Bulle brings upscale California modern dining to northwest Fresno

Bulle is making a direct play for Fresno diners who want more than a table and a meal. The restaurant opened March 26 at Marks and Herndon avenues in northwest Fresno, turning a former Blockbuster and Chase Bank building into a polished dining room with caviar-topped cocktails, dry-aged meats and a menu built to feel like a special occasion.

Tom Miller and Davita Miller, who also own Press Box Sports Grill, spent about two years renovating the site into what they see as their most ambitious restaurant yet. The couple first pitched Bulle in 2024 as a blend of modern California cuisine and French technique, and the finished space leans into that idea with velvet pink seating, a chandelier, flowers on the ceiling, a glowing bar top and orb lights above the bar that reportedly cost more than $35,000. Davita Miller even gilded the giant mirror herself, a detail that says as much about the restaurant’s ambitions as the menu does.

The kitchen is led by executive chef Max McCarthy, whose résumé includes Alinea in Chicago, Quince in San Francisco, Nobu Newport Beach and Le Jardinier in Miami. That kind of pedigree helps explain why Bulle is being positioned less like a steakhouse with polish and more like a true fine-dining room. The menu centers on California modern cooking with European methods, including fire-roasted vegetables and dishes that rely on precision as much as richness.

Bulle’s sourcing also ties the restaurant to the Valley economy it hopes to serve. The kitchen uses local and California ingredients whenever possible, including duck breast from Mary’s Ducks in Sanger, a poultry operation rooted in the San Joaquin Valley. That matters in Fresno County, where agriculture contributed $21.66 billion to the economy in the 2023 crop year and supported 63,103 direct jobs, with nearly 45,000 more jobs through multiplier effects.

That farm base helps explain why a luxury restaurant can find an audience here. Fresno has long been known for casual, family-centered dining, but Bulle is testing whether northwest Fresno can sustain a room built for business dinners, anniversary tables and visitors looking for something more polished than a standard Central Valley meal. Michelin’s California guide is still dominated by the Bay Area and larger coastal markets, which makes a serious upscale bet in Fresno stand out even more.

For Tom Miller and Davita Miller, Bulle is not just a new address. It is a sign that Fresno’s restaurant scene is starting to chase a different kind of customer, one willing to pay for craftsmanship, atmosphere and the idea that the city can support something rarer than comfort food.