A Gem Discovered

On Friday, Steve and I made the mistake of heading out to Idyllwild. Friday was not only the beginning of a three-day weekend, it was also the Valentine’s Day weekend and traffic getting out of town was a bear to be sure.

However, departing on Friday and getting tangled in traffic was the only mistake we made during the weekend.

I don’t remember ever going to Idyllwild though Steve said we went once decades ago. Apparently it left no impression on me. This weekend’s trip, though, left a positive vibe making me eager to head up the 243 again.

We decided to go to Idyllwild after reading in the Just For Fun/Calendar This section of the CV Weekly about an art faire that the town’s art alliance was hosting. The weather was going to be beautiful and undoubtedly cooler than the Crescenta Valley, so we decided to go.

There was still snow on the ground in many places. In fact, when we arrived at 8 o’clock Friday night at the Hicksville Motel we had to walk carefully along the ice-crusted ground to avoid falling.

The Hicksville was recently opened by new owners and our room was clean and the staff friendly. The manager had turned on the heat in our room so it wouldn’t be too cold when we arrived. Once we were settled, we were hungry so headed to town and the Lumber Mill Restaurant where we had the best burgers ever. There was karaoke and, though I urged, Steve would have no part of it. No matter; the regulars seemed to be having a good enough time.

On Saturday morning we headed to Tommy’s Kitchen for brunch. Tommy’s Kitchen is toward the end of town, so it gave us a chance to check out Idyllwild in daylight.

It was busy! Lots of foot traffic weaving among the many storefronts. Bakeries, art galleries, homemade jerky shops and plenty of restaurants were spread out, but within walking distance. The weather certainly helped too; I had long sleeves on and was too warm.

At Tommy’s Kitchen we sat under the oaks out on the patio. Pooches were welcome – something I saw a lot of in Idyllwild. The place has a Swiss influence and was evidenced by things on the menu that I couldn’t understand (but ate nonetheless).

From there we headed over to the town hall where the art faire was being held. It was not as expansive as I had hoped, but the vendors were all very friendly and had a variety of items for sale. I’m pleased to say that I invested in the local economy while there.

Dinner was at the Café Aroma, a town favorite. One of their main ingredients is garlic, which I am a big fan of. We met the chef, Ryan Jones, who came out to welcome diners. We so enjoyed our time at Café Aroma that we made our way over there Sunday morning for breakfast before heading out of town.

Though my expectations were not very high, Idyllwild turned out to be a gem that I knew nothing about. I look forward to hearing what other events they’ll be having and making plans to be a part of them.

  robin goldsworthy