Fresno Restaurant, a popular mainstay in East Hampton Village, is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Owner Michael Nolan and his wife, Helen Gifford, credit the tight-knit team and community for Fresno’s enduring success. During a recent visit, Nolan proudly spoke of what he and his devoted team have accomplished over the years. They have created a neighborhood gem with a speakeasy vibe while prioritizing food quality and guest experience.
“We’re here for community,” said Nolan. “I’m in this business because I grew up in it. But also, I love it. And I like the creative outlets it gives me: behind the bar, the wine list, and with food. I cook a lot at home. I never cook in the restaurant; I’m not qualified. But I’ll make something at home and say, ‘Chef, would you mind trying something like this?’ and he is so cool and cooks without ego.”
“We’re such a family restaurant,” said Gifford. “Kids will come in and work and go off to college and come back. There are romances and marriages… You’re seeing people go on their first date to getting engaged here to having their rehearsal party here, to then bringing their newborn the first time they’ve gone out of the house,” she continued.
Nolan grew up in Sag Harbor and also worked at and lived above JG Melon in Bridgehampton as a kid. Over the past 20 years, Fresno has had three chefs; the latest, Chef Jesus Gonzales, is going into his fourth summer.
Prior to being a restaurant, the space was a barn used for storage by Guild Hall. It became a restaurant 40 years ago, where it first served as a sushi restaurant run by Sen’s Kazutomo Matsuoka, and later the Mexican restaurant Santa Fe, Nolan explained.
Fresno serves a mix of classics and exciting new dishes and offers a cocktail program that compliments Chef Gonzales’s expansive epicurean profile. The bar is led by Beverage Director Quinton Burke, who is married to Service Director Brinn Foley. You’ll find classics like a beautiful bistro burger, roast chicken, or local fish at Fresno. Standouts include the Cazuela roasted halibut with local shiitakes, bok choy, glass noodles, and miso dashi broth. In addition to classics like the bistro burger and roast chicken, Fresno also features daily specials and elevated bar food such as the Long Island duck flatbread.
Ingredients are sourced locally from various purveyors: “Tuna from Montauk. Beets from Balsam farms,” Nolan described as we perused the menu.
The beverage program offers an array of creative cocktails, such as the Hook Mill Margarita, which comprises Maestro Dobel, lime, cucumber, pineapple, and cilantro. Additionally, there is a delightful assortment of non-alcoholic mocktails.
To mark the restaurant’s 20th anniversary, they upgraded by installing 20 new custom-designed light fixtures from Gifford’s design company HelenBilt. These new fixtures complement the existing HelenBilt fixtures already in place throughout the patio, bar, and dining room.
With the recent renovations, new management team, and new bar program, Nolan explained that he was able to “open a new restaurant in my restaurant.”
The restaurant was also wrapped in a Farrow and Ball hue to envelop guests in a warm yet slightly seductive space. A limited-seat alternate bar was added overlooking the main dining room. The Patio standing bar will be completed this season, and drinks will be served, allowing diners to meet and mingle pre-dinner.
To honor the 20-year milestone, Fresno will offer 20 percent off all bottles of wine every Wednesday with the purchase of an entrée.
