Mike & Wanda's in Tulelake, CA

Lunch in June 2023

I'd never heard of Tulelake and I'd never heard of Mike & Wanda's.

But nearly 2 years ago, Don and I somehow found ourselves in the town of less than 1,000 people, at a restaurant that had a homey-western look.

Wide Street

It was about noon, when we pulled up to Mike & Wanda's, on Modoc Avenue. The street was wide and the wood covered building, seemed to cover the whole block.  

There were 3 door options. We passed the door with bars... that said BAR. The door beneath the Restaurant/Lounge sign, said No Trespassing. The last door had a less welcoming sign, but it opened to the cafe.

More Wood
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Right away, I liked the place. Lots of knotty pine!

There were cozy booths, tables and counter seating.  
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​Endless Counter

The long wooden bar looked as endless and exaggerated as the long wooden building facing the street.

I counted 8 stools at the "bar". The bottles behind the counter had no liquor. They were bottles of flavored syrups.

​It was summertime and fun to watch 3 kids being served ice cream cones. They looked like they'd just stopped in, on the way to the park across the street. 

The woman serving the kids assured us she'd be right with us. But I was in no hurry. I was having fun examining the walls and the framed artwork critters.

Entertaining Pine

The wood paneling had a lot going on. It was fun to spot all the various cattle brands, here and there. 

I'm not sure what kind of pine this was. A very hole-y cypress? But the deep grooves and circular knots, made my imagination run wild. Oh if I'd had a Sharpie and dared. I could have created the best cartoons.

This and That

I also enjoyed a few decorator accents. A pump/chicken salt & pepper holder!

A vintage radio was wearing a hat, on the back counter.

Sweet Critters

And I was so curious about the primitive animal paintings, displayed on the walls. 

There must have been some story about the artist. Local?

Reading and Listening 

Don and I took a while to study the M & W menu, while the woman who had served the ice cream, tended to tables. 

I did a little eavesdropping. A group of men behind Don seemed to be taking a break from working on a ranch. An elderly couple in a booth chatted with the "Ice Cream Woman", who graciously took her time with them, even though she clearly was working the entire restaurant herself.

Other Rooms

Our room seemed to be quiet, compared to the noise I heard coming from a nearby doorway. Lots of laughter. A party?

After we placed our order I went exploring and found the Rotary Club Room.  No one there.

​The Bar

I stepped into the bar and spotted at least 5 deer heads and 6 men in various hats.  

But they weren't making noise. They were all focused on the TV while they ate. 

Busy Server
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I found another room with 2 private groups. The ice cream serving woman was rushing to serve one large group. There was a lot of laughter and teasing, yet the woman was professional and efficient. I chose not to intrude with my camera and returned to find my salad waiting.

My 5-dollar side salad was actually pretty tasty. I felt a little guilty not ordering more, but I knew I'd be helping Don...

​Don ordered a tuna melt, which came with fries and dipping sauce. 

I was a good helper and ate about half those yummy fries. The sandwich was pretty darn good and nice and hot.

Checking Out

After finishing our meal, we finally had a moment to chat with the woman we'd watched serving and busing and even tending to a young barefoot daughter, who came in looking for a toy behind the counter.

As we paid up at the counter, I told her I'd watched her juggling so many customers during our lunch visit. She laughed with good humor, that she was indeed understaffed that day. I then asked who was behind the name of the restaurant. "My parents." She answered with a funny smile. "My dad died a couple years ago and my mom has Alzheimer's. And here I am." She added that they'd had the business for over 40 years. Then she laughed again, "They could have just left me a lake house." 

Ice Cream to Go

I never got the name of the very hardworking and gracious woman who now owns the business. But I did get to tell her how much we enjoyed the food and appreciated her service. I told her I'd watched her serving the kids ice cream and it had made me nostalgic for a good old fashioned cone.

She lit up with enthusiasm when I ordered a cone. "We just got the machine! It seems to be a big hit!" 

Ice Cream

We stepped outside and I enjoyed my cone while wandering over to the little park across the street. Hearing the young woman talk about her parents made me pull out my cellphone one more time.

I snapped a photo of the street and water tower, then dialed up my 94 year old Dad. He answered on his landline back in Missouri. "Hi Dad. I'm having an ice cream cone right now, in the town of Tulelake..."

We had a nice chat.
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