Whoa Nellie Deli

[Carolyn Tillie]

Some recent travels brought me through Yosemite en route to June Lake. Just east of the Yosemite on the corner of the 395 and 120 is a small crossroads of civilization, Whoa Nellie Deli at the Mobil gas station.

Several in the town of June Lake informed us that this was must-dining. So while it was still a bit of a drive away from where we were staying, we headed down to road:

I was certainly surprised when, in fact, we found there was a restaurant called Mobil Restaurant.

Upon arrival, one could see that seating would not be a problem:

We were very fortunate as there was a French wine tasting being held that evening:

The daily specials and full menu are posted above the order counter:

I had a chance to chat with chef, Matt Twoomey, the master and man behind the evening's joy:

We started with a seared Ahi steak, served with a seaweed salad. This was a pretty hefty starter and would have been a great dinner for me alone. Great quality fish and perfectly seasoned soy-based sauce:

"K" ordered an herb-crusted pork served with an apricot/berry glaze:

I opted for the venison, crusted with shallots and nuts, served with a red-wine glaze:

As you can see, both entrees were served with fresh asparagus and mashed potatoes. What I did not photograph were our two desserts, a six-layer carrot cake which blew me away and a fresh cheesecake served with a fresh berry sauce.

It is hard to describe the absolute glee that was experienced throughout the entire dinner. Of course much of it had to do with the location - one never expects to find exceptional food offerings at a gas station. The existence of a Sunday-night wine tasting certainly helped. Technically, the deli is known as "Whoa Nellie Deli" but everyone in town calls it the Mobil restaurant. Chef Twoomey admitted that there are things he would love to experiment with, but has obvious limitations due to the gas station's kitchen. Both meat dishes were amazingly prepared and of obvious high quality. The sauces were sensible and well-balanced. One can see that they were opulent in size and we were hard-pressed to finish our meals. Overall, this had to be one of the most memorable meals I have ever experienced and gives me good reason to head back to the area.

On a follow-up note, we had to drive by the following morning and I stopped for a smoked trout bagel. Another stunner, the fresh bagel had a pesto-based smoked trout spread accompanied a large slice of smoked trout, capers, tomato, and red onion. Amazing.