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PETE TITTL: Restaurant lives up to its name

BY PETE TITTL, Contributing columniste-mail:
ptittl@bakersfield.com | Wednesday, Dec 02 2009 04:49 PM

Last Updated Wednesday, Dec 02 2009 10:30 PM

Those who say that folks will not patronize a restaurant on Union Avenue need to go to Great Castle on a Saturday night.

We could barely get a spot in the parking lot. After 30 years at that location, the newly remodeled restaurant is still going strong. We went back recently to check out the remodel and decided to order some things we hadn't tried before, along with the specialities we've come to love.

Regular readers of this column know how I am in love with the walnut shrimp ($13.95), having not yet found another version in our city that compares. So I couldn't resist ordering it again, and it was fabulous, but I tried to figure out why.

They start with sweet large shrimp that have been fried crisp but don't have a spot of grease on them, similar to those fantastic spicy shrimp I always order at Lam's in the northeast. The walnuts themselves are candied. That's a plus. The sauce is perfect: a garlicky but simple cornstarch sauce that marries all the flavors.

To branch out, I tried the sesame shrimp ($13.95), which had that creamy cornstarch sauce that reminded me of bad mayo. It was paired with black sesame seeds and pineapple chunks and the same crispy fried shrimp, but it didn't have the same charm.

What really makes Great Castle special is that superiority of the ingredients, something noticeable in the classic moo shoo pork ($9.95) we ordered on another occasion.

What they serve is not innovative (bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, green onions, strips of pork, a sweet and smoky plum sauce), but it was so satisfying because the vegetables were exceptionally fresh, something we noticed about all our choices. (Our waiter quickly made four "burritos" with paper-thin Mandarin pancakes as we watched.)

This emphasis on quality ingredients was magnified when we ordered the kung pao beef ($8.95).

My companion openly dismisses the beef from most Chinese restaurants, finding it tough and tasteless. What Great Castle served us was tender and flavorful, like a good New York steak with a lot of white and green onions as well as peanuts and green and red pepper chunks. The meat and onions were seared on the edges, but the dish was not overcooked and had a great beef with vegetables taste. Great. Now I have a new "must order" every time I visit Great Castle. That'll teach me to branch out.

I did order one new item that didn't impress me: kung pao lobster ($21.95). I'm sure others may love it, as it seems a great value with a whole lobster tail cut up and mixed with the same kung pao ingredients listed above, plus tiny corn cobs.

However, the spiciness covers up the sweet nuttiness of good lobster meat, and I missed that. In addition it was a bit brackish. Next time I'll get the water chestnut lobster kow, which is not spicy. Other great choices, many on the "special suggestions" list, include tangerine beef Hunan style, Dai Chin chicken (much better than sweet and sour or orange) and the sizzling rice soup.

The restaurant does not look radically changed inside, just cleaned and spiffed up, though my companion noted the oddness of the aquarium near the door with all the cords around it. A work in progress, I guess. It still has the dark ambiance of a Chinese restaurant from decades ago.

Service was excellent: quietly competent from a staff that looks confident in what the kitchen is producing.

Great Castle can be recommended for a fine dining experience.