Food – Camp Host Diaries

Food: 30 Days in Yosemite National Park

Background

(Scroll down to see my food reviews!)

While I was staying at the homeless shelter, I got paid out for a lawsuit that I’d won the year before.

One day, I couldn’t afford bread, and the next, I could afford an SUV.

South Sacramento Homeless shelter cafeteria.
Source: Sacramento Housing & Redevelopment Agency

Problem was, after everything I’d been through, I was having trouble thinking straight, and was afraid of making any big decisions.

Plus, I felt guilty thinking about buying things for myself, when I was surrounded by so much suffering.

Shelter smoking areas.
Source: Volunteers of America

At the same time, my little sister was also going homeless in Montana.

The only thing I could make up my mind to do was to leave the shelter.

I was lucky enough to find a reservation in Yosemite.

And then another. And then another.

Sleeping in snow in the woods was more peaceful than the shelter

In the month that I was camping there, I applied for dozens of jobs. I got emails from my five top choices, and accepted an offer from my top choice.

So, I’ll be going back to Yosemite soon. Meanwhile, here is my review of every restaurant I’ve tried in Yosemite so far this year, categorized by location.

Getting Around Yosemite

Quick breakdown of Yosemite geography: Yosemite Village is near Yosemite Falls, the Ahwahnee is near the Royal Arches, and Curry Village is between Half Dome and Staircase Falls.

Yosemite Valley Lodge is closest to shuttle stop 7, Degnan’s is stop 4, the Ahwahnee is stop 3, and Curry Village is closest to stops 14 and 19.

Yosemite Village

Mocha cookie crumble Frappuccino from Starbucks at the Lodge

Needless to say, after a few months of being hungry, I went a little overboard on dining out.

I normally would describe myself as not a Starbucks person, but I went there a few times while I was in Yosemite.

The only Starbucks in Yosemite is located next to the Base Camp Eatery food court at Yosemite Valley Lodge.

By 8am, the line is insane, so, I tried to get there as early as possible. All of my drinks were made perfectly 👌 👍 I think the flat white is my new favorite drink!

The ham and Swiss croissant was sold out most of the time that I was there, so I ended up ordering a tomato mozzarella panini.

I wish they had more options without eggs, but, when you’ve been living off of trail mix and beef jerky, pretty much anything else tastes good.

Tomato mozzarella panini from Starbucks at Yosemite Valley Lodge food court

There are two Peet’s Coffee locations in Yosemite: one in Degnan’s Deli in Yosemite Village, and one in Seven Tents Pavillion in Curry Village.

For whatever reason, the lines in Curry Village were consistently longer. So, I ended up only going to the Peet’s in Yosemite Village.

I love their drinks even more than Starbucks, but they are also a bit more expensive.

I was unpleasantly surprised when I ordered the promotional honey almond latte, and it cost $8. It did taste really good, though.

Honey almond latte from Peet’s at Degnan’s Deli, Yosemite Village

All three coffee shops (Starbucks and both Peet’s) are located inside of or next to food courts, so it’s easy to pick up breakfast, lunch, or snacks at the same time.

Degnan’s Deli also has my favorite water refill stations in Yosemite. They look like giant kitchen wash sinks, but the water is top tier.

The view inside Degnan’s Deli. Peet’s is in the back left corner

Degnan’s has two public dining rooms, plus an upstairs lounge which is for park employees only.

The employees are pretty cool about letting you sit in there and charge electronics or do work, so, I ended up spending quite a bit of time in there.

Eventually, I had to try one of the sandwiches from their deli.

I ordered a Hiker Hummus sandwich on wheat, with added bacon.

The prices weren’t terrible, but they only had one size, which was small. I definitely could have eaten two of these.

It wasn’t great, but it also wasn’t bad. It was about the same quality as Subway or Togos. The hummus was okay, and the veggies were fresh enough.

Sandwich from Degnan’s Deli, Yosemite Village

Base Camp Eatery, the food court located at Yosemite Valley Lodge, is bigger (and usually busier) than Degnan’s.

Base Camp Eatery.
Source: Travel Yosemite

They have one huge public dining room, with additional seating outdoors. The higher end Mountain Room Lounge and Bar are located just outside the food court, as is the gift shop.

I haven’t yet eaten at the Mountain Room or Lounge, but will update this review if/when I do.

Fun fact: one of my close friends was a line cook at the Mountain Room for years. So, technically, I’ve eaten their food, but I’ve never dined there 😅

Mountain Room Lounge.
Source: National Park Service

The Base Camp Eatery menu didn’t look incredibly appetizing to me, but I had to try at least one hot breakfast of theirs before I left.

Base Camp is self checkout, meaning that all food orders have to be entered on a self-service kiosk and prepaid.

Kiosks at Base Camp Eatery.
Source: National Park Service

I was surprised that their POS already had a button for “No eggs, sub extra potatoes.” I would have much rather had fruit, but, whatever.

For $11.99, I got a big plate of country potatoes with two strips of bacon, and the tiniest croissant I’ve ever seen in my life.

I cut the croissant open as best as I could, stuffed it with strawberry jam (from the condiment station), wrapped the bacon around it, and ate it like that.

(Two of those strawberry jams were saved for later.)

The condiment selection in Yosemite is not great. If there is any sauce or seasoning you can’t live without, you should definitely bring it yourself.

The Ahwahnee

The Ahwahnee is located in its own corner of Yosemite Valley, just in front of the Royal Arches. Technically, it’s considered part of Yosemite Village, but it’s almost as close to Curry Village.

Surprisingly, there are no coffee shops at the Ahwahnee.

(If there is complimentary coffee for guests, then it must be well-hidden, because I’ve never seen it.)

Eating at the Ahwahnee Dining Room had been a dream of mine for years. Fortunately, my cousin and I were recently able to pull that off.

Coffee, yogurt with toppings, sausage, bacon, French toast, biscuit, country potatoes, vegan sweet potato scramble

Because the Ahwahnee is currently being renovated, the regular breakfast menu has been temporarily replaced by an all you can eat buffet.

Even though it wasn’t busy season yet, it was somewhat difficult to get reservations. By Tuesday morning, they were entirely sold out for dinner that weekend, and only had three slots left for brunch.

I booked a 7am seating for my cousin and myself.

Vegan sweet potato scramble, country potatoes, French toast, juice

While I did not take any pictures of the buffet itself, it was set up beautifully. Hot dishes were served from pretty copper chafers, while cold items were served on ice.

All of the main breakfast categories had their own little buffet stations: oatmeal, yogurt, bagels, potatoes.

The bacon, sausage, bread, and pastries were in their own line.

As someone who does not eat eggs, I really appreciated the vegan sweet potato scramble. I sincerely wish all breakfast restaurants served something like this.

Coffee, oatmeal, Danish, biscuit with chorizo gravy

While I don’t usually eat chorizo, I wanted to at least try the chorizo gravy with petite biscuits. It was phenomenal. The gravy flavor had so much depth to it.

Surprisingly, the bacon and sausage were my least favorite buffet items. But I loved the oatmeal and yogurt bars.

Coffee and juice were included in the buffet price, and we both chose pineapple juice.

I loved the mini Danish, but failed to use any of the mini Bonne Maman jams brought to me.

Not only was our breakfast delicious, but it gave us all of the nutrition we needed to hike to the top of Vernal Fall, which we did right after breakfast.

This was definitely my favorite meal in Yosemite. I’m looking forward to using my employee discount to try the dinner buffet 😋

Curry Village

From best to worst: Pizza Deck, Meadow Grill, Bar 1899.

Well, I’ve been to Pizza Deck many times over the years, so, the first thing I noticed was that their menu had changed.

Some of the pizzas had the same names, yet completely different descriptions.

The first pizza I tried was the Half Dome: marinara, mozzarella, ricotta, pepperoni, salami, chili flakes, basil, chili oil, and honey.

Out of all their pizzas I’ve tried, this was by far the best. Even though the crust was a bit doughy and Americanized, it was still good, and the toppings were legit.

The next pizza I tried was the Firefall: marinara, mozzarella, pepperoni, pickled jalapeños, ranch, and chili oil.

The Firefall was also pretty good, but not as good as the Half Dome.

The last pizza I tried was the Mother Curry: Thai curry sauce, mozzarella, tomato, red onion, mushroom, cilantro, and garlic oil.

This pizza was TERRIBLE. It was the worst curry pizza I’ve ever tried in my life. I do not recommend this pizza.

While I was on my way to the Mountaineering School, I noticed that the Meadow Grill was about to open.

I was excited to have something different, so I stopped by on their first day. I may have been one of their first customers of the season.

Meadow Grill order and pickup counter, Curry Village

I ordered the carne asada burrito, super. It was about the size of a $5 burrito from Taco Bell.

The carne asada was terrible. Really, really bad. I actually had to spit out some gristle.

The cilantro tasted really fresh, but you can’t make up for bad meat.

Maybe it was just a bad day for them, though, because they have stellar reviews on Yelp.

I think I’m going to give them another try.

One of the goals my cousin and I had for her trip was to try at least one of the bars in Yosemite Valley.

We chose Bar 1899 in Curry Village. The drinks were good– the drinks are good everywhere in Yosemite. Alcohol is the one food category that is reasonably priced.

The food, on the other hand, was not so great. We ordered the Sierra Smashburger, which came out looking like a sad, practically plain double cheeseburger.

The fries weren’t great, and there weren’t many of them. Needless to say, we were not impressed.

I will update this review if/ when I try any of the other bars.

Village Stores

Aside from the restaurants, there are also several small stores around the Valley that sell alcohol, food, gifts, and camping supplies.

Most of the food in these stores costs about three times as much as normal, but can still be cheaper than eating out.

Of course, the cheapest option is probably to bring your own food from home, or to stock up in Mariposa.

Alcohol selection at Housekeeping Camp store

The biggest store is the Village Store in Yosemite Village, followed by the gift shop in Curry Village, the two gift shops at the Ahwahnee, and the Housekeeping Camp Store.

All of these stores offer very similar products, except for the Ahwahnee, which also carries some higher end souvenirs.

Just Outside Yosemite

The first time I ran out of supplies, I drove all the way to Merced to restock.

Before driving back, I stopped by the food truck Taquizas Gracian, and ordered two tacos durados de papa (mashed potato tacos in a fried shell).

Since they were parked outside a dispensary, I was expecting the food to be amazing, but it was really just okay.

The salsa was fire, but I would definitely not order these tacos again.

Tacos durados de papa from Taquizas Gracian, Merced

Next time I went out for supplies, I just drove out to Mariposa, which isn’t as far from Yosemite as Merced.

Again, I saw a food truck parked downtown during a busy time, and expected great things. Again, I was disappointed.

The carne asada was really on the “ground beef” side of the border between carne asada and ground beef.

There was no salsa in my burrito bowl, even though I asked for salsa. The bowl was so bland that I couldn’t help but think, “This tastes like it was made by a white person.”

It brought to mind a conversation I had long ago with my ex’s father.

I asked, “How come Mexican people always rip white people off on salsa? I never get salsa.”

He replied, “We’re not doing it to be mean. We’re trying to help you. Most white people say they like spicy food, but then cry if you give them spicy food. We’re just trying to give you something you’ll like.”

I LIKE SPICY FOOD, DAMN IT.

If there is great Mexican food in Mariposa or Merced, I haven’t found it yet!

Carne asada burrito bowl from Tacos Sonora food truck, Mariposa

Best for Last

Maybe Ramon’s Taco Truck doesn’t belong in its own section, but it is worthy of its own category.

Ramon’s is located in Planada on the side of Highway 140, about one hour outside of Yosemite Valley.

Ramon’s tacos are the best street tacos I’ve ever found in Northern California. (My favorite tacos of all time are in Santa Barbara.)

The carne asada is mind blowing. All of the other ingredients are flavorful and authentic. Portion sizes are very generous. And the tacos come with avocado!

Last time I was here, I decided to try a burrito, and loved it just as much as the tacos. It was huge!

Finally, my craving for good Mexican food, which went completely unsatisfied in the valley, was quenched.

Whenever I have the opportunity, I always stop by Ramon’s.

Food: 3 Days in San Francisco

As a long-time Yelp Elite, a question that I’ve often been asked is, “Do you pick your dinner off of Yelp?”

Yes, but no.

Funny sign outside of a bar in San Francisco

I do take the Yelp rating into consideration, but I usually tend to prefer restaurants in the 4 star range.

5-star places are often bland and overrated. Just because a restaurant is popular doesn’t mean that it’s good.

I mean, just look at McDonald’s– they’re super popular, and their food is mostly terrible.

Since I don’t eat out very often, I try to choose my restaurants carefully. I don’t want to waste an opportunity to eat something delicious and unique. Each dining out experience is special to me.

So, when I found a hole in the wall Japanese place in Inner Richmond (San Francisco) with great looking pictures and a solid 4 Star rating on Yelp, I thought, “perfect.”

Chicken katsu Curry from Volcan (edited)

I ordered a chicken katsu curry, to go. As I was waiting for my food, my mom texted me, “Are you near any of the good Asian places?”

I sent her a picture of my curry, and she responded, “I don’t know what that is, but I’d probably eat it.”

For anyone who is not familiar, Japanese curry is super simple to make. It’s one of the first things I learned how to cook well.

So, if the restaurant’s curry was better than mine, I would automatically be impressed.

Chicken katsu and rice before I added the curry

Chicken katsu is basically fried chicken that has been pounded out thin, seasoned, and encrusted with panko.

Japanese curry is, essentially, S&B curry in a roux with veggies.

The curry gravy tasted great, but didn’t have as many vegetables as I would like– there were just a few pieces of carrots and potatoes.

They were, at least, large pieces. I noticed that the carrots were cut Rangiri style, which is traditional for Japanese curry.

Volcan’s curry was a little sweeter than I would make myself. I think they may have added something sweet like grated apple, or perhaps a hint of milk chocolate.

The chicken was not heavily seasoned, but was fried to perfection, and tasted very fresh.

I agreed with Yelp’s 4 star score. Maybe not the best curry I’ve ever had in my life, but really good. It was definitely cooked to order, the ingredients were all fresh, and the flavor was complex.

The day before that, I’d stopped by one of my favorite pizzerias in the city: Slice House Haight Ashbury.

Slice House is the biggest and most successful restaurant chain owned by world pizza champ Tony Gemignani.

Haight Ashbury is world famous as a hippie, stoner, rock and roll, counterculture neighborhood. There is a lot of great food on that street.

Having recently tried the brand new Slice House location in Folsom, I wanted to go back to Haight to make sure I liked it better.

A slice of Sweet Gino from Slice House Haight Ashbury

I was surprised that they didn’t have any of my favorite pizza: Purple Haze. Instead, I ordered the Sweet Gino without pepperoni.

It was heaven. The crust and sauce were so much better and more nuanced tasting than their Folsom counterparts. The basil and mozzarella were perfect.

This shop was running a special: buy a large pizza, get a free bottle of balsamic vinegar. But, I only wanted one slice.

I couldn’t take any leftovers back with me, because there may have been a rodent living in my vehicle. But I’ll write a separate post about that.

Chocolate bar and avocados, which have apparently been broken into by a rodent

I will also end up writing a separate post about how I’ve been learning to cook at my campsite, which is what I did for dinner that night.

Before I became homeless, I was already a great cook, but I’m just learning about camping. The struggle has been real.

When I get sick of trail food, a bowl of Ramen noodles can sound like a gourmet treat. I’ve recently mastered the task of boiling water outdoors, which has made Ramen more accessible.

I love these Laksa Curry bowls. They’re about $3 each, easy to make, and hard to spoil. The flavor isn’t as good as a restaurant or home cooked meal, but it’s decent.

A bowl of curry noodles and some kava tea over Mt Tamalpais (pacific Ocean barely visible in background)

The next day, once again, I found myself in Inner Richmond. In this case, I did pick a restaurant off of Yelp.

Yelp has a feature called “collections” (formerly known as “lists”) which I use to make lists of places that I want to try in various cities.

This sandwich shop called Lou’s Cafe on Geary had been on my list for some time. I ordered an Amocado (pastrami, salami, and avocado) with everything.

I ate the first half at some nearby outdoor tables, and carried the other half down to the Sutro Baths with me (since I have gallbladder disease, it’s better for me to eat smaller meals more frequently).

Amocado sandwich from Lou’s Cafe, Inner Richmond, photographed nearby

The hour or so in my backpack made a significant impact on the sandwich quality. It was still good, but nowhere near as mouthwatering as it had been back on Geary.

Outside of the coffee shop in Inner Richmond, I’d thought that this was one of the most amazing sandwiches I’d ever tasted.

It wasn’t huge, but the price was decent given the quality and the current economy. The flavor was all there.

The Lou’s sauce and pesto were what really made this sandwich better than the rest.

Amocado sandwich from Lou’s Cafe, Inner Richmond, photographed at the Sutro Baths

Back at my campsite, after several more hours of hiking, I had another bowl of noodles.

This time, it was the new birria Ramen from Tapatio. These are incredibly salty– which is perfect for a night between long urban hikes.

I tend to expend a lot of electrolytes on my hikes, and I don’t want to become hyponatremic. (For anyone who doesn’t know, being too low on salt can be very dangerous out on the trail.)

A bowl of Tapatio Birria Ramen noodles over Mt Tamalpais, Pacific Ocean in background

Before leaving San Francisco, I googled, “what’s free today in San Francisco?” And was reminded that Japanese Tea Garden admission was free between 9-10am.

So, I stopped by, and decided to try a new kind of tea: genmaicha. I chose this tea because it was described as nutty and sweet, but not too earthy.

I tend to love drinks that are nutty and sweet. I’m certainly not a tea or coffee connoisseur, but pistachio and chestnut drinks are my favorites from Starbucks.

I loved the Genmaicha so much that I considered buying a bag of it, but ultimately didn’t want to take any food to go until I’d dealt with the potential rodent in my car.

A cup of genmaicha tea at the Japanese Tea Garden, San Francisco

After several hours of walking around the Botanical Garden, Tea Garden, and Academy of Sciences, I was famished.

I was laughing at myself for choosing Slice House again.

It’s just so good! And I love comparing the locations.

A slice of Hot Tony from the Original Slice House in North Beach, San Francisco

This slice of pizza was the perfect finale to my weekend.

It was the slice of pizza I always dream about, but rarely find.

The Original Tony’s in North Beach is a hot spot for local Italians. It’s located right next door to Tony’s– which, surprise, is also owned by Gemignani.

I had actually wanted to eat there, but had not realized that reservations are required. Someday, I’ll eat there.

For now, a slice of the Hot Tony from Slice House.

I prayed she would give me a piece with a huge dollop of ricotta. She gave me one with three– although one was sadly lost when it fell to the street.

Out of all of the Slice House locations, this pizza was the best. This pizza made me feel like, “Yes, it does make sense that I just paid eight dollars for a single slice of pizza.”

It’s the same price for a whole Italian pizza at Little Caesars, but Tony’s is worth it.