Savourys in Mariposa
If you find yourself staying in the Yosemite gateway town of Yosemite, and you're looking for something a step up from Happy Burger (which has the most awesome milkshakes, but I digress), consider stepping into Savourys.
In my first round of living in Mariposa 3 years ago, visited Savourys for a Valentine's Day dinner. Coming from the San Francisco Bay Area, I had relatively low expectations...expected something good. But was surprised that the food was definitely above average in taste and presentation. We tried both the scallops and steak. Both were very good, and could match some restaurants in the Bay Area with the balance of price and quality.
My most recent visit was to the new location, basically across the street from the old location. The new location is very spacious and the atmosphere is lovely. Local art scattered about the walls, dark wood. Subtle lighting and large windows. It's significantly larger than the last place, and allows for more wiggle room.
The food was still solid, though I think it was a tad better 3 years ago. I should have known, but the bacon wrapped scallops were a bit overpowering....in that the bacon overwhelmed the scallops, and the were just slightly overcooked. But the salad was very tasty, mashed potatoes creamy and yummy. Portions were good as well. I'd like to go back and try some of the other dishes. We went on a holiday night, and the restaurant was packed. I think they are still trying to work out the kinks of having a much larger restaurant, as service was very, very slow. However we weren't in a hurry, and I do think as time goes on they'll be running smoothly.
I still do think this is a best bet for the Yosemite area, as far as pretty reasonable prices, good atmosphere, and very good food. I think it could give the Mountain Room at Yosemite Lodge a solid run for its money. Find yourself in Mariposa (there's not much to do here), give Savourys a try!
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Windy
Apr 13, 2009 11:01 PM
I couldn't agree more.
Susancinsf had recommended Savoury's to us, and still we hesitated the first night. At first glance, the prices looked high (entrees over $20), it seemed too tony and elegant, and we were dressed for hiking. Fortunately the second night we sat down.
Food was excellent, service was attentive, and prices were reasonable. After days of burgers and Mexican combos, I was craving vegetables.
The special of the night was New Zealand grouper, served with asparagus and oven-roasted potatoes for $21. This included soup (the odd sausage and chick pea, which the woman at the next table raved about) or salad, which we both chose. Everything on my plate was perfect. My dining companion chose the Easter plate with ham, gratin potatoes, and string beans with bacon (which I stole a few of).
Fine wine list with many local and other interesting choices. I was fighting a cold, and the kitchen kindly found a honey bear to go with my pot of tea. Desserts for $5 were very tempting especially the chocolate toffee torte, but they will have to wait until next time.
The ambiance is a bit problematic, I think. A little too modern and spare, where a carpet and a little color would warm up the feel. But service more than made up for this, as did the food. $60 for a delicious dinner for two, including a beer and generous tip. We'd have spent that much for one at the Easter brunch at the Ahwahnee.
I was also curious about the other meals, after a long wait for a not especially good or cheap breakfast over at the Happy Burger diner. Has anyone had breakfast at Savoury's?
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend or return.
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re: gordon wing
susancinsf
Apr 15, 2009 10:21 PM
so am I...btw, my recommendation to Windy was based on word of mouth (as I told Windy, my boss had been there for his birthday about two weeks ago, and raved about it as better than any high end restaurants in Merced. Not that that is saying much, but still...)
looking forward to trying it myself soon, thanks for the reports back.
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re: Windy
susancinsf
Apr 19, 2009 05:39 PM
Well, got to try Savoury's for breakfast sooner than I thought: when old friends we hadn't seen in ages called to say they were in Yosemite for a week and could we possibly meet them in Mariposa for Sunday brunch, we jumped at the change, and told them to look for us at Savoury's.
I called for a reservation, but they told us we wouldn't need one for brunch (apparently during the day they only take reservations for groups of six or more; reservations are a good idea for smaller groups for weekend dinners). Sure enough, at 12:30 there was no problem being seated at a table in the windowm and the place never did fill up. Indeed, the entire town seemed fairly dead this weekend. Perhaps everyone is waiting for the Mariposa festival the first weekend in May to visit. Perhaps because of the lack of crowds, we didn't find it to be at all too noisy.
Good coffee was brought quickly. On weekends the brunch menu is a combination of breakfast and lunch items. In addition to standard egg dishes and breakfast proteins, they had several types of eggs benedict, various french toast and pancake choices, several salads, sandwiches, soup, chili. Not a huge menu but plenty of choices.
Between the four of us we had:
dutch puffed apple pancake: this was large, loaded with butter, and L said it was delicious, though I didn't try it. He also had a side of an egg over easy, which I thought was a bit past perfectly done, though I heard no complaints.
poached eggs, toast and hash browns: M's standard breakfast, and she reported it was quite well executed. I also had hash browns with my frittata: which were crispy outside, creamy interior. Some folks might like them a bit more cooked through, but I thought they were quite good.
ruben on rye: hubby went the lunch route, and said it was a very good sandwich, generous portion of meat, served with freshly made and not overly dressed coleslaw.
artichoke, red pepper and feta frittata: my choice, with rye toast and hash browns on the side: lots of vegetables, nicely done.
I was tempted to have a mimosa with brunch, but just got orange juice, which tasted reconstituted to me.
Prices are very reasonable, to the point that our friends (who are used to SF prices) commented that they were surprised to see such low prices at such a nice spot. I think the pancake was around $5, egg dishes were $6 or 7; the sandwich was $7 or 8. Total for our lunch for four with tax and generous tip was less than $50.
Service was excellent and we never felt rushed even though we closed the place down at 2:30. After lunch, we enjoyed a nice stroll through town to check out the antique stores. We walked by the Butterfly Cafe which also had been open for brunch, and also looked appealing. Will have to try it as well.
As for Savoury's, I definitely will return. Now that I've tried their brunch, I am looking forward to a chance to have dinner.
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