Food Blogs
Lesson Learned: You don't have to travel far for good food and wine!
Posted by alisamanjarrez on Jun 02, 2010
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Fresno
Limón
San Francisco
trelio
Westbrook
Often times, you have to learn the same lesson over and over again. My lesson learned in May was that you can have an amazing food experiences without having to travel even three hours from home. I know this. We have so much to celebrate in Fresno as far as food is concerned, but sometimes, I forget!
A few weekends ago, I went to San Francisco for the sole purpose of eating good food at a reasonable price. It was just a day trip, which meant about seven total hours of driving and maybe seven hours there...at the most. Of course, that trip included hazelnut & stratacciatella gelato (see me loving it in the above pic).
My friends and I arrived in the city late in the afternoon...starving. We first devoured the macaroni and cheese (jack, cheddar, fontina and point reyes blue cheeses) from the Grove Cafe, which I would describe as the ideal gourmet-comfort-food lunch spot. Then we snacked our way through Mission and Union Streets (gelato goes really well with walking and shopping), and ended up at Cha Cha Cha, a happening tapas bar, featuring delicious and relatively inexpensive house sangria (did you see this recipe?). Drinks and a large array of fried plantains, seafood paella, spicy chicken and more tasty treats came out to roughly $40 a person.
After that, we reluctantly drove back to Fresno for “the normal life.”
However, “the normal life” that followed was anything but normal; it was divine! So here you go, a glimpse into the next few delicious days in Fresno:
First day back in Fresno: Lunch at Limón, where I had the lomo saltado (pictured above), a traditional Peruvian top sirloin dish for only $14.95 (this is cool: you can watch one of their chefs describe it in Spanish on youtube).
From there, my new wine buddy, Chad Davis, took a group of us to Westbrook Wine Farm, a beautiful vineyard and winery just 45 minutes north of Fresno in Oneals, Calif. Ray and Tammy Krause hosted our group with such warm hospitality. Westbrook wine does not disappoint! I left with a few bottles of Syrah and their signature estate grown Fait Accompli.
Two days later: After hearing everyone rave about Trelio on Twitter (and after reading this review), I decided to treat my friend Bekah to one of their “Brown Bag Dinners,” where we tasted about 20 different Rosés. She graduated from San Joaquin Law this past month, so I thought a burger with foie gras would be a memorable graduation gift.
On the burger: white zinfandel carmelized onions, roasted mushrooms, gruyere cheese, applewood smoked bacon, sunny-up farm egg on a brioche bun. Served with a koolickle (pickle soaked in kool-aid!) and truffle tots.
Now, this is a big meal in itself, but I neglected to mention the first course: cedar plank hot smoked salmon, roasted beets, frisee salad and asparagus. And dessert: strawberry-chocolate mint shortcake. We rolled out of there.
Total driving time for my two incredible days in Fresno: two hours and 15 minutes.
Moreover, I spent roughly the same amount (minus the wine I purchased from Westbrook), in two days that I spent for one day out of town. It was one of the most delicious lessons I have had to learn so far this year!
If anyone would like to “teach” me more, I am more than open to your local foodie suggestions!
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Comments
Clare (not verified) | Wed, 2010-06-02 10:24
What a great post! Sorry I missed your pizza extravaganza last night. Congratulations! That is so exciting!
P.S. if you ever need a partner in crime to help discover new foods and write about it, let me know. :D
Rebek (not verified) | Wed, 2010-06-02 10:28
A Trelio feast was the perfect graduation gift! Thanks, Alisa!
Rebecca (not verified) | Wed, 2010-06-02 10:35
Glad to hear you enjoyed Limón! And I'm glad you found Vida en el Valle's video of Limón's chef :)
tavmark | Wed, 2010-06-02 10:38
That burger WAS amazing. Of course there was also the "koolickle" which I actually liked.
Jenne (not verified) | Wed, 2010-06-02 11:26
My Fresno foodie recommendations:
1. Dim sum at Imperial Garden on Saturday and Sundays 11-2
2. Duck pho at Pho 75 #2
3. any appetizer from Veni Vidi Vici
4. the special of the week from Chicken n Waffles on Olive.
5. breakfast at Yukon Jack's
6. anything at Mangosteen
7. Italian beef sandwich (ask for it dipped with giardinara if you like spicy from Chicago Connection
8. lunch at The Basque Hotel
alisamanjarrez | Fri, 2010-06-04 10:37
I've had only a few of those food experiences! Excited to try more. Where is the Chicago Connection?
lisachocoholic | Tue, 2010-06-08 02:08
You didn't ask me but I'll answer anyway. :-)
Chicago Connection is at 5730 N. First Street. It's near the southeast corner of the
shopping center on the southeast corner of First and Barstow. Their web site is http://thechicagoconnection.com/
Being a Windy City native, I was thrilled to see this place open. I'm a bit disappointed with the food though. It's not bad; it's just not as good as what I hoped.
I've only tried the pizza once. True Chicago pizza crust is flaky and thick. It's made with butter, believe it or not! CC's crust was deep dish, but it had a pinkish tint, as if they'd added tomato sauce to the dough. I've never experienced that before.
The Italian beef. Oh, oh oh! You haven't lived 'til you've had a great Italian beef! Look at http://www.roadfood.com/Recipes/Recipe.aspx?RecipeID=43 and pray you don't short out the keyboard from drooling.
The meat should be cooked with seasonings and then allowed to soak in the gravy. (It's not real gravy, it's juice, like a French dip, but it's always referred to as gravy.) This is where so much of the flavor comes from. I had the feeling at CC that the meat was deli-style roast beef and only soaked in gravy after the fact.
But I don't want to scare you away from the place. Go! Considering that the only way to get something better is through mail-order or to hop on a plane, this is an acceptable alternative.
alisamanjarrez | Wed, 2010-06-09 12:16
Thank you for the fair rating of the Chicago connection. I'm intrigued! I've never been to Chicago, so maybe it will give me a good incentive to try it here, THEN compare! Food is always a good excuse to travel.
That Italian beef recipe does look mighty tasty! I'll have to post it here on TasteFresno after I try making it! Yum!
lisachocoholic | Thu, 2010-06-10 01:18
"Food is always a good excuse to travel."
Oh yes! And have you ever read "Alice, Let's Eat" by Calvin Trillin?
I just found this article, and apparently they were thinking of you - "Molecular gastronomy, steakhouses, and wine bars make the Windy City a dynamic dining destination" at http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/diningtravel/restaurants/chicago . The city has many "ethnic" neighborhoods where you can find great eats...Polish, Mexican, Swedish, Greek, and then there's well-known chefs Grant Achatz, Rick Bayless, and Charlie Trotter, to name a few.
There's a Chicago version of TasteFresno at lthforum.com.
I didn't mean to hijack this thread to be all about Chicago, but on topic, if you do decide to travel far for good food, the Second City is first-rate.
The Cured Ham | Mon, 2010-06-07 07:17
As someone who has spent a significant amount of time in Fresno (born and raised) and has lived in the Bay Area for over 13 years I would have to agree that you don’t have to travel far for a great food experience, but then again, I live in Bay Area. Joking aside, my recent experience, service aside, at Cracked Pepper in Fresno was lovely.
Since you asked for “local” recommendations…Next time you go to Pacific Heights, check out SPQR, Florio, Spruce, Dosa, Sociale, or Pizzeria Delfina. I’m guessing you went to Cha Cha Cha in the Mission rather than the Haight. Again, options are everywhere and a bit more densely packed that Pac Heights.
Expanding on the basic premise from another reader’s comment, Imperial Garden does have good dim sum, and thank heaven for it. I have eaten at Imperial for lunch, dinner, and brunch over the years and the quality is good. But how many other options for dim sum do you have in Fresno? I lived in the Richmond District for 7 years and I had no less than 10 places I could eat dim sum within walking distance; some excellent and some not-so-good, but at least I had options. And I’m not counting China Town or Little China Town. Where are the other 9 options in Fresno? When will more Fresnan’s appreciate eating dim sum? I’m a bit tired of hearing how good Shanghai’s chicken salad is. Or how cheap their favorite Chinese joint is. Fresno should demand more.
If one has a craving in Fresno for Hunan, Hong Kong, Canton, Thai, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Moroccan, Ethiopian, New Zealand, Vegetarian, Wine Bar with food, French, or a plebeian chowder in a bread bowl how many options await you in each category? And what happens when the option you have isn’t the quality of an Imperial Garden? Or Parma? Or Million Elephant? Then what? Fresno should demand more. But does it? I do admit, having a Ruth Chris and Flemings tells me the demographics for Fresno look good and income levels are there to support higher end cuisine. Look at Country Club Plaza in Kansas City or downtown Walnut Creek. Fresno could easily have a Capital Grille instead of the perpetually half-priced Daily Grille.
Ah, The Basque. I’ve had more chicken liver nights at the Basque than I can count, but who will take their place? Who? I don’t see the next level of competition like you would see in the Bay Area; where the next restaurant to pack a place on a Wednesday night at a communal table eating chicken livers and drinking unlabeled cold red wine is waiting to be opened by the sous chef from the Basque. Communal tables are more common in San Francisco than they ever have been and they're breaking out killer food. Look at Salt House, SPQR, NOPA, and Barbacco. San Francisco demands more from its food culture.
I am critical of Fresno because it has all of elements of a wine and food center; population, regional airport, vineyards (and if properly thinned the ability to produce world class wine), fresh produce, natural proteins, major university, Yosemite and hence international tourism. Harris Ranch is one of the top grossing restaurants in the country. Chukchansi has name-brand entertainment. I’ve climbed some of the best granite in the world in Yosemite. So what’s missing? Greater refinement of existing cuisine is one thing. A few restaurants get it, but only a few. I could see up-and-coming Pakistani and Indian food, as well as Laotian and Vietnamese. And yes, Armenian has been overlooked for years. It’s more than just shish kabob and pilaf damn it, just like Italian food is more than spaghetti and meatballs! Try finding an Armenian deli in San Francisco.
Please keep driving to the Bay Area. Eat at the inspired Limon in the Mission. Eat at Barbacco in the Financial District. Eat at Bellanico in Oakland. Eat at Cesar’s in Berkeley. Eat at Ton Kiang in The Richmond of SF. It’s worth your time and your money. And maybe, if enough people come to San Francisco and experience a wonderful weekend, they’ll want to bring a piece of their experience back to Fresno and push Fresno where it needs to go. And demand more.
I appreciate your thought provoking article Alisa.
alisamanjarrez | Wed, 2010-06-09 12:49
Interesting perspective! I really appreciate your comments, here. I'm adding your SF recommendations to my SF food list, because there are some clothing boutiques I've been introduced to that I *need* to visit to on a regular basis. And a girl's gotta eat, too! :) Thanks.
About your criticisms on Fresno's restaurant competition - I agree that Fresno has huge potential in adding more viable options in each food category. Are we ready for that? I don't know. Yes, there is a demographic that can afford some of the nicer options, but I am skeptical that those same people would be willing to try out 10 places for dim sum.
Fresno still needs to work on building awareness of the few really amazing options we do have. Let's pack those places out & create more demand that way. I've grown up here and I'm just starting to become aware of the array of experiences available to me. Frankly, that's terrible, but I know I'm not alone. I intend on being just as deliberate in my restaurant choices here as I would visiting another city.
Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts!