Another title for this post could be “How Cuca’s Become THE Restaurant To Represent Fresno!”
Cuca’s. Yeah, dude. Cuca’s Mexican restaurant in the Tower District.
Surprising? Yes. Wrong? Maybe. Let me tell you how I came to this conclusion and you can see if you agree with me.
So this very cool dude, Mike Rohde, who wrote the Sketchnote Handbook, was in Fresno to do a sketchnote workshop with some Fresno Unified School District teachers. A rad and progressive thing for FUSD to be doing, by the way.
It was the first time Mike had come to Fresno. He lives in Milwaukee.
He happened to have a free evening, knew I was a fan of his, and asked if I wanted to meet for dinner. Normally I would run away from such a request given my crushing shyness. But I saw this as an opportunity to be a Fresno embassador, so I worked past my anxiety and called Mike up to work out a place to meet.
HERE ARE MY PARAMETERS FOR FINDING A DINNER PLACE
- Having only a few minutes to think about where.
- Mike is staying downtown at the Radisson and can only Uber.
- Budget is a concern for myself, not a giant concern but I can’t just go to any place in town regardless of how much the dinner bill would be.
- Mike has been to Limon and Hop PK already.
Knowing Fresno is known for Mexican food and tri-tip, I wanted to plant the Fresno flag in one of those. Given that Mike is a creative guy and he had not been to the Tower District, I decided on figuring out a place to eat in the Tower.
No place in the Tower District comes to mind when I think tri-tip. So I am going with Mexican. Bobby Salazar’s is too damn bro-heavy on a Friday night. So, what I am left with (in my head) is Casa De Tamales or Cuca’s.
I have been going to Cuca’s for many many years. Never had a bad meal. Never had to wait for a table. Always quiet but not too quiet. Service is solid. Prices are reasonable. Cuca’s it is.
GOOD FRESNO TIMES
We met up. Had a great meal. Both had the carne asada plate. Mike told me he knew nothing about Fresno before he came here. I explained the inferiority complex Fresno has in relation to San Francisco and Los Angeles. He explains Milwaukee has the same thing in relation to Chicago.
Mike says that FUSD will probably bring him back to Fresno in the future. Maybe next time we’ll go for tri-tip.
By the way, here is a sketch Mike did of his meal at Limon:
The next time you want something that meets all of those criteria, try El Cochinito Contento on the other end of the Tower District. On Olive, just west of Palm. Also mom and pop Mexican food. We tend to alternate between Cuca’s and “The Happy Pig”.
Oh cool, nice reco. I’ll give it a try. I think maybe I have eaten there, it’s been years though.
If you hit the lotto between now and the next time I’d suggest Cracked Pepper. Pricey, but that bread pudding is worth every penny.
I personally knew Cuca and on occasion I would go in and have a meal or sometimes I would wash the dishes”. Cuca was a fantastic lady and cook”
Mikey, it was great to meet you at Cuca’s for dinner. It’s not currently on my eating plan, but I decided to veer away for one night, and it was worth it. Next time in Fresno I definitely want to try some tri-tip and anything else I can in the Tower District that’s tasty.