The Outpost — Restaurant in California

For many years, long before it was called the outpost, I've enjoyed outdoor lunch at the bottom of Chair 14. Very relaxing and laid back, it is a great place for a rest and to soak up some sun while taking a break from the skiing. A warm sunny day and low wind is a must as there is no wind break or inside seating. There are ample and clean restrooms available, and like all places in Mammoth free water. They've added a take out bar and the take out food stop keeps changing the name, it is currently called the Melt House, but the food is always good. You can bring your own food and drinks and just relax at the picnic tables. I've never seen it so crowded that you couldn't find somewhere to sit, and most people don't mind sharing their table with you. The have added a fire place in the last couple of years but that is usually crowded. Since it is far away from the Main Lodge, it is rarely crowded and it does feel like you are getting away...

The grilled cheese sandwiches are premade. We got the jack cheese one and the provolone one. The jack cheese sandwich was decent, and at least the cheese was melty. The provolone sandwich was completely un-melted and way over-flavored. The tomato soup was basically from a can and totally unremarkable. This would all be ok, if the pricing matched the quality.

We ended up paying $40 for two sandwiches and two soups. Absolutely insane pricing. Do yourself a favor and go to McCoy station instead. It's about two lifts away and worth the trek.

This used to be a chili dog place, what...

Gotten much, much nicer in recent years than it was before. Now there's an outdoor bar, two semi-outdoor fireplaces, and it seems like a lot more seating.

The grilled cheese variety isn't bad, but none of them impressed me. And the accompanying soups, while classics, also failed to rise to the occasion.

It is a ski resort, on the backside, so the fact that it's this good is a plus; but the fact that it's not actually very good in reality tempers...