Turkish Pistachios?

Ani's Market at Glen Oaks and Sonora carries quite a few, not sure about Turkish. I know Super King Market on South San Fernando carries them.

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Super King Market
2716 N San Fernando Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90065

Ani's Groceries
1500 W Glenoaks Blvd, Glendale, CA 91201

badseed in Los Angeles Area

What's good in Bakersfield besides Basque?

more links

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Sequoia Sandwich Co
9160 Rosedale Hwy, Bakersfield, CA 93312

24th Street Cafe
1415 24th St, Bakersfield, CA 93301

Flame & Skewers Mediterranean
1201 24th St Ste C110, Bakersfield, CA 93301

Flame & Skewers Mediterranean Restaurant
5482 California Ave, Bakersfield, CA 93309

Guild House Gourmet Luncheons
1905 18th St, Bakersfield, CA 93301

Great Castle Chinese Restaurant
410 Union Ave, Bakersfield, CA 93307

Los Tacos De Huicho
123 E 18th St, Bakersfield, CA 93305

La Costa Mariscos
716 21st St, Bakersfield, CA 93301

Maxwell's T L Maxwell's Restaurant & Bar
1421 17th Pl, Bakersfield, CA 93301

Sandrini's Restaurant
1918 Eye St, Bakersfield, CA 93301

K C Steak House
2515 F St, Bakersfield, CA 93301

badseed in California

What's good in Bakersfield besides Basque?

agree with Bakersfield Hound but also try:

Moo Creamery - homemade ice cream, great burgers and salads.

Great Castle (near Downtown)
410 Union Ave
Bakersfield, CA 93307
(661) 325-3311
- very good chinese, mapo tofu, salt & pepper shrimp, cold sesame noodles.

La Costa Mariscos (near Downtown) 716 21st St
Bakersfield, CA 93301
(661) 322-2655
- Mexican seafood.

Thai House - one of the best Thai restaurants in Bakersfield.

J's Place - excellent soul/southern food, catfish, fried chicken, etc.

Elaine's Cafe & Market (Downtown)
1717 20th St
Bakersfield, CA 93301
(661) 869-2233
www.elainescafeandmarket.com
- Bakersfield's only vegan restaurant.

Mama Roomba (Downtown) - Carribean, jerk chicken, great sweet potato fries,

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Mama Roomba
1814 Eye St, Bakersfield, CA 93301

Thai House
5143 Ming Ave, Bakersfield, CA 93309

J's Place
5141 Ming Ave, Bakersfield, CA 93309

Moo Creamery
4885 Truxtun Ave Suite B, Bakersfield, CA 93309

badseed in California

Bakersfield...Whole foods-type? Asian markets?

You can get baba ganoush at Flame & Skewers restaurants. They have 2 locations.

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Flame & Skewers Mediterranean
1201 24th St Ste C110, Bakersfield, CA 93301

Flame & Skewers Mediterranean Restaurant
5482 California Ave, Bakersfield, CA 93309

Trader Joe's
8200 Stockdale Hwy C21, Bakersfield, CA 93311

Gourmet Shoppe By Cafe Med
4801 Stockdale Hwy, Bakersfield, CA 93309

Asia Market & Teriyaki Bowl
3699 Ming Ave, H Bakersfield, CA

badseed in California

Bakersfield----where to find fresh fish?

I don't think Sea Breeze is open any longer. They have a restaurant at 2500 New Stine Rd, not sure if they sell uncooked fish at that location.

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Sea Breeze of the Southwest
2500 New Stine Rd, Bakersfield, CA

badseed in California

Excellent Chinese near Champaign

here's a link to better photos:
http://thebadseed.smugmug.com/gallery/8620658_3UehF#568693265_nM7DE

badseed in General Midwest Archive

Excellent Chinese near Champaign

The Wok in Mahomet, IL has excellent chinese food. Unfortunately, many of the dishes offered on their menu wall are not translated into english. Attached is photo of their menu wall and a link to more photos on flckr. Any help with the translation would be appreciated.

The Wok was formerly Mandarin Wok in Champaign until they sold and signed a non-compete clause within 10 miles, so that's how they ended up in Mahomet, just off Interstate 74.

I did try their crispy tofu and spicy sichuan beef, both very good.

It seems like every chinese student from the U of I is there ordering from the wall. Tina is very helpful with the translation but they are often so busy they don't have time for the translation. Also, the menu changes frequently so they don't bother to translate it.

Here's a link to more photos on flckr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/39629188@N06/

photos below are sideways for some reason - best to check flckr.

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Wok
703 E Eastwood Ctr, Mahomet, IL 61853

badseed in General Midwest Archive

Bakersfield -- gourmet cheese and coffee? Any?

try Luigi's

Luigi's Restaurant & Deli
725 E 19th St
Bakersfield, CA 93305

Phone:
(661) 322-0926
Website:
shopluigis.com

also, search California board

badseed in California

Dewar's in Bakersfield 100th Anniversary this Weekend

Dewar's Candy Shop in Bakersfield is celebrating their 100th anniversary May 16 and 17 from 11 am to 4 pm.

Here's link from The Bakersfield Californian:
http://www.bakersfield.com/entertainment/local/x443329514/CREAM-of-the-crop

They have 8 new flavors of chews just for the event, they are peanut butter & jelly, pistachio, carmel pistachio, vanilla, roasted pecan, hot, georges special, can't remember the eighth. The nut ones are especially good.

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Dewar's Candy Shop
1120 Eye St, Bakersfield, CA 93304

badseed in California

Moo Creamery - Bakersfield - better than Dewar's?

It's sacrilegious in Bakersfield to say anything bad about Dewar's but I think Moo Creamery has better ice cream. They just opened on Truxton serving burgers, soups and salads, and deserts and ice cream using organic milk from Straus Family Creamery.

We tried the caramel, triple chocolate and cinnamon ice cream - all were very good. Also tried the chocolate malt and hot fudge sundae - again all excellent. The ice cream is very smooth and not super sweet.

They're a little hard to find, they are on Truxton between Oak and Mohawk.

One of the owners is former pasty chef with Patina group in LA and was involved with MILK on Beverly. Haven't tried any of the pastries yet.

Oh yea, the burger was great too.

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Moo Creamery
4885 Truxtun Ave Suite B, Bakersfield, CA 93309

badseed in California

Farmer's Market in Bakersfield, or a place to buy good produce?

The Farmer's Market at Golden State Mall is OK, not great. One vendor, the biggest, does sell mostly store bought vegetables. I believe most of the rest are local. The asian woman from Fresno has some of the best vegetables.

Golden State Mall Farmers Market:
http://goldenstatemallbanquet.com/farmersmarket.asp

Murray Family Farms:
http://www.murrayfamilyfarms.com/

I think the best source is a CSA (community supported agriculture) named Abundant Harvest Organics. You sign up for a small or large box of locally grown organic fruits and vegetables. Most of the farms are around Fresno. They deliver to Bakersfield every Saturday morning as well as other communities, including LA.

Abundant Harvest Organics:
https://www.abundantharvestorganics.com/index.php?custom_message=front_page_text

badseed in California

Best of Bakersfield Food Tour

Here’s my list of favorite Bakersfield restaurants:

Mama Roomba – Caribbean
Try the jerk chicken, sweet potato fries, empanadas

Basque:

Wool Growers
Pickled tongue and all the food is very good.

Noriega
Family style Basque

Italian:

Uricchio's
Pretty decent red sauce italian

Luigi’s – lunch only
Old italian deli.

J’s Place – Southern/Soul Food
Try chicken & waffles, catfish on weekends, dirty rice, chocolate pie.

Coming from LA, I don’t think it’s worth trying any of the Vietnamese, Thai, or Chinese. Although some of the chinese food is very retro, so if you’re looking for chop suey, chow mein, or egg foo yong try Bill Lee’s Bamboo Chopsticks. They have something called “coolie chows”.

Also, most Mexican restaurants seem to be pretty americanized, mostly combination plates with crispy tacos - but still good.

Westchester Bowl
Try the fish & chips.

The Orchid – Asian fusion
Some pretty good dishes but consistency seems to be a problem. Nice wine bar.

Dewar’s Candy & Ice Cream

Pizza:

Tony’s Pizza, chile verde pizza

John’s Pizza, this is a kids all you can eat pizza place, it’s not very good but they do have a peanut butter pizza.

Country Food:

Hodel’s – all you can eat

Buck Owen’s Crystal Palace
Steaks, chicken fried steak, live music on weekends

Also, Kern County Fair – Sept 17 -28:
http://www.kerncountyfair.com/home.asp

If you like Sonic, there are a bunch in Bakersfield.

For more events:
http://people.bakersfield.com/home/ViewCategory/499/

There’s a great old LA Weekly article by jonathan gold:
http://www.laweekly.com/2004-01-15/eat-drink/two-guys-walk-into-a-bar/

There's a relatively new vegan restaurant - Elaine's Cafe.
A very limited menu but the ice cream is pretty good.

also, Cafe Med, Jake's Tex Mex, Garden Spot, Valentin, Coconut Joe's Island Grill, Tom's Famous Burgers, Tam O 'Shanter, 24th Street, Red Pepper, Grandview Asian

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Wool Growers Restaurant
620 E 19th St, Bakersfield, CA 93305

Noriega Hotel
525 Sumner St, Bakersfield, CA 93305

Dewar's Candy Shop
1120 Eye St, Bakersfield, CA 93304

Dewar's Candy Shop
9530 Hageman Rd, Bakersfield, CA 93312

Uricchio's Trattoria
1400 17th St, Bakersfield, CA 93301

Tony's Pizza
4130 California Ave, Bakersfield, CA 93309

Westchester Bowl Coffee Shop
1819 30th St, Bakersfield, CA 93301

Luigi's Restaurant & Deli
725 E 19th St, Bakersfield, CA 93305

Bill Lee's Bamboo Chopsticks
1203 18th St, Bakersfield, CA 93301

Hodel's
5917 Knudsen Dr, Bakersfield, CA 93308

J's Place
5141 Ming Ave, Bakersfield, CA 93309

Orchid Thai Fusion Cusine
9500 Brimhall Rd, Bakersfield, CA 93312

John's Incredible Pizza Co
3709 Rosedale Hwy, Bakersfield, CA 93308

Buck Owen's Crystal Palace
2800 Buck Owens Blvd, Bakersfield, CA 93308

badseed in California

Pulque at 99¢ Store

Just found some mango flavored pulque at the 99¢ store in Bakersfield. It's only 6.3 ounces and 5% alcohol. A website was listed on the bottle:

http://www.pulquepoliqhui.com.mx/

They also had DeLoach 2001 Chardonnay for 99¢.

I haven't had a chance to try either one since I'll be on the road - more later.

badseed in General Chowhounding Topics

Great Southern/Soul Food - J's Place in Bakersfield

Over the past few months on my trips here I think I've tasted most of the things on the menu and thoroughly enjoy this restaurant. They are a chicken and waffle place ala Roscoe's but with a more extensive menu. I'm not crazy about the waffles but the fried chicken is very good. On weekends, they have cat fish which is excellent - lightly breaded, not greasy.

Of all their sides, I like the dirty rice, fried cabbage, yams, and blackeyed peas the best.

Some of their other entrees I like are:

Chicken & Dumplings (Thursdays only)
Ribs - seasoned or bbq
Ox Tails
Pork chops

They usually have some specials like red snapper or enchiladas. Also have lunch specials: tacos & dirty rice, hot links, meatloaf. Great chocolate pie also.

They are at the corner of Ming & New Stine. I believe they are closed Mondays.

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J's Place
5141 Ming Ave, Bakersfield, CA 93309

badseed in California

Where can I buy decent kimchi

There's a small market near the corner of Olympic and St Andrews Pl that sells almost nothing but kimchi - all made on the premises. The name is Kae Sung Market - it's been around a long time.

They have all types in big and small jars. I think they supply some local markets and restaurants.

See Linda Burum's article from 1993 LA Times:
http://www.koreanfoods.com/eshop/kimchiway.htm

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Kae Sung Market
1010 S St Andrews Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90019

badseed in Los Angeles Area

best general korean menu?

Mapo Restaurant has become one of my favorites over the past year. It's pretty sparce in a nondescript strip mall on sixth st but I think it has really good solid korean food.
I especially like the fish (gajami, mackerel) and the banchan is always very fresh but unfortunately not very spicy. Their bibimbap is good as is their soups. It just seems like they are using good, fresh ingredients.

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Ma PO Restaurant
3611 W 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90020

badseed in Los Angeles Area

Need rec's for Cambria area...

Try Wild Ginger, I think it's better than Robin's. I especially like the Vietnamese BBQ Pork and the calamari appetizer. They make their own sorbets and have some unusual flavors (pomegranate, pomelo, lychee, etc.)

Also, very good taco truck near B of A on weekends.

The fish at Sea Chest is usually very good.

If you can go down to Cayucos, Hoppes is very good. Also, further down to Morro Bay, Taco Temple is a local favorite.

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Wild Ginger
2380 Main St Ste G, Cambria, CA 93428

Hoppe's Garden Bistro & Wine Bar
78 N Ocean Ave, Cayucos, CA 93430

Taco Temple
2680 Main St, Morro Bay, CA 93442

Sea Chest Oyster Bar and Seafood Restaurant
6216 Moonstone Beach Dr, Cambria, CA 93428

badseed in California

OSO Fresh Magical Food Storage Containers

OK, I finally got a call back from the distributor so I can answer my own post.

The "Everyday" containers currently on the Bed Bath & Beyond website are similar to the original but do not have the "silicone-gasket locking system".

The containers offered by Sharper Image (FresherLonger) do not have the silver particles.

The distributor, Lifestyle Innovations, said there should be more of the original containers available soon on their website:
http://www.oso-fresh.com/index.php

They also said they should be available at Bloomingdale's and eventually at Target.

I found some still available online at this website:
http://www.100cookwares.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=159710&Category_Code=FRESH&Product_Count=4

badseed in Cookware

OSO Fresh Magical Food Storage Containers

Does anyone know if the items in these two url's are essentially the same?

OSO Fresh:
http://www.noamgroup.com/tfls/index.php?main_page=index

Bed Bath & Beyond:
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=15016795

badseed in Cookware

Bakeries in Bakersfield?

Just noticied your post - I think you're on the right track. The oldest bakery in Bakersfield is Pyrenees French Bakery. It's French Basque and it's most popular bread is sourdough.

http://www.pyreneesbakery.com/

717 E 21st St
Bakersfield, CA 93305
(661) 322-7159

google map:
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&q=bakeries&near=Bakersfield,+CA&fb=1&cd=2&ei=uBkcSKLrIJ2cjQOXy-n4DA&cid=35375759,-118992994,6320336566113784301&li=lmd&z=14&t=m

badseed in California

Best restaurants in Glendale?

I really like Eleana's for chicken & lamb kabobs and lentil soup, very reasonable price but not fancy. La Cabanita for Mexican in La Crescenta. I hear Damon's has really gone downhill.

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La Cabanita
3447 N Verdugo Rd, Glendale, CA 91208

Elena Greek Armenian Cuisine
1000 S Glendale Ave, Glendale, CA 91205

badseed in Los Angeles Area

Abundant Harvest Organics - Central California CSA

Has anyone joined Abundant Harvest Organics. They operate out of Kingsburg but deliver from Fresno to Valencia. It sounds pretty good - any experiences?

their website:
https://www.abundantharvestorganics.com/

their blog:
http://abundantharvestorganics.blogspot.com/

badseed in California

Bottles/Test Tubes for Sending Liquid Samples?

Try Mason jars, that's what all the old moonshiners use. They come in various small sizes and you should be able to find them locally.

badseed in Not About Food

Miyeok Guk in Koreatown

try Lee's Family or nearby Ma Dang Noodles

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Ma Dang Gook Su
869 S Western Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90005

Lee Family
857 S Western Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90005

badseed in Los Angeles Area

updated ultimate list to a lot of different types of cuisine

actually, I meant the opposite - pick the one's with zip codes.

badseed in Los Angeles Area

updated ultimate list to a lot of different types of cuisine

maxzook -

It's great that you're adding places but many are duplicates. The problem is with this software but usually if you see a choice with a zip code - that is usually an earlier listing.

badseed in Los Angeles Area

Pumpkin Season - Recommendations?

I like Monastery of the Angles as well:

their website:
http://www.op-stjoseph.org/nuns/angels/gift-shop.htm

they also have hand made toffee and other chocolates

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The Monastery of the Angels
1977 Carmen Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90068

badseed in Los Angeles Area

Black Jewell back at Major Market

you can also order it online:

http://www.blackjewell.com/regular.html

badseed in California

Thai Pumpkin Curry in Bakersfield

Recently tried the pumpkin curry at Thai House in Bakersfield. It was very good, the pumpkin and curry work very well together. I liked it as much as the green curry at Jitlada - it's different of course but a very satisfying dish. I think Thai House is one of the better Thai restaurants in Bakersfield. The marinated salmon in banana leaves is very good as was the tom kha gai soup.

They had a number of other specials involving pumpkins but didn't get a chance to try them on this trip.

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Thai House
5143 Ming Ave, Bakersfield, CA 93309

badseed in California