The Foraging Angler: Yosemite

Illustrations by Ben Engle

I often get emails with readers sharing their favorite places to eat. One such person, Mark, raved about Gillman’s and I have to agree with him—it’s awesome. I first stopped at Gillman’s when Kirsten and I were dating back in 1995. We were on a camping trip with a group of broke and starving college kids, and Kirsten and I visited Gillman’s whenever we had a chance.

The last time I was at Gillman’s, I was driving to Modesto to give a presentation to the Stanislaus Fly Fishers, and made a detour to Oakdale for one of their burgers. It never disappoints. Friendly staff and great food. I am a creature of habit and usually order the Fat Boy burger. It’s a double-patty burger (two quarter-pound patties) on a bun with everything—mustard, relish, chopped onions, ketchup, lettuce, and mayo. Everything listed as hot is hot, and everything listed as cold is ice-cold—an excellent burger with fries. 

On this last visit, I told myself to try something new. You know how it is—the older you get, the more the doctors are telling you, ‘Whoa, you’re turbo—get something good for you.’ So, I ordered the ranch burger, which isn’t a double-patty burger. It has one patty that’s a respectable 1/3 of a pound, with the same condiments as the Fat Boy, and it comes with unsalted fries. That’s right, no salt. I dipped them in ketchup as usual, and the unsalted fries still tasted the same. I call that a win!

Excellent burgers —probably in my top 10 burger spots, maybe even the top five! 

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SILVER LAKE RESORT – $$
6957 Highway 158
June Lake, CA 93529
760-648-7525
Open every day in the season from 7 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Owner The Jones family

Silver Lake Resort is located a few miles west of June Lake. We discovered this place about five years ago during a spontaneous trip to the Eastern Sierra to fish and explore. When we reached Bridgeport, we couldn’t find a hotel. As we drove south on Highway 395, Kirsten was searching for a place to stay on her phone. It started thunderstorming, then hailing, when Kirsten said, “I found a room at Silver Lake Resort.” Thirty minutes later, the thunderstorm subsided, and we pulled into the resort, where a man in the parking lot was cleaning up branches blown down by the storm. He looked at us and said, “You must be the Grays.” “Yes, sir,” I replied. It was one of the Jones boys, a son of the owners, and he and the rest of the staff were fantastic. We visit the place every time we are in that area.

The café offers breakfast and lunch, and we’ve eaten there many times. Everything is consistently good. Their burgers meet my standards: Everything that should be hot is, and everything that should be cold is. They have a very diverse menu—ranging from veggie burgers to gluten-free options and more. As a family-owned resort, I expect them to go above and beyond. The last time Kirsten and I dined at the resort, we had lunch. I ordered the Prospector’s Delight. It was a cold, bluebird day in the 50s, and I wanted something hot. This fit the bill. It features a large beef patty cooked to our specifications (medium rare), topped with the resort’s homemade chili, cheese, and diced onions. Wow, baby, it was good. Kirsten had the Silver Lake Bacon Grilled Chicken Sandwich. She said it was spot on, and I agree. The next day, I had the same sandwich for lunch by the water. It’s a grilled chicken breast with three thick applewood bacon strips, on a toasted roll with mayonnaise, sprouts, lettuce, and tomato (I pulled the sprouts off—yuck!).

Their food is delicious and gives you energy for fishing, hiking, or boating! 

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The Whoa Nellie Deli is just off Highway 120 on the east side of the Yosemite Park entrance. The deli is much more than a deli; it is a breakfast, lunch, and dinner joint that serves all kinds of food—from fish tacos to ham and eggs to grilled pork chop dinners. It is a Swiss Army knife of delis, and it is excellent. 

My friend Tracey recommended the deli to Kirsten and me, and I have to admit we were skeptical. But since our first visit to Whoa Nellie, it has become a spot we look forward to stopping at for a meal. During our first visit, we ordered breakfast. I had the usual two eggs with sausage, their homemade potatoes, and sourdough bread. I received two eggs, four large sausages, and a big scoop of potatoes. The sourdough bread was thick and toasted perfectly. Kisten had the same breakfast without the sausage, but with bacon instead. Four thick slices of bacon cooked perfectly. It was a great meal.

The last time we ate there, we stayed overnight in Bridgeport and made the short drive to the deli. I had the Wild Buffalo Meatloaf, and Kirsten had the Ahi Sashimi. Yes, you read that right. All in a gas station “deli.” The meatloaf was served with creamy garlic mashed potatoes and fresh seasonal vegetables, baby carrots, and green beans. The Ahi looked terrific, and Kirsten finished it all. It is lightly seasoned and seared to perfection, served with seaweed salad and sushi rice. 

This place is rocking! 

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This little joint is a place we found by chance. We were exploring Pine Mountain Lake and had just finished fishing and grilling with friends. On our way back to the valley, Kirsten said she was still hungry, especially for Mexican food. I looked at her like she was crazy, and we kept driving. Then we came across the Cocina in Groveland. 

I found a place to park, and we went inside. The staff was friendly, and we sat way in the back, which was fine with us. We got chips and salsa and started browsing the menu. I wasn’t very hungry; I ate a ton of ribs at the BBQ, but as a perfect husband, I didn’t want Kirsten to eat alone. I ordered the enchilada plate, and she had three tacos. They were fantastic. Keep in mind, this was 25 years ago.

Since then, we have visited several times, and it’s always wonderful. The last trip was last year when we traveled from Crowley Lake back into the Valley through Yosemite. Kirsten and I always enjoy driving through the park, stopping to admire the scenic views. This time, I brought creek rods to fish with, but we didn’t end up fishing; instead, we stopped at different spots to hike and explore. We needed to work off the fantastic breakfast we had at Whoa Nellie Deli that morning.

We stopped in Groveland at the Cocina. It was Friday night, and it was busy. They greeted us like old friends and seated us quickly. I was hungry and thirsty. The chips and salsa arrived. I ordered a margarita on the rocks with no salt. Kirsten ordered her iced tea. She was planning to drive us home to Willows that evening. We ordered the molcajete for two. It’s fantastic. It’s a stew with beef, chicken, pork, and shrimp in a poblano sauce. All of their sauces are made from scratch, in-house. The molcajete is served with Oaxaca nopales, cotija cheese, sautéed onions, cilantro, and cheese, topped with limes and jalapeños, and Spanish rice and refried beans on the side. Wow, what a meal. We were so stuffed that we went to the Groveland Hotel and got a room for the night!

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