Although I took a hiatus from blogging this spring, I still
continued to enjoy beer exploration when I could. In the fall and early spring,
I spend many weekends in the various deserts of Southern California. My
boyfriend and I love to go camping with friends and family and ride our dirt
toys (motorcycles and side-by-sides) to our hearts’ content. Yes, many of the
places we camp are remote, so our beer selection is limited to what we decide
to bring for that trip. In few spots, however, there are some hidden
word-of-mouth places where you can find some fantastic food and a cold brew
that will quench your desert thirst.
One such place of note is the White House Saloon in the
living ghost town of Randsburg, California. Randsburg is set off the west side
of Highway 395 near Ridgecrest. It’s a tiny little town in a popular camping
and OHV area with a rich mining history. Downtown Randsburg is comprised of a
small road with a few old buildings on each side. With the late 1800’s feel,
you’ll definitely feel like you’re in the old west!
The local spot is the White House Saloon, and yes it looks
and feels authentic, like a gun fight might break out at any moment! (Just
kidding……well, kinda) The “staff” as you would call them, are very much locals.
They have that small-town vibe, not too stand-offish, but not overly friendly.
Just the way a ghost town saloon should be!
Time-period and random decor is scattered along the walls.
We spent a lot of time observing all of the trinkets and sun stuff displayed on
the shelves. One shelf in particular was full of old beer cans, most of them
I’ve never even heard of. Still very cool, regardless!
There was only one beer that had to be tried during my
visit: the Mojave Red on tap at the bar. It’s the beer this tiny place is known
for, and it was a damn good red! To tell you the truth, I’m not exactly sure if
the locals brew it, or if they get it from an outside brewer. It’s really not
the kind of thing you ask when you’re a tourist in the Wild West, so I just
smiled and enjoyed my beer without pestering the bartender with questions.
The food was pretty standard for bar food, and it seemed
like they had limited ingredients and kitchen space. There was even a sign
above the bar that said “No Custom Orders.” It may as well have just said “Just
Eat it and Shut Up!” Not a problem for me, I’m far from a picky eater. The
cheese burger I ordered was very satisfying, nothing spectacular, but when
you’ve been riding all day in the heat everything tastes pretty good. I did
think that the hand-battered onion rings were excellent – we ended up getting
two orders J
There’s probably a one in a thousand chance that you’ll ever
end up in the tiny little town of Randsburg. If you do, you’d be doing yourself
a disservice of not stopping by the White House Saloon for some grub and a cold
one. Yeeehaaw!
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