Susanville, CA

[melly]

We will be spending the night there next Friday. Are there any decent places to eat there..or near there?!

[melly]

We did find a very nice place to eat in Susanville, CA. The Sage Hen Restaurant in front of the High Country Inn on Main Street. The owner/chef grew up in France and learned to cook there. He fell in love with a woman from Susanville and ended up moving there. His name is Serge Marchale. They get their beef from 5 Dot...a great purveyor. Our beef was cooked to perfection, the lentil soup was divine, and our salads of heirloom tomatoes/fresh moz.cheese/olive oil was refreshing. Our breakfast the next morning was delicious..although they were skimpy on the perfectly cooked hash browns.

[janetofreno]

Hey, thanks for the tip! DH will be back in Susanville next week on business and says he'll check it out!

[BN1]

As you probably know, the 5 Dot Ranch is located just north of town. I’ve been treated to fishing in their private trout lake on several occasions. I guess the Sage Hen Restaurant is trying to feature local products, which is nice.

[SteveTimko]

I stopped by Sage Hen on Saturday night. They had no specials but instead featured a buffet. I tried that. Wasn't the best chance for him to show his stuff. It was okay, but nothing special. Probably better than Black Bear Diner. I'd like to try it again.

[janetofreno]

The Mexican place on the main drag is decent if not great. And going there fits my rule of eating in rural California: When in doubt in a small town, go for a Mexican place that seems popular with the locals....

[melly]

Thanks. We'll go Mexican.

BTW...we are visiting our son at one of the prisons there. We won't be able to test the mess hall food...but I'll let you know how the vending machine food is.

[alanbarnes]

Oh, my. The few times I've been there, Susanville really appeared to be a bit of a wasteland.

You can get way too much mediocre food for cheap at the Black Bear Diner. Avoid Champion Steakhouse. I guess when the mess hall at the maximum-security pen is your main competition, the bar isn't set too high.

Hopefully somebody can share a hidden gem. Not me. Good luck.