The Quintessential Anzo Borrego “Guys Getaway”: GX’s, Gastronomy and Great Accommodations - FINAL POST (3 Viewers)

[Emergencymed]

With many of the members of our forum, there is a common complaint: “I’d love to get outdoors more with my GX, but my spouse isn’t a fan of camping and not having her own bathroom.”

In my family, I’m that spouse LOL. Not to say I’m a slave to creature comforts, nor that I don’t relish being cozily tucked way under a down comforter up in the Alucab RTT on my son’s 2001 Landcruiser…. but at my age, 57, when I’m on holiday, I volitionally “enjoy” having access to a clean bathroom and a well appointed kitchen.

This philosophy extends to extending a little extra effort to elevate the “en plein air” eating experience whenever possible. Why not make a meal stop, “something SPECTACULAR”

This short but exciting trip to Anzo Borrego, was a testament to what can be accomplished “relatively locally” (in Southern California), with little fore-planning, within two days, and something for which the “persnickety partner” may be not just amenable but downright delighted!

This trip: no spouse (she’s is attending a Pediatric conference in San Diego).. but in her place, over the past two days, has been a great collective of 3 dear friends (all UCLA alums), and a last minute guest from the forum JT (aka “Incognito 550”).

ACCOMMODATION:

My go to for accommodation, when I want to create a “dining experience” for friends or family is picking a solid “affordable Airbnb” at a convenient location.

I thankfully came across Sierra Jean - a unique designer home tucked away in the hills of Julian, California. Julian was the perfect staging spot for a 1/2 day or day trip to explore trails in Anzo Borrego. I had never heard of the town of Julian., but as it turns out they are known for their apple pies, which are “next level.”

The simple pleasant design of this well equipped home was perfect. Two luxurious king sized beds, and a double bunk bed, and 2 bathrooms, made it ideal for a family, two couples, or in our case: a small cadre of friends.

A nice bonus was that we were able to squeeze two GX’s and a Rivian onto the drive (parked in a tandem arrangement.)

Apart from the tasteful appointments and big sky views including a designer kitchen, the perfect grand room to relax and watch a movie, an outdoor soaking tub, and patio, the place had everything we needed for a great “guys getaway.”

For anyone interested see the attached AirBNB link, or DM me and I will connect you with Alyssa, the owner, who was super helpful and a “gracious host.” Also mention the Lexus GX forum and she will give you 10% off.

Home in Julian · ★4.97 · 3 bedrooms · 4 beds · 2 baths

Stay tuned - “much much more to follow about this short but “EPIC” getaway.”

 

[Emergencymed]

Sunrise this morning (10/2/2026) from the great room of “Sierra Jean” was glorious and the inspiration behind this morning’s breakfast creation...

Cardamom “Sunrise” French Toast with Local Julian Peaches

Will follow this post with details of yesterday’s journey, which was a really fun getaway with time enough to do everything on the schedule within a single day.

Yellowlab queried the ideal number of days to make this trip? I would say at minimum two, perhaps ideally three, and if possible on weekdays, when you have the trails to yourselves.

 

[Bic Jet]

Nice!

 

[Emergencymed]

Rewind: October 1, 2026.

“ incognito 550.” (I550) and I arrived to Sierra Jean at around 12:30am.

I550 had just driven from Clovis to Irvine, and from there after a quick packing session, directly down to Julian.

In my case, I had been up since about 4 o’clock the morning before, worked a full day, and charged with 5 Coke Zeros and 3 bathroom breaks drove seven hours to get to Julian.

Needless to say, I550 and I were both exhausted.

But after both of us acknowledged our weariness, we both went on the comment about how excited we were to get our GX’s into the canyons of Anza Borrego. I550 commented that it was the thrill of the upcoming trip that kept him alert on the highway.

For me, I had reached that point of nausea and dysphoria where I feared that awakening in just over 3 and a half hours I wouldn’t be functional.

I set my alarm for 4:40 AM, as we had planned to leave that same morning before 5 AM in order to reach Font’s point before sunrise - 🫩

As I was going to sleep, I whispered an earnest prayer: “ Oh God grant me restorative sleep.“

I woke at 4:23 AM before my alarm went off feeling fresh and revived. By 5:05 AM we were on the road from Julian to Fonts point.

“Joe Bruin”, jumped in to my GX as my co-pilot. “The Supervisor”, brought his all electric Rivian, and was eager to put it through some paces on some yet to be discovered trails.

At “the Supervisor’s” side, was trusty “Doc (on) Holiday,” taking a break from the grind of administrative MD work to take a dusty road less traveled.

Frankly I was curious to see how the Supervisor’s R1T with its oil cooled quad electric motors, would manage off the asphalt. I ended up being surprisingly impressed by its off road prowess, and without ANY gas ️ stops!!

We arrived at Font’s point and took in the majesty of this magnificent vantage.

Myself, Joe Bruin, the Supervisor, and Doc Holiday, being practicing Muslims, didn’t miss the opportunity to break off for a few minutes to do our morning ritual pre-dawn prayer. I led the group, reciting Sura (chapter) Ad-Duha (the glorious morning light), which to me seemed like the most fitting verse from the Muslim holy book for me to recite, “By the glorious morning light, and by the night when it is still, thy Guardian Lord has not forsaken thee, nor is he displeased……,.”

The moments of prayer in this place harkened me back to my time in Sinai, when I served as physician to the Greek Orthodox monks of Saint Catherine’s monastery.

Like Mount Sinai, where Moses received the 10 commandments, the silence and stillness enveloped and embraced the aspirant votary.

Few places in the world today grant humanity the opportunity to be alone, in reverent silence, seeking the Divine in such a manner.

I550 didn’t miss the opportunity to capture a few pictures like from a scene from an Indiana Jones movie.

A quick hack at this juncture - pick a weekday to visit if it is solitude that you seek in Anza Borrego.

Our next stop, “the Slot” was no less magical as a destination.

Formed by millions of years of sediment deposition that was then carved by rainstorms, the thin pass between the sandstone filled our hearts with the excitement of being kids again.

The narrow and serpiginous route had us scampering over boulders and stooping to navigate under curved stony prominences.

Just as Font’s point was a place of stillness, this was a testament to many thousands of years of moving water.

“The Supervisor,” who had suffered a back injury the day before, was hobbling through the slot, like gollum leading wide eyed Frodo Baggins, and Samwise Gamgee on quest to Mount Doom.

Leaning on his walking stick, the Supervisor referenced a line from “the Last Crusade, as he crouched and climbed through this slit like canyon: “Only the penitent man will pass,” he cautioned.. We all chuckled.

The nice thing about “the slot” was that it could be nicely situated (very early in the day) on a list of one day to do’s without being in any way exhausting. In the coolness of the very early am, even on what would be a 97 degree day, the slot stayed cool and was only a 1/2 mile sojourn out and a half mile back, under the constant shade of the sandstone walls.

Next stop brunch on Fish creek wash: Sri Lankan Egg Hoppers and Sini Sambal, made in a sandstone kitchen!!

Emed out (more to follow)…..

 

[Emergencymed]

10/1/26 - Late am.

We made our way to Fish Creek Wash into Sandstone canyon, where 80 foot sandstone walls towered over our vehicles. The initial trail was wide and thus we took the opportunity to take a break for late breakfast/ brunch, choosing a cutout in the canyon wall as an impromptu Sandstone kitchen.

On the menu was a Sri Lankan staple - “Hoppers.” In many Asian cultures, the breakfast is many times not a sweet dish, but rather something savory.

A hopper is a unique bowl shaped gluten free delight unique to Sri Lanka and parts of South India - it is also known as Aapa.

Its typical accompaniment is a dish called Sini (Sugar) Sambal - which is made by frying down a half dozen onions with a tomato, chili powder, paprika, curry leaves, green chili, desiccated shrimp and a couple teaspoons of palm sugar. Being a time consuming process, my wife very kindly invested a couple of hours in making the Sini sambal for our uninitiated travel group.

Hoppers themselves are made from mixing a few table spoons of warm water, a tablespoon of sugar and at least a tablespoon of yeast, mixing in a can of coconut milk and about a pound of rice flour, and allowing the resulting batter to ferment overnight in a warm location. My secret ingredient that I learned on a trip to Puttlam some years ago was to add a few teaspoons of Nestomalt that augments the flavor.

I made the Hopper batter the day before our trip, but when I opened the container in our Sandstone kitchen it showed an impaired “aeration..” This pointed to one of a few possible reasons, with the most likely explanation being the yeast was inactive, or the coconut milk had preservatives that impaired the fermentation process.

Apart from this issue, Hopper making requires a close eye to the heat of the pan, and the precise time of adding the batter and lifting off the cooked hopper. Adding to this ballet of preparation was the addition of an egg to the center of the hopper and cooking it to the consistency desired by the end recipient… For example Joe Bruin wanted his egg hopper made to where the egg was cooked just to the point where it could be cut with a fork.

So needless to say being a culinary perfectionist - my eyes were on the prize.

The new cooking set up I brought along was purchased on Amazon - on $60 on sale and from my assessment, a decent deal for a good quality set up. I abandoned picking up the similar and more pricey Jetboil version due to my infrequent intended use, and the fact that at over $400 it needed to bring something more that a cool sounding name. The Amazon version was compact, and worked “great” on its first use.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GFCT9JNV?tag=lexusgx-20

Our Sandstone kitchen was pretty cool.

I’ve learned over the years, when possible bring a couple of extra small tables to keep things off the ground. We broke out the Costco “hammock chairs” for the guys and used the “Cartrimhome” integrated metal table as our cooktop.

And then helpful Doc Holiday heated up the Sini Sambal and I started dialing things in for tasty hoppers with our less than optimally fermented batter.

The first two hoppers were not to my expectation, but as the batter had time to rise more, they started hitting the mark!

Next: The Blender Guy:

So in the throes of dialing in the right temperature for my hopper pans, craddled on my new $60 Amazon burners, I caught unfamiliar movement out of the corner of my eye.

Some random two legged critter appeared out of nowhere, and boldly walked into our prep area, carrying a nutribullet blender in one hand and some cranberry juice in the other..… This foraging fellow announced “I hope you don’t mind. I’m gonna take some of your fruit and make a smoothie.” Now keep in mind, we are in the middle of “nowhere,”

Being that my first instinct towards anyone who asks for food is hospitality and leniency, so despite my misgivings with interloping into our site, I said, “go ahead, and help yourself.”

Life lesson: “Feeding the bears never turns out well… it inevitably signals other bears to visit your campsite.. ”

Following his lead, “blender guy’s” interloping inamorata also inched into the Sandstone Kitchen, loitering between my GX and the Supervisor’s R1T .. they were both at my 9 - which made me uneasy given their suspect behavior..

Then taking the peculiarity of this incident to a whole new level, Yogi bear started rifling through our provisions box, like it was his picnic basket, looking for smoothie ingredients.

I could not make this up (as I550 will attest).

I started thinking myself: “who in the world would walk into somebody else’s camp area, in the middle of the desert, holding a cordless blender, and presumptively start digging into somebody else’s provisions to make themselves a smoothie.. … what the heck!!!! ??? ..
It was then that my cop doc lower brain started firing, like “robot” on the Jupiter 1 waving his arms exclaiming: “Danger Will Robinson.”

This fruit starved freeloader had to be either a diabetic with profound hypoglycemia ( in immediate and dire need of a sugar loaded fruit smoothie), or as my compatriots independently concluded - he was probably high on meth..

Having reached my limit of this fiasco, I paused what I was doing, turned off the burners.

Stood up, squared to the blender wielding threat to my hoppers getting burned, and said in a cordial but commanding tone of voice, “ Sir, if you don’t mind, this is a private gathering, you’re welcome to some fruit, but then you need to please leave.”

“Yogi” bear got the message, and announced, “I get what you are saying.. uh … I understand .. I’m going to leave now “ and then as quickly as he arrived, he and his foraging femme hopped into their grey Toyota forerunner and made themselves scarce… leaving behind a befuddled band of travel buddies, and a plastic bottle filled with “cranberry juice” …

It wasn’t surprising that I550’s first comment after “blender guys” departure was, “hey guys, don’t drink the koolaid (cranberry juice). “

It’s good practice to not take candy from strangers or cranberry juice from characters with a cordless blender…

I returned to my personal quest of delivering perfect Sri Lankan hoppers to my compatriots, with a less than “actively fermented” rice flour batter.

In the end, hoppers were “passable”: the flavors were authentic and when paired with my wife’s Sini sambal, our crew voraciously devoured hopper after hopper until the mix was no more.

We left the mouth of Fish Creek Wash with full bellies and an adventurous spirit for the narrow canyons ahead. Within 20 minutes, my co-pilot being sandbagged by at least 4 egg hoppers started drifting off to sleep. 🫩….

But then even the dreary-eyed became alert as walls of the canyon closed in and the drama of this Sandstone “squeeze” added a whole new element to the drive. It was like nothing I had ever experienced.

We pushed further into the narrowing canyon stopping to take pictures, and make iced coffee out of the back of my cooler.

Field Ice Coffee Hack: My go to on such trips for a tasty Ice Coffee on the trail is to hit Costco, buy an $8 - 48 oz premade Starbucks Ice Coffee, and a flat of UHT milk (that doesn’t require refrigeration), add a bottle of your favorite Torani syrup and ice from the cooler and “Bang” you become the mobile barista for the group.

Next up : “Road Closed - Crawling past Cave-In’s ???“

More to follow …..

 

[RideWithYanu]

Looks like an awesome trip using amazing trucks to see beautiful places in good company. I thoroughly enjoyed your engaging storytelling and photos throughout - thank you for sharing it!

I’m more of a “rough it as close to nature as I can get” type because that’s how I personally enjoy things, but often find creature comforts (like a well-located Airbnb) to match the enjoyment of those with me. I’m a big believer in getting out in nature as best you can, aligned with one’s own nature, and there’s no “pure” or “best” way to do it. Just do the damn thing!

 

[Emergencymed]

“Romeo 1 this is Juliet 1 OVER,” … “I think we may have a problem.”

Proceeding past the next curve of the narrow canyon the problem became partially clear.

A large but passable rock in the center of the road and a sign warning “ROAD CLOSED.”

I550 pushed on as “ROAD CLOSED” may mean “impassable turn back” or … “put on your big boy pants and get ready crawl and take a little risk.”

As we moved into the next segment of the canyon we witnessed the clear reason for the sign. The walls of both sides of the canyon had fallen in… leaving a narrow squeeze point in the center and a rocky climb with wheel tracks indicating some brave soul had made it through without leaving behind pieces of metal and / or plastic.

The rocky crawl on right side of the orafice looked a little too much for my stock Overtrail with rigid mud guards … (the mudguards would have met their end - no doubt) … that said, if the width was adequate perhaps my old Landcruiser may have made it, DJ’s sled with his OME suspicion or SSuberi with his king suspension and his beefy 285/75/18’s ? could have possibly pushed through with a good spotter.. but unfortunately this was “the end of our road,” for the day.

I reflected that in a few thousand years nature would allow this route to be passable again .. - and gave thanks for the opportunity and making it this far.

We hiked past the pinch point, and then humbly retreated after a really fun day out!

On the way out we passed our sand kitchen and realized - “YIKES” the ledge that was above us was not much different than the cave in at the “end of our road.”

Next up: Life / Death, Anza Borrego Brazilian BBQ and Jullian Apple Pie.

 

[Emergencymed]

The drive back to Julian

Part of what made this short Oct 1, 2026 trip to Anza Borrego really amazing is that a few of us started out as complete strangers, and over the course of a single day embraced one another as friends and brothers (both new and old).

On the relaxed drive back to Julian, having fulfilled our measured outdoor goals for the day, we had the opportunity for drivers and co-pilots to delve into deeper conversations than the just the days events.

It’s always valuable to have travel companions that have a common outlook, but have a lens that is canted at an angle that allows a wider view of our own world.

My time on the road with Joe Bruin gave me insights into my own perspectives, and understanding of teachings from our common faith tradition. He shared a deeper understanding of a particular phrase from the 103rd chapter of the Muslim holy book: which reads “Wal Asr” (what I had always seen translated as “with the passage of time”). He shared that the root Arabic word 'asr literally means to squeeze, press, or extract (like squeezing juice from fruit. )

“The squeeze of time” captured me, as it is consistently how we all feel. The Latin saying “Tempus Fugit” (time flies) connotes a similar idea. I couldn’t help but to draw an analogy between our days experience and life.

Just like the Sandstone Canyon we visited narrows over its course, until its towering walls collapse making it impassable.. life and our capacity to get out and enjoy it becomes more and more narrow, until it finally collapses.

After a time, bad knees do not afford climbing up onto the rooftop of the rig, and ailments and accidents makes trips like this less and less frequent. As we age, life tends to squeeze us in this regard. And that “squeeze” causes anxiety.

Sura Asr 103:

“With the squeeze of Time, surely, mankind suffers loss, except for those of faith. Who do good, and become a model of truthful living, and together practice patience and constancy.”

My walk away as it applies to life and my GX: find gracious, considerate and like minded (even better: not necessarily like-minded), cohorts to get out and play in the sand with our toys (like we did as children).

Escape “the squeeze” by slimming down where we spend our time, and find a happy medium.

The more I’ve gotten to know human beings from all faiths, races, and walks of life, the more I have recognized our similarities far exceed our differences. And common decency and good etiquettes outweigh differences of opinion.

The most dramatic story that surfaced on the drive back was shared by one member of our group who experienced a sudden cardiac death event. The miraculous circumstances around his death and subsequent successful resuscitation gave him a whole new outlook on life that he shared with us: His second chance story bolstered his belief in God’s existence and recalibrated his outlook around the fragility of life.

Our drive back to Julian also included a “time exigent” stop at the Julian Apple Pie Company which closes promptly at 5pm. Once more - the “squeeze of time.” Arriving just 30 minutes before closing time, Joe Bruin bought us the “Last” Original Apple pie they had for the day. That and a half gallon of Thrifty Vanilla ice cream and dessert was “dialed.”

Now headed back to the Airbnb - our time in reflection turned to a highly anticipated repast.

Back at Sierra Jean:

Located just a few minutes from the pie company, we arrived back at Sierra Jean without the Ice cream even getting soft despite the 97 degree ambient weather.

The Supervisor settled into the soaking tub and took in the valley view with hopes that the hot water would ease his spasming lower back. Meanwhile, the rest of us relaxed in the air-conditioned comfort of the great room.

I didn’t waste time donning my Sri Lankan Sansoni sarong, closing my eyes and mentally navigating each step of my contributions to our highly anticipated epic Brazilian barbecue extravaganza!

Like Robert Downey Jr’s Sherlock Holmes character’s, pugilistic planning scene, I had each step calculated and thought through in sequence to a successful outcome.

The Supervisor’s Succulent Dry Brined Picahna

Quick Rewind to two days prior: In our impromptu planning, the Supervisor suggested that our culinary regale at the end of our day out in Anza Borrego should be in the vein of a high end Brazilian Barbecue. I suggested some quality ribeye… But the Supervisor had something even more uniquely indulgent in mind: Dry Brined Picahna.

As I began brining the Shrimp that was going in into my Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper side dish, the Supervisor explained how the process of cold dry brining differed, and revealed a handful of somewhat desiccated appearing pieces of beef with a thick fat cap, that had been curing uncovered in the fridge overnight.

The supervisor had salted the meat 24 hours prior and then 1 hour before going on the grill the chunks were kissed with pepper and garlic powder.

Then … just before firing the grill to its peak, he threaded these precious pieces of Picanha on a 1/2 inch skewer, like a jeweler, sliding pearls onto a Tiffany’s necklace. The meat mounting process was as meticulous as the searing that followed.

One of many qualities that the Supervisor and I have in common, is that when we cook, we look at our culinary creation as a matter of personal achievement.

I saw that serious look on the Supervisors eyes when he made his way to the grill, awaiting the right moment to touch the meat to the smoking metal grate.

With the skewers nestled in both hands, the Supervisor crouched gently next to the grill like a mother taking her child to the first day of school… he was waiting for the right moment to let go. And then, a decrescendo “sizzle” announced first contact .. the Supervisor skillfully rotated the skewers with focused intensely on timing each rotation, from his longstanding experience with this particular cut of meat.

At this point, I realized the clock was ticking, and I turned back to my tasks as a competing Chef.

“Anza Crispy Garlic Borrego”:

For those unfamiliar with how Anza Borrego got its name, the state park was named after 18th-century Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza. Borrego is the Spanish word for “lamb”, and references the native desert big horn sheep that roam the region.

In honor of the locale and the theme of the night my contribution to “A/B Brazilian Steakhouse Night” was “Anza” Crispy Garlic Borrego (lamb).

The recipe I used was a modified version of a quick and easy approach that delivers consistently delicious results from fridge to table within 35 minutes… (15 minutes of prep / 20 minutes in the oven at 400 degrees.

The lamb was sprinkled with salt and pepper and Doc Holiday joined the supervisor at the grill completing the sear that I requested of him. With a crispy honey brown coat forming, the lamb was removed from the flame rested and coated with lime ‍ garlic, brown sugar, smoked paprika, and Kinders Crispy Garlic seasoning. Without further ado the lamb was whisked into the preheated oven.

By now the Supervisor announced a countdown for his masterpiece to be served.

He made his way to the kitchen carving knife in hand and…

The Supervisor reached towards me with the first slice of Picanha between his thumb and forefinger. I attempted to take it from his fingers, but he recoiled.. insisting like a Desi version of Salt Bae to place the morsel directly into my mouth. (Slightly weird, but I went with the moment )…

The flavor, the tenderness, the salty delicious umami of that first bite was nothing short of Nirvana - it was without exception the tastiest bite of meat I ever experienced in my entire life … and I am never one to give undeserving compliments. Mind blowing - superior to every Brazilian steak house that I have ever visited. I550 was right there with me.

I knew at that moment that no matter how good my crispy garlic lamb turned out. It was second place compared to the Supervisor’s Pichana.

I550 and the Supervisor gave me kudos on the Anza “Borrego” Lamb, and the roasted eggplant pepper shrimp, describing them as “absolutely delicious” - but in my view that Picahna was so good that I literally have thought about it daily since…

We closed the evening with Joe Bruins contribution of Julian Apple Pie and Vanilla Ice Cream.

All good stories eventually come to an end. But this one will be remembered for a long time. Great company, dramatic scenery, and really really good eats.

Blessings to all.

Emed out.

 

[Emergencymed]

————————————————————

 

[REB27]

The drive back to Julian

View attachment 25314

Part of what made this short Oct 1, 2026 trip to Anza Borrego really amazing is that a few of us started out as complete strangers, and over the course of a single day embraced one another as friends and brothers (both new and old).

View attachment 25315

On the relaxed drive back to Julian, having fulfilled our measured outdoor goals for the day, we had the opportunity for drivers and co-pilots to delve into deeper conversations than the just the days events.

It’s always valuable to have travel companions that have a common outlook, but have a lens that is canted at an angle that allows a wider view of our own world.

My time on the road with Joe Bruin gave me insights into my own perspectives, and understanding of teachings from our common faith tradition. He shared a deeper understanding of a particular phrase from the 103rd chapter of the Muslim holy book: which reads “Wal Asr” (what I had always seen translated as “with the passage of time”). He shared that the root Arabic word 'asr literally means to squeeze, press, or extract (like squeezing juice from fruit. )

“The squeeze of time” captured me, as it is consistently how we all feel. The Latin saying “Tempus Fugit” (time flies) connotes a similar idea. I couldn’t help but to draw an analogy between our days experience and life.

Just like the Sandstone Canyon we visited narrows over its course, until its towering walls collapse making it impassable.. life and our capacity to get out and enjoy it becomes more and more narrow, until it finally collapses.

After a time, bad knees do not afford climbing up onto the rooftop of the rig, and ailments and accidents makes trips like this less and less frequent. As we age, life tends to squeeze us in this regard. And that “squeeze” causes anxiety.

Sura Asr 103:

“With the squeeze of Time, surely, mankind suffers loss, except for those of faith. Who do good, and become a model of truthful living, and together practice patience and constancy.”

My walk away as it applies to life and my GX: find gracious, considerate and like minded (even better: not necessarily like-minded), cohorts to get out and play in the sand with our toys (like we did as children).

Escape “the squeeze” by slimming down where we spend our time, and find a happy medium.

The more I’ve gotten to know human beings from all faiths, races, and walks of life, the more I have recognized our similarities far exceed our differences. And common decency and good etiquettes outweigh differences of opinion.

The most dramatic story that surfaced on the drive back was shared by one member of our group who experienced a sudden cardiac death event. The miraculous circumstances around his death and subsequent successful resuscitation gave him a whole new outlook on life that he shared with us: His second chance story bolstered his belief in God’s existence and recalibrated his outlook around the fragility of life.

Our drive back to Julian also included a “time exigent” stop at the Julian Apple Pie Company which closes promptly at 5pm. Once more - the “squeeze of time.” Arriving just 30 minutes before closing time, Joe Bruin bought us the “Last” Original Apple pie they had for the day. That and a half gallon of Thrifty Vanilla ice cream and dessert was “dialed.”

Now headed back to the Airbnb - our time in reflection turned to a highly anticipated repast.

Back at Sierra Jean:

Located just a few minutes from the pie company, we arrived back at Sierra Jean without the Ice cream even getting soft despite the 97 degree ambient weather.

The Supervisor settled into the soaking tub and took in the valley view with hopes that the hot water would ease his spasming lower back. Meanwhile, the rest of us relaxed in the air-conditioned comfort of the great room.

View attachment 25316

I didn’t waste time donning my Sri Lankan Sansoni sarong, closing my eyes and mentally navigating each step of my contributions to our highly anticipated epic Brazilian barbecue extravaganza!

Like Robert Downey Jr’s Sherlock Holmes character’s, pugilistic planning scene, I had each step calculated and thought through in sequence to a successful outcome.

The Supervisor’s Succulent Dry Brined Picahna

Quick Rewind to two days prior: In our impromptu planning, the Supervisor suggested that our culinary regale at the end of our day out in Anza Borrego should be in the vein of a high end Brazilian Barbecue. I suggested some quality ribeye… But the Supervisor had something even more uniquely indulgent in mind: Dry Brined Picahna.

View attachment 25318

As I began brining the Shrimp that was going in into my Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper side dish, the Supervisor explained how the process of cold dry brining differed, and revealed a handful of somewhat desiccated appearing pieces of beef with a thick fat cap, that had been curing uncovered in the fridge overnight.

The supervisor had salted the meat 24 hours prior and then 1 hour before going on the grill the chunks were kissed with pepper and garlic powder.

Then … just before firing the grill to its peak, he threaded these precious pieces of Picanha on a 1/2 inch skewer, like a jeweler, sliding pearls onto a Tiffany’s necklace. The meat mounting process was as meticulous as the searing that followed.

One of many qualities that the Supervisor and I have in common, is that when we cook, we look at our culinary creation as a matter of personal achievement.

I saw that serious look on the Supervisors eyes when he made his way to the grill, awaiting the right moment to touch the meat to the smoking metal grate.

With the skewers nestled in both hands, the Supervisor crouched gently next to the grill like a mother taking her child to the first day of school… he was waiting for the right moment to let go. And then, a decrescendo “sizzle” announced first contact .. the Supervisor skillfully rotated the skewers with focused intensely on timing each rotation, from his longstanding experience with this particular cut of meat.

At this point, I realized the clock was ticking, and I turned back to my tasks as a competing Chef.

“Anza Crispy Garlic Borrego”:

For those unfamiliar with how Anza Borrego got its name, the state park was named after 18th-century Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza. Borrego is the Spanish word for “lamb”, and references the native desert big horn sheep that roam the region.

In honor of the locale and the theme of the night my contribution to “A/B Brazilian Steakhouse Night” was “Anza” Crispy Garlic Borrego (lamb).

The recipe I used was a modified version of a quick and easy approach that delivers consistently delicious results from fridge to table within 35 minutes… (15 minutes of prep / 20 minutes in the oven at 400 degrees.

The lamb was sprinkled with salt and pepper and Doc Holiday joined the supervisor at the grill completing the sear that I requested of him. With a crispy honey brown coat forming, the lamb was removed from the flame rested and coated with lime ‍ garlic, brown sugar, smoked paprika, and Kinders Crispy Garlic seasoning. Without further ado the lamb was whisked into the preheated oven.

By now the Supervisor announced a countdown for his masterpiece to be served.

He made his way to the kitchen carving knife in hand and…

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The Supervisor reached towards me with the first slice of Picanha between his thumb and forefinger. I attempted to take it from his fingers, but he recoiled.. insisting like a Desi version of Salt Bae to place the morsel directly into my mouth. (Slightly weird, but I went with the moment )…

The flavor, the tenderness, the salty delicious umami of that first bite was nothing short of Nirvana - it was without exception the tastiest bite of meat I ever experienced in my entire life … and I am never one to give undeserving compliments. Mind blowing - superior to every Brazilian steak house that I have ever visited. I550 was right there with me.

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I knew at that moment that no matter how good my crispy garlic lamb turned out. It was second place compared to the Supervisor’s Pichana.

I550 and the Supervisor gave me kudos on the Anza “Borrego” Lamb, and the roasted eggplant pepper shrimp, describing them as “absolutely delicious” - but in my view that Picahna was so good that I literally have thought about it daily since…

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We closed the evening with Joe Bruins contribution of Julian Apple Pie and Vanilla Ice Cream.

All good stories eventually come to an end. But this one will be remembered for a long time. Great company, dramatic scenery, and really really good eats.

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Blessings to all.

Emed out.

What a cool trip! I stopped in Julien last March after visiting family in San Diego and driving to a meeting in La Quinta. Was a lousy rental car so no off-roading in Borego for me!