Feast Your Eyes On This!
This sandwich is the result of an incredible culinary collaboration in one of the most unusual places for fine dining you can imagine!
I was reminded of this incredible culinary adventure in the desert near Joshua Tree, California when they shared a photo of a dusting of snow: reminding me of the meal we had at La Copine!
This was shared on Instagram as well…they really are getting some snow there – let me show you where this deliciously inventive restaurant is located!
My journey to Joshua Tree began when Bon Appetit magazine ran a story titled: “This Diner Is a Queer Oasis in the California Desert”, and reported:
“Claire Wadsworth and Nikki Hill — partners in life and business — decided to open their restaurant, La Copine. Located on the vividly named Old Woman Springs Road, La Copine seats just 42 and feels like a gussied-up roadside diner. For a queer visitor to the desert, walking through the door feels like stumbling upon a gay, matriarchal oasis. The staff is largely female or gender nonconforming, and everyone seems delighted that you’ve decided to stop by, even when the wait list is twelve deep. The positive vibes, as they say in Joshua Tree, are strong. Add to that Hill’s food—architecturally craggy fried chicken, flattop-blistered green beans showered with mint and dill, a brownie masquerading as chocolate almond cake—and it’s no surprise that customers can expect to wait two hours on the weekends.”
So of course, my wife Alex and I had to go!
We had to eat here, so it was time for a road trip! Southern California was in the midst of a “super bloom”, incredible displays of nature in various parts of the state, including the Joshua Tree National Park – here is a photo Alex took:
The other research Alex had done involved great places to eat near Joshua Tree, and she found La Copine – so we had to find it!
Highway 62 takes you from California’s Interstate 10 freeway toward Joshua Tree, in the Yucca Valley – and you see a LOT of Joshua trees – but to get to La Copine, you take a detour on “Old Woman Springs Road” – yes, that’s the name, and here is what it looks like:
As you can see, you don’t just drive by this place on your way to somewhere else, you have to seek it out!
When we went, the restaurant didn’t open until 2p – BUT they had a “sign up” sheet on the porch they put out at 1p, which also houses an outdoor bar – which began serving early arrivals – like us – at 1:30p…
We ended up being the first ones on the list, which is important to note because, when they opened the doors at 2p, the list was already 25 tables long!
Once seated, I took these shots of customers getting drinks while waiting to be seated – a fun festive atmosphere for all!
The interior of the restaurant is clean, with lots of fun pop culture touches as well:
Time To Dig In!
We did some research and were aware of some of the classic dishes offered, but the menu is always changing, so we were ready for anything!
Here are the three dishes we tried:
CITRUS AND BEETS $14
baby lettuce, tangerine, cara cara, fennel, beets, avocado, currants, sunflower seeds, poblano-lime vinaigrette
Alex ordered this salad to share, and it was a delicious melange of ingredients, and very filling.
Arriving at the table next was our shared dish:
PAPAS A LA PLANCHA $9
duck fat potatoes, rosemary, lemon aioli, chives
Yes, potatoes cooked in duck fat and rosemary, topped with chives and lemon agile – rich, decadent, and delicious!
Again, the dish was rich and filling, so luckily we shared the final dish as well…because as you are about to see, my dish was huge as well!
Behold The Bahn Mi!
I had thought about their legendary chicken dish, but decided to go for something “lighter” – ha!
My main course was this incredible sandwich!
BÁNH MÌ $18
five spice pork belly, pickled carrot & daikon, green papaya, napa cabbage, tamari, sambal-yuzu mayo, herbs, baguette
Read those ingredients and imagine if they were combined in just the perfect manner – because that’s what I bit into…a delicious,. juicy, spicy, flavorful mouthful of food!
The sandwich was incredible, but also very filling – and by the time we finished these three dishes, we were stuffed! Oh, the restaurant kept things moving at a nice clip: no rush, but efficient and really friendly…you could tell they have a fun, relaxed vibe that makes it easy to hang outside and have a drink while waiting…
We loved La Copine, and are so excited about the press that Wadsworth and Hill are getting for this restaurant gem, which is indeed an “oasis in the desert”…and as we left, a large crowd had gathered to enjoy some wine outside while waiting for their meal…
The restaurant is just over two hours east of Los Angeles. We were able to go to La Copine restaurant because we were headed to Joshua Tree National Park to see the incredible natural beauty there:
This national park is incredible…check out some video:
You can see more pictures and video here:
Bravo to Claire Wadsworth and Nikki Hill for the success of La Copine – we can’t wait to go back for more of this!
You never know where you will find a gem of a restaurant when driving through the countryside, like we did when we were in the “Costa Brava”, Spain’s wild coast!
That’s the scenery behind Alex as she returned a call, and that road led us to this very traditional Paella:
It was so good I had to make it at home – click here for the story and the recipe!
We had another magical food adventure in Athens: not by driving off the beaten path, but by traveling to our restaurant in this!
We wanted to eat at the top of Athens, so we took a funicular! Here’s what was waiting for us:
The food was incredible and as for the view? Click here for more of the stunning scenery below:
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Categories: Alcohol And Bars, Bite Eat Swallow, Bite! Eat! Repeat!, Eat This!, Fine Dining, Food, Food Travel, Restaurants, Travel, Wacky Food, World's Wildest Food
Bite! Eat! Repeat! 
That is some good looking food!
Yes, they have creative a terrific restaurant literally in the middle of nowhere! Thanks for the comment!
What a fun time! I want those potatoes…
HA! I could say that about EVERY potato dish I see! Thanks for the comment!
that is such an unexpected location, indeed! the food looks great and if i ever make it to joshua tree, i’ll eat there
The area is absolutely worth a visit – incredible national park…spring and fall only as summer soars above 100 degrees every single day
Looks fantastic
It was and just 90 minutes east of Los Angeles…the national park is incredible and the food worth the trip – thanks for reading!
Belly pork is my favourite. I would love to eat there, John.
Best wishes, Pete.
Pete, I’m trying to combine some of our travels with the food we’ve eaten – and this place, while seemingly in the middle of nowhere, is always packed because word got out! We loved it and totally worth the trip – thanks for the comment and for sharing!
HI John, what an interesting discovery. The food looks great and the restaurant fun and different. It reminds me of a restaurant we went to on Skye. It was a Vegan restaurant called The Red Door. It was in the middle of nowhere surrounded by heather and sheet but the food was outstanding and the decor fascinating.
I admire anyone trying to build a business in an out-of-the-way location…you really need great word of mouth and passionate locals and this place has both – a great way to end a day after a fun hike – NOT in the summer however where it gets over 120 degrees out there!
👍🏻💓
A fantastic vibe and absolutely deliciously inventive cuisine…brabo to them!