Oh man, this is wonderful! I know only the Basque Hotel in San Francisco–but now can’t wait to go to Bakersfield. Any Basque food in Fresno? I may be there soon on a reporting trip.
Charlotte, sorry for the late reply, but yes Fresno is good for Basque food too. Santa Fe Basque on Maroa Street, and the Shepherd’s Inn across the street from the train station for the traditional boarding-house setting.
Charlotte, Bakersfield has more than one Basque restaurant. Noriega’s is very very good! I would also visit Woolgrowers and Benji’s too.
Try the Brass Rail in Alturas if you’re ever this far north.
Thanks so much for this edifying article on the Basques in America. I sent it to friends as a teaser for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival 2016 that just ended this past weekend in Washington, D.C. on the National Mall. It featured the Basques prominently, both the diaspora and the Basque still over yonder in Europe. Wonderful people, wonderful music, wonderful food. Did you also happen to see the WSJ feature Basque cuisine in its pages some months ago? I thank you for introducing me to this enduring and innovative culture.
Fantastic job for us to know about our people and this migration thanks .Bixente Marichular
If I head west I’ll find these places. My favorite restaurant is a Basque hole in the wall in the Ironbound section of Newark NJ called Casa Vasca. It’s like you say–sit down at the bar and before asking the large bowl of soup with meat and beans are garlic arrives. The entree portions are more than generous and mostly meat. I go for the tripe and other offal things that the place always has on hand.
The wine glasses are modestly sized–maybe 10 ounces compared with the gargantuan ones at fancy eateries. But while the fancy places put 5 ounces of wine in the big glass here they fill it to the rim. On one occasion the bartender glanced in my direction and saw my wine glass was empty while I was only midway through a large pork leg and without any fuss just refilled the glass. At the end of the experience — in my case the soup, a couple glasses of wine and food for an army (all of which which I ate) you get a handwritten bill with no detail–$25.
Well, that was a couple of years ago. Maybe it’s $26 today.
Great article. One of my favorite places is not on your list: Leku Ona in Boise. Fantastic lamb chops.
Oh man, this is wonderful! I know only the Basque Hotel in San Francisco–but now can’t wait to go to Bakersfield. Any Basque food in Fresno? I may be there soon on a reporting trip.
Charlotte, sorry for the late reply, but yes Fresno is good for Basque food too. Santa Fe Basque on Maroa Street, and the Shepherd’s Inn across the street from the train station for the traditional boarding-house setting.
Charlotte, Bakersfield has more than one Basque restaurant. Noriega’s is very very good! I would also visit Woolgrowers and Benji’s too.
Try the Brass Rail in Alturas if you’re ever this far north.
Thanks so much for this edifying article on the Basques in America. I sent it to friends as a teaser for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival 2016 that just ended this past weekend in Washington, D.C. on the National Mall. It featured the Basques prominently, both the diaspora and the Basque still over yonder in Europe. Wonderful people, wonderful music, wonderful food. Did you also happen to see the WSJ feature Basque cuisine in its pages some months ago? I thank you for introducing me to this enduring and innovative culture.
Please write more–on anything!
Here is a comprehensive list of many Basque Restaurants.: https://www.buber.net/Basque/Food/charley.html
Fantastic job for us to know about our people and this migration thanks .Bixente Marichular
If I head west I’ll find these places. My favorite restaurant is a Basque hole in the wall in the Ironbound section of Newark NJ called Casa Vasca. It’s like you say–sit down at the bar and before asking the large bowl of soup with meat and beans are garlic arrives. The entree portions are more than generous and mostly meat. I go for the tripe and other offal things that the place always has on hand.
The wine glasses are modestly sized–maybe 10 ounces compared with the gargantuan ones at fancy eateries. But while the fancy places put 5 ounces of wine in the big glass here they fill it to the rim. On one occasion the bartender glanced in my direction and saw my wine glass was empty while I was only midway through a large pork leg and without any fuss just refilled the glass. At the end of the experience — in my case the soup, a couple glasses of wine and food for an army (all of which which I ate) you get a handwritten bill with no detail–$25.
Well, that was a couple of years ago. Maybe it’s $26 today.