Pity the fool who invites a foodie out on a lunch date without doing the proper recon.

Or at least come along the ride with us.

We were riding the gondola the other day with a friend from LA, on our way to the “Lookout Lunch”, a scenic gondi ride (regularly $18) that includes lunch for an additional $7, when we realized our mistake.  A good deal, for sure, eating with a foodie is like getting a tattoo—good things rarely bargain priced and research pays off.

And the Lookout lunch was something we’d never experienced first hand.

Instead we were trying to manage expectations, just in case it was, um, underwhelming. Because our friend, lets just call her Lola-Label-Reader, is a total foodie in the simplest sense: she insists on high quality, preferably organic grub that’s not genetically modified and made from ingredients that non-chemists can pronounce.

So we blathered on about how great the view would be (“you’ll be able to see for hundreds of miles in all directions!” and tried to articulate (unsuccessfully) how awesome the top of the mountain feels during the summer time. And, last but not least, we emphasized the importance of using the proper staircase to descend to the summit from the gondola – one is for mountain bikers who ride down the steps and the other is for hikers and sightseers.

It was all for naught. She wasn’t listening, choosing to take a gander at the perpetually changing 360 degrees views instead.

When we got to the top, we popped over to the summit instead of straight into the Top of the Sierra Café. Popping down the proper staircase, the views we had promised spoke their own piece.

And the other visitors said more than we ever could without saying anything at all. There was one couple with a black lab and the pup couldn’t have been happier to be in the snow and the sun. This pup communicated his ecstasy by being in the midst of it—trying to submarine his nose and whole body into the white stuff.

A grandmother and her four-year-old grandson were about 20 yards in the other direction. When she asked the young boy to make a snowball, he packed his little hands with snow for a good seconds before dropping the stuff and letting out a joyful little cry when the skin-chilling effect set in.

After taking in the views for a few more minutes, we went in for our lunch. More difficult than choosing what to eat was choosing where to sit because all of the views were stunning.
After much deliberation we found one that overlooked the switchback-heavy mountain bike trail “Off the Top”, the south fork of the San Joaquin drainage and the Bloody Mountain, Mount Morrison and the  Silver Divide before popping into see the Sergio, the manager of the Top of the Sierra Café, who also helps most customers.
He told us a little more about the Lookout Lunch and its three options: hot sandwich with a side salad; soup & salad or the special of the day. We went with a special of the day (tuna salad sandwich with a fruit salad) and the veggie wrap complete with penne pasta w/basil side salad.

We tag teamed the first few bites, trying everything and I was impressed: everything was simple, straightforward and fresh. But I didn’t say anything, just waited for Lola’s verdict, who simply said, “This is really good.”

We smiled and ate in silence, which was broken by a young child talking to his mother as they walked by saying, “This is way better than Big Bear! This is way better than Palm Springs [and their aerial tramway]!”

I think Lola agreed. But when we got outside we felt a different sort of pity—that we didn’t leave enough time to hike off the top.

The Lookout Lunch includes a gondola ride and costs $25. Buy tickets at the Adventure Center that’s across from Main Lodge. And if you have extra time, be sure to stop at the half-way point, McCoy Station and/or poke around at the top. There are hikes from both locations.

Another view from the Top of Sierra Cafe.