See a top Fresno chef’s new restaurant before it opens. It’s a sandwich shop
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- Chef Jimmy Pardini's Strada Italian Sandwiches opens Tuesday, April 28.
- Strada features focaccia baked in house daily and finished with olive oil and sea salt.
- Sandwiches include Italian elements like a pistachio spread, Tuscan salami and mortadella.
It’s not an exaggeration to say chef Jimmy Pardini’s new sandwich shop is unlike any other sandwich place in Fresno.
Inspired by his time in Italy, the sandwiches have ingredients like a creamy fresh mozzarella spread and Tuscan salami, served on focaccia bread baked in house daily, sprinkled with olive oil and dusted with sea salt.
Strada Italian Sandwiches opens Tuesday, April 28. It’s next door to Annesso in a new building in the Park Crossing shopping center near Trader Joe’s at Friant Road and Fresno Street.
“It’s really about fresh bread, fresh ingredients,” Pardini said. “We’re going to have sandwiches that ... a few of them are quite new to the area; so some sandwiches that you would find more traditionally in Italy.”
Strada is Italian for “street.”
It will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, but closed on Mondays.
It’s the fourth restaurant by the “Fresno famous” chef, part of the Pardini family of restaurateurs. Pardini is also behind The Annex Kitchen, Annesso Pizzeria and the recently opened Willow Osteria.
The menu
Clearly, Pardini – who created the popular Fresno State corn agnolatti pasta dish at Annex Kitchen that was featured on a show called “The Best Thing I Ever Ate” – is going to have a different menu than Port of Subs or even Fresno’s beloved Sam’s Italian Deli.
Strada’s menu is inspired by Pardini’s time living and studying in Italy, eating at little sandwich shops.
There’s a mortadella sandwich made with the Italian pork sausage by an employee trained to tent the meat into little mountains.
The bread is warmed right before the sandwich is made and spread with a heaping spoonful of straciatella. That’s essentially a rich fresh mozzarella cheese — the inside of the burrata if you’ve ever cut into a ball of it at Annex Kitchen.
A finely chopped pistachio spread is layered on the other piece of bread. And before you say, “Whoa, nuts in a sandwich?!” know that it’s nothing like eating crunchy pistachios, but more of a spread of finely chopped pistachios that adds more flavor than texture.
Arugula snuggles into the middle and that’s it. Some sandwiches have even fewer ingredients.
“We focus on simple and quality (ingredients), which is the backbone of Italian cooking,” Pardini said.
The sandwiches are made with Italian cheeses, and meats that are either imported or from artisan producers in California.
You’ll also find a Tuscan salami sandwich with truffle spread on the menu, and a roasted turkey with brie and maple-bacon-onion confit. There are several meatless options, including one made with crispy zucchini, basil pesto, pecorino cream and an artichoke spread.
All the sandwiches are $12 or $13.
There’s also a Nutella sandwich on the kids menu and chocolate chip cookies made in house.
And they’ll soon have wine and beer. Though the liquor license likely won’t be ready upon opening, Pardini expects it to be soon after.
Pardini recalls his time in Italy and the way sandwich shops the size of “shoeboxes” were everywhere.
“The wine and sandwiches, they pair well together,” he said. “You would hang out on the street, eat your sandwich, go back in and return your glass.”
Strada has a patio with red-and-white striped umbrellas where you can drink that wine. There will eventually be a pick-up window for online orders.
Restaurant No. 4 for Jimmy Pardini
Pardini worked his way up in the industry, including at Osteria Mozza, an award-winning Los Angeles restaurant owned by Nancy Silverton and Mario Batali.
When Pardini returned home, he opened The Annex Kitchen, the restaurant that started it all in the former Pardini’s Cafe on West Shaw Avenue in 2015.
Then came Annesso in north Fresno specializing in pizza.
And last fall, Willow Osteria opened with its extensive pasta menu at Willow and Shepherd avenues.
“I think I’ve had a sandwich place in my head ever since I got into the industry 19, 20 years ago,” Pardini said.
He says he’s able to handle them all by delegating, including to people who have been with him since he started Annex.
“My team has done an incredible job,” he said. “They’re the ones that help me be able to run multiple operations.”
