Dine and Dish: Tabachines Cocina in northwest Fresno

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The sizzle and setting of Tabachines Cocina at Palm and Herndon in northwest Fresno keeps bringing my colleague Vanessa Vasconcellos back for more.

"Strictly for the shrimp tostadas!" Vasconcellos jokingly said. "This is the place I take all my friends when they're visiting me in town."

As for the name Tabachines? The name comes from a very iconic tree in Guadalajara.

"When I was growing up all I ever had was fresh food, colorful food presented in a way you were excited," Tabachines Cocina Owner Consuelo Alvarado said. "Our head chef, Tyler Williams, has embraced our culture, our food."

"I worked in Napa, worked in Paso then came here."

Their shrimp are cooked in a chipotle pepper, agave sauce, and placed on a bed of guacamole.

They're smoky and sweet.

"What I love is that the spice isn't overwhelming. It's just something that will give you a little kick start to your meal."

Chicken mole was next.

"A traditional Mexican sauce. It consists of dried chiles, tomato, onions, tomatillo, garlic," Williams said.

Butter's part of the base for the locally produced Mary's chicken breast.

And the mole must stand up to a tradition.

"Consuelo's mother was the final approval on that one," Williams said. "Tasting, making sure everything was top notch."

Tasting it with the carrots and leeks cooked with agave was even better.

"One of the things I love, between the ambiance and the food itself. It's tradition with a modern twist," Vasconcellos said.

Sometimes people order whatever the staff suggests.

"We love to do that because that is a confirmation that we know our guests," Alvarado said.

Apparently they know I love baja fish tacos. The tilapia is cooked with a very light Pacifico beer batter and is topped with chipotle aoli.

The tequila bar features more than 120 selections from Guadalajara.

"It has to be from our city and state to be called tequila," Alvarado said.

From colorful cocktails to traditional tastes, Tabachines has a strong following.

And a tip if you join Vanessa for the spicy shrimp tostadas.

"They come in five so if there's two of us, let me grab that third one," she said.

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