Jess B.
Yelp
We were on a road trip through Fresno, and we chose Heirloom to stop for lunch, and we're very glad we did! We chose it because it was described as locally-owned farm-to-table, creative, seasonal "slow fast food." All of that sounds healthy and tasty. And, the online menu, had options for vegetarians and pescatarians, so we headed off the highway and into town.
It's a nicely designed restaurant, located in a strip mall. When we walked up, there was a long line of people (about 26 or so) waiting to get in. "Yikes!" We both thought. "This could take all day, and we don't have a ton of time, cause we need to make it to Barstow."
Luckily, the line seems to move fairly quickly. We waited for about 20 minutes moving along. But my husband noticed some people just walk right in on the left side of the door without waiting in the line. TIP: There are seats at the bar and at the large shared table in the middle that you can see if they are available and get around the line of people waiting for group / separate tables.
Nice! We got two seats at the bar.
We ordered a cocktail each. I got the Spicy Farmer (tequila, mezcal, watermelon, heirloom cherry tomato, firewater bitters, basil), and my husband ordered Whiskey Business (whiskey, housemade grenadine, and blood orange juice). They were both flavorful and nicely balanced. Not too sweet, and mine had a nice spicy zing! 5 stars on the cocktails.
We were starving from driving since early morning, so we ordered several items to share and try a bunch of different dishes:
Fall Harvest Salad (a large colorful salad with romaine, kale, radicchio, havarti cheese, asian pear, butternut squash, cashews, and pear champagne vinaigrette). Crispy, tasty, and satisfying. 5 stars ($10)
Garlic noodles to share (house-made pasta, pecorino, parsley, fried garlic): Delicious!!! 5 stars!!! ($14)
Cashew Cauliflower app/bites (toasted sesame seeds, scallion, candied cashews, honey cashew sauce). This tasted amazing! However, the cauliflower in it is fried, and the menu doesn't mention this. Fried items can be irritating on Ye Olde Stomach. Torn, but I'm giving it 4 stars because I wish that cauliflower in it wasn't fried! (Also, please mention that on the menu.) ($12)
Shoyo Salmon: Sesame crusted salmon, sautéed market greens, bacon fried rice, maple shoyu: 4 stars ($21)
Loom Bread and Brie (Fresh bread with a pan of baked Brie cheese, with dried fig compote, balsamic, and sea salt) We were both already feeling full from the combination first 4 dishes above, so we didn't really NEED to order this one, but we wanted to try it. Very enjoyable. 5 stars. ($14)
The bartender and server were both super-nice and welcoming. The food was high quality, creative, and flavorful. Next time we're headed through Fresno, we will definitely stop in for another meal.