After spending 25 years in advertising 和 corporate event production, Cristi Quesada-Costa's latest endeavor has brought her back to her roots. 的所有者 Dos Alas古巴咖啡馆 正在做古巴三明治, 玉米粉圆饼诺拉, 红烧黑豆, 和 sweet plantains for visitors 和 locals in 庞大的湖泊.
“我来自一个吃货家庭，”她说. “我是吃着美味的食物长大的. 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. “如果你不那么饿的话, then you should order the Cubano s和wich, 哪个是用自制的烤火腿做馅的, 烤蒜香猪肉, 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 湖盆手推车 和 ride the shuttle up to Horseshoe Lake,” she says. “Then they can ride their bikes back to The Village at Mammoth on the 湖盆径.
在秋天，她把客人送到 主教 和 六月湖环路 去看秋天的颜色. 在冬天， 伍利地铁公园 和 6月山 两者都提供了充足的家庭乐趣.
“我觉得bbin游戏官网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. “bbin游戏官网有 啤酒店在保龄球馆的上面. The chef is from 法国, 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. 太美了. 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."
五个最爱
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. 我丈夫和我会开车去 六月湖环路 去看秋天的颜色. 或者是 主教 和 drive up toward Sabrina Lake, where there are so many beautiful aspen groves. 真是令人叹为观止. In fall, Mammoth's weather is perfect—it's not too hot 和 not too cold.
山啤酒: 六月湖酿造 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 湖盆手推车 和 ride the shuttle up to Horseshoe Lake. Then they can ride their bikes back to The Village at Mammoth on the 湖盆径. 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, 航天飞机使单程很容易. 它适合所有年龄的人.
魔鬼Postpile: Every visitor should get tickets for the shuttle bus to 魔鬼桩国家纪念碑. 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. 那是一个又大又漂亮的瀑布. 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. 我也喜欢带人去 莫诺湖. 那是令人叹为观止的景色. It doesn't matter what time of year or what time of day, you can always get amazing photos there. 它是如此的不寻常和美丽. We usually start at the South Tufa Area 和 walk along the shoreline past the tufa towers 和 around to Navy Beach.
