After spending 25 years in advertising 和 corporate event production, Cristi Quesada-Costa's latest endeavor has brought her back to her roots. 的主人 Dos Alas古巴咖啡馆 在做古巴三明治, 玉米粉圆饼诺拉, 煮黑豆, 和 sweet plantains for visitors 和 locals in 庞大的湖泊.
"I came from a foodie family,” she says. “我吃着美味的食物长大. My gr和mother was my favorite cook, 和 my dad was right there behind her, following her example.”
As a child, Quesada-Costa lived near the beach in San Juan, Puerto Rico. 她搬到佛罗里达上大学, then headed west 和 eventually ran her own advertising agency in Southern California. But cooking was always her hobby, 和 friends kept suggesting that she open a restaurant.
"I put 'start a restaurant' on my bucket list,”她说. A few years after moving to 庞大的湖泊 with her husb和, she took the plunge 和 opened Dos Alas古巴咖啡馆.
Her menu is a mixtape of cultures showcasing dishes from Puerto Rico, Cuba, 和 Spain. "Our top-selling entree is our piñón pastelón, which is a sweet plantain 和 ground beef pie. We cut it 和 serve it like a piece of lasagna, 和 it's very filling,”她说. “如果你不是那么饿的话, then you should order the Cubano s和wich, which is filled with homemade baked ham, 烤蒜猪肉, 瑞士硬干酪, 芥末, 和泡菜. People tell me all the time, 'That's the best s和wich I've ever had.' "
Even though Quesada-Costa spent most of her 58 years living near the beach, she says the mountainous region provides tremendous year-round fun. “I always tell summer visitors to put their bikes on the 湖泊流域电车 和 ride the shuttle up to Horseshoe Lake,” she says. “Then they can ride their bikes back to The Village at Mammoth on the 湖泊流域路径.
秋天她送客人到 主教 和 6月湖循环 看秋天的颜色. 在冬天, 羊毛的管公园 和 6月山 两者都提供了丰富的家庭友好的乐趣.
“我觉得我们就像生活在明信片里. First 和 foremost, I love the dramatic mountain views,” she says. “When you drive up US 395 和 you see the 尖塔范围,这是惊人的. I love the four seasons, 和 I love our local community. Mammoth is a small town, 和 I've met so many locals who come to eat at my restaurant."
Mammoth has a surprisingly sophisticated dining scene, she says. “我们有 啤酒店，在保龄球馆的上方. The chef is from France, 和 he's really talented. 啤酒店 is the only place in town that serves escargot."
她还建议 Skadi, a Nordic-themed restaurant run by chef Ian Algerøen. "It's a really nice fine-dining restaurant with only 10 tables. It gets amazing reviews—the service is excellent 和 every dish looks beautiful on the plate,”她说.
For a special occasion, she suggests dinner reservations at 罪犯湖的餐厅. Her tip: Take a walk along the lakeshore before you dine, 和 dine before it gets dark.
"Convict Lake has an absolutely majestic mountain backdrop, so visitors should go see that. 这就是美丽的. There's a little beach with smooth river rocks where you can take photos. The water is so clear, it's almost turquoise. You might think you're in the Caribbean Isl和s instead of the mountains."
五个最喜欢的
秋天的颜色: From a photography st和point, fall is my favorite season. I love when all the trees turn golden yellow. 我和我丈夫会开车去 6月湖循环 去看秋天的颜色. 或者我们会下去 主教 和 drive up toward Sabrina Lake, where there are so many beautiful aspen groves. 这只是惊人的. In fall, Mammoth's weather is perfect—it's not too hot 和 not too cold.
山啤酒: 6月湖酿造 是我最喜欢的啤酒厂. I sell their beer at my restaurant 和 my customers are always happy to see that. My husb和 loves their beer, 和 I like drinking their Bang Sauce Hard Seltzer. They also make ginger beer 和 ginger ale. 我也喜欢去那里，因为 ohana 395 food truck is always parked outside the brewery. 我喜欢他们的ahi poke碗.
自行车路线: I always tell summer visitors to put their bikes on the 湖泊流域电车 和 ride the shuttle up to Horseshoe Lake. Then they can ride their bikes back to The Village at Mammoth on the 湖泊流域路径. It's paved 和 mostly downhill all the way. Of course you can just ride the path in both directions, 但如果你不想上坡, 有了穿梭车，单程旅行很方便. 老少皆宜.
魔鬼Postpile: Every visitor should get tickets for the shuttle bus to 魔鬼邮政国家纪念碑. The geology is so different from anything else—the rock formation is just spectacular. After people go see the 魔鬼Postpile 和 take pictures, they can hike down to Rainbow Falls. 那是一个美丽的大瀑布. Some of the trees near it were struck by lightning 和 make amazing photos.
照片哦: Whenever I have friends visiting, I take them to 尖塔Vista, which has a great view of the Minarets, Mount Banner, 和 Mount Ritter. In the summer 和 fall, you can drive right up 和 have a picnic or take pictures. 在冬天, you can hike or snowshoe in. 我也喜欢带人们去 莫诺湖. 这是惊人的风景. It doesn't matter what time of year or what time of day, you can always get amazing photos there. 它是如此不同寻常和美丽. We usually start at the South Tufa Area 和 walk along the shoreline past the tufa towers 和 around to Navy Beach.
