Hungry? The Nifty Bakersfield Nutrient Tour.

“Try to remain hungry.”

“I simply demand a slice of staff of life or something…”

“I know, but simply don’t run yesteryear overboard…you’ll demand your appetite.”

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So goes the dorsum too forth betwixt my married adult woman too I every bit nosotros caput on across the Tejon Pass, simply due north of Los Angeles. It’s been a long Lent too immediately we’re ready to suspension it. It’s fourth dimension for a food-centered trip to ane of the great, undiscovered nutrient destinations inwards California…Bakersfield.

It’s mid Apr every bit nosotros create got an like shooting fish in a barrel effort over the Grapevine. Sunny too warm, it’s the perfect weather condition for the wildflowers that pigment the hillsides inwards a higher identify Gorman. Still early on for them, they’re simply starting the show. Come hither at the offset of May too it should hold out spectacular.

First up, a snack to concur my married adult woman too boy over until dinner. Dewar’s has been inwards describe of piece of work organisation hither over a century making premium H2O ice cream too candy. It’s great, delicious fun but the master copy location, with it’s tight spaces, is difficult on a wheelchair. Fortunately, their novel location is simply nigh perfect.

West of the 99 on Rosedale Highway, simply yesteryear the giant shopping middle where WalMart is, you’ll uncovering the novel Dewar’s outpost simply off of the corner with Callaway Drive. Not solely a great, spacious H2O ice cream parlor, you’ll uncovering a museum of Dewar’s…and Bakersfield…history featuring H2O ice cream making implements going dorsum a century too a guitar given to them yesteryear local legend Buck Owens that Letty is standing inwards front end of inwards that motion-picture present upward above.

Apart from the giant tour buses blocking the handicapped spaces inwards the parking lot, check-in goes polish at the Springhill Suites. Apparently, dozens of college swimmers hither for a run into volition hold out surrounding us tonight. Pray for us…

Unpacked too really hungry, nosotros caput out for our maiden of all repast of the weekend.

Bakersfield has a reputation for beingness gritty. It’s non a completely undeserved one. Walking the streets of downtown, you’ll create got no occupation spotting the homeless too others who are downward on their luck. The blocks simply eastward of downtown are dotted with halfway houses too rehab centers.

The metropolis also is dwelling to some of the friendliest people you’ll always run into too there’s a renaissance simply over the side yesteryear side hump. New restaurants, fine art galleries, nightclubs are edging into spaces side yesteryear side to the one-time guard, Bakersfield classics. Come downtown on a Fri or Sat nighttime too the identify is alive.

This is where nosotros come upward for our Fri nighttime dinner to Uricchio’s Trattoria ane block westward of Chester Avenue on 17^th Street.

We pass a lot of fourth dimension inwards this city…a lot. Once nosotros establish out the charms too hidden beauty of Bakersfield, nosotros cruel inwards dearest with it too refer to our frequent stays at the Marriott hither every bit our “timeshare.” Each visit, nosotros endeavour to uncovering at to the lowest degree ane novel affair to try. This weekend it’s Uricchio’s.

Opened inwards 1995 yesteryear Nick Uricchio, his boy Steve, too chef Raphael Hernandez, Uricchio’s serves high-end Italian cuisine inwards an updated infinite at really reasonable prices.

At the offset of dinner service…5:00…we’re able to squeak inwards without a reservation. The server is really friendly too extremely knowledgeable nigh the nutrient too the edifice itself. We notice that some of the windows, most etched with fine detail, create got been replaced yesteryear plainly glass.

Our server tells us that due the historic nature of the building, no ane tin create windows similar that anymore thus when ane breaks, it tin solely hold out replaced yesteryear plainly glass.

The vino is poured too warm, soft staff of life is served. Not likewise long afterward, our entrées appear.

Letty has the linguini pescadora which has seemingly every critter inwards the body of body of water swimming inwards its calorie-free marinara sauce. It is pronounced heavenly.

Tim has the manicotti, delicious crepe tubes filled with ricotta too topped with melted mozzarella. He opts to create got his covered inwards meat sauce.  Again, a perfect dish with a prissy bold gustation to run yesteryear with our bottle of Syrah.

I create got a sublime veal saltimbocca with parmesan potatoes too a delicious vegetable medley on the side. I appreciate the eating theatre that tries this dish too dearest the ones that instruct it right. Uricchio’s is ane of the best I’ve had.

Each entrée is also nicely southward of $20.

One repast down, nosotros caput dorsum to the hotel to permit the nutrient digest too to sentinel our Angels trounce upward on the Orioles.

Did I cite nosotros were sharing the hotel with hordes of college swimmers? Luckily, it solely took ane asking to instruct them to halt screaming inwards the halls too after bedtime, they were repose every bit mice. In the morning, however, these ravenous athletes decimated the hotel’s breakfast bar leaving us with simply a loving cup of yogurt too a bagel.

Oh well, they’ll hold out checking out today too it’ll hold out nice, quiet, too empty at the Springhill Suites tonight.

Armed with whatever calories nosotros could uncovering this morning time too with quite a few soundless hanging around from final night, nosotros caput southward of town to cheque out some other novel site for this trip…the Wind Wolves Preserve, nestled upward against the backside of the San Gabriel Mountains southward of town.

Run yesteryear The Wildlands Conservancy, this save was purchased from the Tejon Ranch too contains some prime number California Condor territory every bit good every bit ancient grasslands too canyons.

We don’t create got fourth dimension to run yesteryear on a long hike too Tim is feeling some sick effects from the rut today thus nosotros maintain close to the visitor’s middle too hang out with a span of volunteers at that topographic point looking for birds too whatever other critters nosotros tin find.

About a hundred cliff swallows are flitting about, packing mud nether the eaves of the edifice for nests.

A Bullock’s oriole sips H2O from a nearby pond earlier buzzing us upward on the balcony.

Tim too I uncovering a bee hive inwards the roof…hey, where’d Tim go?…as I consider the wheelchair flight every bit far away from the bees every bit possible.

Some calorie-free hiking around the expanse reveals an algae filled pond with thousands of tadpoles waiting to instruct frogs. Out on the grasslands, larks sing relentlessly.

It’s dorsum to Bakersfield where the hunger is starting to reassert itself. 5:30 too fourth dimension for the side yesteryear side halt on our nutrient adventure.  This time, it’s an one-time friend…Benji’s.

Benji’s is ane of Bakersfield’s famed Basque restaurants.  On the border of ane of the city’s crude oil land no man’s lands, it occupies a corner on Rosedale Highway betwixt an crude oil rig describe of piece of work organisation too an auction.

Long dwelling to shepherds, the expanse is known for this unique agency of dining. The most famous of the city’s Basque restaurants is Noriega’s, an one-time boardinghouse inwards the one-time downtown expanse eastward of the electrical flow metropolis center. Most people know it every bit the identify where everybody sits at long tables, passing dishes dorsum too forth household unit of measurement style.

At Benji’s, you lot sit down at your ain tabular array but you lot soundless part the dishes with you, too what dishes they are! Seating is prompt. The dining room opens at 5:30 too non a infinitesimal before, nonetheless the bar is opened upward too you’re welcome to bask a soothing drinking glass of vino or a strongly mixed picon punch earlier your meal.

Once seated, your server volition accept your drinkable monastic tell thus give you lot a handbasket of crusty French bread, accompanied yesteryear their spicy, warm salsa too butter.

A large tureen of thin, vegetable soup is next, served with a plate of beans used to thicken it up. It’s all made from scratch too is incredibly delicious…much to a greater extent than than the sparse broth would indicate.

The salad…another large bowl to hold out shared yesteryear all…arrives. In all of my life, I create got never had a salad too describe of piece of work solid dressing amend than they brand hither at Benji’s. Fresh produce, along with a plate of ripe tomatoes too onions, too their creamy describe of piece of work solid dressing brand this a dish I could brand a repast of.

Along with the salad course of report comes the pickled cow’s tongue. If you’ve never had it, what a process you’re missing. Beefy too covered inwards a slightly tart sauce, this delicacy volition create got you lot asking for more.

Next comes the chief course, with greenish beans too fries, your entrée is served. That is a ton of nutrient thus nosotros exercise what most people exercise immediately too monastic tell ane entrée with the residue of us getting the “set up.” The laid upward is the entire repast every bit described above, less the entrée. Our ane entrée this evening is a big, medium rare rib oculus steak that nosotros cutting into thirds too share.

We are completely, satisfyingly stuffed. Dinners hither are also reasonable, most entrées betwixt $14 too $20 with a laid upward going for $13.95.

Dinner over, nosotros caput to the other side of the thruway to Sam Lynn Ballpark too pass the eventide watching the local tike league team, the Bakersfield Blaze, win over the San Jose Giants.

The Blaze is immediately affiliated with the Cincinatti Reds too nosotros instruct to consider a truthful superstar, Ken Griffey, Sr., accept the land every bit he is immediately managing this team.

(Note: The Blaze discontinued operations inwards 2016 - Ed)

Game over, it’s dorsum to a really repose too empty hotel to slumber off the day.

Sunday morning time dawns too nosotros pack upward to instruct ready for the trip home. After checking out, nosotros caput across the street to Costco to gas up, downward the street to Cruz Thru Car Wash to instruct the dust too bugs off of the van, too thus to the nutrient highlight of whatever trip to Bakersfield for us.

Back across town, on a repose side street off of busy Union Avenue, sits the piffling neon greenish edifice that makes the best nutrient inwards the world. No longer visible to customers since it’s been moved dorsum inwards the kitchen, marinated pieces of pork slow spin on a vertical spit known every bit a trompo. H5N1 large onion sits on top of the stack every bit the rut makes the juice trickle downward the side every bit it all slow cooks.

The railroad train takes a tortilla, chop-chop fries it on the lard coated apartment top. H5N1 abrupt knife is used to carve the cooked pieces of meat off of the trompo too placed into the tortilla. This shepherd’s agency of Mexican pork is known every bit al pastor too no ane does it amend than Los Tacos de Huicho, the piffling taco stand upward that could, sitting hither inwards this brilliant greenish edifice inwards the rundown neighborhood eastward of downtown.

We create got been known to effort out of our agency to brand it a repast at this identify too wouldn’t intend twice nigh the ii hr effort from L.A. simply to create got some.

The taco comes plain, meat only, on the tortilla too you lot destination it off at the condiment bar side yesteryear side to the counter. Here, you’ll uncovering chopped onions, cilantro, pickled too fresh radishes, deep fried jalapeño peppers, greenish salsa, ruby-red salsa, and…the star of the bar…their absolutely breathtaking creamy, spicy, guacamole. For me too the al pastor, it’s onions, cilantro, their fiery hot ruby-red salsa, too the guacamole.

That’s ane heck of a taco for solely 99 cents (now $1.09 - Ed)

In addition, their burritos, sopes, too other dishes called gringas too mulas, are really good. There is non a bad affair on the carte here. One item I instruct that grosses a lot of my friends out are the tripas tacos…intestines fried to a cruncy seize with teeth wrapped inwards a tortilla. It is some other gustation I’d effort ii hours for.

For some reason, this piffling Mexican eating theatre inwards Bakersfield also makes some of the best seasoned French fries you’ll always find.

This volition pretty much hold out all the nutrient nosotros demand today…two burritos (one chile verde, the other edible bean too cheese), ii tripas tacos, ii tacos al pastor, ii carne asada sopes, too an monastic tell of fries.

Filled to the brim, it’s dorsum on the 99, heading for dwelling already making plans for the side yesteryear side time.

Darryl

Copyright 2012 - Darryl Musick

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