Big Bear Lake, California

Big Beautiful Bear Lake

After viewing some California travel videos on You Tube, I decided that I would dedicate a day to seeing the picturesque Big Bear Lake in southern California.




Words can not describe how tranquil and beautiful it is to breathe in the fresh air and absorb the pretty postcard views at the lake.

Our first stop after a three hour drive from our hotel in downtown LA was the Big Bear Mountain Brewery.



One of the first things I notice after parking the car is that there is a closed Thai eatery across the road. It's a strange thing to see, considering how big Thai food is in Sydney. Every second restaurant in Newtown is a thai restaurant!

Specials Board

The beer is brewed onsite by husband and wife team Don and Lil Wittman.

Immediately we are warmly greeted by Lil and seated. The all American bar atmosphere is comfortable and relaxing. There are plenty of colourful beer signs and quirky posters in the brewery.

There is a lady in her mid 40s, presumably a local, chugging on a beer at the bar and eyeing my partner and I with slight curiosity. As we talk to Lil, our distinct Australian accents identify us immediately as tourists.

The Octoberfest $USD 7.95
Polish sausage on a French roll topped with sauerkraut.

Not long after ordering our lunch, Lil cheerfully places the meals on the table and digs a bottle of ketchup and mustard out of her apron front pocket and places both bottles on the table.

The sandwich is good and wholesome. The sour taste of the sauerkraut compliments the polish sausage perfectly. I find myself struggling to eat more than a few of the hot chips as the sandwich was very filling (the serving sizes in America easily accommodate 2).

Original American Chocolate Brownie Sundae $USD 8.95

I could not resist trying the chocolate brownie sundae. Lashings of hot chocolate fudge on top of a freshly baked brownie with oodles of whipped cream and a glace cherry on top.

Simple and unpretentious food served up with genuine southern style hospitality.

Big Bear Beer Sampler $USD 10.90

From left to right: Old Miners Gold (German Pilsner), Orange Blossom (Amber Ale), Mt. Pub Ale (English Pale Ale), Lil Beaver (India Pale Ale), Red Ant Hill (Red Ale. Their Signature Brew) and Grizzly Bear (Doppel Bock).

The Grizzly Bear Doppel Bock tastes great with a smooth flavour packed taste.

The Mt Pub Ale had an interesting flavour. It tasted very fruity with flavours of orange and grapefruit.

The Red Ant Hill, their signature brew, was very good. It had a light flavour with a strong aftertaste, tasting of heavy hops with a hint of chocolate.

The Lil Beaver, one of their more expensive beers on the menu has a very floral odour. It has a very boutique floral aromatic flavour. A little too much tang on the tongue for my tastes.

The Old Miners Gold is a good honest beer.

The Orange Blossom Amber Ale has a potent smell of orange. It is flat, and the taste is like the orange concentrate that is slightly spritzy.

Big Bear Brewery
40260 Big Bear Blvd

Big Bear Lake

California

P: 909 866-2337

Delta Airlines - Cattle Class Meals

Delta Airlines, home of the bullet hard Gnocchi!

Chicken with gnocchi and sauteed spinach

Apologies for the delay in posting. Life has been pretty full on lately! Here is the first of many food reviews from my recent trip to the states.

Airplane food is at best tolerable. Synonymous with all the other standard meals that we are forced to eat out of pure necessity as the events in our lives unfold, such as going to hospital or even plastering a polite smile as you forcefully swallow a mouthful of your relative’s signature dish.

In my time travelling I have had the opportunity to sample the food on board Qantas and Thai airways. Qantas’ food was very standard and unseasoned although it filled a hole for the duration of my 17 hour flight. Thai airways were surprisingly decent; their food represented the western adaptation of Thai cuisine. If I was American I would hazard to name the food Tex Thai!

Their unashamedly well spiced food dances oh so closely with the demon of chilli and fussy traveller palates.

Onto my experience with Delta airlines, the experience left a lot to be desired to put it bluntly.

If gnocchi was cooked like steak, this would have been the well done version of it. Chewing into a flavourless starchy hard bullet of potato mess I wonder if a trip to the dentist is included after the meal.

The chicken was overcooked and very dry. The tomato based sauce was flavourless, although the sauteed spinach was passable.

Breakfast Omelet with Sausage

The omelet was flavourless. The eggs had a strange consistency, it wasn't like eating normal eggs. It had an almost uniform consistency with every bite that I took. I suspect they used powered eggs, or added some padding to the mixture to save money. I didn't try the sausage and instead choose to eat the croissant with jam, which was reminiscent of the type of ready made croissants that you can buy from Woolworths.