Favorito Restaurant ~ Fowler CA

Actually, I’ve only gone here for their Sunday morning buffet and it’s great. There’s nothing like a bowl of Menudo to start off a Sunday morning. Of course they have all the other stuff, chorizo and eggs, bacon, sausage, enchiladas,etc but the menudo and albondigas are really good.

After eating there I just want to go back home and take a long nap.

Favorito Restaurant

115 N 6th St, Fowler, CA.

559-834-1719

Salt-N-Pepper Rib Shack ~ Selma CA

The kids got me a gift certificate to Salt-N-Pepper for Father’s day. It’s great to have caring considerate kids. I had been there before so I knew what I wanted before I sat down. I ordered the 1/2 rack with sauce on the side.The sauce is really good but I like my ribs a little drier. They are slow smoked and not boiled first. That’s the way they should be IMHO. They just slipped off the bone. For sides I had cornbread, beans, and potato salad.

I had been there before and got to see their  REAL smoker back behind the kitchen. The aroma of the wood smoker is truly intoxicating.

I noticed that they have changed their menu a little and are now serving prime rib on Saturday evenings. I’ve got to try that. Also they have an item called a Big Brother Ed. It’s a 1/2 rack of ribs, 1/2 pound of tri tip, 1 chicken breast and 2 hot links with sides of course. If you can eat the whole thing they will take your picture and hang it on the wall. Nobody has their pic up there yet so I think I need to try and be the first to go on the wall.

 They also serve chicken, tri tip, hot links, and fried fish and they’re all good

It’s worth making a trip to Selma for.

They are closed Sundays and Mondays  
 

Salt-N-Pepper Rib Shack

2000 High Street

Selma, CA 93662

559-896-0994

Star Restaurant ~ Hanford CA

In 1901, a restaurant called the Star opened on Sixth Street across from the Southern Pacific tracks. The Star Restaurant was still doing business at the same location in 2008. That’s according to Wikipedia

I doubt that it’s under the same ownership but it’s a great little place to eat and has an old timey look about the place with a counter that looks like it’s been there forever. I had their double cheeseburger and it had two huge handformed patties that were terrific. It’s a burger that requires extra napkins to catch the juice. The next time I go there I’m going to prepare ahead of time by doing mouth stretching exercises so I can effectively wrap my jaw around the sandwich

It’s a bargain besides. Two of us ate until we could barely walk and the total tag was 12.75. Not many places you can eat food that good for that kind of money.

It’s open Monday thru Friday from 6:00 AM til 2:30 PM

Star Restaurant
122 W 6th St
Hanford Ca.
Phone: (559) 584-7276

POP’S SANDWICH & DELI ~ SELMA CA

This place used to be Frenchy’s a few years ago and it was a great sandwich shop. It’s changed hands a couple times times since then and now it’s Pop’s. We went there Saturday because the sandwich board was out front. We were told that they really weren’t open for business yet but they took our orders anyway. We each had a pastrami sandwich and they were very good. Fresh bread, fresh mozzarella, and substantial size. Two of them and a soft drink came to a total under 13.00. Talked to Craig, the owner, and he has plans to do dinner service in the future. He comped us a couple bruschettas and if they are indication of his talent his dinners should be pretty good. Craig prepares great food and is a very congenial sort. If you’re in Selma give them a try. I don’t know what his hours are yet but here’s the address    

POP’S SANDWICH AND DELI
2025 2nd street
Selma CA

LOS PEPES MEXICAN RESTAURANT ~ KINGSBURG CA

I love menudo and Los Pepes makes the best in my opinion, lots of tripe and a tasty stock.  Jose came to town a few years ago and started up in a little place at the south edge of town. When I first started going there he once suggested that I try “something good” He told me that was what the dish was called. I haven’t looked for it on the menu lately. Maybe he doesn’t make it anymore. He has since moved downtown but his food is still “something good”. Besides his menudo, my favorites are his chili relleno and his tostadas.

Los Pepes    
1520 Draper St
Kingsburg, CA  93631
(559) 897-9011

TACHIBANA RESTAURANT & SUSHI BAR ~ VISALIA CA

Once in a while I venture beyond the confines of absolute bottomfeeding especially when fish and sushi are involved.

So, we went to Tachibana in Visalia. It is a little hard to find because it’s the last place in the back of a small complex. The service was great and the food was excellent. If you go there take someone with you and try the BOAT which is served to a minimum of 2 people 21.95 each. You get a real sampler of a variety of stuff, sashimi, a California roll, tempura and teriyaki and more and dessert is included. You get a lot of food. I had never tried red bean ice cream before and it was great. It isn’t a large place but the dining room seats 50. They don’t have teppanyaki but they have a nice little sushi bar.

The hours are 11:00 to 2:30 and then from 5:00 to 9:00 and they are closed Sundays

Tachibana Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar
3250 S Mooney Blvd
Visalia, CA 93277
(559) 627-8647
 

DARI-DELITE ~ FRESNO CA

For years we have been going to a drive-in that Bonsai Bob calls the “Ratburger”. He has a nickname for everything. I finally asked him why he calls it “ratburger”. He tells me it’s because years ago there were shrubs out front and one day he saw a huge rat running around in the shrub. He probably saw a squirrel but squirrelburger doesn’t have the right ring to it. Well, the shrubs are gone and I didn”t see any squirrels either. We went there today, they are under new management and they have a really special special. They serve a 1 1/2 lb. burger (yup 6 quarter pound patties) and they charge $10.00 for it. The CHALLENGE is this. If you can eat it in under 4 minutes it’s FREE. The sign said that the record is 3:46 and the guys name was posted. I thought about it, but the last time Bob and I went out to challenge feed, I wound up in the hospital with a coronary. I did manage 12 chili dogs that day tho. Anyway, if there are any of you out there in blog land that think you can wrap yourself around one of them, give it a go and may the fork be with you. I did say that the joint was under new ownership and it might be a limited time promotional thing so hurry in give it your all.

It’s on Cedar just south of Ashlan, I think.
Dari-Delite
4483 N Cedar Ave
Fresno, CA.
(they’re closed on Sunday)

BIG MAMA ~ SANGER CA

I haven’t eaten at this one myself lately but years ago I think it was a dari-delite or dari-snak or dari-something. One of my SFA’s (secret food agents) has eaten there. The “FLOORJACK”, his bottomfeeder ID, is partial to their “double texas burger” and he says their fries are good. FLOORJACK is a big guy with a delicate stomach and a lot pickier than I am so if he didn’t get sick it must be OK. Come to think of it, he’s the one that turned me on to the “western dog” at wilkins’. I guess he’s pretty good at sniffing out the special grub

Big Mama
2407 Jensen Avenue
Sanger, CA 93657
(559) 876-2401

CALLAHAN’S ~ IRWINDALE CA

Bonsai Bob called and asked if I wanted to go to lunch. I’ve got to watch it when He calls because once we wound up having lunch in Yukon, Oklahoma. We didn’t get that far this time. We only got as far as Irwindale CA. . Callahan’s must have been there for years judging by the worn looking neon sign on the building. It’s a local lunch hangout/bar for the guys that must work at the light industrial shops that are in the area. Mostly sandwiches and manlunches plus some salads. I had the guacamole burger special. It was a large juicy hand formed patty with a lot of guacamole. A bunch of avocados gave up their lives for that burger. It had so much stuff on it that it oozed out from the bun. Too bad it’s so far away… I guess 220 miles one way is a bit far but if I get down there again, I’m going to go wrap myself around another one of them burgers.

CALLAHAN’S
200 South Irwindale Ave.
Irwindale CA
626-334-5532

WILKINS’ ROOT BEER DRIVE-IN ~ SELMA CA

It’s been right there next to the railroad tracks (it’s so close you can wave at the engineer as he whizzes past) for a long time and I think it was moved there from another location if, I remember correctly. It used to be an A&W drive-in and it still looks like one. They have carhop service and if you eat in the car you get to talk to real person instead of placing your order thru one of those speaker things. If you go there ask for a Western Dog. It’s not on the menu or at least I didn’t see it on the marquee thing that’s hung under the awning. You get a foot long weiner with bbq sauce and onions & bacon. Any sandwich is better with bacon. Their chili-cheese fries are mighty tasty too but maybe just a little too salty the last time I had them. When you get that late nite crave they’re open til 10:00 pm.

It’s one of those time warn places that just seems to keep going & going & going. I sure hope it keeps going. It’s really close for me and I can go in my crummiest clothes and eat in the car and not worry about dripping chili on my lap 

Wilkins’ Root Beer Drive-In
1953 2nd St, Selma, CA
(559) 896-0997