The Wool Growers Restaurant in Bakersfield, CA was a delightful surprise.

We got in around dinnertime last night to Bakersfield after spending all day crossing the Sonoran and Mojave deserts. The stark contrast between east of the mountains and west was amazing. As we crossed the last set of mountains there was a mass of windmills which welcomed the green. It gradually became more green as we progressed west. Eventually we saw cattle dotting the pastures and land which reminded us of Kansas flinthills.

It was 7 by the time we got checked in to the hotel and were ready to head to dinner and I asked the front desk for a local favorite restaurant. The older clerk was pretty much clueless but a young lady working gave us the scoop on the Basque. I was confused as I thought she said bisque or something else but she said that was the place to go. We headed down the road following the little hand drawn map which turned out to be incorrect but the street was right. After putzing around downtown and then realizing we were about a mile west of our destination, we headed over there.

The restaurant was barely noticeable, a quaint cinderblock building with a small neon sign, but there was no parking anywhere nearby to be found. The neighborhood looked a little rough but the parking lots were full of mercedes, bmw and porche's so we figured it was somewhat safe. The entry was nondescript and the surprise didn't really happen until after we were seated when they immediately brought out soup, beans and salsa. Then we realized that it was a family style restaurant in the fashion of one found in Amana, only this was the French version. Being at the Wool Growers we thought it fitting to have lamb chops.

Overall, I would rate it as one of our top random finds in our many travels.