For Valentine's Day we wanted unique, fine and local dining. My 5 year old daughter and I had once had lunch at The Orchid. I remembered the place as half-empty with an esoteric menu and service that was a little slow.
The thought of returning hadn't crosssed my mind, until my wife saw a listing on Restaurant.com.
There were people waiting, but our 5:30p reservations were honored and we were sat immediately. It took about 15 minutes before somebody came to take our drink order and I was starting to recall Bakersfield.com reviews.
I had the macaroni and cheese ($16) and my wife had the Glazed Walnut Shrimp ($14). We weren't sure how big the appetizer would be and mistakenly ordered only one to share (Shrimp triangle. Very good, but only two of them.)
The Wild Horse merlot was served flawlessly. And my wife's Thai iced tea was authentic and served in a half carafe.
By the end of the evening we were blown away by how much we enjoyed it. The final bill was $47.00, easily less than half what we pay when we go to T.L. Maxwell's or Mama Tosca's. With a packed house all night, the staff and the kitchen really turned out a superior product. I hope they can be consistent, because it was our first meal out in a while where our expectations were exceeded.
