After crossing the Mojave Desert on I-40 and US-58, it feels like we are well off of the beaten track. We ended up in Ridgecrest, CA at the Best Western China Lake Inn. Right across the street is Maddy’s Cottage – a comfortable place that feels very “family” on an early Tuesday evening, but offers a fine dining experience. We weren't at all concerned at sitting down to dinner dressed from the road, but at the same time, we would have been comfortable if the table next to us had been dressed much smarter.
We started with the soup of the day – tomato – our son’s favorite.
Because we had a great meal at Juicy’s just a few hours earlier, my wife and I opted for the salad menu. She had a brie salad, while I had the crab cakes and house salad. Both of the salads were OK at best, but given that the restaurant had just re-opened after a week’s vacation, we’ll let them slide on the fresh produce. The crab cakes were best described as crispy.
However, our son, who as usual has a better feel for these things than we do despite his mother and I having three decades more experience, ordered the Guinness and prune braised beef tips, and this entrée was fantastic. The beef was tender and fell apart to the touch, the gravy (or sauce if you prefer) was delicious, and the dinner sat on top of creamy and smooth mashed potatoes. Now, it is not easy to take a picture of braised beef tips in gravy and make it look good with a Droid 3 - the camera on this phone (and all smart phones IMO) is not ideal...but here it is:
Finally, we split a flourless chocolate cake that ranks among the best desserts we’d ever had, and is undoubtedly the best dessert we’ve ever eaten in the desert.
After two delicious meals today, I've got to hit the pool at the Best Western China Lake Inn. Comments on the hotel - A/C is barely adequate, parking is tight, but it's clean and the pool is nice, so I'm OK with it after a trip through the Mojave!
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