Fresno Famous

better 'n Pats?

blasphemy

Philly Cheese Steak

Has anyone tried that new place on Cedar and Nees called Phillys & Fries man was it great I thought I would never have another Authentic Philly Cheese Steak I was born and raised in Trenton NJ used to eat at least 3-4 Phillys a week from Pats I hate to say it bit this Philly I had from Phillys and Fries was even better I lloked up the Phone number for you guys 559-446-1111 check it out

Classifieds

I did see it for sale in the classifieds a month or two ago so I wasn't surprised it sold. I was hoping it would remain a restaurant, though.

What I wanna know is...

How in the hell am I just finding out about this?!

They're already closed, too, right? I'll admit to not getting there anywhere near as much as I used to or would like to, but come on. I pay attention. I knew nothing.

Oh well.

...the NY styled deli

oooooh...
okay, you caught me...

Okay, this is the deal...
Though I normally do not go on others opines about things... (especially stuff as personal and subjective as,,, well, anything... actually.)

I was kvetching away to some friends of mine who are also from back east. (They are also clients, people who I highly respect, seriously owe a phonecall too, come to think of it,
-who also happen to be of the Jewish persuasion... (did I mention that we all lived within a town or two of each other back east...)

The one is a retired dietitian for godssakes...

Her son is a really good waiter...

They know from food...

In a moment of desperation, you know, just wanting to know if there was any real hope in the desert, or if God had brought us out of egypt to die in the wilderness,
(okay, it's a biblical quote, but we can modernize it, as I'm the gentile moping along who knows how to make nice with the sanpaper, saws, -AND wrenches...)
-I asked...

'..?'

Pretty much, they wanted to be polite...
(and when it comes to my friends and food, -particularly deli, there's no dancing around.)
'...well...you knowwww, the prices, ehh... and the taste... wellll, lets just say it was okay...'

'dassit? just...okay,'
'yeah.'

'...oh.'
'...yeah.'

Now... they were not dissing the place, mind you, but these folks have no problem telling you when something is spectacular or a complete dud...

I heard the brisket was sort of alright, -but they at least had knish.
Everything else was sort of okay...
(corned beef was a little dry.... but you know, that's a personal thing...)

Food from home is touchy like that... especially comfort food, which most kosher faire undoubtably is... (it's a major part of religious observance... and some of that stuff, if you get it wrong if it doesn't kill you, will make you WISH you were dead... (gfelte fish?, I rest my case...)

In truth, I have not gone there, Andy, but I do intend to... You know, just to see... I'm walking slowly.

Every once in a while, this mad ravenous crave for a serious bagle, with lox all the way comes over me, and I wander the streets, wild eyed and drooling...

(it has to be a year ago, at least, I was completely jonesing and I went to Uncle Harrys,,, just wanting som lox... '...oh, I'm sorry but we're out..'
'Hnah? ...it's Sunday? and you're out of Lox?'
(I thought she was going to direct me to Home Depot or Lowes.)
-the kid was nice enough to call their other store, to see if they had any...
(jeez... it's like buying battery cables for a '68 Barracuda...
'..let me check with our main store, or our supplier in DesMoines, we also know some great junkyards out of Pittsburgh, we may be able to get you some lox that's not too banged up, it could ship in three to five days, UPS ground...'

-the other store had it,
I got directions to the other store,
(I drew on my arm with a pen, if I recall,)
and made it over just as they were closing... just a displaced new yorker, sitting in an abandoned pseudo-deli, looking at the maps on the wall of my native land, hearing the sounds of the subway as it made the curves along the routes I used to take to work...
(It all felt a bit too contrived and 'movie-set,' for me... it was kind of hollow... kosher food is not meant to be eaten alone in a fake deli, you know? eating in a decent place back home is sort of a cross between a well attended religious service, and a calm and gentle contact sport... usually with furs and sunglasses on..)

In all fairness, I knew a guy, (sort of,) who used to introduce himself as 'the thirteenth jew in Fresno,'... and he said that the 'NY Style Deli was actually pretty good, (but again,) the brisket was nothing to write home about...'
(that must be some phoned-in-to-work Brisket over there..)
---But this guy eventually bailed out and went back to Texas... (he was initially from NY.)

I've heard about the former Firefighter from the city, who is openning up a deli, over by clovis (might even have done so by now... it was on another string back in the fall... -might be more Italian... I need to go there first, pay my respects...)

Still think the best pizza has got to be 'Tony's' over at Fruit and Shields, (Dave's wife, Marie's Mom's place... she's out of Naples... makes her own gravy (sauce,) and makes her own sausage... very very good.

Have You Tried

Hey Out of the Void,
Have you tried the New York styled deli in the River Park Shopping Center? Is it close to authentic or is it what The Olive Garden is to Italian food? Similar, but, watered down to appeal to the most possible tastes.
I loved "Birdy" Very strange movie but interesting with Nicholas Cage and Mathew Modine. Love Peter Gabriel.

yep, philly folks are like that...

Picture, if you will, people who come from a remarkably corrupt city, (though that's settled down over the years,) who have only one flaw, (though it's significant.)

-When it comes to their sports teams they are psychopathic, and have no middle ground... I count myself, (being a Yankees and Giants Fan from the NY region, -who lived in Philly from the early 80's to the mid-late 90's to be able to survive anything, -based upon that fact alone...
---but they respect that, they know they're nuts, and if you can wear a Giants Sweatshirt around town when the Eagles are playing, they figure you have a spine, and it earns respect...

That is their only flaw, other than that, they are all heart.

The town is like a series of distinct neighborhoods, each with a definite character and (sometimes,) accent, they are a very religious people, they are a very culturally diverse people, they have TONS of Russians there, they work hard, think fast on their feet, and still love oldies music, (though there is a slight tendency to play too much Frankie Valli,)
-They've had two shows 'Fridays with Frank,' and 'Saturdays with Sinatra,' that focus on, you guessed it, hours of the Chairman of the Board... on the radio.

They have not only a strong rock and roll background, but also strong tie ins with MoTown, -and a tremendous Orchestra and Ballet as well.
They have some of the best medical schools, they have some of the greatest math and science schools, -and some of the greatest art schools as well, (including the Academy of Fine Arts --which was founded by Thomas Eakins.)

And, if you tune in 88.5 WXPN, you will hear, possibly one of the greatest radio stations, (you can stream it too, online,) -it comes from U.Penn, and has such incredible shows as David Dye's World Cafe, ---and Teri Gross' Fresh Air... (It is actually one of the best radio stations I've ever heard, ever... and I guarantee you will not be disappointed by it... (It still is in my heart, after the two stations I used to DJ at, (Temple-Ambler was the first,) As much as I like KFSR, I seriously think,,, man, these guys are almost as good as XPN...(and that's not a slam.)

Their Folk Festival is really cool,(they have lots of great blues, bluegrass, and early R$B going on as well,
Their Summers are hot, and their cuisine is stupendous, ---and it is wall to wall Italians, so the food is not only of the gods, but quite fattening as well.

It is a land of rowhomes and historic alleyways, of freethinking quakers and the cradle of liberty, ---and a place where a young man can enroll in an arts college (now the university of art,) paint, sort of starve, sculpt, run naked in the street, make friends, have several great romantic moments and heart breaks, -and then grow to do so many other things, (their State School, Temple University, (not to be confused with Penn State,) ---is Tremendous...
-Temple U. (known for a brilliant Basketbal team and coach,) also has some of the best education in health, social sciences, ag, Art, teaching,,,, you name it, ----and quite affordable...

I recommend Philadelpha to anyone, (well, okay, avoid the Mummers... large dockworkers, Firemen, Policemen, in drag, playing string instruments and horns, dancing with feathers and sequins the full length of BroadStreet.... very very disturbing event to the unitiated, ---and sober... (but then again, on New Years Day, hardly anyone is...)

It's got everything, (including bad traffic getting in and out.)
-My advice? Either live in the city, or live in one of the suburbs and take a train in to work... Though they are exploding with more and more people... Still, Philly is Philly.
-Not exactly a City one flies back east to visit, (you know, deliberately, -unless you're from there, or on business,) ---but what a great place to live...

As corrupt as it was, it was one of the few towns where your kid sister could live in the South End, (SouthPhilly,) and be safer than anywhere else... It was almost completely Italian, and EVERYBODY knew everybody elses business... -one peep out of that kid in fear? and 'bam,' six guys with no neck were right there making sure everything was okay...

Amazing Amazing place, philadelpha...

They did some of the first studies on AIDS there.. (one of my professors who was over at Wharton also was studying GRID back in the early 80's...
-I was a missionary there working with AIDS babies, (and we had to keep their location a secret, --but folks in the area knew one thing, there were kids that were sick, who needed caring for, --and that was all that mattered...)

There were racial problems there, (MOVE,) and such... but folks were just folks... and if you lived anywhere near philly, you were from there and that's what mattered...
Unlike around here, there ARE sections of Philly, where, if you go there by yourself, even armed, you can expect to have to fight your way out, and not do so without injury...
-But still, there were times when everybody was cool with each other.

Entire industries like US Steel and the Naval Shipyards came and went...
One 'town,' just outside of the City, (headed into NE Philly,) was actually miles of empty shells (bombs,) just sitting upright, their noses open, along the Delaware... with people quietly going down small railway cart-lines into the darkness, packing the wadding and explosives...

The airport I used to Assistant Manage (NEPhilly,) not only has the occasional military helicopter bouncing through, -but several vintage warplanes buzzing around, hard core biz jets, a decent flying school, and a dayglo green xerox up on the wall that says 'in case of UFO sighting call this number..'

You could be standing on the porch where Ben Franklin was currently haunting a rowhouse, -and that was okay, you excused yourself from him, because you had to walk your dog, and he'd just have to understand.

You can smoke in Philadelphia and nobody is going to think you're an axe murderer, or a prevert... you just smoke, (that's it.)

There is a place in the NE that still makes dollar hoagies... and they're good...

And if you want to see a great movie about old Philadelphia (60-70's era,) I recommend
'Birdy,' (with a score by Peter Gabriel.)
-Also great? 'Witness,' (Harrison Ford,) -and 'Sixth Sense,' (Bruce Willis. ---all great Philly movies.

Even this recent football movie, what is it.. 'Invincible,' (with Markie-Mark?) Not bad... not bad at all... True Story in fact...

they always shared

knew someone from Philly, they'd bring back an icechest of wrapped, frozen philly cheesesteaks, after every visit there

nathans???

yuk, nasty... even the orig. stand down at coney Island is pathetic...

If you want a good hotdog, you want a sabrett...

If you want a good kosher hot dog, you want Hebrew National...

(You want excellent nasty little rat-burgers that taste great going down, and you don't wanna know what's in them???
White Castle,
(which I've not had since Chicago...)Snarf down 9 of those puppies with a side of onion rings and a serious coke??? No swimming for at least a day, (forget about an hour...)

But if you want a killer venue for chow???
--See if you can get a serious cheesesteak maker (out of Philly,) to come over and start up a satellite branch... (all you need is the right kind of bread, some good cut beef, cheeze wiz, peppers and onions, and boom, there you go...
-Way better deal... (and as in love as this town is with beef, tri-tip icecream and all that...) Cheese-Steaks (like Jims Steaks, or Pats,) ---bullseye...

if they can do it

can we lure Nathan's from NY?
http://www.nathansfamous.com/nathans/business/htmls/franchise_main.php

how about Pickup Outfitters from Boise?
http://www.pickupoutfitters.com/

anyone want to buy the "Old Fresno Hofbrau", "lock, stock & barrel"?
what's left of it after the auction?

if they can't make it in Fresno

what makes them think they can make it in Coeur d'Alene?

they're right across from St. Johns, City Hall & Amtrak now
http://www.google.com/maps?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&tab=wl&q=

what more advantages did they want? tax breaks? snow? more trees?
http://www.fyinorthidaho.com/Facts-Relocation/Community-Links/Jobs.aspx

http://www.weathercentral.com/weather/us/cities/id_coeur_dalene.html

http://www.fs.fed.us/ipnf/

Idaho is

just barely ok, in the south by Boise

I was stationed TDY @ Mountain Home AFB for 3 weeks in the winter
its a cold, high desert, the Snake River Valley was brown

Coeur d'Alene is up north by the skinny part, never been there but was told that white supremacy groups were trying to take over that area; with Christian Identity, KKK, skinheads, aryans

not sure how that's going for them in Coeur d'Alene
from civil rights group:
http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?aid=632

from White supremacists:
http://www.stormfront.org/forum/showthread.php/holding-white-nationalism...

Wow...

I have to say, I was rather skeptical when hearing about this move. But the website for the city makes it sound like a really nice place, especially for nature lovers.

http://www.cdachamber.com/AboutCdA/

Too bad the central valley has been turned over entirely to ag. It used to have its own really big lake.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulare_Lake

www.fresnolution.com
http://www.myspace.com/jghall00

Idaho could use a good

Sad news for Fresno. Guess Idaho is really hurting for a good Hofbrau ;)

Nothing mentioned about Metzcal nor Joe's on local news to my knowledge...good point Press.

Reporting openings must be considered free advertising. Give away those ad dollars ? No, no,no. But closings, now that's NEWS...and doesn't mess with the date who brung 'em ;)

TV coverage

I may be wrong here, but did the opening of Joe's Steak House make the evening news? Did the opening of Mezcal? Just wondering.

Also ran.

And the good news just keeps on coming. I'm glad Stone isn't planning on leaving SD anytime soon :)

www.fresnolution.com
http://www.myspace.com/jghall00