Good food and national parks aren't always discussed in the same conversation, but there are some great meals to be had in the parks.
Places such as the Metate Room at Mesa Verde National Park or the Mammoth Springs Hotel in Yellowstone National Park can compete with many fine big-city restaurants.
But there are other lodge dining rooms that, well, still have a ways to go in terms of elevating their menus.
With that understood, which restaurants and meals in, or nearby, the national parks would you recommend to your friends?
For instance, I frequently recommend the Jailhouse Cafe in Moab, Utah, for breakfast before heading off into Arches or Canyonlands national parks, the Park Cafe in St. Mary, Montana, outside Glacier National Park lives by its motto -- Pie for Strength --, and when in Bar Harbor, Maine, during visits to Acadia National Park I've had some great meals at Cafe This Way.
So, what say you? What restaurants/dining rooms in, or nearby, national parks would you speak highly of?
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We had an excellent meal in the Paradise Inn dining room on Mt Rainier - good enough that it was a special "birthday dinner out".
There's a great upscale restaurant in Kanab UT called the Rocking V. Great food, fun atmosphere, fun owners and staff. Kanab's near the North Rim, Zion and all the fabulous BLM land around Coyote Buttes and the Cockscomb. Been there many times; definitely worth a visit.
Bennett's in Gatlinburg is my favorite for barbecue, especially ribs, but Calhoun's strawberry shortcake really puts that restaurant out in front.
We had to do some fairly extensive restaurant sampling while working on our National Park Pocket Guides in 2008 and 2009. The Spotted Dog in Springdale, at the entrance to Zion, was our favorite in town—especially the local trout crusted in cumin and pumpkin seeds. In Bar Harbor, brunch at Michelle's Fine Dining (at Ivy Manor Inn) featured praline bacon, something we'd go back for in a heartbeat. The big surprise for us, though, was the variety of restaurants in Pensacola Beach, outside of Gulf Islands National Seashore. Hemingway's Island Grill had a terrifically creative menu, pairing local tropical produce with old standards (like pork chops with mango sauce and Casear salad with pineapple and coconut) for some real taste treats. And if you're headed to Fredericksburg for Civil War anniversary commemorations, you really must eat at Bistro Bethem in the old part of town. (Fredericksburg has some truly fine restaurants—way more than we had imagined.)
Join the 'regulars' at the Wild West Pizzeria in West Yellowstone...Great pizza. Also, everyone has to visit EINO's, just north of West Yellowstone, if just for the experience. I just can't imagine this fun anywhere else...at least not on the East coast...
Maybe not a meal per se, but I can't resist a bargain. If it's a hot day in Yosemite and you need something to cool down, several of the stores in Yosemite Valley sell the "It's It" ice cream confection. It comes in various forms, but the original is vanilla ice cream between two oatmeal cookies and dipped in dark chocolate.
While many things are overpriced in Yosemite stores, this one sells for about $1.
While I guess there are no 7-Elevens (that I know of) on NPS property where you might find a Slurpee, the Furnace Creek General Store in Death Valley sells Icees. Of course they're technically an inholding owned by Xanterra. It was very much needed when I was in Death Valley on a June afternoon.
"Dogpatch" is a great restaurant in Munising, Michigan, just a short drive out of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. They feature local specialities like fresh Lake Superior Whitefish and Lake Trout. I also love the Navajo tacos in the North Rim restaurant in the old lodge.
I had a wonderful Reuben sandwich at the Skyland Lodge restaurant after a hike up Little Stony Man and Stony Man trails with my son. And a great view over the valley is icing on the cake.