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My friends Jacqueline, Gerard, and myself had gone to an awards ceremony, and since it was Sunday and only 8:30 we decided to hit up some place else. We were in downtown Fresno and we didn't want to travel too far so we went to Veni Vidi Vici's - a restaurant and full service bar.
Veni Vidi Vici has been been around for over 10 years and has gone through a couple of ownership changes. Veni's has two bars, one inside and one on the patio. The atmosphere is great. It's very dark on the inside, but not so much on the patio which is huge and nice in both winter and summer. I haven't eaten there in a few years, but I remember the food being awesome. They serve a California cuisine fusion and the entree prices run between twenty and thirty dollars. Plus the portions are nice. The interior bar is fairly large, curvy and cement slab, and it's completely full service. I remember the original owner had told me that when she was designing the space she had the movie beetlejuice in mind. If you go there you'll see what she meant. The walls are brick with recesses for candles. There are candles on the table and overhead lighting that they keep pretty low. Everything else is silver black aluminum and copper. I like it.
On this particular night, there was a three piece band with a drummer, guitar player, and a guy on keyboards and vocals. I didn't catch the name of the band, but the guy on keyboards and vocals is this guy Freedom, who is super cool. They did some really cool covers like "I got friends in low places," and "Brass Monkey."
We ordered some Tokyo Teas, and as the inside was packed we went outside to sit on the patio. The night was a little chill, but they had the heaters on, so it was comfortable. The outside is enclosed with brick and covered in vines and other greenery. Since there was a cocktail waitress outside, we planted outselves outside for the rest of the night. I recognized a few faces, but it was mostly strangers which is great, as there's nothing better than a fresh face, except maybe a really good friend.
I think they have live music two to three times a week. They also have a DJ on Saturday nights after the dinner hour, and they have Reggae Thursdays presented by Reality sounds International. With great service, from a really friendly staff you'll have a good time no matter what night you go.
Veni Vidi Vici is located at 1116 N. Fulton in the Tower District. For dinner reservations or info call 559-266-5510 | 
