The old Laucks Bakery in the Tower District, picture from France Is Hexagonal
I don’t mean to age myself too much here, but I am old enough to remember having the peanut butter cookies from Laucks Bakery in the Tower District. It is one of my first food memories. And they were so good.
No peanut butter cookie has measured up to it. My Mom’s are the closest and are delicious. But the Laucks used to really hit.
I am seeking comfort lately, and a peanut butter cookie that tastes like a Laucks cookie would really fill a hole right now.
So who has the recipe? What’s the fucking secret?
Nobody wants to post the recipe (at least I can’t find where), as if this needs to be kept secret anymore.
This has also put me on a quest to find the best peanut butter cookie in Fresno. Maybe the smallest quest ever, but it’s still a quest. If you have some thoughts on this, tell me where to go.
I did the Panorama Trail in Yosemite this year. Epic views.
Fresno provided comfort food and place-comfort this year in a difficult time.
Fresno comfort food respect list for 2025
Me & Ed’s pizza. Pepperoni, diced pepperoni, pepperoni & canned mushrooms, all did the trick. Every. Single. Time.
Tacos. Street tacos to be precise. Although one messed me up (internally, we’ll say), and I have not gotten back on the taco horse since.
Whole Foods Salad Bar. One of the few salad bar options in town anymore. There is an art to keeping your salad build as light as possible (aka keeping it cheap as possible) while still making it something you enjoy eating.
Berrock Shop. Mostly the chili. A lot of chili.
Mad Duck – Northwest. Cheers to the Tuesday all-day happy hour.
Breakfast burritos from anywhere.
I see this Van Ness house on my walks and it feels like it could be in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland.
This was an awful year for me, I’ll just say it, with the breakup of my marriage and other things as well. But what has come with that is a focused appreciation of when things are good. And of the good little moments that happen even when things are bad.
Just like Fresno, I will keep grinding for sunny times. Hope you will this year too.
In case you missed it. Popolo’s had to move from Herndon & Blackstone long ago (not to mention the Shaw & Marks location) to Palm & Nees. They recently closed that location. But they have reopened in the Madera Ranchos.
Tucked way back in a kind of strip mall you would only find in the Ranchos. It’s at 37272 Avenue 12, in the heart of the Rancho business strip, behind the Sinclair gas station.
RUNDOWN OF MADERA RANCHOS POPOLO’S
The space is much smaller than any of their previous spots. And it’s a quick-serve, order-at-the-counter style, now, which isn’t terrible, really.
The food tastes the same. Signature dough and dishes mostly remain. Pizza is still great.
One glaring food difference is… no salad bar. Sadness. The Herndon & Blackstone salad bar was legend. Palm & Nees was ok. No salad bar in the Ranchos.
I get it, though, if they put in a salad bar, they would have to take out two tables. And they need all the tables they can get there. They still have salads and will make one how you want it, and that’s cool. But it’s a bummer the salad bar is gone.
There is also no video game room like previous iterations. There is one standup, though, with multiple games, so there is at least something. It might be nice to find a space for one skill/prize game, as a better nod to the old games.
Also, something I feel they could do is find at least ONE booth (if not more) that is like one of the booths back at the Blackstone location. You could fit a few smaller ones in that space, and it would be rad. I hope that is something they figured out in the future.
WHAT ABOUT THE BEER!?
They still have it! The old Popolo’s was one of Fresno’s leaders in getting Craft Beer on draught, an early adopter. They still have some of it, nothing major, but enough basics for you if you want a decent beer with your pizza.
So, if you are missing Popolo’s food, the drive out to the Ranchos is worth it – even without a booth or salad bar.
UPDATE: My friend Joshua Tehee did a write-up in the Bee about this place, and it softens my stance on it some. Apparently, this truck relocated here, like, moved up here and hired locals. Instead of what I believed was that they just had an extra truck up to Fresno from L.A. to make it off us. Still interesting how we are getting so fired up about a truck not from here.
The corner of Maroa & Shaw has been the hot topic around the Fig area of town.
The truck pictured above is often brought up at Out Of The Barrel and around Fig Garden. Everyone is amazed at the lines and wondering what the hell?!
The word is they came up from Los Angeles (Bell Gardens) because the market was too saturated down there, and they tried their luck here. Turns out it was a good decision.
Yeah, I want to try this truck out, it sounds really good.
But, sorry, it pisses me off that an L.A. Mexican food truck can come up to the taco capital (Fresno, yo!) and be so popular. What the hell, Fresnans?
This guy has seen some things at Gazebo. Trust me.
Feeling thankful to have Gazebo Gardens around. It’s pretty damn unique and borders on something necessary for a city.
I am not talking about the nursery/plant aspect of it either. I am talking about the third space feature for friend and family groups.
In case you don’t know, Thursday – Saturday evenings Gazebo Gardens nursery turns into a beer garden & food truck court. Complete with seating and some shade.
There are very few places you can meet up with people without having to reserve or hawk a big table, or worry if “all of your party is here yet”.
Just show up around a time. Eat, don’t eat. Drink beer, don’t drink. Kids can wander around. You can wander around. It’s great.
Sure, I get tired of it too, like any place. I am here to appreciate the looseness of it all, and there isn’t much of that out there.
Related: As I sat on Shields yesterday waiting for a train to pass, I caught a little bit of the blues coming from Gazebo
A basket of the infamous In-N-Out fries I had the other day
The fries at In-N-Out suck. They just do. But they are unique to In-N-Out. I have always enjoyed them for that. They may not be great, but they are all In-N-Out’s.
The uniqueness of In-N-Out: The vibe, restaurant setup, California chain, simple food menu, super friendly staff, the secret menu, and yes, the fries.
Sadly all that is tainted because the nepo baby owner, Lynsi Snyder, (who didn’t come up with a damn ass thing that In-N-Out is successful for) has decided California is too lame and is creating an office in Tennessee so she can move her family there because California is “SOOOO harrrd guuuuyyyyz”
“Raising a family is not…easy here. Doing business is not easy here.” says the billionaire nepo baby.
Dude, California MADE you! You became iconic because of us. You are rich as shit because we bragged about you to everyone not in California. Brought all the people visiting to your dad’s restaurant.
I had always admired In-N-Out for being at or near the top of pay for fast-food workers. It seems that was dad’s policy, not the nepo do nothing daughter’s. She would rather move somewhere whiter where she can pay employees less. Let’s be real.
It always comes back to more when you are so rich you don’t know what else to do.
“That’s just business!” some will say. I say that is just bullshit. It’s just fucking greed.
Disrespectful to the people (Californians) who got you where you are today. So little is respected anymore.
How hard could it be to live your life out as a billionaire in the greatest state in the country? Dear God.
The basket of fries pictured above was the first time I went to the Blackstone & Nees In-N-Out. My go-to is Blackstone & Ashlan. I can’t say I will never go to an In-N-Out again because of this betrayal; that would be unrealistic.
But I will hate myself a little bit when I do. Just like Lynsi should be doing right now.
