Best Climber Eats

I like to bring my Jetboil and have some freeze dried dinners from Mountain House. Mmm...Mmm...Good. Cliff bars also make up my diet during a climbing day.

Here they are in no particular order:

The Gunks, NY: Bacchus, Mexicali Blues (neck-sized burritos!)
Cathedral/Whitehorse Ledges, NH: Flatbread Co. (punctuated equilibrium pizza)
Red, KY: Miguel's
Adirondacks, NY: Noonmark Diner (the pie)
Rumney, NH: Bradford, VT Mini-Mart (breakfast sandwiches)
Smith Rock, OR: Deschutes Brewery (burgers and beer)
Index, WA: Index General Store, Ixtapa Mexican Rest., Zeke's (the best onion rings)
Red Rocks, NV: Baja Fresh
Smugglers' Notch, VT: Sunrise Cafe (climber owned; killer sandwiches and fresh-baked cookies daily!)

That's all I can think of right now.

Yosemite Valley - Curry Village pizza. Nothing better after a wall.

Any of you Dakkers remember the Eagle Inn around Keene Valley? Food was great and the owner/proprietress/waitress had a German accent and a better mustache than I have with 35 years of growth.

Yosemite Valley - vending machines! That's where you eat after a wall when you stumble back after everything is closed!!

so it depends on where youll be when done climbing.....

if youre in yos. valley, then probly the curry pizza deck
but if youre driving back to fresno or that direction go to the chuck chansi buffet.. Totally worth it

Tuolumne is a definite MO-MART...live music, great food,beer,hot springs......on and on.

boulder; the sun, any chipotle:) , santiagos,abos pizza, walnut brewery......

Tahoe: the sushi place by the carrows closest to the casinos.(still in cali) tied for the best sushi ive ever had no bullshit
the other for best sushi would be Sonodas in downtown Denver. SUPERB

Whitney area: the whitney portal store for sure.

Thers also a place in the town where onion valley???(i think thats the name)comes out at, a french bistro, its a little pricy but by far the best, huge burger after a long day of gettin worked!!!!

After days and days of field diet in the Winds, I can't think of anything better than crushing a 1/2lb bacon cheeseburger with the obligatory milkshake at "The Sugar Shack" in Pinedale, Wyoming; it might make your arteries wheeze a bit, but good lord it's worth it.

Willy's Wings in Morrison.

Nothing like chowing down a bunch of delicious chicken wings after a day of climbing.

My campsite. especially while car camping.

My campsite. especially while car camping.

Of all the places I could take the time to name, the only one that really deserves mention here, because it is the ONLY place ANYWHERE nearby Indian Creek, is THE NEEDLES OUTPOST.

Tracy and Gary, the owners and operators, are two of the nicest people you will ever meet. They're originally native to Isla Vista (Santa Barbara) and I believe they were high school sweethearts from way back in the cool hippie surf days. They're friendly and laid-back every day I've visited them and happy to provide local information; they never mind climbers calling for the weather (the most accurate report you'll get.) Their prices are fair and they stock everything you forgot to bring on your climbing trip and more, including chalk! They have the books and maps of the region, gourmet State Street coffee, beer, toiletries, dry food, ice cream, camping supplies, firewood, gasoline, ICE, and much more! It’s a really cool place to go see anyway; it has a dirt landing strip and a nice porch and the walls are covered with Tracy’s astronomy photos. But what you absolutely must do is go sit at the homey little counter cafe in the back, enjoy the bottomless chips and incredible homemade salsa and have Gary serve you the infamous "$100 cheeseburger." Several times, after a day of climbing in the Creek, I would’ve happily paid $100 for their delicious ½ pound, made to order, home-burger but alas, it’s only $8.95. That’s recently gone up slightly but what, pray tell hath not? And you get to beat the heat with interesting local people and conversation. The burger tastes even better knowing that it’s the only burger for at least an hour in any direction.

Please note: Tracy and Gary have to truck in all their own water and truck out all the garbage. There’s no free water or toilet or garbage drop-off, they just can’t accommodate everyone and when you get here you’ll understand why, they exemplify the meaning of DIY or “Do It Yourself.”

Needles Outpost - a beta photo from the internet.

canyonlandsneedlesoutpost.c…

BTW: I would say that scrounging for beer and maybe pizza left behind by droves of drive-through tourons on the Curry Village deck in Yosemite in the mid-90’s with all the other hungry scavengers competing in the wings (y’all know who you are) is a close personal second for me. Great forum question!

Before the remodel, Ed's Cantina in Estes Park used to have the "No. 2" . . . 2 cheese enchiladas, a beef tostada, a taco, rice 'n' beans & salsa for something like $6.99. Still love the place, but really miss the old menu & prices from when I lived there.

For Penitente/San Luis Valley, eat breakfast or lunch at the Cash Store (cash only) in La Garita . . . can't go wrong + amazingly friendly locals.

In Gunnison, the W Cafe is still around, but you have to eat a burrito at The Blue Iguana and a wood-bowl salad + calzone (the size of a football) @ Mario's.

Rosalie's Pizza in Acadia.

Agent Chumley wrote: For Penitente/San Luis Valley, eat breakfast or lunch at the Cash Store (cash only) in La Garita . . . can't go wrong + amazingly friendly locals.

We always have a breakfast at the Cash Store when camping in Penitente. They are great local folks and my son thinks it is such a cool tradition!

City of Rocks - the Trading Post in Alma is awesome. Great food, cold beer and fresh pies for dessert.

Ahhhh salad and calzone at Mario's, my ex used to waitress there and I used to get those goodies freebie when coming back bleeding and scuffed up after an afternoon session at Hartman's.

Vegas -- Frank and Fina's on Charleston; verrazono`s pizza (no beer)
Smith -- BBC for beer, or even closer -- 7th street in Redmond
victorian cafe for breakfast-- longboard louie's for burros
jtree -- crossroads, of course
joe's valley -- star grill food is fair but percy is awesome; R
pizza
moab -- milt's; jailhouse for breakfast (touristy sometimes b/ good)
durango -- nini's; the durango diner for breakfast; absolut bakery in
mancos
bishop -- got to at least make a stop by schatt's just for the scene
spokane -- the elk
levenworth -- yeah, i will just cook
vantage -- unknown little local mexican place down a block from the
main gas station in George (don't know if it even has a name)

Allright,

I have to throw in a shameless promotion for my place of work in Estes, The Rock Inn. We do have good food, and a two for one draft beer happy hour- we've been geetting more and more climbers lately!

-Pat V

Lee Smith wrote:Any of you Dakkers remember the Eagle Inn around Keene Valley? Food was great and the owner/proprietress/waitress had a German accent and a better mustache than I have with 35 years of growth.

Lee--
I do remember that place, although it's been quite a while since its existence. The Cliffhanger Cafe was also another great spot for breakfast/lunch/dinner. Climber owned and operated replete with hexes as doorbells on the front door. Unfortunately, it's been out of business for something like 3 years now.

another vote for Willy's Wings in Morrison.

Around Boulder, I gotta say the Dark Horse for pub eats, and Walnut St Brewery for a little more upscale than that. Either place has good food and beer. Mt Sun/S. Sun are too crowded/loud/and slow to serve if you are hungry "now" and expect friedns to be able to join you.