Aah, the Midi!! It seems it opened 1966 or 1967, and instantly attracted a largely younger crowd. Many of us Fresno Staters were regulars. Over time, the rear section of the cafe became a de facto meeting place for the intellectual and pseudo-intellectual regulars. One of this crowd (wish I could remember his name) was a projectionist who (With Mort's permission and indulgence) would set up his equipment after closing time and show old and rare movies to a film-mad bunch, of which I was one. I saw most of Eisenstein's important silent films, and Birth of a Nation there. Maltese Falcon left me speechless with delight. Does no one else remember these movie nights at the Midi? Can you remember other classics you saw there for the first time?

I remember going there for their Chef Salads! The college kids would be playing chess or studying, etc. It was the Place to Be for the College Crowd!

We moved to Fresno in 1967 and used to hang out at the old Midi, where Mort (the original owner) made us hippies feel welcome. He also made the best hamburgers in the world, using French bread rolls and managing medium rare if asked. We went to poetry readings and good music stuff there too. It was a haven for Original Thought and served as a haven for Exiles and Creative Orphan types. Mort served as guru, chef, backer of poets and made Fresno a little swifter and sweeter for us.

I used to hang out at the Cafe Midi when it was at East Fern and North Maroa Avenues. It was a great place to hang out and pretend to be "with it" and try to score with college chicks (I was a junior at Bullard High). Good luck with that plan! It later moved to Shaw and Maroa and, while not the same was still a fun place to hang.