This particular DiCiccos was the original tenant in this little strip mall space, and while it shows from the outside, the inside is very clean and nice. There is a partitioned banquet room at the back of the restaurant for larger parties, and the main dining room has maybe 14 - 16 tables at the most. Freshly baked bread is brought to the table as soon as everyone is settled in, and there is never any fuss about bringing seconds (or thirds, even). At four dollars a bottle, beer is probably not a good idea but they serve chianti for $3 a glass and it is pretty decent. My personal favorite is the manicotti, but lasagna is excellent and the calzones are simply huge and stuffed with all kinds of good things. Sometimes the marinara can be a little watery though. I love to see that these old restaurants can hang on through the years to keep serving great meals, even when the neighborhood is in decline.

Hong Kong has undergone a major facelift, with the (new?) owner putting some effort into cleaning the place up and adding some new decor. Even has that ubiquitous tinny oriental music playing in the background now. The waitresses (hired away from other restaurants in Reedley) have spiffy uniforms, and are as pleasant as they were at their previous employers. Certainly the traffic through the restaurant has improved immensely, when I went in for lunch the place could almost be called full. There is a new and improved menu, too, with cute little photos of the dishes and some expected misspellings sprinkled throughout. The food is a major upgrade (!!!) from the last time I was here, but that doesnt mean that it is perfect. The salt is no longer oppressive, but there doesnt seem to be all that much flavor either. Happily, the chili oil (the same from three years ago? Possible..........) is still on the table and helps greatly. I hope that this incarnation of Hong Kong can survive the presence of the chinese buffet down the street, where the food is better and the prices are cheaper, but the atmosphere is not as nice.

La Fiesta Pizzaria is a mexican restaurant first and foremost. They do pizza also, but thats probably not why people eat here. Breakfasts are excellent and cheap; the chile colorado and eggs for $3.00 is my favorite. The grande breakfast burrito is very good also. Otherwise, it is pretty standard tacos, burritos, etc. Probably the oddest al pastor I have ever eaten, though. Tastes pretty good but the texture is not what I would usually expect. There is small buffet, but for the price ($7.99) I almost always order off the menu. Very good chips and salsa, and the waitresses are bilingual and very pleasant. Recommended for breakfast or lunch in Parlier.

It is official, Dari Snak has the best burgers in Parlier! heeheehee, if any of you have actually been through Parlier, you would know that Dari Snak has the <only> burgers (well, except for BK, and they dont really count). It takes a bit of bravery to actually stop here though, because Dari Snak sits about six inches off of Manning Avenue and when traffic is bad (which is pretty much always) one is required to either slip into a narrow path directly in front of the restaurant (60 mph to zero in 10 feet or less) or do a "Smokey and the Bandit" stunt and fishtail into three little parking spaces along the side. The food, however, is actually pretty good. There is a full selection of burgers (no chili burgers, though, and I have reminded them about that often enough), a very passable pastrami sandwich, and a decent chicken sandwich. Fries are always fresh and hot. They also make these amazing Boston shakes (why Boston, I don't know) but they are big and creamy and probably have as many calories as any three of their burgers combined. Service can be slow, and calling ahead is highly recommended. Stop here for lunch, if you can, because the next best burger in these here parts is off in Kingsburg, about fifteen minutes away.

I had previously reviewed Las Casuelas de Parlier about a year ago, but it never got posted I guess so I will try it again. Las Casuelas is a combination of three cuisines - American, Mexican and Chinese. Mexican dominates, though. The American options are burgers and a few sandwich choices. There is a small variety of Chinese dishes, all in the $5 to $6 range. The Mexican dishes are mostly in the $6 to $9 range, and have the usual suspects - tacos, burritos, tostadas and chile verde. There is a good selection of Mexican seafood items, too. The restaurant itself is fairly old (it could be one of the original buildings in Parlier) and the interior is pretty aged looking. Since the restaurant is downtown and not near Manning Avenue, it is mostly known only to the residents of Parlier but that may change as Parlier is rapidly growing. The food is actually pretty good, and maybe with more people coming in to the restaurant the owners could afford to clean and redecorate the premises.

Pirate Pizza is one that truly earns the dreaded One Star rating. This used to be Pizza Pirate, which was respectable and had good service and food, but the new owners simply pulled the old sign off (leaving a stained impression of "Pizza Pirate" behind), turned off all of the video games and neon signs inside, and rearranged the menu letters to read "Pirate Pizza". One person manned the whole restaurant, which was actually no big deal since I was the only one there for a solid hour. The pizza that I ordered looked ok, but tasted like grease and dough. After puzzling about this for a bit, I peeled back the layer of pretty rubbery cheese and discovered that this was a sauce-less pizza! Seriously, no sauce, no flavor, no nothing. No wonder nobody was in there (cue the song No-no-no-nonono). Yecchhh. IMHO, El Rincon needs to move downtown, Brook's Ranch needs to move next to the college, and that shopping center needs to be hit with a tactical nuke. Instead of Pirate Pizza, go over to Save Mart and buy five Jack's frozen pizzas for the same price and quality.

The Claim Jumper is one of the best restaurants in the area for family dining, as well as having an excellent happy-hour. Why deal with the lines and tourists at Knott's when you can walk across the street and have better food and atmosphere at half the expense? When I was a teenager I actually ate a whole Mother Lode sandwich here, but it is not an easy thing to do (think of a club sandwich, one that stands 16 inches tall, and you will get the idea). The I Declair (chocolate eclair, foot-long version) is an amazing thing. Drinks are very reasonable, and the staff are always very courteous and energetic. Highly recommended for a family night out.

Casanova's is in truth a relaxed little restaurant in a remodeled house, and in spite of the two negative reviews, it earns the coveted Five Star rating from me for excellent service, excellent quality and excellent atmosphere. Yes, you can spend more than $200 for a bottle of wine here, but why? and whats more, why complain about it afterwards? We opted for a beautiful Sangiovese, and had an appetizer of cracked olives and a wedge of cheese with croutes with our wine, lingered over roasted artichokes and lamb sausages, were served wonderful little pastries for dessert, and came away under $100 for the two of us. Our waiter was very pleasant and knowledgable, the weather was Carmel perfect (not the restaurant's doing, but they certainly made the most of it) and overall we had a very enjoyable experience. I would highly recommend Casanova for a special dinner for two, but it is probably inappropriate for young children or large parties.

If you are staying at Asilomar, meals are included with your room. This is rather unfortunate, because the food here is nowhere near the standards of nearby Pacific Grove. There are only two options for each of the three meals a day - vegetarian and non-vegetarian. Many times, the vegetarian is the better bet. One is required to stand in line cafeteria-style to be fed, and when there are many people, the line can go from the front of the dining hall all the way back to the rear where the serving station is, just like summer camp. In truth, the line does move fairly quickly, but that is because you are simply handed a plate - special requests are at another window - and herded off to your table. Whoever makes up the menu each day tries (way too hard) to be creative, but what ends up on the plate can range from edible to yecch. Right next to the conference center is The Fishwife restaurant, and it is always packed with conference-goers seeking refuge from the dining hall. That place must make a killing! My advice - if staying at Asilomar, plan on eating in PG at least once a day, unless you are attending a weight loss conference. The rooms are pretty nice, though.

It is obvious that Intermezzo has undergone a change in management, and it is for the worse. Prices are up, and quality is down, way down. The bread for sandwiches is no longer fresh, the deli combo sandwich now consists of a couple of slivers of fatty pastrami and a couple of paper thin salami slices, no more Ms Vickie's chips - its now little Lay's bags from Costco. The iced tea is atrocious. Little snip of a girl behind the counter was far more interested in her boyfriend (or was that the new manager?) than actually working. It is no wonder I was the only one in the restaurant during lunch hour. The only reason I didnt give one star is that I reserve that for a truly awful restaurant, which Intermezzo may actually achieve if things go on this way. Sorry, but go see Melinda's Place across the street if looking for a sandwich for lunch.

Poor Amy, perhaps a bit too much pineapple? lol but I agree that this is a four-star restaurant. Very, very, very pleasant staff working here, from all over the world (their nametags give their home country, and almost none from the US) it is like being on a cruise ship almost. The Fish Hopper gives samples of clam chowder to tempt you into coming into their restaurant, and excellent clam chowder it is (and a darling girl to serve it, too). I was seated on a narrow outside ledge where I could look straight down onto a little tide-pool, where kids that had escaped the Aquarium were splashing around in the water and generally having a great time. Lunch was the California Seafood Salad, which had seared ahi tuna (barely seared, but good), grilled scallops, also barely seared, and boiled shrimps which were very good, all over local greenery. Very definitely worth the $17. Add two Anchor Steams, and the check rapidly escalated to $30 for lunch. Ouch! If it were not for the fact that I was starved for quality food, I might have found the price excessive, but the quality was definitely there, and the service was professional. It was hilarious, though, seeing some out-of-staters trying to order seafood that they had no idea what it actually was. So many tourists come through here, I would think that the staff would memorize some safe choices for the novice diners. But I would highly recommend the Fish Hopper, even over the more well-known Bubba Gumps nearby.

Zipangu is a little teppan-yaki restaurant hidden in a back corner of the intersection of Shaw and West, northwest. It is incredibly worth finding, though, because the food is excellent. Zipangu has a loyal following, and since it is a small restaurant, conversations between tables are common. The teppan chef that cooked for us was a young man, and didnt do the food-throwing tricks and rhythmic knife-work that are popular in some other Japanese restaurants. Instead, he cooked for us a wonderful dinner of super-tender beef seared beautifully, perfect scallops, asparagus and fried rice. When we asked if he had anything spicy to add, he grinned and brought out a little dish of mustardy-looking sauce that was ooooo amazingly good (and HOT). Dinner came with soup and salad with miso dressing. Our companions at the teppan table told us that the restaurant is sometimes packed, sometimes empty, but reservations are always a good idea. I know that we will be back to Zipangu often, now that we can find it.

Star of Siam restaurant has been open for a few months now, and the shopping center that its in is not finished yet. The food here is very good, though, and very affordable. There are no less than 100 different items on the menu. Service is excellent, with very friendly staff and while we were there, the owner, an adorable Thai woman, came out and walked through the dining area every fifteen minutes checking on her tables. She recommended that we start with fried calamari in chili sauce, and it was excellent. The sauce was spicy but not overpowering, and the calamari was tender and good. I ordered roasted duck on a bed of fresh spinach which came with a sauce that had fresh jalapeno slices in it. It was probably the best roast duck that I have ever eaten, period. My wife had shiitake mushrooms and scallops with vegetables in a green curry sauce. The mushroom caps were whole and really didnt soak up the curry sauce, so she kept stealing the sauce that came with my dinner. Our orders were served on beautiful fish-shaped plates, and everything in the restaurant was sparkling clean. I really like Kingfisher beer with Thai food, but all that Star of Siam offers is Singha (or Newcastle). They serve longan juice, though, which is very interesting. Once people begin noticing this restaurant, it will probably become packed at dinner because there are not very many tables, so reservations would be a good idea. Highly recommended.

Melinda's Place used to be a little ice cream shop, and she still sells ice cream but has added sandwiches, salads and soups to the menu. The main competetion for Melinda's is Intermezzo across the street which also serves sandwiches and salads and ice cream but also does espresso and has a much nicer atmosphere. Melinda, however, wins Best Clam Chowder in Reedley. The sandwiches here are pretty sizeable and on very fresh bread, and come with diced pickle and tomato which is interesting. There are chili dogs on the menu, but they are not very recommendable. I think that if Melinda would expand her menu a little and offer some things that Intermezzo doesnt do, like fresh pastries or a salad bar or homemade potato chips or local fruit desserts in season, she would get better traffic through her restaurant. Otherwise, a pretty good place for lunch.

I have been on a Japanese food kick these last several weeks, and I was just made aware of the presence of Sakanaya by stumbling through the half-finished shopping complex that it is in, on the north side of Woodward Park just off of Friant Road. The restaurant has only been open a few weeks itself, but the atmosphere and service appeared to be those of a well-established restaurant. There are four large teppan-yaki tables, a sushi bar, and tables scattered through the restaurant in front of a little indoor koi pond. The hostess and servers are very friendly and efficient. Beer, a good basic wine list and six kinds of sake are served. The gyoza were very nice, with a mild chile sauce served with them. The california roll was also very good, but the little dab of wasabi that came with the roll was used up quickly. Miso soup was full of fresh spring onions and was smooth and warm to taste. The saba shioyaki (grilled mackerel) was excellent, and the shrimp and vegetable tempura would be enough for two people. Dinner for two, including a bottle of sake, was $50 and was of very high quality. We will certainly be coming back to Sakanaya soon.

Caliche's is in a little ex-Rally Burgers drive-up shop on Blackstone and Barstow. They really only do two things - hot dogs and desserts, emphasis on frozen custard which is slightly creamier and heavier than frozen yogurt. The hot dogs are very good, with an excellent variety of toppings to choose from, like chili, baked beans, cole slaw, spicy relish, kraut, etc. And if a combination isnt offered on their menu, they will be happy to make one up for you. A chili slaw dog may sound strange, but it is actually pretty good. There is a huge selection of sundaes based on their frozen custard, the bourbon-pecan pie sundae is oooooo good. They also have more than 50 things you can put on a custom-built sundae, including green chiles which is probably too strange even for me. The owners of Caliches are dog-friendly, and will give you a free doggie-size dessert if you ask. If Caliche's was a few blocks north of their present location I think they would do better business, but for anyone on the Blackstone corridor, this is a great place to stop for a treat.

Sushi Day is in a very secluded corner of a little shopping center on First and Nees, and probably doesnt get very much traffic, which is a shame because the food is very good here. There is a complete Japanese menu available, not just sushi, and the service and quality is as good as one of the "big name" restaurants. There are only about 40 - 50 different sushi types offered, but since I dont go much in for sushi, I usually get the bento box which ends up being enough food to share with someone else. The donburi and udon are excellent, too. Prices are extremely reasonable, and there are all of the Japanese beers you can think of offered, as well as a very complete sake menu. Overall, a very pleasant place for lunch or dinner if you can find them tucked in their little corner. There is outside seating available under a little gazebo. Highly recommended.

Has it been a year since that last review? Sheee, how time flies! except that Salsa's remains as good as ever, with great service and great food. Here is a Clovis treasure that can be at times impossible to get into, and at other times we can saunter right on in and get a table and have a wonderful time. Gotta try the rellenos, people! and the cocido is excellent also when they have not served it all out before you get there. The best Mexican for miles around, period.

This was my first visit to El Conquistador, and I found it to be a very acceptable restaurant for family dining. Actually, $60 for five people including drinks is not bad at all for the quality and quantity of the food served. I enjoyed the two kinds of salsa on the table to go with the tortilla chips, but the chips themselves were not as fresh as they could be. The dinners were good-sized, everything on the combination plates comes doused with enchilada sauce (except the quesadilla, which could have used a little sauce) and generous servings of rice and refried beans. I much enjoyed the split-level seating, which gives large parties much needed space but leaves the smaller tables around the perimeter of the dining room with a more intimate atmosphere. Recommended for good Mexican food in Selma.

I had very fond memories of eating at the Coopersmith ten years ago, so I had to bring my family by on our way through Colorado. Excellent beers, always, there is one that is aged in old Jack Daniels barrels and has a wonderful character to it. The menu is burgers and sandwiches and salads, and everything is large-portioned and very tasty. Fish and chips are Outstanding! Highly recommended restaurant (there are actually two, a pool hall and bar, and a restaurant and bar right across from each other).