Dine and Dish: 500 Club in Old Town Clovis

CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) -- In the heart of Old Town Clovis, at 5th and Clovis, the 500 Club Bar and Grill is full of surprises.

Scallops sizzle on the grill as Chef Juan Rendon prepares a seafood pasta with shrimp, mushrooms, broccoli and tomatoes.

"Scampi style with capers, lemon juice, butter, white wine, so that is the seafood pasta," he said.

Many people don't expect a western spot with cattle brands on the wall to serve scallops.

"When you cook it right, it just melts in your mouth," Rendon said. "So tender. When they see something like this coming out of the kitchen, they say, 'Oh, I didn't know you sold that kind of food. We thought it was just a bar.'"

"I'll come around, or Juan will come around and ask, 'How was your meal? Well, this was our first time and you can tell we'll be back.'" says owner Cindy Sarantos.

Frog legs have taken a big leap in popularity. They're deep-fried.

"When the frog legs are floating in the oil, that means they're already cooked," Rendon said.

Butter and garlic help the delicious dish stand out.

You can eat the frog legs like chicken wings.

The chicken breast on the grill was marinated for four to five hours.

Underneath the grill, Chef Juan uses lava rocks to cook.

"When you put lava rocks, everything cooks even," he said. "It's like a bed of fire, everything across."

The steaming chicken is served over a bed of romaine and iceberg lettuce.

The popular Louie G. Chicken Salad is named after Cindy's husband.

"This is the chicken fried steak, but it's not like anybody else's," Rendon said. "Everybody else uses cube steak, which is ground beef. This is New York steak."

The New York steak is pounded, breaded and placed into the deep fryer. The mixed veggies are cooked in garlic butter.

Burgers and steaks are constantly coming off the grill.

"They're not frozen," Rendon said. "We make in-house every day."

Sarantos is in charge of the desserts.

The menu at the Old Town 500 Club Bar and Grill has grown right along with the community.

"I really like that we can accommodate this town," Sarantos said. "People continue to come back. I'm going to get teary-eyed. It's just a part of life. Truly, that Clovis way of life."

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