Saturday night five of us drove up to Bakersfield for dinner at Noriega’s Hotel. It has been there, near the Union Pacific (formerly Southern Pacific) Railroad Station, since 1893. A time warp, it is pretty much like it was then and has an authentic feel like few other places. There is a large bar with the dining room behind it. Unlike the three or four other Basque places in Bakersfield, Noriega’s is very much a traditional place serving one set meal like country places in Europe. There are three very long tables with stout “jury room” chairs for about 200 people. Diner is served in one sitting at seven. Parties are seated up and down the tables more or less in the order they checked in. On this saturday night there were half a dozen birthday groups and many family celebrations and a group of jovial middle aged middle class motorcycle warriors who had rolled up from Ventura County.
The food is basque style home cooking, cooking as it was in my grandmother’s day. It is good, but not serious four star basque cooking. For that I recommend the showcase Orosko Dinning Room at the Nugget Hotel Casino in Sparks Nevada.
At Noriega’s dinner is a homey and authentic meal provided by the Elizalde family as they have since 1931. When you enter the dinning room the smell is welcoming like a country farm house kitchen fifty years ago or more, like my grandmother’s kitchen on a Sunday afternoon with a mix of American and Portuguese dishes cooking. The Basques are generally recognized as the best cooks in Iberia and while not the same, their cooking shares many things with Portuguese and regional Spanish styles.
Waiting on the table when you are seated are a large salad bowl dressed with a blue cheese based variation on Caesar dressing and a large steaming tureen of cabbage and vegetable soup seasoned to the point and very much homemade. Placed around it are a large platter of thin slices of marinated tongue, a bowl of stewed pinto beans, a large basket of sliced french bread, butter, a bowl of herbed seasoned cottage cheese, a plate of homemade potato salad and a bowl of red tomato and pepper basque salsa picante, just this side of very hot. The salsa is added to the pinto beans to bring them to whatever level you prefer. Cuidado, it is muy picante. There is also a bottle of full bodied red house wine.
After first course were cleared away, the meal went on with a platter of spaghetti marinara eavily dusted with parmesan cheese that was as good as any I’ve ever had. After this a plate with a large slab of blue cheese was served with bowl of steamed Broccoli florets in a white hollandaise and then the oxtail stew. It was very much like my grandmother made in winter time, the meat and vegetables in unthickened cooking juices and not a heavy gravy. Finally, we were served platters of very crispy fried chicken heavily sprinkled with sautéed garlic cloves and platter of crisp hot french fries. “We don’t have to worry about vampires,” was my daughter’s comment. The pungent sweetness of the sautéed garlic on the chicken cut through any greasiness and made it a savory rustic dish. After this was cleared ice cream was served.
At dinner coffee is not put on the table, you have to ask for it. The bar has some interesting basque liqueurs if you want to try one. Les Fleurs des Pyrenees is very good as are others. The meal was large and simple in a traditional way. It took a convivial two hours and was well worth the drive to Bakersfield. What is telling is that a traditional country meal originally served to the men staying at a Basque boarding house a century ago seems to us today to be very special and festive dinner.
The meal is served for $20 per person, childern up to 12 are charge a dollar for each year of their age. A simpler meal is served at lunch for $14. A country breakfast is served daily from 7:00 to 9:00 for $10 with basque sausages, eggs and a slab of Monterey Jack cheese like my grandparents ate every morning. The Noriega Hotel is open everyday except Mondays. The dinner is served in one sitting at 7:00 pm. Reservations are suggested.
Noriega Hotel
525 Sumner Street
Bakersfield, California
(661) 322-8419
No comments:
Post a Comment