tavmark's Profile
Fresno Dilemma
And to throw a completely different suggestion into the mix - I have been told by friends who usually have very good recommendations that the Thai place (Thai Gem I think) at the NE corner of Blackstone and Shaw (in the strip mall behind the Denny's) is excellent. I haven't been yet.
Fresno Dilemma
My first vote would be Trelio - always awesome; as between CPB and Limon have not been to either in a while but just heard from a friend who was in town that Limon was excellent - so on that basis I will go with Limon (having said that, if you NEED a bread pudding fix, then CPB wins that contest easily).
Nashville Sunday BUFFET brunches please.
I ate there about two weeks ago on a Saturday. Although I did not get the buffet, the weekend buffet hours are 8-1pm.
Nashville in June
I just got back from Nashville last week and stayed at that hotel. The best walking distance option is Puckett's. They have live local music as well. Cab ride to City House will run you about $6-8. Also in that same neighborhood is Germantown Cafe and an amazing chocolate shop right next door to it (Cocoa Tree, I think.) Of all the neighborhoods I saw (I did have a car) I liked Germantown - but there just isn't a whole lot there yet.
A cab ride down to the Gulch will give you more dining/music options - I really liked the Station Inn for music (was there during Tin Pan South week and it was amazing.) That cab ride would run you about $8-10.
Cheap Goat's Milk in Fresno?
There is a raw milk vendor at the Farmer's Market at Shaw and Blackstone (wed afternoons and sat mornings). I would think that if anyone would know, it might be them.
Any good caterers in Fresno
Not impressed at all lately with Pardini's. Painted Table is much better.
Restaurants in Fresno area
Oh and although not a restaurant - best cup of coffee in town - is in the tower at Cafe Corazon - on Wishon just north of the Bank of America (left hand side). (It is the building just north of the parking lot for Livingstones.) There is also a new bar, Tower Bar, that just opened in there as well. I know the owners. (So far as I know, the bar does not do food.)
And after eating at Sal's at Alluvial you can literally go down a couple doors and get a Doug Out cookie fix. (yeah, I know it's not Hungry Bear, but try the jalapeno chocolate chip cookies.)
Restaurants in Fresno area
Will always second Trelio's.
There is an Ethiopian place in (very) north east Fresno - Lucy's Lair - Maple & Behymer - but nothing else around there to do (in a residential strip mall)
I also like Lime Light (more so than Elbow Room)
As for the tower, try (what used to be?) Oggis. It's just south of Olive on Van Ness. And there's always El Conchito Contento.
Sequoia has two locations, one in tower and other in north east Fresno (Champlain and Perrin). I like the beer. Food is okay.
And a shout out for any of the camarone dishes at Don Pepe. Original is Blackstone and Gettysburg and new one is across the street from Fresno State.
Oh and Casa Corona - original at Cedar and Herndon and new one at NE corner of Marks and Bullard (old Toro Tambien, I think). New one is crazy busy but original is easy to get into.
Yalla Yalla is closed.
Best Mexican - Madera
And to add to PBs notes, my problem is if I'm coming home from points north by the time I hit Madera I'm blowing through it to get home in the next 15-20 minutes. :) But hey, I'm always up for a challenge.
I wish I could remember the name of it but there is a lunch time Mexican restaurant just north of Yosemite about two blocks east of the courthouse - the courthouse deputies are always in there. And there's Burrito Kings - above average.
Breakfast in Visalia
I'll second Valhalla. It was the recommendation I got from a local when I asked the same question. Wanted something local with a good selection.
Fresno Límon's Peruvian Restaurant Going Strong
Just finished dinner at Sakanaya and saw that signage is up and it looks to be open. Is in the space where Red Door used to be.
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Sakanaya
9447 N Fort Washington Rd Ste 116, Fresno, CA 93730
Eureka Burger Coming To SLO - Any Good?
Yup. very good. Beer selection is above average and food is (at least here in Fresno) consistently good. They also have live music every Thursday night. Also agree that you should give them a couple of weeks to work the kinks out. So far as I know SLO would be only the third location. (Redding was first, followed by Fresno.)
New Vietnamese Restaurant (Fresno)
Hmm, I live on the other side of town but may have to get over there to check it out.
Surprisingly good buffet in the middle of nowhere
True that. I arrived at about 1:30 p.m. on a Friday. Food was okay. Peach iced tea was very good though. But I can say that I passed through Donegal. (I figure that for being a Californian, I get one or two points for knowing where Bedford, Confluence and Donegal are. :))
Surprisingly good buffet in the middle of nowhere
I am so glad I found this. I am in Bedford tonight, on my way to Confluence tomorrow, and Fallingwaters Sat morning. This is literally on the way there (maybe 6 miles off the original route). Will stop by for lunch tomorrow.
Giuseppe Gallo's - Fresno
New Italian eatery at Nees and Willow near Savemart (where Dominion Pizza used to be). Was recommended by a friend so I had dinner there last night with another friend. Casual bistro atmosphere. Bar was empty when we arrived at 530 but when we left at 730 there were more people there. Happy hour runs until 6 and each glass of the house wines is $2. My friend and I tried a glass each of he Chianti and were pleasantly surprised - definitely a bargain for $2/glass.
Homemade rolls appeared at the table. Definite extra points on that score. We saw a whole tray come out of the oven and they looked and smelled amazing.
For appetizers we ordered the garlic mushrooms and the caprese salad. Caprese came with thick slices of mozarella, juicy tomatoes, and a small amount of basil pesto - if they increased the amount of pesto a bit, it would have been better. Drizilled with balsamic vinegar and garnished with two sprigs of basil. My score - 6. had there been more basil and pesto, this would have been a solid 7. The garlic mushrooms sounded amazing but to my taste they needed more garlic and the mushrooms, which were fresh, were too large and should have perhaps been cut into smaller pieces. I gave this one a 4.
On to dinner. My friend tried to order the white truffle gnocchi but we were told they were all out that evening. She ordered shrimp in fra daviolo (sp?) sauce. The sauce really had a kick to it which I llked. My friend thought it was a bit too spicy. I can understand that because after one or two spoonfuls I would probably be a little overwhelmed as well. The shrimp were cooked perfectly and overall I'd give this dish an 8. I ordered the homemade raviolis. These were very very good. Light and filled with a spinach and meat mixture. The sauce was also very good and was obviously home made. I give this dish a 9 and would order it again - but be warned - its a healthy sized portion of pasta. Even though I enjoyed it, I had to take half of it home because I simply couldnt eat anymore. We skipped desert but plan to try at least one the next time I go.
Service was fairly attentive. Overall, I definitely would recommend this place for anyone looking for homemade italian food. There's no canned or Sysco products coming out of the kitchen and the employees there seem to enjoy working there. Total for dinner including 2 glasses of wine each was $35 per person. (Considering that I had eaten lunch at the Elbow Room earlier that day and walked out paying $40 just for lunch, I think this place was a much better option.,)
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Elbow Room
731 W San Jose Ave, Fresno, CA 93704
Fresno on a Saturday night
So glad you liked Trelio. Is really one of the best places and represents well.
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Trelio
438 Clovis Ave Ste 4, Clovis, CA 93612
Fresno on a Saturday night
Westbrook - excellent!
Trelio - (I see Polar Bear beat me to it.) The wine selection is as good as the food.
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Trelio
438 Clovis Ave Ste 4, Clovis, CA 93612
Taqueria Tequilas Grill, Mettler (south of Bakersfield), report...
I'm sure you had Polarbear at "tacos al pastor" :)
Waiting for his review.
Sacramento downtown/midtown expense account
I'll throw Grange in there as well. FWIW, I think lunch is better than dinner.
Yalla Yalla in Fresno
I was there last week.
I had the kibbe (also sometimes called kirfta) - aka "armenian footballs" - minced meat with spices wrapped in bulgar that is then deep fried, usually in the shape of a mini football. To me it was a bit dry. Was served with a tzatski/yogurt sauce. I have never seen kibbee served with this kind of sauce before and honestly didn't really like it. BUT if you squeeze some lemon on the kibbee, and omit the sauce, it was much better. This is also one of those dishes where everyone's mother makes the best - so I admit that I was comparing it to my former mother in law's and hers always wins.
I also had the hummus with sharwma; this was a pleasant surprise. My dining companions had the chicken fattoush salad. They enjoyed it.
Hands down though the one "must order" item is the bread pudding. Its the same recipe as the one at CPB and it is amazing. Wine selection was decent but seems a bit overpriced. Paid $12 for a glass of something that although good, I don't even remember the name of right now.
Suggestions for road trip from Twin Cities to Door County ??
Thank you so much for this post. I have to fly into Wausau this week for a few days and this is exactly the type of info I was trying to find. Coming from California I may check out the Mexican but I am definitely checking out the beer. :)
Looking for casual non-chain restaurant near Bulldog Stadium --- Fresno
I will say that I was at Doghouse yesterday and if you go there, you have to order the tri tip sandwich. One will feed two people easily. I'm not usually a big tri tip fan but this is the best tri tip sandwich I've had in this area. An incredible amount of meat and very tender.
Looking for casual non-chain restaurant near Bulldog Stadium --- Fresno
gmk1322 beat me to it. Don Pepe's hands down. But it helps if you're a fan of marsicos..... Dog House is okay if you're looking for standard burger/fries/beer.
And for the adults - order a beer - comes with a shrimp, salt and hot sauce at the top of the bottle. Cant beat it.
Camarones Zarandeado at Don Pepe's in Salinas
The camarones zarandeados at the Fresno location are just as good. :)
Fresno - local coffee
Thanks I will keep that rec in mind. You can never have too many good coffee recommendations. I am sure it is MUCH better than the Starbucks located off the freeway.
Fresno - local coffee
Two of the best I've found are Iron Bird cafe (Fulton at Divisadero) and Cafe Corazon (Wishon, just north of the Tower theater.)
Iron Bird is a full service cafe with breakfast as well as lunch offerings and a cool vibe. Espresso is done well.
Cafe Corzaon is for the purists. No food (but you can go to the bakery next door.) Coffee brewed for you right there - no stainless steel containers but no espresso machine either. Corazon roasts their own beans and is a no frills operation BUT their coffee is really good.
Check them out - and let me know which you prefer.
Top 5 beer places in Fresno
Here's my list. Feel free to comment or add.
1. B.C.'s Pizza - technically Clovis but excellent international selection on draft and best Belgian bottled collection in the valley
2. Eureka Burger - good California microbrew selection on draft; bonus points for food and additional points for direct tv/red zone ticket so that you can watch NFL games to your heart's content
3. Mad Duck - again good beer selection with above average food; a step below Eureka because I don't know if they carry all the NFL games
4. B.J.s - yes its a chain but the selection on draft is decent
5. Sequoia Brewing - 2 locations - good locally made and produced beers; points for live music
