Planada
Planada, CA · Food & Drink
fresnoland.org
Has Mike’s Grill changed? 17 years on, Fresno’s tri-tip sandwich master says no.
One of Fresno’s best sandwiches comes from one of its smallest restaurants. That was just one discovery from our recent search for the best tri-tip sandwich in Fresno. Mike’s Grill on Cedar just south of Herndon occupies a 150-square-foot kiosk that looks like a former Fotomat, and actually began as a Lehman’s Lock and Safe (and later became a Cingular Wireless). But for 17 years, they’ve been serving what some may consider Fresno’s best tri-tip sandwich.
The Fresno Bee
These Fresno businesses can prepare your family's holiday meal. Here's how it works
A frozen turkey can take several days to thaw, and then several more hours (or longer) to cook. For people who don’t have that kind of time, or who would rather spend it enjoying the company of their family and friends, restaurants and grocery stores around the Central Valley are offering catered holiday meals. Aaron Nielsen, the owner of Southern Hospitality Co. , has been offering catered holiday meals for the last eight years. His catered meals are à la carte, so people can pick and choose which dishes they want to order, as opposed to a set meal. Southern Hospitality Co. offers traditional turkey and honey baked spiral ham, as well as full assortment of sides like parmesan and bacon butter brussels sprouts, deviled eggs, mashed potatoes, dinner rolls and a $22 pumpkin pie. All orders have a $150 minimum, and the cut-off day to order a Thanksgiving meal from Southern Hospitality is the Monday before Thanksgiving. “I get phone calls the day of,” Nielsen said. Southern Hospitality Co. offers delivery or pickup options on Thanksgiving, which not all places do. Phoenician Garden , which also offers holiday catering, is closed on Thanksgiving, so it tells customers to have
YourCentralValley.com
Local flavors take over Chukchansi Park
FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Taco Truck Throwdown 15 took over Chukchansi Park on Saturday, showcasing the best the Central Valley has to offer. The event started back in 2011. Event co-founder and President of Fresno Street Eats Mike Oz says the first instance of the Taco Truck Throwdown featured only 7 trucks. Taco Truck Throwdown […]
myfamilytravels.com
Weebly Co-Founder Revived a 103-Year-Old California Roadside Stand After a Yearlong Restoration
Weebly co-founder Chris Fanini saw something worth saving in a California roadside stand with more than a century of history. After the business changed hands, his hospitality group spent about a year restoring the property and preparing it for a new chapter. The location first welcomed travelers as a root...
The Fresno Bee
Coffee shop at Fresno's Campus Pointe adds something different. See the new store
Inside Look is a Fresno Bee series where we take readers behind the scenes at restaurants, new businesses, local landmarks and news stories. Running a coffee shop wasn’t enough. So Sumer Rasheed, co-owner of Collect Coffee Bar , decided to open a store next to her coffee shop at Campus Pointe at Fresno State selling some of her favorite things. And it’s not just a store. It’s an experience. Customers can go olive oil tasting. They can make their own perfumes and candles. Children can blow off steam in a kids play area while their parents shop or sip a latte. And more interactive features are coming soon. The store, called Zaytoona , will celebrate its grand opening from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m Saturday. If Zaytoona sounds familiar, it’s because Rasheed and her husband, Jamal Taha, used to run a store of the same name at River Park. It closed several years ago. Now it’s reopen — with some changes — and connected to neighboring business, Collect Coffee Bar, via an open archway. The play area for children with toys and a miniature kitchen is open to customers of either business. Rasheed and her husband bought Collect Coffee several
The Fresno Bee
Top stories: Snack recall. Valley election results. Is Starving Artist closed? Grocery tenant
Voters across five San Joaquin Valley counties cast ballots this week in races that will shape Sacramento and Washington representation, while north Fresno saw major shifts at the RiverView Shopping Center. A popular toddler snack sold nationwide was pulled from shelves over a choking hazard that federal regulators called potentially fatal. Here is a quick look at what readers followed most closely in The Fresno Bee this week. Here are top stories of the week: How did the Central Valley vote? See live 2026 election results across five counties — Voters in Fresno, Kings, Tulare, Madera and Merced counties cast ballots Tuesday in races for Congress, the California Legislature, county and city offices, school boards and local ballot measures. Unofficial results are being updated as county election officials continue counting. Vote-by-mail ballots postmarked by Election Day may be counted if received by Nov. 10, and counties must certify results by Dec. 3. Empty for years, a north Fresno grocery gets a new renter. Who is it? Why the delay? — After seven years sitting empty, the former Lassens Natural Foods & Vitamins space at the RiverView Shopping Center has a new tenant: Mulligan’s Sports Bar & Indoor Golf. The spot
The Fresno Bee
Why this restaurant's name is confusing people. Tacos El Gordo is now open in Fresno
The name of a new Fresno restaurant is causing some drivers to do a double take when they pass it. Tacos El Gordo opened in late September on Ashlan Avenue, next to Save Mart near Cedar Avenue. But it’s not that Tacos El Gordo. To explain, the Tacos El Gordo many people in central California are familiar with is the one that started in San Diego and has several locations in Las Vegas. One, on the Las Vegas Strip is open until 4 a.m. and has a huge rotating trompo in the window roasting meat for al pastor tacos. “That’s super popular,” customer Deron Walker of Fresno said. “There’s a lot of people (who) know it. It’s a whole experience.” Lines are separated by what meat customers want on their tacos . That’s not what opened in Fresno. Our Tacos El Gordo is a locally owned restaurant named after the owner who got the nickname El Gordo when he was working at all the Toledo’s Mexican Restaurants locations. Cashier Laura Contreras has fielded questions about the name. “We’re not associated with them at all,” she said. “I like to always say we’re better than them. That’s a strong statement, but
vmsd.com
The Fresno Bee
Coffee pop-up getting permanent home in Fresno's Tower District; part of a larger renovation
A new coffee shop is headed for the Tower District — and Tower regulars may already have tried its coffee. Mirror Coffee , a pop-up shop operated by Katie Friesen for three years inside Moto Delicatessen & Bodega , plans to open a full cafe in the same building as the former Spokeasy bar that burned two years ago. The coffee shop is taking over the space on the opposite end of the building on Van Ness Avenue, which was once occupied by Jazzy’s Jeans N Things. Mirror Coffee is expected to be open by the end of the year or early next year. Friesen is a fixture on the Tower coffee scene. She started in the business at the Starbucks on Olive Avenue, worked at Gazebo Gardens’ coffee shop, and used to be part owner of the Revue before it became Component Coffee . She’s also the roaster for Alchemist Coffee Lab . The Spokeasy building The building in Van Ness Village, between Olive and McKinley avenues, is perhaps best known for the popular bar Spokeasy. The building had a fire two years ago and the bar has been slowly but steadily working toward reopening . It’s a similar
midvalleytimes.com
Exchange a ‘Pint for Pancakes’ at local blood centers
CENTRAL VALLEY – The Central California Blood Center is bringing back its second annual Pint for Pancakes campaign, partnering with Huckleberry’s and Black Bear Diner to give the community a delicious reason to donate blood this holiday season. From Nov. 1 through Dec. 31, all blood donors who...
unearththevoyage.com
KMPH.com
Veteran-owned Dog Shack opens a new permanent location
FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — The Dog Shack, which started as a food truck, has a new permanent location in Fresno. The Dog Shack held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday for its new permanent location inside the Fresno Zippy Mart on Herndon Avenue. The Dog Shack is known for their...
The Fresno Bee
This Asian restaurant in Fresno is making big changes 8 years after it opened
For an authentic taste of Korea, a plane ticket isn’t needed. Fresno’s Asiana Korean Restaurant , at 90 E Magill Ave, Ste. 101, is just off Blackstone Avenue. It’s been around for 8 years, and owners Zhangjie Jin and his wife Mee Ryung make everything in-house. After eight years in business, they still make changes to the menu, but those changes always come down to two key points: What's popular in Korea, and what’s popular with their existing customer base. So while there are dishes that will never leave the menu, like galbi, bulgogi and japchae, the owners are also introducing a new dish to Fresno, malatang. The dish is a Chinese street food, where, like hot pot, people can select the ingredients they want to include and have those ingredients quick-boiled in a broth. At Asiana, customers can pick which ingredients they want to include from a self-service bar, as well as if they want the dish to be spicy (and what level of spice they might want), as well as if they want it to be a soup or dry. The ingredients are then weighed and paid for, and then Zhangjie takes the ingredients and prepares them. While