To California’s Basque Country, propelled by hydrogen - main dishes mexican restaurant

On May 1968, my father and I traveled together in Delano, the town of Central Valley farm, to see the speeches of Cesar Chavez and Bobby Kennedy.
Chavez is organizing civil rights for farm workers.
Kennedy is running for president.
Both men were eloquent.
On the way back, my father made a detour to Becker sfield.
He has heard of a Basque restaurant serving the extended family just like the country inn we all like in North Carolina --style dinners.
No oversold.
We had the best meal of our life.
Chavez, Kennedy and my father were gone, but the Basque restaurant was still there.
I went on another road trip this spring.
This is solo.
Find out where we ate in 1968 and check out other Basque restaurants.
Early Tuesday morning I left Los Angeles hoping to meet two friends at the first Basque meal of the day.
I was a little scared.
To make road travel more interesting, I borrowed the hydrogen fuel cell Mirai from Toyota, which is stylish, silent, powerful and runs 310 miles per tank.
When I left a hydrogen charging station in Hollywood, the meter showed a distance of 238 miles.
This is enough for me to get back and forth to viefield, but hardly because there is no hydrogen station on there or on the route back and forth.
The Toyota guys insisted that the car was running 310 miles and said I shouldn't be worried so I left.
I opened an early Mirai model and found this updated version to be quieter and more powerful.
It drives and handles like any medium sedan.
But I quickly forgot that I was driving a car with advanced technology and it was filled with hydrogen fuel.
At noon, I was at the Bagi French Basque restaurant in the west of beckersfield.
My friend has already consulted the menu.
We chose veal, garlic fried chicken and mutton skewers.
Soon, we were deeply attracted by paintings depicting the Basque scene.
The Basque Shepherd began to come to the Central Valley.
In his 1800 s, he was attracted by the commitment of local ranchers to work on grazing and wool cutting.
Like in this old country
Because the Basque provinces of the Pyrenees range across France-Spanish border-
Shepherds will come to town on a regular basis to get paid, stay in a hotel, have a meal-
Style of hotel meals.
Benji's does not offer family style, but many traditional Basque staples are included in the lunch "package"
Each main course is accompanied
The Basque holy trinity of cabbage soup, pinto beans and salsa, served together in the same soup bowl, paired with fresh bread and butter, and achieved by a plate of vinegar tomatoes, salad and chips.
This is just a set-up.
Benji's light was soft and the linen napkin was comfortable, but it was almost empty at noon on Tuesday.
The soup wasn't as rich as I remembered when I was a kid, but the sweet bread was fantastic and there was enough garlic on the chicken to treat thousands of colds.
Leaving the Benji House, I noticed that I had only 162 miles left on the island of Mira.
There is still a lot, but not enough to quell my rising "range anxiety ".
There are many stations in Southern California-
24 of the state's 39 states are south of Santa Barbara, but most of them are in greater Los Angeles. A. area.
There is no one in the San Joaquin Valley.
In fact, the most recent one was in La ca n ada Flintridge, almost where I was driving.
I visited Dewar's (
Pronounced "Dwars ")
A candy shop/ice cream shop, founded in 1909, is an organization in viefield. I sat on a red-
On the leather stool on the counter, a spoonful of British Toffee was bitten, one of 23 flavors.
It's great, but I 'd better order half a spoon if my belly is full of Basque lunches.
I booked four dinner seats at the hotel and restaurant in nolega and I needed to regain my appetite and strength.
Since nolega was no longer renting, I checked into another Padre Hotel at the University of beckerfield, hoping to take a nap.
It turns out it's easy.
Padre opened in 1928 with 198 guest rooms and a massive repair was carried out in 2010.
Although it still looks solemn and ancient outside, it is modern and elegant inside.
The room has a nickname (
I'm next door to oil baron, JoJo head ")
Decorated in a spare style.
It's easy to settle in and grab 40 chance to blink. Family-
At 6: 30, I am at the bar in norivik. the date of the bar is 1898.
It still serves the family.
Style of lunch and dinner;
There is a seat for each meal, one price.
Diners lubricate their appetite in the bar, usually with a Basque ball called Picon Punch, a glass of brandy, grenadine and a bitter ap called Amer Picon
Then they sat at three long tables in the restaurant and had a meal that pleased the late Jonathan Gould, then write for the Los Angeles weekly and later the Los Angeles Times respected food critic.
A dozen other diners joined us on Tuesday night. The family-
The style table, each large enough to accommodate 60 or more people, with a plate of pickled tongue, tomatoes and onions on it, and blue cheese, A basket of French sliced bread and a bottle of chilled wine.
Soon, the covered bowl of the cabbage soup was served with beans and salsa, followed by a bowl of roll-hearted lettuce salad and a plate of farm cheese. A plate of green beans and a basket of delicious French fries, apparently fried with animal fat.
Then the pasta with red sauce.
Then chicken.
Then the main course-fat ribs-
Eye steak with roasted garlic. (
The main course is replaced once a night. It can be ribs, beef tail stew, fried chicken, etc. )
Even though I had a great lunch, I found room for a second delicious soup and soon became part of my favorite Basque basic meal and a second one for steak.
I feel like Michelin.
I got up the next morning to rest and prepare more.
I had a coffee at the farm lobby cafe in Padre and took a short walk through 1970-
Era Greyhound station and the Office of the Baker sfield newspaper in California, had a light breakfast at Happy Jack pie n Burger, arguably to keep my hand.
Then lunch time.
I was determined to complete the field study and make the most of my road trips, so I doubled my efforts.
I started next door to norivik, at the Café Pyrenees, and also went back to the early Basque time in Vieques.
The Pyrenees restaurant now offers standard fare and Basque cuisine and feels more like a bar than a restaurant.
I sat under the dim bar lights and listened to the "voice of viefield" clips of Mel Hagard and Buck Owens and their musical offspring, tasting a soup, beans(
As is the case in many Basque countries, the bread comes from the nearby Belgian bakery, another local establishment but not affiliated to the cafe. )
Special offers for lunch and dinner include lamb leg meat, beef tail stew and superior spareribs at prices of "America" and "Basque Country"
The latter is higher because they include a full set-up (
Bread, soup, etc. )
I didn't do it, and the two women who worked at the bar seemed to find it funny that someone wanted soup, beans and salsa at 11 in the morning and had no wine to support it, but they still served me.
It gave me a dinner.
I bought it at the wool growers restaurant and the first question for the waitress was, "Do you have any soup today?
"I learned that this is the code for the full menu.
I don't think I can have a full lunch but I need to try the soup.
I ordered garlic fried chicken and compared it with Benji.
Soup with beans and salsa is the best I 've ever had.
Fried chicken is a perfect combination of internal moistening and external crispy.
French fries are the second best I 've ever had, second only to norega.
Except for a room of medium size.
The central family style table is large and full.
Admiring the historical pictures on the wall, I realized it was where my father brought me in 68 years, but in a new place.
I prepared a strong cup of coffee for driving home.
I choose to take a long trip and enjoy some scenery.
I drove east from Becker sfield, passed through the Cesar Chavez National Monument in Keane, got off the highway and looked closely at the teachapai loop, where, the locomotive uses a track around the mountain to climb a steep level.
From there, I passed through the mountains, through a forest full of strength --
Before entering Willow Springs and Rosamond, it used to be a thriving sheep-feeding community, but the Basque villa is a historic community
Basque restaurant is now a sports bar.
Given my decreasing hydrogen reserves, I stayed below the speed limit and watched two numbers: the distance to the destination and the mile range monitor.
I replayed four Basque meals in order to stay distracted.
Winner: The overall Basque experience of the Noriega and the wool growers of the best food.
If I have to improve, I will choose the wool grower lunch and the norega dinner.
I managed to get to the northernmost part of Los Angeles.
The district stands at La Cañada Flintridge.
The meter shows I have 12 miles left.
I drove the car home.
If you are a French Basque restaurant on 4001 Rosedale Highway in viefield; (661)328-0400. Lunch 11:30 a. m. -2:30 p. m. ; Dinner 5-9 p. m. daily; closed Mondays.
$15-lunch main course$24. Set-up only, $13. 50.
$21-dinner main course$32. Set-up, $16.
525 norega Street. , Bakersfield; (661)322-8419, 7-9 a. m.
10 noon to nightm. daily, daily; closed Mondays.
Fixed Price breakfast for $11;
Lunch at a fixed price of $20;
Dinner at a fixed price of $25 at coffeehouse Belgium, 601 Sumner Street, viefield; (661)323-0053. 8 a. m. -9 p. m.
Sunday to Wednesday; 8 a. m. -10 p. m.
Thursday to Saturday.
Lunch for $15 main course. 95 -$27. 95. Set-up only $11. 95.
$21 for dinner entrees. 95 – $45. 95. Set-up only $15.
95 wool growers restaurant, 620 E. 19th St. , Bakersfield; (661)327-9584. Lunch 11:30 a. m. -2 p. m. ; dinner 6-9 p. m. daily; closed Sundays.
$12-lunch main course$23;
$18 for dinner entrees. 50-$30. Set-
Just up $17 Happy Jack pie n burgers, 1800 20, Bakersfield; (661)323-1661; 6 a. m. -8 p. m. daily; closed Sundays. Breakfast $5. 75 -$11;
Lypadre Hotel 1702 Street 18 cash, Bakersfield; (661)427-4900.