Visalia Restaurants?

[dockhl]

As far as I can tell there is nothing on this board about Visalia, a place I've never been. I just found out that my good friend is there today so I'll be driving over to have dinner with her. She likes Thai/Asian type cuisines, and since it is her birthday I figure I'd let her pick !

That having been said, we are open to all suggestions.

I'd also love to hear if there is anything else I should be looking for while I am there. Ethnic markets? Too early for strawberries? I'd love to make a day of it.

Thanks for your help~

Kathy

[syrah girl]

My favorite restaurant in Visalia is the Vintage Press, it is a fine dining venue with excellent food in a very nice ambiance. There is also a Fugazzi's Bistro there, we loved the Spinach Salad with Prawns and the Spinach Fettucini with Blackened Chicken here, they also have a nice variety of wraps, sandwiches, salads, etc. In downtown Visalia there is a little cafe there that we enjoy called Cafe 234. Of course there are the usual chains, Red Robin, Marie Callendar's, etc.

[dockhl]

My favorite restaurant in Visalia is the Vintage Press, it is a fine dining venue with excellent food in a very nice ambiance.  There is also a Fugazzi's Bistro there, we loved the Spinach Salad with Prawns and the Spinach Fettucini with Blackened Chicken here, they also have a nice variety of wraps, sandwiches, salads, etc.    In downtown Visalia there is a little cafe there that we enjoy called Cafe 234.  Of course there are the usual chains, Red Robin, Marie Callendar's, etc.

←

Thanks ! No chains........

Do you live in the area? I get the impression there is a rather large population from Laos? Hmong?

[slo_ted]

I'll second Vintage Press. It is one of the best restaurants in Central California, in my view. There also used to be a great deli in the same area called Hagophian's ( I think that's the spelling). When I lived there, there were lots of good Mexican eateries. Yes, there is a sizable Hmong population in the area and it would stand to reason that somebody should be serving SE Asian cuisine, but when I moved to SLO in '95 that wasn't happening. If you stop in Hanford coming or going, there is the Imperial Dynasty whose escargot made it to Reagan's inauguration.

[dockhl]

Imperial Dynasty

Ted~

I think it is closed

I've certainly read good things about Vintage Press. Is it dressy? (silly me, this IS California....) But seriously, do I need to dress or is nice casual OK? (Not sure what clothes my friend has with her...)

[StanSherman]

Imperial Dynasty closed years ago. I heard his daughter was working at another place in Hanford. She does the family escargot dish as a special.

[MomOfLittleFoodies]

This is probably too late for you, but I'll put my 2 cents in anyway.

I've been to Vintage Press, twice, for family celebrations (hubby's grandparents live in Visalia).... once for lunch and once for brunch. I liked the food, and it's a very attractive restaurant.

There's a Japanese restaurant called Tachibana's which is very good too. My husband's grandparents eat there frequently. I think I've been there almost every time we've gone to visit them matter of fact.

[dockhl]

Good info, all, and I'll keep it in mind for next time (if there is one )

Dinner took an unexpected turn. My friend is an educator and 'teaches teachers to teach'. She is very well known and in high demand internationally for her seminars. But BOY does she put a lot into them! So when I met up with her @ 5ish, she was exhausted and the thought of going to a "nice restaurant" where she'd get "continental" food (that she gets in varying forms in all hotels) was less than appealing. As we talked about what to eat, she kept coming back to "Middle Eastern" food, like we ate as poor college students. (She lived across the hall from me in Holland Hall, Univ. of Pittsburgh, 1969-71)

As it was her birthday, we embarked on a quest

Here is what I posted tonight on CH:

I just had dinner at Pita Kabob tonight (2226 s mooney) and it was EXCELLENT ! Little strip center but good food, excellent staff, clean, huge portions. We had the mezza plate (hummus, baba ganoosh, dolmades, tabouleh, falafel, tzatziki, pita bread) and then chicken kabobs (I would have had lamb but my friend...can't. eat. lamb.) She also had salad and rice, both of which looked OK but why? When there is all this other good stuff to eat? BTW, the baba ganoosh was VERY smokey. Good.

We sat in this funny little place for hours, and nibbled. The $$$, as you can imagine, were FAR less than any fine dining establishment around, and we took loads home. ($36 )She'll have some for breakfast before she gets on the plane to DC, and my puppies have already enjoyed some pita bread. I'll have hummus and baba ganoosh tomorrow, and tabouleh.

Very cool place. I loved the staff. And the food. Go there. Keep them in business. They do it right.