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Come hungry, leave happy

BY PETE TITTL, Contributing columniste-mail:
ptittl@bakersfield.com | Wednesday, Jul 08 2009 06:24 PM

Last Updated Wednesday, Jul 08 2009 06:24 PM

Bakersfield doesn't always get the credit it deserves in the restaurant business. When Famous Dave's came to town, it blew the doors off the chain's records for new restaurants. When the Hungry Hunter Steakhouse chain goes out of business, the restaurant in Bakersfield keeps right on rolling along.

It's not hard to understand why if you love beef and have visited over the years. It has that homey lodge feeling of a Tahoe Joe's, and consistent quality without seeming common in its ingredients, as some chain restaurants are. They have a few touches that, while not original, make you feel good as a customer.

The one I always get excited about is the tableside salad bar, where the waitress has a lazy Susan of vegetables and toppings and basically builds the salad of your choice on the spot. The convenience of a customized salad without the annoyance and possible health hazards of a salad bar. As a guy who likes lots of cucumber and not many cherry tomatoes in my salad, that's a plus.

(Owner Kevin Lawless said he thinks the restaurant has thrived because he's tried to run it as a family restaurant, not a chain, since he opened it in 1992. He said he worked to keep a stable staff, especially in management.)

Hungry Hunter recently unveiled a new menu, which gave us a reason to visit for both lunch and dinner. I would recommend reservations for dinner, especially on a weekend night, as we arrived early and received one of the last available tables. My companion selected the lamb chops ($25.99), while I chose the stuffed top sirloin ($17.99) with an optional side of scampi style shrimp ($5.99).

The lamb chops were nearly perfect, four double-bone chops with a light mint-rosemary glaze. This entrée typifies Hungry Hunter's strengths: quality meats prepared with some subtle artistry in the kitchen. Nothing heavy-handed, but delicate enough to enliven our senses. Another good example was my steak, which was stuffed with chopped mushrooms, wrapped with bacon and topped with mushrooms cooked in garlic butter. The scampi on the side were served with butter, chopped tomatoes and green onions. Not original, but still well-executed.

My biggest complaint was that I ordered the onion rings and they were not battered fresh in the kitchen. That's not acceptable at this price level.

Other dinner items we can recommend from previous visits include the pecan-encrusted chicken ($18.59, served over sautéed spinach and topped with hollandaise sauce); the honey citrus swordfish ($19.99); and the broiled salmon ($19.99), which benefits from a subtle garlic presence.

At lunch I had to order the prime rib French dip ($9.99), made with sauteed onions and Swiss cheese. (The regular prime rib sandwich ($11.99), is presented open face with Parmesan cheese, mushrooms and Monterey jack cheese.) The menu and ads brag that they offer the best prime rib in town because of the seasonings rubbed on the exterior of the corn-fed, Midwestern beef. I'm sure it's a contender, but the entrée has slipped so out of favor that I'm not sure there are many contenders nowadays -- maybe Tahoe Joe's but it's not as well-seasoned there. With the onions, toasted bun and cheese, this was about as good as it gets. My companion selected the salmon burger ($10.59), and we both agreed that despite a compatible bourbon sauce and a nice whole grain ciabatta bun, we wouldn't order it again. Chopped salmon formed into a patty just loses too much taste in the process.

Service was OK at dinner--our waitress did not seem well- informed about the food, especially the dessert tray, not even knowing if any of the items were made on the premises. At lunch our waiter was similarly in the dark. Staff education may need to be a higher priority.

Hungry Hunter Steakhouse can be recommended for a fine dining experience.