Angelenos love to hike and apparently when they do
there's one place they really like to go eat.
There's this unique place called Adam's Pack Station
in the San Gabriel Mountains that hikers go nuts for.
It's one of the last places in Southern California
that still uses donkeys to send supplies to campers
and also happens to have a killer
outdoor restaurant on the weekends.
It's kinda an open secret among hikers.
My friend, Farley Elliott, Senior Editor
over at Eater LA, loves the secret subculture.
He was nice enough to take me along,
so I could experience it for myself.
So here's what we want.
Let's do cheeseburger with fries.
We definitely want to get those chili cheese fries.
Let's do a hot link too.
Have you guys ever had the panini?
I've not had the panini.
It's amazing.
Really, okay, a surprise pick, but let's do it.
(lively music)
I think that a lot of people discount Los Angeles
as only being really close to the ocean
or only having movie stars and big buildings,
but this is part of it too.
We have that, we have this hiking culture,
this like daytime, how-does-anybody-have-a-job culture
where people just wander the through the city all day,
but then mixed in with that, you have a place
to get a hotdog and chili cheese fries and a beer.
I mean, look at this, this is all possible in LA.
To me, part of the mystique is the ownership
and the history cause I heard Deb actually
went through a lot to keep this place running.
Yeah, she's an amazing, amazing woman.
She's been kinda the Burgess caretaker
of this place for a really long time.
The real literal heart and soul.
So I heard this place has been around
for a really long time.
Yeah, so we've been here since 1936.
Okay.
The pack station used to reside down in Sierra Madre,
so up until 1936 it was down there,
and they ran about 90 mules on a daily basis
to bring people up here, bring supplies up here.
They were servicing five different resorts,
but we added on the retail operation.
We added on the music, we added on all those pieces,
and that's what's actually supporting
the packing side these days.
That's cool.
Yeah, it's different huh?
Yeah.
(bouncy percussion music)
Aw man, this is such a feast and this--
This looks amazing.
These chili cheese fries are no joke.
They really are not.
Oh my God.
I think it's gonna melt through the paper eventually,
so we gotta just start eating it.
A little nuclear at the bottom.
Yeah.
I don't think you can have an experience like this
in this place without getting chili in some form.
Whether it's a chili dog or these chili cheese fries.
This to me is the best of iteration
of what they do because it's just layered
with that molten, hot, orange cheese.
There's something like kidlike about it
but also hearty, back country delicious.
Also this is modern Instagram porn, look at the stretch.
(laughing)
It works at all levels.
I could smell that chargrill, the smoke coming out
and that wafting with the live music
and the dogs and the families.
Yeah, ya know, I hate to say
that the healthy food trend is making its way
this far up the mountain, but I'm not sure
this panini and cheese actually qualifies.
(laughing)
But it's nice that there's this place
if you're gonna hike on a weekend, you come,
and you really are having warm food.
Yeah, and it's honestly freshly prepared.
The ingredients are not necessarily line-caught fish,
farm-raised chicken, but that's okay.
When you are out in the middle of the woods
with no cell service, coming back to your car
and grabbing a bite of this
before you go home is its own bit of heaven.
How is it?
This is every backyard burger you could have ever wanted.
A little bit of red onion, some melted cheese, it's great.
Super classic, everything you can get in a grocery store.
Yeah and honestly, a burger like this does not need
to taste amazing, it's good enough the fact
that someone else made it for you, ya know?
(laughing)
Usually when you're barbecuing in your backyard,
you're the last one to eat.
Here someone gave you the exact same flavors,
and you didn't have to do anything except hold a beer.
(laughing)
Corn dog, always a huge move.
Uh-huh (affirmative).
This is great. (laughing)
It's like better fair food
and with a much, much better view.
This hot link and some cheese fries
is like a pathway to heaven.
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