It's all the same food from their one kid-friendly restaurant, bar and grill fare with a couple more dollars for the convenience. 

They do some pretty good burgers, like the Jackalope Burger, which has my favorite toppings; mushrooms and blue cheese. 

The Steakhouse Burger is fun as well - same patty topped with short rib and swiss, meat-on-meaty bliss.

The Spiral Noodles and Cheese from the kid's menu becomes a family favorite. It's a generous portion for any child, and my under-2 eats the entire thing every time. 

Lunch and dinner will do just fine, but avoid the breakfast buffet at all costs. A proper entree costs a little less, and the quality is so much better. The buffet eggs are so dry they taste like powder, and the only thing worth getting is the Belgian waffle because you make it yourself. 

Opt for a bowl of Steel-Cut Oatmeal if you're looking for something hot and simple. It's an even texture and comes with cinnamon, raisins, and brown sugar. 

The Lox & Bagel is a bigger plate with plenty of smoked salmon and my latest obsession; capers. Order an extra bagel and the salmon will serve two. 

Other items include a Philly Cheesesteak with beef that could be just a little less bland and dry. 

Pulled Pork Nachos are enough for two, no other orders needed, and are surprisingly delicious. The toppings cover the top layer of chips and drizzle down to the ones beneath, plenty of tender pulled pork and gooey queso to go around.

Jack's Buffalo Wings are best with basketball and beer. Plenty of flats and drums in a pound, and the sweet BBQ sauce is a good one. 

Casarecci Short Rib Pasta is a dinner entree and not one I would recommend. The ragu is watery and thin, not what I'd expect for something that's supposed to be slowly stewed.

The Mini Pizza is a kid-pleaser, 

but the Design-a-Cupcake is a disaster. The cupcakes fall apart when you pick them up so they are impossible to frost, and all you get is frosting and sprinkles so there's not much designing to be done. 

I liked it but I didn't love it, but no one loves the resort restaurant where they have to eat. Overall the food was at least fine, and the experience was quite positive overall. 

Family Yosemite Trip - Day 1 - Tenaya Lodge - Fish Camp, CA

Welcome to Tenaya Lodge. Tucked away in the fantastically-forested Fish Camp, I found the only resort I can stand to stay at. It's a nice one, luxury and comfort in a way that is not at all ostentatious. Check-in is inefficient as two receptionists serve a multiplex, so when an entire conference of people arrive all at once, they are wholly unprepared. The rooms aren't ready by check-in time, and half of them aren't assigned. But despite the obvious hiccups, the service you do get is good as the staff seem like they genuinely want to help. Bonus for the valets who got us our car in under five minutes every time. 

At least the reception area has chess while you wait. 

Our room is quite roomy and has a small balcony for watching birds and bats while we breathe in the warm mountain air. 

The one restaurant we can realistically eat at serves all-American fare. (More on that later). The ingredients are good, and they do prepare them properly. I wish they had more options, but this is par for the course when you're travelling with little kids. They do have other offerings, but the per-person rate of the barbecue "experience" doesn't price out when you have a kid who doesn't eat anything, and the pizza place is a long, sticky walk away. 

The pool situation is super, and every day we choose our own adventure between indoor and outdoor, both of which are heated. There's also a hot tub around every corner. 

The indoor pool plays movies in the evenings, and I must say, Lego Batman exceeded expectations. There's even a climbing wall and an archery range, and my favorite, the nightly roasting of marshmallows around the fire pit. The kiddos sure loved their first s'mores. 

Hiccups or not, we had a blast. This resort has a whole vibe, the kind where kids can kid and adults can adult, and everyone can coexist and co-mingle as they wish...right next to America's most beautiful national park.