When you are traveling to the far northern Sierra and southern Cascades, fishing at Davis Lake, Eagle Lake, or making a run up Highways 89 or 395, great food can be hard to find. There are all the regular fast-food joints with the same old bagged fried stuff. However, if you know where to look, good places to dine are all along the old two-lane mountain highways. I’ve gotten tips from friends and readers, and I also find places simply by stopping and eating at them. If the food isn’t good, I don’t stop again. As a result, I’ve found some mom-and-pop eateries that put smiles on folks’ faces.
Patti’s Morning Thunder, Quincy
One of Kirsten’s coworkers pointed us to this quaint little breakfast joint in Quincy. If you didn’t know it was there, you would drive right by. Kirsten said that her coworker called it “mountain food.” All I have to say is it’s great food.
Patti’s Morning Thunder has a wide variety of options on their breakfast and lunch menus, including vegan and gluten-free offerings. I looked over the entire menu, trying to figure out what I am going to have, and I spotted something I’d never seen before: a smoked salmon omelet. Guess what I ordered.
The omelet was fantastic, made with three eggs and including fresh dill, spinach, green onions, cream cheese, and salmon. It was rich, but not too smoky. I washed it down with a glass of fresh orange juice — the perfect way to start the day. All full breakfasts are served with grilled country potatoes and your choice of toast. Patti’s serves a big plate of great food for a reasonable price.
Kirsten ordered the bacon and avocado omelet. It is a three-egg omelet with bacon, avocado, and cream cheese. It is rich and good! I make these at home for Kirsten, and she loves them.
I have been to this place only twice, but each time we have a quality meal at a reasonable price, and the service has always been good.
Patti’s Morning Thunder, 57 Lawrence Street, Quincy. Phone: (530) 283-3300; Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/PattisThunderCafe. Open Thursday to Sunday, 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Closed Wednesdays.
Sweet Lorraine’s, Quincy
Sweet Lorraine’s is a small eatery that serves great homemade food. I recommend getting reservations for this place, because the seating area is not large, and they are open for only a couple of hours a day, but the dinners are amazing.
Our favorite starter is their panko Parmesan fried raviolis: eight large, cheese-filled raviolis deep fried to a hot, crispy brown, served with Sweet Lorraine’s homemade Alfredo and marinara sauces for dipping.
Gary Cerpovizz, the owner and operator, has had problems finding folks to join his staff, as many restaurant owners have. Although he usually offers a selection of starters, salads, and entrées, because of this issue, he has been posting limited menus until he can find staff that’re up to what the small bistro needs.
The main course I usually order is the herb-crusted filet mignon. The char-grilled filet is served with a baked potato, fresh seasonal chef ’s choice veggies, and homemade mushroom marsala wine sauce, topped with their in-house citrus butter — all for 24 bucks! Kirsten usually orders the T-bone steak, which comes with everything my filet does, but they top it with two thick, handmade onion rings.
Recently, I was there with a fly-fishing guest. I ordered the beef Stroganoff over buttered egg noodles, and I hope Gary leaves this entrée on the menu. It was great: tender beef cubes, creamy sauce with wild mushrooms over thick, cooked-to-perfection homemade egg noodles. Just writing about it gets my mouth watering. Sweet Lorraine’s might not look like much from the outside, but they are serving some fantastic food.
Sweet Lorraine’s, 384 Main Street, Quincy. Phone: (530) 283-5300; Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/SweetLorrainesQuincy. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 5:00p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays until 7:30 p.m.
Mill Creek Fish ’N Chips, Quincy
When I found this place, I was stunned that there wasn’t a line around the block. It has great food, great prices, and the folks who own and run it have it going on. When I say they have it going on, I mean they have inside dining, an outdoor place to eat that is well shaded, and a drive-through. The specials are listed on chalk boards, one when you walk into the dining area and the other on the wall in the drive-through. You can dine in, take out, or eat at the picnic benches. I haven’t met the owner (at least I don’t think so), but everyone I have dealt with has been pleasant.
Everything is cooked perfectly, and you get great-tasting food. I have had their burgers and their fish and chips, but I have fallen in love with the catfish nuggets coupled with their homemade onion rings. Wonderful. The catfish nuggets are hot, creamy, and crisp. I love their homemade tartar sauce, too. It has a little bite to it. They will not confirm my guess, but I think they add a little horseradish. Anyway, it is great.
Kirsten likes their crispy fried chicken sandwich. After eating Kirsten’s leftovers, I agree it is good. It is served on a sesame seed bun with their homemade special sauce, cold lettuce and tomato, plus big kosher pickles. She orders onion rings, too, as a side.
The last time I was there, in the middle of July, I ordered one of their breaded shrimp tacos. It was dynamite, too — a freshly grilled street f lour tortilla with three huge shrimp deep-fried with a creamy hot and spicy siracha sauce. Good stuff is being served at this joint.
Mill Creek Fish ’N Chips, 1760 East Main Street, Quincy. Phone: (530) 283-0312. Open Tuesday to Friday, 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Saturday to 8:00 p.m.
The Courthouse Café, Susanville
If you imagine someplace called the Courthouse Café, you’d figure it probably is near a courthouse, but in Susanville, the Courthouse Café isn’t anywhere near the courthouse. In fact, it is an old (remodeled) Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant that serves better food than the Colonel ever did.
I have been there only for breakfast, but I have heard that the café has great lunches, too. The last time I was there was on my way back from Modoc County. I parked my truck and travel trailer in the lot on the other side of the street, hustled across Highway 36, and landed myself on the only stool left at the counter. I asked the waitress if the country gravy is good, and the guy sitting next to me, without looking up from his phone, said “Yes!” I told the waitress I would have the chicken fried steak and eggs with a side of biscuits and gravy. The guy sitting next to me said, “Good choice.”
While I was waiting for my breakfast, his came — it was chicken fried steak and looked delicious. When mine was in front of me, I was in heaven: crispy fried steak with creamy hot sausage gravy that even your grandmother would love. Everything was good. I was stuffed. The biscuit was huge, moist, and heavy, split in two with gravy poured on it so you could see only some of the edges. What can I say, it was great!
The Courthouse Café, 2455 Main Street,Susanville.Phone:(530)257-0923; Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/thecourthousecafesusanvilleca. Open seven daysa week, 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
The Frosty Mill, Susanville
The Frosty Mill is located off the main drag in Susanville, and it’s mostly locals who know about it. The only reason I was clued in was because a correctional officer who worked at the High Desert State Prison told me and one of my old partners about it many moons ago, when I transported prisoners for the sheriff ’s office where I worked.
It is the kind of place where people go to have a great meal and relax. Every time I go there, folks are just sitting around sucking on milkshakes and talking about the weather, fishing, farming, and everything else that community folks talk about. On our most recent visit, Kirsten and I ordered takeout for our drive back to Lake Almanor. We ate our burgers in the truck while driving, but you really need to sit down and enjoy their food and the vibe.
Kirsten and I usually order the same burger. We get the cheeseburger deluxe and add bacon to it. I usually get pepperjack cheese on it, and Kirsten gets cheddar. This burger meets my burger standards: a fresh bun, and everything that is supposed to be hot is hot, and everything that supposed to be cold is ice cold. We usually couple our burger with a side of onion rings and one of fries and share. Last time, we got two sides of onion rings and one side of fries because Kirsten and I will argue for the last ring — sometimes there is an odd number in the bag. By ordering two sides of rings, we are both happy. She usually gets a banana vanilla shake and I get an ice-cold Coke. It’s a great place with really reasonable prices.
The Frosty Mill, 605 Ash Street, Susanville. Phone: (530) 257-5894; Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/pages/FrostyMill/113528755343267?ref=br_rs. Open Monday to Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Sunday to 5:30 p.m.
Red Hut Pizza, Susanville
Red Hut Pizza in Susanville isn’t much to look at from the outside, but inside, these folks are making some great pizza. This is another place that a friend told me about seven or eight years ago. He actually told me, “Don’t judge the pizza by the cover.” I didn’t, and am so glad that I didn’t.
The cool aspect of this pizza joint is that everything is made fresh, and they offer a wide range of options. You can get a 22-inch pie or just a slice. They cater to the local high school kids, working folks, and families throughout the day. This place is packed during the lunch hour, so I always try to get my little slice of heaven before or after. Every selection I have had has been great. My favorite pizza is the pizza Margherita: homemade red pizza sauce, basil leaves, crushed tomatoes, three cheeses with fresh mozzarella rounds, and a dash of sea salt, all on a thick crust. Kirsten’s favorite, and a pizza I am beginning to fall in love with, too, is the garlic chicken. Their homemade white garlic sauce is to die for. I ask them for extra garlic sauce so I can dip my pizza in it. The pizza comes with three cheeses, diced roasted chicken, and red and green onions. Kirsten likes the thin crust on this pizza.
The owners are usually there working in the back making pizzas, and the staff is friendly. Who wouldn’t be friendly working in a great pizza joint?
Red Hut Pizza, 950 Main Street, Susanville. Phone: (530) 257-2525; website, www.redhutpizza.com. Open Wednesday and Sunday, 12:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., the restof the week, 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
