2011 JBF Awards America's Classic: Noriega Restaurant and Hotel, Bakersfield, CA

2011 JBF Awards America's Classic: Noriega Restaurant and Hotel, Bakersfield, CA
The Noriega Restaurant and Hotel has been the hub of Kern County Basque culture since Faustino Noriega opened its doors in 1893. In 1931 the Elizalde family took over, and has run the restaurant ever since. Originally founded as a home-away-from-home for shepherds, today the institution showcases the Basque culture of California's San Joaquin Valley.

Located in a warehouse district just east of downtown, the Noriega has a façade that could be mistaken for a neighborhood bar. A jai-alai court (a form of Basque handball) is built into the structure. Parties are individually called into the dining room, where they take their places at long tables covered in checkered oilcloth.

The dinner that ensues is always multi-coursed and abundant, but it is a generosity marked by great care. The tongue is pickled in-house and thin-sliced. The roast leg of lamb, served on Fridays, is herb-flecked and tender. Big wedges of creamy blue cheese close the meal.

With very fair pricing (children are only charged a dollar per year up to age 12) a meal at the Noriega is accessible to all. What you get is a dinner that is invariably marked by the simmered note of home cooking, a glimpse into a community that has played an important role in this agricultural region for over a century, and a sense, through seasoning and ingredients, of how a people adapted to a new culture while being true to its own.

—Patric Kuh (Los Angeles Magazine)

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• America's Classic
• Noriega Restaurant and Hotel
• Bakersfield
• CA

[guidebookamerica]

We see lots of hotels, nice to find out about this one!

[Bill54869]

WooHoo!!!

[adldavis]

It is great to be a part of such a wonderful hometown heritage.

[wonderwoman70]

A little plug for the Bake's Noriega's!