High Sierra Grill House - Fresno

I had lunch at High Sierra on a Sunday afternoon together with several girlfriends. It was my first time at this restaurant. Drinks. I ordered one of the Royale martinis, and so did my friend. What we got was two completely different drinks. Check out my picture below. I get it, sometimes the bartender can mix drinks using different measurements, I was a bartender myself, but knowing that two same drinks go to the same table and making them differently is just a failure of bartending scope of practice. My friend asked a bit more Chambord to be added to her drink since it lacked color and flavor that my drink had. The waitress promised to do that, but never showed up with the bottle of delicious Raspberry liquor. I guess she knew we would have stole the whole bottle... Food. Bar food at its worst. This is what I can say about my BLT sandwich that had crystallized butter on the toast. The whole sandwich tasted like frozen butter. Really gross. Service. Meh... Would I go back? Probably not. And if I do, I will probably order french fries and beer. Who can screw that up?

This may be the best grill restaurant in town. I have seen the various businesses come through this plaza and High Sierra Grill House is by far my favorite! I came at lunchtime and had the tuna melt with side salad. The tuna was fresh and piled high in my sandwich with perfectly melted cheddar. I opted for the salad rather than fries and was so satisfied with half the sandwich that I was able to take the other half home to eat for lunch the following day. I was also curious about trying the oysters here so I had a couple with butter and garlic. My friend had the Rockefeller grilled oysters. It was silent as we savored each bite. I'm always wary of having Oysters so far from the water, but have no fear here! I would probably come in for oysters every day if I still lived here. Yes, they were that good! The menu here is full of so many great options, there is really something for everyone. I would not hesitate to bring a group of hard to please people here. The ambiance inside is also really warm and inviting. The scenery painted on the walls is very mountain chalet-ish and they have a baby grand piano for patrons to play and sing along to apparently on weekends. Sounds like a blast!

Came in for a quick drink and appetizer, don't expect 5 star service. I ordered a carne asada taco which had good flavor and a good value. Then I was quoted 1.25 for a jalepeno popper so I ordered 4. The jalepenos were ok instead of cream cheese they just had regular cheese inside which was a downer for me. Then the jalepenos were crunchy they weren't really cooked. The bill came and said 8 dollars for 4 poppers but I was quoted 1.25 each. The receipt even said 1 dollar each but charged me eight. I just paid even though I was overcharged.

Very good food. I enjoy the ribs (fall of the bone tender juicy ribs) and tri tip sandwich, which are usually my two go to options. I've also had there appetizers and was really impressed. Dining in the restaurant is nice and takeout is also good. I've never had a bad meal from this place and I would also recommend the cheesecake for desert. Four stars just for it being a little pricey for American/bar food.

The restaurant is flexible with order modifications, and their prices are about $5 to $10 cheaper than other places in town. The salads are quite good. On my first visit, I received a cold baked potato, and the ribs were mediocre at best—tasting like leftovers. It's not a terrible place, but if you're picky, it might not meet your expectations. It's essentially an upscale version of Denny's or IHOP. The staff were friendly, but my tri-tip was served rare even after I requested medium well, and when it finally came back, it was just slightly charred on the outside for about 15 seconds. Will I return? No, absolutely not. However, I think everyone should give it a try at least once and make their own decision.