I think it's faked. The "single mom" handwriting doesn't match the other writing. There was a similar story a while back about a banker who supposedly left a 1% tip & wrote "get a job." It turned out to be an altered receipt. No mere 1% tip & no note.

What surprised me in reading the comments to the article you linked is how few posters even questioned the authenticity given the mismatched writing.

Link to the banker/1% tip story:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/buster/p...

Yes. This & other similar responses sum it up for me. It seems lazy & sloppy. You're running a restaurant. That is your profession. You put thought into your menu items, their descriptions, & the pricing. Why stop short of ensuring the words are spelled correctly? I don't get it & it does bug me.

Does it reduce my confidence in the cook? I'm not sure, but I do think at least a little bit less of the restaurant for not paying attention to the details of its menu.

I'm not perfect all the time myself, but when it comes to my professional work product, I take advantage of the tools available, which include spell check, the internet, & people whose opinions & intelligence I trust. When it comes to restaurants' menus, I think they should care about getting it right.

(Sorry for the repetition. Long day.)

I, too, give a pass to hole-in-the-wall ethnic places where English is not the first language. Everywhere else, though, I find it, hmmm, disappointing, I guess.

I would never correct anyone else unless asked or tasked with it & I own up to being imperfect, but it seems to me a real effort should be made to ensure menus at restaurants are error free.

Have you tried the Train Depot? While I've never found the breakfast place of my dreams here, the Train Depot is good for what it is, which is a diner/country cafe-style place. Kids love the trains which run around the restaurant. I have not been to Batter Up, so I can't say how they compare, but I did not care for the Fresno Breakfast House when we went years ago (a FWIW comparison).

The Train Depot
1820 N 1st St
Fresno, CA 93703
(559) 442-1401

Bumping this up again because, well, these tamales are wonderful.

We picked up 6 today, plus some watermelon aqua fresca.

We were told that in addition to the Vineyard Farmer's Market on Sat. & Wed, they also sell tamales at the Clovis & Hanford farmers' markets.

http://www.vineyardfarmersmarket.com/

I agree with Valerie. These parties are run on a mostly set schedule & the food is always last, so I would ask the staff.

I'm going to trust you know your audience better than we do?? In terms of planning food, just make sure you're actually going to have a dinner audience for all the food you plan. 7-9 is late for most small kids, as noted by Valerie & LaLa, & most of the kids I know, including mine, have to eat earlier than 7 or they lose it completely. Just something to consider, but it may well be that your circle consists of more night owls than many of ours do.

I've been to a number of these birthday parties recently & in my experience, there isn't much for the very little ones to do except run around. The activities with staff become more engaging & fun for the slightly older kids. 3 & up. Maybe 2. 1 is so young, though. I would have it at home for a 1 yr. old. But know I'm an old fuddy duddy married to an old fuddy duddy & 3 was the 1st birthday party of any significance. Before that, it was us, the grandparents, & some cake. :)

Update - we stopped in today & took a look around.

The deli counter is smaller now & I couldn't get a great look into it b/c there were customers around, but there were a handful of deli salads & the board was full of various selections (sandwiches, soup, etc.) Something - soup I'm assuming - smelled great.

I did not see any wonderful cheeses, but the meat counter looked good. Quality + a fair selection. The board outside ID'd what fish was fresh & even when it came in (morning vs. afternoon). The frozen selections were also ID'd.

So in conclusion, I think my reaction was a bit more favorable than my husband's. I disagree with him that it looks like it's going out of business. There are fewer items stocked & a few omissions (like great cheese), but most of the basics are there & the meat selection still appears to be of quality.

Thanks, John. Yes, I do think it depends, which is why I had originally posted this on the CA board & ID'd Cambria in the title. (I respectfully defer to the moderators & am not complaining.) Context matters, though, & for that reason, I originally tried to target the CA board & the regular central coast posters/visitors. At any rate, I will just use my best judgment when the time comes. :) The Cambria threads don't tend to get too long & there are several from the past months that can always be added to.

Thanks, limster. Yes, I've seen some threads get very lengthy. The links are a great idea.

On another note, I actually put thought into posting this where I did originally (CA board), but I see I must have run afoul of some rule, as the thread got moved.

I was curious what the general preference is for those active on the CA board?

We are visiting Cambria & I might end up posting a bit about the food.

It seems it might be preferable to resurrect a slightly older thread just because others have already chimed in & it keeps the info. together in one thread for areas in which the posting traffic is slower.

But, for some recent examples I'm thinking of, the OPs' trips have already come & gone. There was a recent thread on another board regarding the annoyance of resurrected threads where the OP's question had become moot (e.g., where to eat over Memorial Weekend, etc.).

Or is it just 6 of one, half dozen of the other?

I didn't/don't & we don't have them in the house for our small kids, either.

That said, I'm not militant about sugar, etc. It's just that if I'm going to have sugar or even junk food at times, for myself or my kids, it's from other categories. :)

We'll be stopping in again this trip for a more discerning look around, so I'll post again after that. We were rushing to get those few supplies, & as luck would have it, there was a mishap with the keys, so we ended up eating out & will try for wine & cheese tonight.

I did see the outdoor sign advertising various fish described as fresh, so I thought that sounded promising.

My husband did say the deli counter in back is about 1/3 of the size it used to be.

Anyway, I'll check back in again after we look around again.

I don't think we've ever gone inside the Shell station, so thanks for the tip. My husband ended up not packing any red wine & that's what I had a craving for last night.

My parents didn't allow sugar cereals for breakfast, but my mom would let us get it on occasion as a dessert/non-breakfast treat. My favorites were Lucky Charms & Cocoa Puffs.

As for standard fare, we had Cream of Wheat, Wheatena, Cheerios, & Post Shredded Wheat in the house.

I hope you stick around Ruthie, from one relative newbie to another.

Last time I checked, steak & seafood combo plates could be found at high end steakhouses.

I think you have a valid point regarding tiring of seeing the same selection of desserts. I think others have very ably addressed why that is, though, even at a good steakhouse. Just from my own life experience, the more meat & potatoes people I know (and I say that without judgment - not everyone likes the same things & how boring it would be if we did) also tend to prefer the more standard desserts described.

My husband stopped in briefly yesterday, as we were hoping to pick up some good cheese, bread, & wine. He said it is a shadow of its former self & looks as if it's going out of business. There was no wine & the only cheese available was Alouette cheese spread. No baguettes, either.

He ended up going to the corner liquor store for wine, Indigo Moon for cheese, & the French Corner Bakery for bread. I can only hope they are slowly building inventory or finding their footing?? If not, well, we won't be counting on it for anything anymore.

Top.

FWIW, I was absolutely awestruck by that drive the 1st time I made it & it is still amazing to me. I'm a CA native & I went to Yosemite many times as a kid, but we never ventured to that part of the park. Going from west to east didn't lessen it for me, although we always went in the fall, so the color was beautiful. I can't help with food specifically b/c it's been a number of years since I've been over there, but don't miss the June Lake Loop. It is well worth the short detour.

I would do Whoa Nellie just for the uniqueness of it, but I can't comment on how much it has gone downhill, as the original chef was still there the few times we went.

We did eat a phenomenal meal at the Mono Inn when it was run by Sarah Adams, but it closed. I see it is now open again. I've heard nothing about the new restaurant, but I will be game to try it next time I'm over there.

Please update us on what you did & ate. That's one of my favorite areas, but I think it's been 6 yrs. since I've been.

http://www.monoinn.com/

Thank you. Things are looking up currently.

This whole thread has made me hungry for some things I haven't eaten in a long time. :) It's been a very nice walk down memory lane. The homemade cinnamon toast discussed below is one I had forgotten about. My mom used to make that when we were kids & I have made it occasionally as an adult.

+1

I also have not really understood the appeal, although I find the history & the appeal intriguing so I find myself reading up on it whenever I can. My sil makes RVC every Christmas using a family recipe & I don't care for it. But having read this thread, along with past threads on CH, I'm really curious to give it a try, at least once, using one of the recommended recipes.

You know, my husband grew up with that dish (pigs in a blanket) & I have a lovely mil who now lives in the same city as we do. Perhaps I should request it? I know she would make it for me. I'm curious. As of today, I've shaken the GERD diet - perhaps for something more ominous but heck, I'm off the GERD diet so I'll take the good news I can for now. Perhaps I should take advantage while I can. :)

ETA: Oh, no. I've just learned my husband hasn't had the version I'm thinking of, either. His mother's version came from her Austrian mil, & it is flank steak, bacon, & onions rolled in a ball with a toothpick through it. No hot dogs or dough in sight. Hmmm. Well, that's not the pigs in a blanket I was thinking of. He swears it's good, as I just told him it sounds unappealing.

Coffee or milk, regardless of the type of pie. If neither is available, I'll still eat the pie. :)

To this day, I have never had Marshmallow Fluff or Nutella, which, based on my unscientific survey of people I know, puts me in the minority. At least as to the Nutella.

And we never had beans & weenies. Separately yes, but never together. Or pigs in a blanket or Manwiches/sloppy Joes. Or Hamburger Helper. Or Rice-A-Roni. Those all seemed to be staples in friends' households as a kid, but not mine. I've still not had any of those except for Rice-A-Roni a few times in college.

I'm a CA native in my 40s, FWIW, if anything at all.

+1

+1 on the SpaghettiOs but with franks. I loved them. I had them recently, though, & they tasted really sweet. I still love some junk food & am not ashamed to indulge on occasion, but my palate is definitely more sensitive to the salt, sugar, and/or chemicals used, depending on the product.

We got little junk food growing up, so SpaghettiOs was one of the few things I had regularly. I so loved them. Thanks for the memory!

You might try Sequoia Brewing Co. The food is mediocre at best, IMHO, but I've enjoyed their beers. They have 2 locations, depending on your route. Also Full Circle Brewing Co. downtown, but they don't open until 4:00 & it appears you'll be coming through earlier. I can't comment on what food is served, as my husband only picked up bottled beer to go a few times. We have a Yard House here as well, now, but it's a chain while Sequoia is not. (Haven't been to the Yard House but have read it has many, many beer selections.)

This caught my eye, as I grew up in that neck of the woods. I haven't visited recently, but I just found a June 2012 article about Chocolate Visions in the Kings Village Shopping Center, which I'm guessing is the shop you heard about. I will make sure I stop in next time I visit.

Having been there only a few times & not having tried the pastries, I can't say for sure, but my shot in the dark would be crepes, as they have a variety to offer & the strawberry custard I had was very good. We always went for lunch & I noticed that by then, the pastry selection was thin at best.

People would come in looking for a particular thing & be told it already sold out, so I gathered they have a following as to some items. Or at least you need to get there in the morning for the full selection. This was at the 1st location. I've never been to the newer one at Palm & Nees.

Reading the menu online, I'm inclined to try breakfast. I've never found a single breakfast place in Fresno that I love. There are plenty of diner/cafe breakfasts around & some are just fine, but nothing that really does it for me. Let us know if you try it out. I hope for your sake you're not visiting Fresno right now. Miserable weather.

You might want to try Le Parisien Cafe & Bakery, which has 2 locations. I'm not an expert on French pastries & I haven't been there in a long time, but the owners are French & I enjoyed the crepe I had. They have a website. Hopefully someone else will weigh in, but in case not, that's my suggestion, FWIW.

Yep.

Exactly. I'm a little surprised at some of this. As far as I'm concerned, anyone who goes to the effort of making something homemade & tasty should be applauded. I'm tired of icky supermarket stuff that doesn't look or taste good, but that's it. Anyone who doesn't appreciate homemade, regardless of how long it's been around the party circuit, can excuse themselves from my house. And I've lost count of the times we've ruled out bringing a particular appetizer to someone else's house b/c it should be hot out of the oven.