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Pete Tittl: Bakersfield developing a taste for Thai
| Tuesday, May 13 2008 6:08 PM
Last Updated: Wednesday, May 14 2008 10:02 AM
It’s really been something to watch how Thai food has taken off in Bakersfield. I can recall when some brave soul would open a place, suffer for a while, then shut down. This, while you can’t throw a stick in West L.A. without hitting at least a Thai takeout.
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4839 Panama Lane, 398-0520
Hours: 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. every day.
Prices: Lunch special $7.99. Appetizers $5.95-$11.95, sushi rolls $5.95-$12.95, soup and salads $4.95-$14.95, house specials $10.95-$14.95, a la carte $8.95-$11.95, curry dishes $8.95-$14.95, stir fry $8.95. No child’s plate.
Payment: MasterCard, VISA and American Express accepted. Does not accept Discover, personal checks or The Californian’s Press Pass.
Dress: Casual.
Amenities: Wheelchair accessible; beer and wine served; many vegetarian options.
Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars.
Next week: Green Frog Market Deli
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That’s the key right there, I think: the migration north. People moving up here for a job or real estate reasons were jonesing for some good Thai food and, voila: The marketplace/invisible hand of capitalism met the demand. And as the number of Thai restaurants has grown, it seems like there’s room enough for all of them, as I believe the food with its sweet-hot combinations is strangely addicting.
Our latest entry is Thai Taste, a small but elegant place located in a shopping center near the Costco on Panama Road (we’ve already visited several places there and are waiting for the new Indian restaurant to open).
Thai Taste has a narrow dining room that opens on the other end of the building to give you a view of the sunset on a very good day. It’s like an old shotgun house in New Orleans, in that you can see from one end to the other.
I liked the wood carvings hanging on the wall, and it stimulated great discussion. Just how many hours did a human being have to labor to create something so detailed. And the music playing in the background was so peaceful I thought I was in a yoga class. Very relaxing.
The menu has most of the obligatory items (curry dishes, soups, noodle dishes, lots of seafood and pad, the rice noodle that seems to go with everything) as well as a few sushi rolls. We sampled the exotic fried rice ($8.95), the spicy shrimp ($12.95) and the Pad Thai noodles ($8.95).
Almost anything is available with a choice of beef, pork, chicken or tofu (the restaurant has a lot to offer vegetarians), and we picked beef for the rice and chicken for the Thai.
What I loved about the food here was the fragrant aroma that it spread when it was brought from the kitchen — the hallmark of good Thai food, I guess. The spice mixture is so distinctive that you know you can’t easily duplicate this at home. And the vegetable mix was flawless.
The rice was generously seasoned with fresh basil, and had mushrooms, baby corn, thin discs of carrot and onion slices.
The pad had more green onion, scrambled egg, lots of bean sprouts and a tamarind sauce that I’ll bet would be great with duck (duck is only on the menu with a red curry). The eight large shrimp were served with a peanut sauce that had a fair kick and more basil, carrots, corn and onion.
Don’t bother with the house wine. My companion ordered a glass of chardonnay and it was both warm and raisiny. Ugh. Thai beer Singha is available.
Service was fine, though it looks like a family run place, since we saw only one waitress out in the dining room. She seemed very attentive, even after other customers came in.