Fresno Famous

Good Lord I love food. Since I've been pregnant its only been magnified. My favorite things have been forbidden (Sushi, Alcohol... Beer is food right?) so I've been finding new places to feed my bottomless pit of a tummy in hopes of extinguishing those cravings for all things off limits.

Today led me to M&R Sandwich Shop, conveniently located inside the Super Liquor #4 at the corner of Ashlan and Blythe. My mom has been raving about this new shop for weeks and I finally had the chance to try it. Twice. In one day.

When you first walk in, you have to pass the aisles of crackers, booze and personal items, and tucked away in the corner is the order window (portal?) to a world of bliss. I, a virgin to the wonders of this bar-b-que hole in the wall, ordered a BLT with pilaf as my side. My mom, seasoned sandwich whore, went straight for the tri-tip sandwich. My BLT was incredible. But her sandwich, dripping and oozing with sauce kept nagging at me. I wanted to stick my finger in and take a sample. I held back, however, formulating a plan for later.

We enjoyed our meal with sodas purchased from Super Liquor #4- the most convenient part of being located in a convenience store. I had a Horchata because they were out of the Cherry*Lemon*Lime. Almost a tragedy. If you've ever seen a pregnant woman not get her first choice you can maybe imagine the scene...

As I delighted in bacony wonder, several regulars came through to pick up to go orders and it became apparent that my mom isn't the only person who loves this place. Every face was recognized, and even their favorite orders were remembered. One man came in saying "That hot sauce you gave me had my ass on fire before i even finished it! I'll have that again!" And being an expert eavesdropper, I gleaned that owner Maxie Parks was an Olympic gold medalist in the 1976 games. Two treasures of Fresno in one place?! Priceless!

I finished my last bites and we left, but being pregnant I usually get what I want (its so great and I only have about a month left of this treatment so I'm eating it up- bbq style) so I announced that dinner would also be from M&R.

You can call in your order and pick it up, so once home, we informed our men of the plan and I got to devour the Tri-Tip delight. And in spite of a particularly heavy braxton-hicks contraction that interrupted me halfway through, it was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. And the potato salad side- delish.

Sandwiches run about 6 dollars each and come with one side, and you can also order burgers and Bar-B-Que plates. On Fridays and Saturdays they serve fried catfish and homemade peach cobbler- I may be back tomorrow!

M&R Sandwich Shop is open Monday-Saturday from 10:00 AM- 9:00 PM and is located at 4430 W. Ashlan. You can place orders for pick up by calling (559) 275-6706.

I eat sandwiches almost daily from The Cosmopolitan Tavern and have a severe love for bread and meat.