by Terrance Mc Arthur
Our roving food critic Terrance Mc Arthur continues his search for great food in Sanger and the surrounding communities.
It’s summer.
It’s the San Joaquin Valley.
It’s HOT!
Face it, we live where you can not only fry an egg on the sidewalk in the summer, your Teflon spatula will probably melt while you’re at it! What you need to survive the heat is something cool, frosty, and yummy…..AHA! I have a few suggestions for this Food Quest.
Red Velvet and Salted Butter Pecan yogurt, with Mango, a swirl of Raspberry syrup, and a Cherry on top!
Once you have your basic yogurt in the cup, proceed to the toppings area. There are chunks of fruit, pieces of candy, flakes of cereal, whipped toppings, and syrups. Once your cup is loaded with goodies, it goes in for the weighing. The price is 39 cents an ounce, so eight ounces would cost $3.12, and it’s a sweet price for a sweet treat! It’s next door to Sanger’s Shawarma Express, so it’s handy to catch a snack while you’re waiting for your shish kebab.
What do YOU want on your YoLo Yogurt?
Behind the concrete in Sanger is a lovely little paleteria!
Mooner’s—1649 10th Ave., Reedley. Kings River Life Readers should already know about this place from an earlier article, but it’s too good to ignore. Rob and his enthusiastic crew have one of the best products going. Start with fresh fruit and freeze it. Chop up that fruity goodness into a fine soft-servable mass of delectability and start piling on the toppings (or revel in its wholesome purity).
Berry Grape is a combo of grapes, blackberries, and strawberries, creating a “Deep Purple” that tastes like “Smoke on the Water.” Bananas and blackberries mixed together produce a delicate violet hue and brain-popping flavor. Choose pineapple and whipped cream for a sweet tartness that floats right into your brain’s pleasure zones…and starts you giggling.
Pour a little caramel on my Banana-Blackberry Fruipe at Mooner's!
OTHER COOL DELIGHTS
Those are my current favorites, but there are other places I recommend when the temperature is high and you feel the need to chill out. Foster’s Freeze in Sanger (630 Academy Ave) did a re-do on the exterior a while ago, and now the interior has been upgraded, making it a cool place to get a frosty treat and to hang out (Care to share a Banana Split, my dear?). Burger King is selling 50-cent cones until August 5; grab one, it’s a lot bigger than you’d expect for the price. I’m partial to the Boston Shakes at Big Mama’s in Sanger…and anything else served there.
BY THE WAY…
My two favorite places to get ice cream in the world…
The Rue and Gwen Gibson Farm Market is the new-and-improved Fresno State produce store on Chestnut between Shaw and Barstow, and they have freezers full of Fresno State Ice Cream. Their Lemon Sherbet is so intense that my wife uses two spoons of it as her morning wake-me-up (Who needs coffee?)! The Root Beer Float flavor is as frothy as the real thing, and I’m nearly addicted to their Strawberry-Lemonade Sherbet. You can buy pints and quart-and-a-half tubs, or pay with your other purchases to get a cup or cone from the counter in the corner.
Caught with the Fresno State Strawberry Lemonade Sherbet!
Find an excuse to go to Hanford just so you can stop at Superior Dairy, across from Courthouse Park, and you’ll be glad you did. They make their own ice cream, and are generous with it. Order a single the first time you go, and be prepared to think “When are they going to stop?” Their idea of a small cone should be swinging its trunk in a circus parade! Cash only. The place has a 50s feel to it with the booths and the staff of teens and seniors. There are restaurant dishes on the menu, but really, it’s all about the ice cream.
Try any of these places on a hundred-and-yuck day, and your world will turn a lot cooler. Enjoy!
Check out more food articles and more of Terrance’s Great Food Search column in our Food Fun section.
I’m hungry!!!