Back to Valentien

The last time we were at this restaurant was in July for Bastille Day. Sandi and I could not wait to go back for their delicious and unforgettable Steak Au Poivre with Pommes Frites in a cognac sauce. At the time, we met a couple who sat next to us and we couldn't avoid conversing with them. By the end of the evening we exchanged email and phone numbers. Since we were going to be in Bakersfield again, I called them up to see if they wanted to join us for dinner. They were happy to oblige.

Last night I brought a bottle of  French champagne which the 4 of us enjoyed but what Sandi and I enjoyed more was the bottle of Chardonnay Bernard and Bee brought. I rarely drink white wine since I prefer red. This Chardonnay was unlike any other I have ever tried; it was crisp and very smooth, no hint of bitterness which I find in most chardonnays.  It was Grgich 2013 "Paris Tasting Commemorative Chardonnay" from Napa Valley. A movie called Bottle Shock  came out in 2007 about Steven Spurrier, a sommalier in Paris played by the great Alan Rickman who proved that California wines are better than French wines in the "Judgment of Paris", a blind wine tasting event. The 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay crafted by Mike Grgich was voted the finest white wine in the world as the news shocked everyone after it was published in Time magazine. FYI, 30 years after the 1976 blind tasting, Mr. Spurrier conducted another competition in 2006 and California won again!

Fast forward to the food. We had to limit our French bread and salted butter intake since we decided to have appetizers. We were all intrigued by the Artichoke Pancake; caramelized red onions, fresh goat cheese, tomato confit and baby spinach. Sandi and I split one.  Bernard had the Pumpkin Ravioli which had a lot of flavor and was aldente and Bee had the Artichoke Pancake. It was delicious. Sandi and I split a cold soup made with coconut milk and strawberry. We just had to try that one. That was a total winner. It was creamy, savory with just the right amount of tang from the strawberry; a perfect summer soup.

For our entrees, three of us had the Steak Au Poivre with Pommes Frites with extra cognac sauce on the side. Jeramy Brown, the owner came to make sure everything was perfect. He is a "hands-on" kind of guy. I have been to restaurants wherein the owner/manager just walks around like strolling in a park with no regard to anything else. Bee had the Basque Style Ling Cod with piperade sauce with pan fried chickpeas. She enjoyed the very fresh fish. I had a bite of the chickpeas and they were nice and crunchy.

Dessert was a no-brainer for me and Sandi. It had to be the Chocolate Souffle with the vanilla ice cream. Bee and Bernard shared the seasonal Sorbet with strawberries with a nice sauce. Though the sorbet looked good and refreshing, Sandi and I  were quite happy with our souffle.

It was a wonderful evening spent with new friends in this still very good restaurant. Jeramy, keep up the good work. To the Barmann's, we look forward to our next gastronomic adventure.

Valentien is located at 3310 Truxton Ave., Suite 160 in Bakersfield, California.