Pismo's of Fresno

A quick review because it's getting late....

Decor: Creatively put together. Lots of weathered wood in the interior to give it a seaside feel. The windows were open all the way to the ceiling, giving a nice pseudo-"open air" feel to the place.

Service: Excellent. The waitress seemed to hover around our table in a casual way (as opposed to a deliberate way, as can sometimes happen). She...+READ A quick review because it's getting late....

Decor: Creatively put together. Lots of weathered wood in the interior to give it a seaside feel. The windows were open all the way to the ceiling, giving a nice pseudo-"open air" feel to the place.

Service: Excellent. The waitress seemed to hover around our table in a casual way (as opposed to a deliberate way, as can sometimes happen). She promptly brought any additional requests (more water, more salad dressing, etc.) to our table. Other wait staff seemed to also be on their game.

Food: Needs some work. The items we ordered were:

- Cup of Clam Chowder: Nice thick clam chowder, with more than hint of thyme and just a hint of cayenne pepper. It's not the best clam chowder we've had, but it's good.

- Caesar Salad with Pistachio Crusted Calamari Steak: The mistake was made when the Caesar Salad dressing was poured over the calamari steak. Eventually, the liquid turned the steak's crust into mush, making the dish almost inedible. Also adding to the poor quality of the dish was the toughness of the calamari. It wasn't completely leather-like, which under-tenderized calamari will turn out to be after it is fried. But, it was just tough enough to make one realize that the chef hadn't tenderized it enough.

Clams & Linguini in a White Wine Sauce: The most clams (in the shell) that we've ever seen in a clam & pasta dish. The clams were perfectly cooked, and the linguini was just the right tenderness. The problem with this dish...way too much sauce. The clams in our bowl must've felt right at home, because they were under liquid during most of the meal. The excess sauce made the dish a messy experience.

Wedge Salad with Sirloin Strip: The best dish of the three. The meat was perfectly tenderized and cooked. Then again, that's no surprise, given that Pismo's owner (Dave Fansler) also ran Tahoe Joe's and now runs Yosemite Ranch. Still, the fish should be the focus at Pismo's and not the meat.

Overall: We're not ready to toss Pismo's into the "over-rated" bin quite yet. They are new, and are probably still working out the bugs. So, we're willing to give them another try in the next few months. Still, the food missteps we saw aren't a promising start. We hope that they can fine-tune the menu a bit before their appeal goes out like the tide.-COLLAPSE / REPLY (9 Replies) (by Lunch Critics, created November 27, 2009)