PolarBear's Profile
Lela's Restaurant - new in NW Fresno
if it helps I'd say it puts you within the 50, since I believe the distances are measured to the DT city centers, you can deduct 10-13 miles or so. Lela's just across Herndon from us and from our house I clock Merced right around 45 mi. ; >P
Give us a heads up when you come if you'd like company and we happen to be free.
Cheers,
Dave
Tamales in Fresno
Bumping up this older thread with link to reflect the presence of Casa de Tamale at the Saturday, Vineyard Farmers Market in Fresno (NW Shaw and Blackstone)
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/new?board_id=3
Brick and Mortar at:
3747 W. Shaw Ave. (E of Brawley in the Kohl's center)
559.275.9300
Monday - Sunday, 9 a.m. - 8 p.m
http://www.casadetamales.com/home.html
Casa de Tamales at the Sat. Vinyard Farmers Mkt [Fresno]
Grabbed a half dozen today for lunch ($16). In addition to their usual fare (including the stellar corn relish) they offer a FM only special prepared with all local iingredients from the market. It's called the Veggie Vinyard Tamale, jalapeno masa filled with kale, cauliflower, bok choy, and carrots. Again, only offered at the Saturday Vinyard FM.
Was also told by one of the lovely young ladies working the booth that they are bring back the Camarones Veracruz, also with the jalapeno masa, filled with shrimp, poblano chiles, and corn. If you would like to pick these up at the FM as well, call a day in advance and they will have them on hand for you.
Herre's a link to an older thread that was last updated a couple of years ago.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/578832
Casa de Tamales
3747 W. Shaw Ave. (E of Brawley in the Kohl's center)
559.275.9300
Monday - Sunday, 9 a.m. - 8 p.m
http://www.casadetamales.com/home.html
Funniest thing you seen in a restaurant?
Camelia gets four stars for customer service, above and beyond ... or actually below I guess. (sorry)
I-5 Sacramento to Ashland
Lily's in Mt. Shasta City, or Casa Ramos for their seafood molcajete.
http://www.lilysrestaurant.com/
http://www.casaramos.net/
Pismo Beach - Foodie Advice Needed!
CiC, what do you like at Thalia's, any favorites or specialties of the house?
BTW, website not longer valid
Lela's Restaurant - new in NW Fresno
Memory jogged by one of my dear DCs, other background experiences of Chef Manuel mentioned were Veni Vedi Vici, Parma and Fresno City catering, believe Gary Danko's was also in there.
If NZ Sauvignon Blanc is Best Who's Second Best?
Several of us did a comparison a while back looking for the best for get for a large social function and Honig (btw $15-20 iirc) came out on top over some of the pricier ones such as Duckhorn. Sorry can't recall the other 3-4 at the moment.
Fresno Chowhounds?
Sadly, lack of opportunities lately to explore much the past few months. One bright note last night:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/850736
Reports are that Ripe Tomato is back up to par, and that Mi Casa that moved into the old Tamale Shop at Van Ness and Shaw is doing good things, especially carnitas.
The Bee reported that Organic Fresno, 903 N. Parway Dr, is putting out a good Putanesca (no pun intended, trying to avoid sarcasm) and a revamped diner, Golden State Grill, which opened last month at 3767 S. Golden State Blvd, might be worth a shot.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/04/24/2812210/eating-out-good-food-adventure.html
A little Mexican place at Belmont & Hughes (iirc) also got some thumbs up recently.
Guiseppe Gallo at Willow and Alluvial is high up on our list.
My houndly BIL reports enjoying the dishes at Vino and Friends along with their wine selections.
Lela's Restaurant - new in NW Fresno
Pronounced lee-lah, from chef Manuel's childhood name for his grandma, and not to be confused with the pizzeria on West Ave.
Located in the old digs of Parma at the NW corner of Herdon and Marks, four of us ventured in last night to TOFTT and we were all thrilled that we did.
A long narrow plate with housemade crackers and some of the best hummus we've tasted arrived immediately, their welcoming complimentary dish. The wines we brought were immediately uncorked and poured so they could breathe. The space is very inviting and pleasant with excellent art on the walls created by Manuel's mother.
We chose two appetizers to share, Crab Cakes and the Polenta Points with Andouille sausage. The crab "cakes" turned out to be five round golf ball size offerings drizzed with a little lemon aioli, three of us deemed them meh and too bready and one of us being just OK. The polenta dish was a winner across the board with the polenta being soft cubes rather than the expected slimmer browned pieces, covered with tasty grilled peppers and onions and the best andouille sausage we've had since New Orleans. Lady PB and I shared the Carrot Ginger soup and the Spiced Beet Salad, both very well executed.
For mains, our DCs chose the Halibut for him and the Filet Mignon w/ Gorgonzola for her. The generous thick piece of fish had a perfectly seared crust with the interior cooked to a moist perfection. The small taste of filet I tried was outstanding, as was the 16oz Rib-Eye that i ordered, which was one of the prettiest pieces of meat (along with that filet) that we've run across in a long time, it sat on sauteed spinach, asparagus spears and mashed potatos, covered with a sublime red wine reduction sauce. The meat was cooked perfectly rare with an even red from top to bottom.
I had wanted to try their Skirt Steak that I'd seen earlier on their lunch menu, but our server, Randy, checked with the chef and reported that wasn't happy with the product he'd received and would not serve it this evening.
The only disappointment was the Lamb Sirloin that my wife ordered, while another generous portion, and cooked perfectly, there was too much gristle and the silver skin that ran through it made it tough to get any tender bites for the most part. They thanked us for pointing that out, apologized profusely, and removed it from the bill. As it turned out my rib-eye stuffed both of us and Lady PB took enough home for a full meal the next night.
[ETA: neglected to mention that the Savory Bread Pudding side dish with the Lamb was also a home run]
We were able to converse at length with Randy learning more about the staff backgrounds. Chef Manuel, who came out and introduced himself, has Erna's Elderberry House on his resume and a couple of others that I'm blanking on at the moment. His philosophy is to source as much locally grown produce and meat as possible. Randy is responsible for the wine list which will be in a constant flux that will feature many of the small production vintners on the central coast and a few of the better Napa Sonoma and even an OR label or two. Turns out he has worked at Trelio and is close to the Shacklefords and using Chris as a main source of finding the little hidden gems, along with Jim Lamar of J&L Wines, who has supplied our area with the best from Paso Robles for quite some time. There is also a smattering of French, Spanish and Italian varietals. From the white selections 9 of the 27 are available BTG (2 of the 8 sparklings), from the reds 11 of 47 BTG, there is one rose and 5 dessert/appertif offerings.
Bottom line, if you live in NW Fresno you need to get to Lela ASAP, we need to support this new neighborhood venture. Hell, if you're within 50 miles, you need to put it on your list.
7089 N Marks Ave
Ste 101
Fresno, CA 93711
(559) 432-9900
http://lelasrestaurant.com (not yet active)
[ETA: just recalled that they will be serving coffee when a few replacement parts arrive for the new $9K machine]
A few of the interesting wine selections:
Chardonnay - Zotovich 09 Sta Rita Hills, Kistler Sonoma Coast
Sauv. Blanc - Thomas e FILS "Le Crele" Sancerre
Pinot Noir - Witness Tree 09 Willamette Valley, Longoria '10 Sta Rita Hills (14/57), Zotovich 09 SRH, Donum 08 Russian River
Rhone style reds - Andrew Murray "Tours les Jours" 09 Syrah Central Coast (7.5/30), Zotovich 09
SRH Syrah, Dashe Cellars '10 Dry Creekj Grenache
Big Reds - Shafer Merlot, Robert Sinskey Cab blend, Rutherford Ranch Cab Sauv, Round Pond and Shafer Cab Sauv.
Zinfandel - Karly Ten Point '10 Amador County, Dashe 09 Dry Creek
Italian, Spanish & Malbec - includes Sangiovese, a Super Tuscan, two Tempranillos, Graciano, three Malbecs, a Nero d Avola, and a Barbera d Asti
Fresno Dilemma
A mile west at the NE corner of Shaw and Palm is Fig Garden Village where The Ripe Tomato is located. Just heard from trusted pals that they are back on their game. I would call first to make sure Rudy is in the kitchen, his Rock Shrimp and Brie appetizer is legendary. Walking distance, a half mile east at the SW corner at Fresno St. is Cracked Pepper Bistro, chef Vatche packs 'em in so be sure and make resos even if it's a week night. Flemings is on the SE corner just a little farther.
Pismo Beach - Foodie Advice Needed!
Lido in the Dolphin Bay resort (Shell Beach) has been putting out some really good meals lately. Have heard the new chef at Gardens of Avila is good as well but haven't yet been back. In SLO we recently had some great food at Koberl at Blu and Luna Red.
Fresno Dilemma
+1 on Trelio, especially if you're into wine, but arguably one of, if not the top places in the area.. Would also bump up CPB for their Eggplant Napolean as well as their stellar bread pudding. Need to return to Limon, like Tavmark have not been for a while, but the good reviews keep coming in, BTW, same family as the SF landmark resto.
With and without food.
Some of us might argue that English cuisine has developed alongside of maybe a decade. ; >P
Looking for Central Coast/Wine Country/Northern CA honeymoon recommendations
Post on the SF Board and ask about Healdsburg.
Looking for Central Coast/Wine Country/Northern CA honeymoon recommendations
For Napa and Sonoma counties you will need to post on the SF Board. However, for those locations and especially anything further north you would be spedning much of your time just getting there and back (assuming that you are driving from LA).
Big Sur is beautiful, and isolated, no easily accessible wine country nearby. August will be quite hot inland, you might want to consider something close to the Pacific, stay at the Dream Inn in Santa Cruz, check out their "wine ghetto" and the nearby mountain wineries, or the Baccara resort north of Santa Barbara and hit the tasting rooms in Los Olivos or the original wine ghetto in Lompoc.
Driving from SF to Montecito: great spot for lunch half way?
Just learned they are open in their new location, probably haven't had time to update the website.
1023 Chorro, across from the Mission, iirc they have patio seating by the river.
Driving from SF to Montecito: great spot for lunch half way?
We really enjoyed our recent lunch at Artisan in PR, the Rock Shrimp salad was excellent and wife enjoyed her Lamb French Dip, no outside seating however. Il Cortile has a patio but not sure if they're open for lunch. In SLO I would check and see if Luna Red has finished the move into their new digs.
www.artisanpasorobles.com/
www.lunaredslo.com/
Sonoma: Favorite Purveyors?
Found the great looking basic recipe Melanie, which calls for 4 Tbl rice wine vinegar, about how much Zin would you use to replace that amount? Also, care to reveal your spice blend? TIA
Cheers,
Dave
Paso Robles - Trip Report [Long]
Thanks for the tip, Steve. The one in Morro Bay is very good as well. I believe they all offer 10% off on purchase of 6 or more btls. Also have the cloth bags or cardboard six-packs for convenience.
Albertsons - Paso Robles
189 Niblick Rd (NW corner at S. River Rd) just east of 101
Central Coast - Chef Shuffles & Changes
From Kathy Hardesty's column in this week's New Times.
Lido in the Dolphin Bay Resort (Pismo / Shell Beach) - chef Brian Collins is returning to American Flatbread in Los Alamos on May 17, which will be the first Thursday of their new extended 4 dinner nights/week schedule.
Pandee Pearson form. of Windows on the Water (Morro Bay), Adelina, Gardens of Avila, will replace Brian as Executive Chef. Neil Smith is now chef at WotW.
As I mentioned in an earlier thread, Luna Red is in the process of moving from their old location on Monterey St. down the block to the former Mission Grill and Native Lounge on Chorro across from the Mission. Original plan was to be finished moving right about now.
Further north in Paso Robles the two major wine tasting venues on the park are no more, Meritage, next to Basil Thai on the south side is now vacant with a hand written note just providing an address either on 46 W or Vineyard Dr. as a tasting site, and the one on the north side of the park has been replaced by the new Mexican place Estella.
http://www.newtimesslo.com/cuisine/
Paso Robles vs Santa Ynez for wine tasting
Stopped by yesterday, Meritage is no more and the building is vacant. Sign on door mentioned a move out to Vinyard Dr., iirc, don't know if it's multiple vintners or what.
Grass Valley/Nevada City Recs
Diego's – Chilean
217 Colfax Highway Grass Valley
530. 477-1460
http://www.diegosrestaurant.com/about.html
Sopa Thai Cusine
www.sopathai.net
312-316 Commercial Sr.
Nevada Ctiy, CA 95959
(530) 470-0101
Ike's Quarter Cafe
401 Commercial
Nevada City
530-265-6138
Walnut Grove/Galt/Ione/Plymouth
In Plymouth:
Taste
9402 Main Street
http://www.restauranttaste.com/
Santa Cruz dinner with water view
Aquarius at the Dream Inn.
http://www.aquariussantacruz.com/menus.aspx
Paso Robles Winery Values
In the @ $20 range
Barrel 27 - Rhone blends (east side) made my Macprice Myers
Kenneth Volk - Rhones and some interesting obscure grapes (w/ Lone Madrone on 46)
Edward Sellers - Syrah, Rhone blends just off 46
White Wine
Picked up a couple of bottles of Tangent Pinot Gris at the Baileyana tasting room outside of Edna on the central coast a week ago. Went nicely with some spicy Sichuan dishes and later with oysters and clam linguine. $17/btl iirc.
SC-Aptos dining with solid veggie options
Not sure if it may help, TJ, but just ran across this from Michael Bauer in last Sunday's Chron.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/04/15/FDN51NQQJN.DTL
