A tasty walk down memory lane. More long-gone Fresno restaurants live on through recipes
Wow, Fresno Bee readers love to reminisce about restaurants of years past.
Last week, when I shared recipes from some long-closed restaurants, you responded with a flood of messages.
Many of you were inspired to take a stroll down memory lane, sharing memories of special occasions celebrated at the restaurants and your favorite dishes.
We had so many requests for recipes, we decided to share some more from other restaurants. It’s something to do while folks are sheltering in place during the coronavirus pandemic, since most of us have plenty of time on our hands.
With that in mind, are there any recipes from current restaurants that you’d like to see us share? Drop me a line at bclough@fresnobee.com to let me know.
Vallis Restaurant
Who remembers Vallis Restaurant in Kingsburg? This French restaurant was around for more than 70 years. It had a large, stone fireplace against the back wall and the closest table to it, the most romantic table, was usually reserved three weeks in advance, according to a 1997 story.
Reader Vickie Pearson-Moore wanted to know if we had the restaurant’s recipe for Vallis’ cream of lettuce soup. Seems like a bit of an oddball dish, right? But the restaurant had a reputation for it.
“The soup was creamy and buttery with the whispery aftertaste of spring lettuces,” she said. “It was like that first walk in the newly green grass of early spring, right after a rain.”
Vallis founder and chef Marie Vallis shared her recipe with The Bee in 1991, warning that she doesn’t measure, just eyeballs and tastes it until she gets what she wants. Keep reading to see it.
Pacific Seafood
Pacific Seafood was a restaurant that was in Fresno for 30 years, at first across from Fresno State, then moving to Herndon Avenue and First Street. It closed in 2009.
Co-founder Oot Tiyaamornwong told The Bee she didn’t know how to cook when she and her husband started the restaurant. They hired a chef from San Francisco.
Reader Debbie Parra asked for the restaurant’s clam chowder recipe and it’s shared below.
The Yturri Hotel
The Yturri Hotel and Basque restaurant was at Kern and P streets downtown. In addition to being known for its lamb stew and potato salad with baby shrimp, it was also a place to stay for retired sheepherders.
Frank and Rose Anna Sanchez bought the hotel in 1970 and ran it for at least two decades.
Reader Shannon Wong asked for its garlic fried chicken recipe. We don’t have it in the Bee archives, but we do have the potato salad recipe the recipe was known for.
Peppino’s Italian Cuisine
Peppino’s is another long-gone restaurant that folks have memories of. It was on Blackstone Avenue, near Shaw Avenue, in what would later become Plaza Ventana.
Owner Peppino Caracciolo ran a thriving restaurant in the 1990s. It was known for its osso buco, a 3-inch thick veal shank baked for three to four hours. A story in 1998 says the restaurant went through 200 pounds of pasta a week.
Keep reading to see an easy recipe for Peppino’s capellini with fresh tomatoes.
Recipes
Vallis’ cream of lettuce soup
1 quart broken romaine lettuce leaves
1-1/2 quarts chicken stock
1 medium potato, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup (or more) powdered milk
3 tablespoons butter
Salt and white pepper, to taste
Cook the romaine lettuce in the chicken stock until the lettuce wilts. Add the potato and cook until the potato is very soft. Puree in a blender and put through a fine strainer. Return to the pot, stir in butter and powdered milk. Add salt and pepper.
— Marie Vallis, Vallis Restaurant
Pacific Seafood’s clam chowder
1/4 cup butter
1 slice bacon, diced
1/2 cup white part of leek, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 teaspoon each Italian seasoning, thyme and oregano
1 bay leaf
3-1/4 cups canned clam juice
1-1/2 cups canned clams
1 heaping quart diced potatoes
1/4 cup white wine
2-1/2 quarts light cream (half and half)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Melt the butter in a large, heavy casserole. Add the bacon and saute until crisp. Add the leek, onion and celery and saute until soft and barely golden.
Stir in the seasonings, clam juice, clams, potatoes and white wine. Cook gently until the potatoes are tender.
Add the light cream, heat and add salt and pepper. Thicken with equal parts flour and butter that have been mixed together.
—Oot Tiyaamornwong, owner
Yturri Hotel potato salad
10 medium-sized potatoes
4 large green onions, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 whole red pimientos, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 rib celery, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium-sized cucumber, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup small cooked shrimp
1/3 cup salad oil
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1-1/2 cups mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste
Clean potatoes. Place them in a large vessel and cover with water. Bring them to a boil. Reduce heat and cook 15-20 minutes or until the centers are done. Remove from heat and place in cold water. Peel potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Add shrimp and vegetables, stirring gently. Pour oil and vinegar over the mixture. Allow ingredients to marinate for 1/2 hour. Add mayonnaise and stir gently. Refrigerate for at least two hours. Serve cold. Serves 8-10.
Peppino’s capellini with fresh tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, crushed
10 Roma tomatoes, unpeeled, chopped, then diced
Salt
4 large basil leaves, torn (not diced with a knife)
1 pound capellini pasta
Water
In a large heavy skillet or saute pan, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook until golden. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
Add the diced tomatoes, a little salt and the torn basil leaves.
Simmer the sauce for 5 minutes. In the meantime, bring a large stock pot of water to boil.
Cook the capellini according to the package instructions. Drain, do not rinse, and fold into the sauce.
Serve immediately.
This story was originally published April 24, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
