sillyrabbit's Profile
What fast food do you eat rarely, but that first bite think "Wow, this is so good!"
Or try the chicken biscuit slathered with honey.... OMG....
Smoke Bros. Southern BBQ - Fresno
I've been in since the switch but haven't been there lately, so I'm not sure if they are still in business. However, I had great Lebanese food the three times I visited. The kibbeh was delicious. The manakeesh (za'atar bread) was incredible, better than the bread I drove out of my way and double parked for in Los Angeles. It's made to order and it's heavenly.
Mother Mary's, Fresno
The meatballs at Mother Mary's are great. I usually order extra meatballs with spaghetti because there aren't many in there.
Their pizzas are great, except the meatball pizza (the meatballs dry up in the oven) and the eggplant parmagiana (too greasy).
Lenny's Deli (Fresno)
Has anyone been to Lenny's Deli in Riverpark? I was disappointed that Fresno lacks good Jewish food, but Lenny's looks promising.
Don Fernando's (Fresno area)
You should ask them to make the nachos for you. I went to the new DF twice recently. I was craving shrimp tacos (from a recent trip to Rosarito Beach) and they were kind enough to make them for me, extra spicy of course. Yum yum. I agree, their queso is awesome. I ordered two tacos along with a salad (field greens with a light, fruity vinaigrette) and was very satisfied!
Deli Delicious and Bread Mill-Fresno
I made it over to NYFD at 2 pm on a weekday... and they were still packed! I had a delicious sandwich- corned beef on swirled rye with melted swiss. It was awesome! The beef had the perfect amount of fat, and the rye bread was very fresh. They were very patient with me while I decided what to order. My only complaint is that they charge $2.25 for a large soda which seems like a lot. Guess I should have gone ahead and ordered the beer I wanted!
Love and Garlic - Fresno
Is anyone familiar with the food and/or facilities at Love and Garlic in Fresno? I am planning a party for a co-worker for 50-100 ppl. Their menu looks great, but I'd like to hear from anyone who has been to a party there or been to a party they catered.
Many thanks!
Deli Delicious and Bread Mill-Fresno
I wasn't "wowed" by the tuna sandwich I had at Great Harvest, but I can't remember why I recently had a breakfast sandwich there- egg, cheese, and choice of ham or bacon on a freshly baked biscuit. It was very tasty. They also have a limited selection of bakery items and nothing that grabbed my attention. However, the almond croissant at La Parisienne sang to me.
I've had good sandwiches at Bentley's Market deli counter. You have to be prepared to wait, because they don't seem to have an efficient system yet. They also offer four or five panini sandwiches a day, which are premade and ready to grill (about 5 min). A Caprese sandwich caught my eye but I haven't tried it yet. While you wait, you can peruse the cheese counter for their generous samples. I usually get a small salad from the salad bar to accompany my sandwich. I like their spinach, strawberry, and mild feta salad.
Have you tried NYFD (New York family Deli) at the NE corner of Willow and Nees?
BREAKFAST and bed
I had wonderful breakfasts at The Old St. Angela Inn in Pacific Grove. It isn't quite at the midway point, but they have absolutely fabulous breakfasts. My favorite was the croissant French toast topped with fresh berries. They also make delicious fruit pancakes, omelettes, muffins, and thick bacon to dip into the syrup. IIRC, breakfast is made to order, and I never encountered a line.
The inn is very open, bright, and not at all stuffy like some B&Bs can be. They have wine and appetizers in the early evening (cheese, crackers, fruit, dips, etc.) and fresh, homemade cookies in the living room cookie jar. Yum!
http://www.oldstangelainn.com/comeinn.htm
Need non-wine, local chowish gift ideas
I couldn't agree more with the suggestion for Sciabica olive oil. Their olive oil is outstanding, a local product, and a family-owned company. I like to taste the different seasonal pressed oils, filtered vs. unfiltered, even the basil flavored oil.
Creative eggplant dishes for eggplant maniac
There's a great Lebanese dish made casserole style. It's slices of eggplant layered with ground lamb, tomato sauce, allspice, pine nuts, garlic, etc. It's called shikh il mihshee- bantinjan bil saneeyee. That's a mouthful for "GREAT EGGPLANT DISH." Let me know if you want a more specific recipe.
Kangaroo in US restaurants
I had kangaroo at The Magic Castle in Hollywood. It tasted like barbecued beef, if I recall correctly.
Fresno: Small Plates Everywhere [Moved from Site Talk]
Here's a review of the tapas place in the OSH center: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/374807
I googled Pangea Fresno, and came up with some info. Chef Michelle Marquez demo'd her recipe for Profiteroles Filled with Asian Style Duck Confit, Fruit Compote and Daikon Salad
at the Home Show this weekend. The advertising blurb mentions that Pangea is the "new restaurant venture partners Joseph Pressutti, Tony Sciola, and Executive Chef Floro Bugnosen (from Campagnia....)
Tavmark- Do you remember what you enjoyed at Senses? Their menu is posted online at sensescuisine.com and several plates caught my eye.
Time for San Diego to have its own board
The majority of posts on the California board relate to restaurants in the San Diego area. It seems like San Diego deserves its own board. I am tired of wading through the San Diego posts to learn about restaurants in other areas of California.
Fresno: Small Plates Everywhere [Moved from Site Talk]
There have been a lot of postings lately about Flamenco. I am not a fan, but many others seemed to enjoy it. Freshsness wasn't the issue at Flamenco- everything was obviously very fresh.
I am looking forward to trying Pangea and Senses. Has anyone been to them?
I hadn't noticed the trend until you pointed it out.
Armenian eats in Fresno
Yep! IZI Deli on Chestnut and Butler. Please see the links to my previous rave reviews about their food and the gracious couple who own it. I've also heard the Phoenician at First and Herndon is good.
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/89399?query=izi
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/316992?query=izi
Fresno Dining Reviews
Thanks for the info on dishes to try. I haven't been happy with what I ordered there in the past but will try some of the dishes you mentioned.
I prefer VVV for lunch. The bleu pear steak salad is great (last time I went, all three of us ordered it and cleaned our plates) and I recall that some of their daily soups are good. They also make good lemon drop martinis that aren't too sweet. The patio gets packed on summer evenings, but it's fun to people watch there.
The better lean cuisine items
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Basil Chicken. It's often gone from the shelves. I also enjoy the Three Cheese ravioli bowl. I spice them up with red pepper flakes.
RE: Amy's meals, I like the burritos. They are simple, but full of flavor and not greasy. They are usually $1.39 each at Target.
Fresno Dining Reviews
Thanks for the info! Has anyone tried the deli in the OSH shopping center?
Legalbeagle: What have you enjoyed at Campagnia?
If you have a hankering for a great steak salad, I've had two lately worth mentioning: Bleu Pear Steak salad at Vini Vedi Vici, and the beef salad at B&K with lots of lime. Very different, but each was delicious in its own right.
Fresno's Growing Dining Scene (and Visalia)
Well, I can't say whether or not the garlic shrimp was an authentic Spanish dish, but it was delicious, and far and away better at La Paella. I know I didn't have shrimp scampi since the dominant flavor of the sauce is sherry, and is on fire when it arrives at the table.
I don't think La Paella has to worry too much about competition from Flamenco at this point. The service at Flamenco was only so-so (college students, who were friendly but had to be reminded of items ordered... they seem to be very excited about the Palm-Pilot type ordering system, but should concentrate on the basics) and the portions were small, even for tapas. The service at La Paella is gracious, attentive, friendly, and not intrusive. Some friends who chose Flamenco for their couples dinner party made the same comments.
Favorite unusual toppings for vanilla ice cream?
Exactly! My big brother always put Nestle Quik powder on his ice cream. Ah, good memories. The chocolatey crunch is a great compliment to the smooth vanilla.
Fresno's Growing Dining Scene (and Visalia)
I don't know why that is! There are lots of Sikhs in Modesto, and Modesto has some solid Indian restaurants. I've asked around, and no one seems to think we have a really good Indian place here. I've tried a few and been mostly disappointed.
There are so many chain restaurants here now. North Fresno is crawling with them- Mimi's, Chili's, Claim Jumper, Red Robin, Logan's, Hooters, blah blah blah
Yays and nays from Trader Joe's, lately [OLD]
I just got a WONDERFUL salad dressing from T.J.'s. It's cranberry walnut gorgonzola. It's delicious. I don't like most of their dressings because they have a weird chemical flavor. This one is great, and not too fattening.
Fresno's Growing Dining Scene (and Visalia)
We have great ethnic food here. Despite that, lots of people still go to the same old chain restaurants. The only glaring things missing here are great breakfast spots and a solid Indian restaurant, IMHO.
Fresno's Growing Dining Scene (and Visalia)
I went to Flamenco last night with a companion who just returned from a trip to Barcelona. The place was packed! We started off with glasses of sangria, which was refreshing and light. We ordered several tapas, including the jamon serrano with roasted grapes, camarones con ajillo (garlic shrimp), champinones con ajillo (garlic mushrooms), and the El Dali tapas sampler. The sampler had a few bites of approximately 5 tapas, including patas bravas and croquettes.
Everything was very fresh. The calamari on the sampler had obviously just been fried, and was crispy and hot. However, the portions are very small. Yes, I know they are tapas and not entrees.
I was disappointed by several of the tapas. The shrimp were not garlicky at all and didn't have a whole lot of flavor. The mushrooms were small pieces and didn't have much garlic, either. I've had much better mushrooms at steakhouses.
I promised my companion that the garlic shrimp were better elsewhere in town. So, we paid our bill and headed over to La Paella! We ordered a pitcher of white wine sangria and the garlic shrimp appetizer. It comes to the table still "en fuego." The shrimp are large, juicy, flavorful due to the garlic/butter/sherry sauce, and plentiful! They are almost the same price as the shrimp at Flamenco, but are much more flavorful. We used the bread to soak up the delicious sauce. We had a great time enjoying the live acoustic guitar and the sangria at La Paella. The service at La Paella is friendly but unobtrusive.
Flamenco wasn't bad, but La Paella is my clear preference.
Corn Rye Bread Nominations?
Wow, I just ate three pieces of TJ's corn rye with butter. It's great toasted and makes awesome sandwiches. This is the only TJ's bread I like, and it's gooooooood. :0)
Help! What do I do with all the loose-leaf tea that I have that I don't LOVE?
Why don't you donate the unopened packets to a food bank/homeless shelter? That's what I've done before, when I get stuff in gift baskets such as coffee I don't like. If they don't want them, they can do something else with it.
Looking for a Word to Describe Different Eateries' Notions of "Spicy Hot"
I love that! At my favorite Thai place, it took a little while to convince them that I wanted my curry REALLY hot. I had to say, "I was Asian in a past life.... Give to to me THAI HOT." Thought initially skeptical, they finally realized I wasn't kidding and amped up the heat for me.
Yays and nays from Trader Joe's, lately [OLD]
I normally don't like their baked goods, but I just fell in love with their Corn Rye bread. It has lots of flavor from the caraway seeds. I'm picky about bread, so this is quite a find for me.
I made an app last night that was a big hit, all with TJ's products. I stuffed black Mission figs with goat cheese or Gorgonzola and toasted walnuts, and wrapped them in a small piece of Volpi prosciutto, then broiled it for 1 1/2 min (a crucual step). Everyone loved it!
Their unpreserved ham is not good. And the lavash bread is not soft and pliable; it became brittle quickly.
Fresno for a week
GBG posted some great suggestions! I like Parisien Cafe (great pastries, sandwiches, crepes, coffee) and I concur that Uncle Harry's has very good bagels. One thing Fresno seems to lack is great breakfast places. Patio Cafe is pretty good but often the food is not hot enough. I like the organic scramble with spinach, mushrooms, eggplant, etc.
If you decide to splurge one night between 5-9 Wednesday through Sunday only, consider venturing out to Upstairs Downtown. It's in downtown Fresno.
http://www.upstairsdowntown.com/
Do you like sushi rolls? Just next to the Parisien cafe is a funky place called Wassabi (To Die For). Warning: it can get a little loud in there and has a very L.A. vibe. They offer lots of creative and traditional rolls. Their unagi (eel) is very good.
