» this is a cross-post from TasteFresno.

Last year a friend told me about Fresno Art Museum's Men Who Cook fundraiser, and was so convincing that we cancelled our other plans that night. We weren't disappointed—the food was amazing, and plentiful. Men from throughout the community, including several local "celebrities," cooked up a wide variety of recipes…some more worthwhile than others, of course. I still remember Henry T.'s risotto, in fact, and will offer him my vote in November in exchange for the recipe.

Kim couldn't join me last night, so I went with a friend. We arrived before 7:00, but the courtyard was already packed, and we had a hard time navigating to the first tables. After a few samples, we braved the ridiculous line for a beer.

I'll start with what I found disappointing: Too many people, too little food. 200 samples from each participating chef just won't feed that many people (a great problem for the museum to have). A few of last year's "celebrities" also didn't seem to return, but maybe I just had a harder time finding them. Oh, and only a few cooks made desserts; I have a bit of a sweet tooth, and by the time we made it to those tables, everything was gone.

That's it. Now, the things I loved: The music was great, though I'm not much of a dancer. The atmosphere is overall very exciting, and the food we did have (with few exceptions) was delicious. My favorite was the Angelo Fideo Mushrooms Pasta from Adaniel Lepe-Camacho ("Mr. Natural"). I hear that Famous Whitewater made delicious crepes, though I couldn't verfity because he was out by the time I stopped by.

This is just a start—there are many more reasons to go to the event.

Overall, $20 is a bargain for an event like this, and I probably should be thankful that there wasn't enough food for me to gorge myself…again. Next year, I'll be there when the doors open at 6:00.