bakersfield is one of the basque centers in north america. j. gold wrote about one particular restaurant in "Counter Intelligence" (i found it in the book, not the LA Weekly). there's gotta be something out of the ordinary - or at least very fresh lamb. for those who think basque cuisine isn't sophisticated, perhaps you should read some of mark karlansky's earlier works or recent restaurant reviews in gourmet for the bilboa region. anyway, if there's a trader joe's, it's not like any visiter could actually starve.
