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The Mono Inn is also an Ansel Adams Gallery!
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Located in the Eastern Sierra Mountains
the Inn provides good food, a great view over the lake and a
marvelous gallery of Ansel Adams original prints.
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Peter and Linda D'Aprix Nov. 2005
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The warm and charming Sarah Adams welcomed us to her very pleasant and delightful restaurant “The Mono Inn” at Mono Lake. The unusual and ever changing light over this high desert environment provides the diner with a spectacular show especially at sunset enhanced further if there are clouds in the sky to capture the colors of the dying sun. You dine overlooking the ancient sea of Mono Lake, its islands, and range of volcanic craters
Before dinner Sarah, granddaughter of the late Ansel Adams, shares with us some of the history of the Inn (it was established in 1922 by Wallis and Venita McPhearson) and give us a tour of the gallery where fine original prints, crafts and books are on display and available for sale. The highlight of the gallery is many original works of Ansel Adams giving us once again a taste of the artistry and sense of light that this master photographer achieved.
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Lobster and vegetable soup
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Owner Sarah Adams (in red) with regulars Barry and Denise McPherson, descendents of the original creators of the Inn.
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The dining room with the plate glass windows that over look Mono Lake.
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The front entrance to The Mono Inn at dusk.
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Click on the "zoom+" to see larger version.
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© 2005 photos Peter D'Aprix
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While meals are served for small group in the Gallery which is at street level with a fabulous view of the lake, the next floor down is the main restaurant and bar where we were seated at a perfect window table allowing us to enjoy the beauty of the evening and a drink before dinner from the fine selection of beers, wines and champagnes.
The decor is woody and rustic and very cozy and comfortable. Usually a piano player entertains. Sometimes there is a vocalist as well.
My starter of lobster and vegetable soup was lovely and my husband’s pheasant and game sausage with red cabbage was excellent. He enjoyed a tender lamb shank with garlic mashed potatoes and fresh asparagus. My Muscovy duck was a touch over done but tasty. A seasonal fruit crisp lemon and blueberry with a scoop of vanilla ice cream made a refreshing dessert for me while Peter enjoyed his bourbon pecan pie accompanied by a mountain of whipped cream.
Sarah Adams is only open from May 15 to October 31 each year, so her chef often changes every few years. While she gives each chef latitude, it is with the boundaries of recipes that she knows her clientele likes. So your meals may well differ from ours but will probably remain at about the same level of competence.
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The Seared Muscovy Duck Breast.
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Pecan Pie with a mountain of whipped cream.
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Grilled Pheasant and Herb Sausage on Red Cabbage.
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A lemon and blueberry fruit crisp with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
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Other choices we could have had ranged from starter of Smoked Wild Salmon with cured Grappa and sliced black Truffles with blue cheese cream sauce, capers, red onions and crackers; a variety of salads from a Caesar to a pan fried Goat Cheese salad with Granny Smith apples and a roasted apple walnut thyme dressing; several pasta dishes; Grilled Atlantic salmon filet, Roasted Free Range Chicken Breast with fresh Sage, Grilled Quail with roasted garlic and fresh thyme Foie Gras butter, Organic Veal Short Ribs, Pork Loin Chops, Bison Osso Buco and always a selection of steaks. Desserts vary daily. For their up-to-date full menu, click here.
The prices are reasonable and the food good. We saw many regulars which says a lot for a restaurant and creates a warm and convivial atmosphere.
The Inn at Mono Lake is an easy drive from Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes and is a peaceful and different place to dine.
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The Mono Inn with the sun still shining on the lake but the Inn is in the shade of the mountains.
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But in addition to the restaurant, the gallery of Ansel Adams prints and those by other excellent photographers is also worth the visit. Sarah Adams holds frequent seminars with well known and very interesting speakers, sometimes classes are also held. Click here for a link to the list of Special events at the Mono Inn.
How to get there:
The Mono Inn is located in the pristine Mono Scenic Basin on the eastern slope of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains. From the northwest corner of Mono Lake, the Mono Inn takes in dynamic views of the Lake, the Mono Craters, and the White Mountains. The Mono Inn lies within a 30 mile radius of Yosemite National Park, Mammoth Lakes, June Lake, Bodie State Park, and is a two and a half hour drive south of Reno, Nevada.
From Los Angeles, CA
Take State Highway 14 or I-15 north to U.S. 395, and follow Hwy 395 to Lee Vining, about 65 miles north of Bishop.
From the San Francisco Bay Area
Go east to State Highway 120, and follow it through Yosemite National Park over Tioga Pass to the junction of Hwy 395 at Lee Vining. (Summer Only) When Tioga Pass is closed (usually Nov.-May, call 1-800-GAS-ROAD for current conditions), take State Highway 88 over Carson Pass to Minden, NV, then follow Hwy 395 south for about 2 hours to Lee Vining (25 miles south of Bridgeport).
From Sacramento, CA
Take U.S. 50 east to U.S. 395 in Nevada (in summer, 50E to 89S to 395S), and follow Hwy 395 south to Lee Vining (25 miles south of Bridgeport).
From Reno, NV
Take Highway 395 south for about 2.5 hours to Lee Vining, 25 miles south of Bridgeport.
From Las Vegas, NV
Take U.S. Highway 95 north to Tonopah, NV, then follow U.S. Highway 6 west to Benton, CA. Take Hwy 120 west from Benton to U.S. Hwy 395, then follow Hwy 395 about 4miles north to Lee Vining.
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