Ode2Fatty

Pine Mountain Club

(February 25-26). PMC is Los Angeles’s best kept secret. Only 1 hour and 15 minutes outside the San Fernando Valley, Pine Mountain Club is a little mountain community (about 2,000 people) tucked away in the Los Padres National Forest. The towering pine trees, majestic mountains and clean air make you feel a world away from the City . . . and yet many people commute into Los Angeles for work. There is only one main road and that leads right into the Village Center where you’ll find the General Store and restaurants with names like The Screaming Squirrel and The Curious Bear Café. The town itself - with its relaxing atmosphere and friendly people - is the attraction for me, but if you need more than that to keep you occupied, then PMC has a lot to offer for activity-minded people too. There are hiking trails, a 9 hole golf course, fitness center, horseback riding, and a pool, as well as a Club which has a quilting and poker groups.We went up there for President’s Day weekend, and stayed at a quaint 2-story “cabin” for only $130/night (it would have been cheaper but we only booked one night). We booked our cabin through Jennings Realty - ask for Ginny Wetzel (661) 242-5422. It was snowing lightly (luckily we didn’t need chains), and the weather made us sleepy and hungry. We really enjoyed getting away from it all and breathing smog-free air. It was also refreshing to deal with friendly drivers - people only honk on the road to say “hi” not as a “F*ck you.”http://www.pmcpoa.com/About%20PMC/pmc_info_pg1.html

The Curious Bear Café: You are immediately struck by the charm of this little restaurant (about 7 tables). Diners are surrounded by board games, books, art, curios and liberal displays (a sign championing Free Speech and Jon Stewart for President 2008 T-shirts). The Bear has typical burger, sandwich and diner fare, but the quality is EXCELLENT. I received a side salad with my burger and was expecting soggy iceberg lettuce, carrots and packaged croutons, but what I received was a tasty mixed green salad with fresh veggies and blue cheese dressing with big fat hunks of cheese. The mountain air really had me craving beef so for lunch I had a major protein bonanza and ordered the burger with fried egg, cheddar cheese and two strips of bacon. Mmmm. For dinner I had the steak with garlic, mushroom, onions and peppers served with al dente green beans. Again, mmmm. On a quirky note, rather than serving you a bread basket when you sit down, our waitress gave us a bowl of pretzels with a side of mustard. Didn’t try it, but thought that was interesting. The wait staff is friendly and the “chef” even came out and personally asked how our meal was. Thumbs up for The Bear.

The Bear Claw Bakery: A local insisted that we try a bear claw before leaving town. Sure glad we did. The claw was big and fresh. I ordered a raspberry and orange scone, and was surprisingly pleased. Usually I only like scones if they’re covered in icing (Starbucks) or accompanied by a large portion of clotted cream (high tea). But this scone was perfect sans accoutrement. The outside was crisp and dense but the inside was light and soft. And the cranberries were bursting with flavor - I ate the whole thing! The Bear Claw also serves croissant sandwiches and sells out it’s specialty soups/chilis regularly. Don’t leave town without stopping at the Bear Claw.

posted by Fatty @ 8:46 AM