California Restaurant Association

Fresno, Calif. – More than 25 Fresno-area restaurants received prestigious honors Tuesday night at the California Restaurant Association (CRA) Fresno Chapter’s annual Best of the Valley restaurant awards banquet, which took place at the Fresno Convention Center. The annual Best of the Valley awards banquet is the largest event of the year for the Fresno-area restaurant community.

 

“Because these winners are nominated, and then voted upon by their colleagues in the restaurant industry, the ‘best of’ awards are considered a huge honor by those who receive them,” said Tom Pilloud, president of the CRA Fresno Chapter. “This annual event is a wonderful opportunity to recognize those who lead the industry in Fresno and Madera counties.”

 

The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, which was given to the Castillo family of Fresno recognizing the legacy they started in the early 1950s that continues today. The Castillos have owned 32 restaurants and trained hundreds of chefs. The Castillo family has a passion for what they do, working for success as well as loving the restaurant business.

 

In addition to the Castillo family’s Lifetime Achievement Award, CRA’s Fresno Chapter presented awards to various restaurants, declaring them 2006’s “best” in categories ranging from “Best Breakfast,” to “Most Romantic Restaurant,” to “Best Fine Dining.”

 

All Best of the Valley winners were selected based on the results of a balloting process that is managed every year by the accounting firm of Ryan, Christie, Quinn and Horn. Nomination ballots were mailed to approximately 1,400 restaurants in Fresno and Madera counties. 

 

The accounting firm then collected the ballots, and the top four vote-getters in each category were placed on the final ballot. Final ballots were mailed to all local CRA members as well as all non-member nominees.

Best Breakfast – BJ’s Kountry Kitchen

Best Fast Casual Restaurant – Panda Express

Best Fast Food/Drive-In – In-N-Out Burger

Best Themed Restaurant – Cool Hand Luke’s Steakhouse

Best Asian Restaurant – Edo-Ya Tokyo Cuisine

Best Mexican Restaurant – Plaza Ventana Mexican Restaurants

Best Family Dining – Mimi’s Café

Best Fine Dining – The Palms

Best Pizza – Me-N-Ed’s Pizzeria

Best Italian Restaurant – LaRocca’s Ristorante Italiano

Best Newcomer – Yosemite Ranch

Best Kept Secret – Cool Hand Luke’s Steakhouse

Friendliest Service – The Lime Lite

Best Watering Hole – Elbow Room

Most Romantic Restaurant – The Ripe Tomato

Best Seafood – Edo-Ya Tokyo Cuisine

Best Steak – Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse

Best Banquet – Pardini’s Catering & Banquets

Best Catering – Grand Occasions Catering & Banquets

Best Hamburger – Colorado Grill

Best Mediterranean Restaurant – Mediterranean Grill & Cafe

Best Delicatessen – Sam’s Italian Deli & Market

Best Hotel Dining – Ducey’s @ The Pines Resort

Best Country Club Dining – Sunnyside Country Club

Best Bakery – La Boulangerie

Best Coffeehouse – Starbucks Coffee

Best Dessert/Ice Cream – Cold Stone Creamery

Best Casino Dining – Table Mountain Rancheria Casino

Beverage Purveyor/Supplier of the Year – Pepsi Bottling Group

Purveyor/Supplier of the Year –J & D FoodService
Restaurateur of the Year – John and Tom Ferdinandi, Me-N-Ed’s Pizzerias / Piazza del Pané