I spend lots of time at Lake Almanor and in the surrounding communities. There are some fantastic places to eat all around the lake and on your way to and from it. Sometimes, though, you have to go off the beaten path to find the best places.
Lassen Mineral Lodge
Lassen Mineral Lodge is located in the small community of Mineral, California. Most fly fishers drive right by it on their travels on Highway 36 from Red Bluff toward the Lake Almanor area. However, it is a must-stop destination for breakfast, lunch, and dinner: great food, a smiling staff, and reasonable prices. The lodge consists of a bar/lounge, restaurant, motel, general store, and RV park. This is a family-owned and family-operated lodge. Dad runs the bar, one of the daughters is the waitress, and the other daughter runs the general store. You will see the entire family chipping in to help their guests.
At the restaurant, you can sit inside the old lodge’s main dining room, or you can sit outside on the umbrella-covered patio. No matter where you sit, the food and service are great.
When I am guiding at Lake Almanor, this is where my wife, Kirsten, and I meet on Saturday mornings or early afternoons. Kirsten still has a full-time professional career, so we often see one another only at Mineral. We trade news and have lunch, then she returns to the valley while I return to the lake. Sometimes I stop and fish Mill Creek, or Guernsey Creek, or Deer Creek before I get back to our cabin. I have two favorite dishes that I order every time I stop at Lassen Mineral Lodge. For breakfast, nothing compares to the three-egg, spinach, country sausage, and Monterey jack cheese omelet. Complement it with their homemade country potatoes and sourdough toast, and you’ve got yourself a breakfast to get back to work on. I have asked many times what seasoning they use in their eggs and country potatoes, and the response always is, “We will never tell — family secret.” It has that grandma-made-it taste. Maybe they’re just putting pure love in their food. For lunch, I have the “Lodge Bacon Cheeseburger.” Boy, this is the best. The homemade one-third-pound patty has the same seasoning as the eggs and potatoes. The bun is a fresh roll. I also like this burger because they serve it hot with ice-cold veggies — there is nothing better than biting into a hot, juicy burger with ice-cold lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles on it. It is the standard for all burgers. The burger is served with your choice of a fresh lunch salad, French fries, or onion rings. Go for the French fries. They are doubled fried. Wonderful taste!
Lassen Mineral Lodge, 38450 Highway 36 East, Mineral. Phone: (530) 5954422. Website: www.minerallodge.com. Usually open seven days a week, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Wally’s Peninsula Market
This eatery might shock you if you haven’t experienced it. It’s the Peninsula Market on the Lake Almanor Peninsula, actually called Wally’s Peninsula Market, and is family owned and operated. It is a good place to shop for all your grocery needs, and it has a fantastic deli that is always busy with local folks. Wally’s is located on Peninsula Drive in the middle of a residential area. It is a true small community market and has great food.
When you visit their website, you can go to the deli menu. Wally’s offers a variety of different hot and cold sandwiches, along with soups, salads, and take-and-bake pizzas. Everything I have ordered at the deli has been outstanding. My favorite sandwich (and I have had most of them) is the “Chicken Classic,” with basil or chipotle mayo. This is a chicken breast that is grilled to perfection, hot and juicy, coupled with Swiss cheese, avocado, fresh cold lettuce, and tomato, topped with basil or chipotle mayo, all on a sourdough roll. I usually get a small bacon-and-cheddar-cheese potato salad to go with it for a great lunch.
Kirsten always orders their slow-roasted roast beef with cheddar cheese on toasted sourdough bread, loaded with lettuce, tomatoes, and avocado. Every time she takes the first bite, she looks at me and says, “This is amazing.”
Taylor, my daughter, likes to get what they call “The Mighty Reuben.” She says it is the best Reuben sandwich she has ever had. Wally’s Reuben is delivered on marbled rye bread with Wally’s homemade thousand island dressing on a heaping pile of hot pastrami, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and grilled onions.
I have also ordered their take-and-bake pizzas many times, and I am never disappointed. I like the “Wally World Combination” pizza. I always get the 16inch pie. This pizza is covered with salami, homemade Wally sausage, pepperoni, black olives, mushrooms, and onions with seemingly a ton of mozzarella cheese. I swear this pizza weighs five pounds. It is a masterpiece.
There are times we drive to the other side of the lake just to go to Wally’s for lunch. They have a pleasant umbrella-covered patio where you can sit and enjoy your treats.
Wally’s Peninsula Market, 309 Peninsula Drive, Westwood. Phone: (530 596-3500. Website: http://www.wallyspeninsulamarket.com. Open seven days a week, 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The Pine Shack Frosty
The Pine Shack Frosty in downtown Chester is a must for a quick burger and fries or an ice-cold milkshake. It’s a treat. When the kids where small, we went there at least twice a week. Now the kids text me and say, “We are at the Shack. You want something?” I always say, “Heck yes!”
“The Shack” is an old-time Frosty Freeze that offers great food at great prices. I always order the double deluxe cheeseburger combination meal. This gives you their standard double deluxe burger with the cheese of your choice (I usually get Swiss), all the veggies, a small fries, and a drink for $7.50 — a great deal. These burgers are hot, and the veggies are ice cold, just like I like them.
When it is chilly outside, I get my standard order, but also order a medium cup of chili to go with it. Their homemade chili is fantastic. It is a meat chili with a mild-to-warm level of spice. It always hits the spot, especially when I dip my fries in it.
Milkshakes are king at the Pine Shack.
The staff can make dozens of combinations of milkshakes. Kirsten’s favorite is the banana shake.
They have an excellent kid’s menu, and they offer more than just hamburgers, including a variety of different sandwiches and chicken strips. They just recently added deep-fried mushrooms that I have been grabbing, rather than the small fries. There is an up charge, but the mushrooms are worth it.
Pine Shack Frosty, 321 Main Street, Chester. Phone: (530) 258-2593. Open seven days a week during the summer season (April 1 through October 1, although subject to change for snow); 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Plumas Pines Bar and Grill
I can be found at this Plumas Pines Resort joint most of the summer. It has fantastic food and service, and the bartenders know how to pour a cocktail. These folks always have smiles on their faces and greet you like old friends. We really are old friends, so I guess that fits.
Taylor, my daughter, works in their general store across the street. Many of the folks who come up to the lake to fish with me stay at their motel and cabins. Taylor is the young lady who usually talks to you on the phone and checks you in and out of your room.
Glenn Geer is the owner of the resort, and his son, Todd, is the general manager. These two gentlemen know how to run a good operation. The resort is awesome. The food at the restaurant is awesome, too, and that is what it is all about.
The restaurant is open only for lunch and dinner, while the bar is open until last call. The restaurant has seating both inside and out on the deck. I recommend sitting out on the deck, because it’s the only eatery on the entire lake that has lakefront property, and it’s a great view.
My favorite lunch is the “Flawless Wallace.” Don’t ask me how they came up with the name — I just know that it is fantastic. It is a sous vide chicken breast with a medley of sautéed onions, orange and red peppers, jalapenos, garlic aioli, and Swiss cheese, all snuggled in a butter-glazed bun. The first time I ordered this, I was amazed by the quality of the food as well as by the smoky, sweet, spicy sauce. I was sitting at the bar, talking to Todd and having a Bloody Mary. It was 11:00 a.m. Our discussion went on and on, so I decided to order lunch. Todd pointed to the “Flawless Wallace” on the menu and said, “You will love it.” He was right, and I order it every time I have lunch there. A couple of other folks I know now are doing the same. I pair this sandwich with their homemade onion rings and jalapeno ranch dressing. Wash it down with an IPA, and you are set.
My son, Garrett, always orders the “Big Meadow Burger” for lunch, and it is big! It’s a half-pound prime Angus ribeye patty topped with havarti cheese and cherrywood smoked bacon, B&B pickles and homemade onion marmalade, all on a pretzel bun. He also always orders the onion rings with it. Anyone who has met Garrett can tell you he is a big guy. He is 18 years old, 6 feet 3 inches tall, and weighs 255 pounds. He works, plays, and eats hearty.
For dinner, my favorite dish is all of them. They are all good. My favorite favorite, though, is the lemon herb chicken. It is prepared with the sous vide chicken breast, topped with homemade pesto, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, and a lemon beurre blanc. It is to die for. It comes with seasonal vegetables and your choice of baked or mashed potatoes or rice pilaf. I always get the baked potato with all the fixings. Kirsten first got me to order this. I usually just ordered the filet mignon, but one night, when I tasted her lemon herb chicken, I was hooked.
Taylor likes to order the fish and chips: three pieces of white-ale-battered Alaskan cod cooked to perfection, served with homemade coleslaw, fries, and malt vinegar tartar sauce. I have ordered it for lunch and dinner myself, and this dish never disappoints. The homemade coleslaw is spot on, sweet-tangy, ice cold, and fresh. There are times I ask for the slaw with my “Flawless Wallace” sandwich.
Over the Fourth of July last year, my father-in-law ordered the wild mushroom ravioli: portobello-and-truffle-stuffed pasta pillows, sautéed creminis, a porcini cream sauce, and heirloom tomato relish sprinkled with Parmigiano Reggiano. He fell in love with it. He left his leftovers at the cabin and I finished them off. I am definitely going to order it next time at the Plumas Pines. The filling is rich, but not overpowering, when coupled with the tomato relish. It is a treat.
Plumas Pines Bar and Grill, 3000 Almanor Drive West, Canyon Dam. Phone: (530) 259-4343. Website: https://www.plumaspinesresort.com. Lunch from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; dinner from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Usually open from April 1 through October 31, depending on snow. Days and hours may vary; every year they can be different, depending on staffing.
Kopper Kettle Café
The Kopper Kettle is the mainstay when it comes to eateries in Chester. It has been there forever. I remember as a kid going into the restaurant early in the morning, enjoying the warmth of the main dining room and sipping on hot chocolate while watching snow pile up on the road outside. Since then, the restaurant has seen many owners and cooks through the years. The folks who own and operate the Kettle now are spot on in what they do. This place is not a high-end, five-star restaurant, but rather a quality, down-to-earth café that serves tasty food for the working person.
I usually go to the Kopper Kettle for breakfast. Their breakfast menu is great, the food is great, it comes to you hot and fast. I hate to say this, but many of the breakfast joints on the lake take so long to get your meal to the table that it’s often cold when it reaches you (and two-thirds more expensive). The Kettle rocks breakfast. My daughter Taylor and I share the same favorite breakfast: the California Benedict. It is to die for. The hollandaise sauce is freshly made for each dish, and is hot and creamy, with a little tang at the end. The dish includes toasted English muffins, browned Canadian bacon, and generous slices of avocado. For an accompaniment, you can choose between hash browns, country potatoes, or a fresh bowl of seasonal fruit. All this for $12.95 a plate.
My buddy Gene loves their homemade sausage gravy. I’ve been known to get a small bowl of it on the side so I can either dunk or pour it over my potatoes, toast, or even the scrambled eggs on my plate. Gene just goes old school and gets the half order of their Biscuits and Gravy. It is a complete plate. The full order is a plate piled four inches high. You need to do 20,000 steps to work that plate off! One of my favorite places, especially in the morning!
Kopper Kettle Café, 243 Main Street, Chester. Phone: (530) 258-2698. Website: https://kopperkettlecafeca.com. Open seven days a week from 6:00 a.m. to 7:30 in summer.
