Food Blogs
Fresno's best restaurant?
Posted by jamescollier on Feb 03, 2010
I'm borrowing space tonight in an office downtown, working late with a couple of creatives. One asks what my favorite restaurant in town is, to which I reply with a question, "What type of cuisine do you like?" As the conversation continues, the other starts tweeting parts of it (out of context). Now I'm quoted as saying that no restaurant in Fresno deserves the title of the best.
I'm holding to that belief—I think there are restaurants that set great examples for quality, or service, or ambiance, or a particular cuisine, but none that master them all.
By the responses on Twitter, I may be in the minority here, so while everyone's thinking about their favorite restaurants, let's keep track of them all.
What do you think is THE best restaurant in Fresno (or the Fresno area)? What makes them superior?
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Comments
kiel | Thu, 2010-02-04 00:08
I don't know if these says anything about not being a best restaurant or not but, I've not yet found a restaurant (that is still open, looking at Milano) that I can't imagine going to at least once a week.
If there was a best restaurant that I knew of I would want to be there all the time. The parameters that I use are service, quality of ingredients, taste of food/beverage, atmosphere, location, and affordability. I know its asking a lot. I guess that's why I haven't found it.
kiel | Thu, 2010-02-04 00:25
Had an offline discussion with james about Best vs. Favorite. Maybe thats a different discussion.
@yagrrb (not verified) | Thu, 2010-02-04 01:03
I'm relatively new to Fresno. I'm not a Frez hater, but I must say, I haven't had exceptional food in this town. Anywhere. In fact, after a year of subpar or average dining experiences, I've basically stopped going out for dinner. Someone please change my mind.
Kelli (not verified) | Thu, 2010-02-04 08:27
How do we decide the qualities of a "best" restaurant? I suspect that each person would have their own rubric, because eating is such a personal thing. That is why not even professional food critics can agree on the best restaurant in New York City or San Francisco. Eating food is personal, almost intimate. And for me, the "best" is often determined by my moods or the situation. For example, last night was my husband's birthday and we went to Limon and it was amazing. Quality ingredients and warm service made for a great evening. However, the other day, Don Pepe's made us the "best" lunch with super fresh shrimp and al pastor roasted on a spit. Two extremely different restaurants, both the "best" on any given day. Therefore, for me the "best" is knowing that given what I am craving, can I find a great example of it here in Fresno? This also means being willing to try new places and new cuisines so that I am aware of what Fresno has to offer.
And @yagrrb, my husband and I have lived in a few different cities and Fresno has some amazing restaurants. You do have to search for them, however. The chains are easy to find and we consider them to be "traps" that are easy to fall into on your way to the good stuff. I have no idea what your own personal rubric is for grading restaurants, but you must try Cracked Pepper Bistro to taste passionate cooking, and finish with the bread pudding that has no equal. Also try Rudy's cooking at the Ripe Tomato, especially the rock shrimp app. Order the whole fish at Thai Royal Orchid and ask them to pair the wine for you, I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Enjoy the warm hospitality of the staff at Parma and stuff yourself with delicious Italian cuisine (not the red sauce kind of place). Visit the lovely ladies at Le Parisien whose beignets and croissants are a little taste of France, and don't forget their amazing soups! And of course, I mentioned Limon earlier, you should try it! These are the places that people consider to be "nicer" in regards to ambiance and service.
However, in my mind, the little hole in the wall places where the person who takes your order is the person who will make your food, have their own charm. Not evey taco stand or pho joint is amazing, but when you taste the broth at Pho #1, you know some serious work has gone into creating it. And that is something to cherish. When I order my tacos at Los Toritos at the Selma Flea Market, they take the extra time to crisp up the meat and prepare a salsa bar. You can tell they want you to enjoy your food. When Sam at Sam's Deli makes me a sandwhich and hands it to me over the counter, I sense his pride in making it for me. When the mother and daughters at Julia's on Divisadero make me a hearty Mexican breakfast, I know they put some love into it. I can taste it. So for me, that goes a long way. I don't need fancy white tablecloths and waiters to know that I have had good food. When I taste the quality of the ingredients, when I see that they took the extra time, went that extra step to infuse flavors, I know I have had a good meal.
The Cured Ham | Thu, 2010-02-04 11:17
The “Best” puts a valuation onto something, meaning, it is judged by a set of criteria. Those criteria are then weighted, scored, and ranked from 1 to 10 for example, or “best to worse“.
However, who then weights the system? If Kiel's system has 6 individual criteria, how are they weighted? Equally? Is 6 individual criteria enough? How about 8 or 10? How many judges are there scoring each criterion and on how many visits to the restaurant? What are each judges credentials. Are the same menu items ordered? Is the same cook in the kitchen and servers on the floor? Are you dining alone or with a group? Is it your birthday or some other special occasion? Have you had two cocktails before dinner? The answer is: It’s a multivariate equation with a non-standardized outcome. I worry about the Morningstar Manager of the Year, The Wine Spectator Top 100, and The Best Restaurant in Fresno. They may be good for headlines, but not necessarily what’s best for you.
Let’s look at this a different way. Personal preference, an old stand-by, a new place, what you grew up with, or for some, what have you come back to for nostalgia, all can be your favorite or the best or both for any number of reasons. Take pizza for example, everybody loves pizza.
Technically, Me n’Ed’s is a chain; it just happens to have started in Fresno (see, not all chains are bad) and it’s the best! I will always love Me n’Ed’s unless they do something drastically different to their pizza. How many baseball games ended at Me n’Ed’s? How many times after a high school football game did I plow down a large pizza with the team? How will that ever be repeated? There is no substitute when you were growing up in Fresno. Bullard and West Me n’Ed’s or The Tower or the one in Los Banos all are great. Of course Me n’Ed’s is the best pizza.
Pizza Orgasmica on Filmore St. in San Francisco I’ve eaten at dozens of times starting in my late 20’s till today, usually at midnight, with my remaining cash, standing on the sidewalk, napkins in hand. Like a pack of wild rats crowded under the awning keeping out of the rain, hungry for post-cocktail grub, waiting for the next cab. It’s the best! And I know it’s good pizza when we’ve actually ordered it for dinner too.
Pizza my Heart in Capitola Village was a pilgrimage each summer growing up. A culinary memory that will never die. Getting two slices, one thick, one thin and eating on the sand was two slices of heaven! Did it matter that sand could blow onto your pizza? Was that really dried oregano in the communal shaker? Did it worry me that the hygiene back in the 80’s probably wasn’t up to standards with that care-free kitchen crew at Pizza my Heart? I was 16, I was invincible, hygiene wasn’t concern. Cheap fuel was. The best pizza! Sure, Pizza my Heart seems a little more corporate now, less choice, but I still show up at the counter whenever I’m in Capitola or Emeryville.
In Naples, birthplace of the pizza, I’ve eaten the best pizza with my family on my first trip to Italy. Who disputes Naples as having the Best Pizza in the World? In fact, we had pizza all over the place. Some good, some great, some terrible (think near the train station). Then we came across a place near our hotel. It was fabulous, just what we were looking for. And guess what we talked about at dinner? Me n’Ed’s, Pizza Orgasmica, and Pizza my Heart.
All of the pizza restaurants I mention are my favorites and all of them are the best! And yes, I can be critical of all of them. I hope you find your favorite restaurant in some of the best places on Earth. Fresno, San Francisco, Capitola, Naples, Italy (not Florida).
oneheavenlyheart | Tue, 2010-02-16 15:24
It really is hard to pick the "best" restaurant in Fresno. A lot of my experience depends on what I'm craving... I agree with Kiel's parameters. Taking that into consideration, a few of my current obsessions are (While mourning the loss of Flamenco's):
1) New Stars Vegetarian - Family run, always nice, never had a bad meal, affordable, and right next to my house! (and I can have ANYTHING on the menu without having to think about it 1st!)
2) Guadalajara (Central/99) - Family run, always nice, never had a bad meal, affordable, and right next to my work! Best salsa too!
3) Gigi's - This one's a little pricier (mostly cuz you have to have wine!) so I don't go as often as I wish I could, but mmm mmm mmm. Quaint and small and the best eggplant parmesan I've had in forever.
4) Kashefi's - I know it's just a deli, but that sandwich does it for me.
oneheavenlyheart | Tue, 2010-02-16 15:26
OH and Sweet Gingers Thai Food!! Masaman w/ potatoes! Pad Se Ew! Homemade Coconut ice cream w/ chunks of coconut! Get outta here. MMM