The Fresno Bee has released its 2009 People's Choice Awards, and two Downtown Fresno area restaurants walked away with big honors, The Mediterranean Grill & Cafe and Milano. The Mediterranean Grill & Cafe, located at 1031 U Street (441-7050) took home first place honors in the category of Fresno's best Mediterranean Restaurant. Here's what The Bee had to say:

Those who know downtown know Mediterranean Grill & Cafe. For 16 years, this family owned and operated restaurant has been turning out delicious people-pleasing plates of succulent lamb, chicken and beef — all prepared in authentic Mediterranean style and served fresh and hot. “My mom is the backbone of the restaurant,” says Heiam Elaawar, co-owner. “My mom makes it like she does at home and we make it order by order so it doesn’t get soggy.” Shish kebab, gyros or falafel with fattoush salad, once people try the food at Mediterranean Grill & Cafe, they are usually hooked. 

Another Downtown Fresno dining & entertainment hotspot, Milano, located 1243 Fulton Mall, also took home honors in the "Hidden Gem" category. The Bee wrote:

Milano is full of mom-and-pop charm — a sort of anti-franchise pizza parlor.  “You wouldn’t come in here and mistake us for another place,” says Kendall Simsarian, who, along with Donn Milano, opened the restaurant on the north end of the Fulton Mall in 2007. It’s the sort of spot where you come to hang out as much as eat, where the menu is created by the regulars as much as the chefs in back. So, while you can get pasta, or a meatball or Italian sausage sandwich, or a pretty darn great pizza by the slice, Milano’s most famous dish might be the Megazone. The quick facts: The Megazone is 2 3 /4 pounds of meat, veggies, cheese, pizza sauce, more cheese, meat sauce, more cheese and dough, all rolled up and baked. Eat the whole thing and they’ll put your name on the wall. There’s only six names on the wall. The fastest official time for finishing one off (and this is the kind of thing you need to time) is 21 minutes.

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