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Buck Owens' Crystal Palace
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Posted by admin Thu May 31, 2007 01:59:13 PDT
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Buck Owens' Crystal Palace
2800 Buck Owens Blvd.
328-7500

Watch a video tour:

Hours open: 5 to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Sunday brunch 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Reservations recommended.

Prices: Appetizers $5.50 to $10.95, hamburgers $8.50 to $9.95, sandwiches $8.95 to 10.95, soup and salad $3.75 to $10.95, pizzas $10.50 to $11.50, entrees $16.95 to $31.95. Child’s plate available.

Payment options: MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Discover accepted. Does not accept personal checks or The Californian’s Press Pass

Dress: Casual

Amenities: Wheelchair accessible; full bar service; few vegetarian options.

Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 3 ½ stars

By PETE TITTL
Contributing columnist
e-mail: ptittl@bakersfield.com

One of the e-mail questions I do get frequently is “Where’s the best steak in town?” In the past I’ve given them the list of usual suspects, but I’ve got a new addition that was pretty shocking: Buck Owens Crystal Palace.

Our in-town ambassador to Nashville has tinkered with the menu a lot since the country music showplace adjacent to Highway 99 opened, and the changes have been for the better. The menu has kept the winners and discarded items like pasta that really seem out of place in such a venue. The biggest and best change has been an emphasis on Angus steaks that have (according to the menu) been aged 43 days.

Aged steaks are a bit strong tasting for some folks, who can complain about a slight sour taste (less obvious if the kitchen trims them correctly) and an intense beefiness that is a shocking contrast to bland supermarket beef. But if you love beef, you will appreciate the intensification of the flavor. It’s the same contrast between regular tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes. It’s a culinary way of playing the music a bit louder. To those who love a great steak, it turns that beef into a little slice of heaven.

My companion was the lucky party who got to sample this, when she chose the petite fillet and jumbo shrimp kebab combination ($22.95), while I had to choose the chicken-fried steak ($15.95), mostly because I had so many readers tell me how good it was, and why the heck didn’t I ever write about THAT! OK, mission accomplished.

The steak was exceptional, seasoned with black pepper, astonishingly tender and juicy and cooked to order. I barely got a morsel of it off her plate, and she is not a big beef lover. The shrimp, on the other hand, were the least special selection we sampled. The shellfish were large and presented on a skewer with green pepper, mushroom, onion and cherry tomatoes. If given the chance again, I think both of us would’ve gone for the 32-ounce ribeye steak. That way both of us could’ve savored the benefits of aged beef without a fork fight.

Not that I went home hungry. I got a cup of the homemade beef vegetable soup with my dinner, which I highly recommend. The stock was thick, dark and rich like a gravy, with big chunks of carrot, potato and fresh green beans folded in.

I went for the “regular” sized chicken-fried steak, instead of the “large” ($19.95) and I can’t imagine how big the other one was. Mine dominated the large oval platter. The coating was thicker than most restaurants offer on their CFS, like a tempura, but not as brittle. I’ve been told that this is real Texas-style CFS, and I did enjoy it.

I also do need to mention the biscuits served with the meal — quite good. Not sure if they still use the Dwight Yoakum variety, but they were soft like cake and less greasy than many varieties. And I did find the menu fascinating, as it was decorated with all those cool pictures of Buck with country stars, politicians and movie stars.

The Crystal Palace is a cool place for a lot of reasons. We visited on a Wednesday night when not much is usually going on in B-Town, but there were about 160 people seated at tables facing the stage. A singer who had been over at Buck’s station KUZZ was talked into going up on stage for a few songs before the house band came on. His name was George Canyon and I guess he finished second on “Nashville Star,” the country music version of “American Idol.” He looked and sounded a lot like George Strait, with his white hat, clean-cut look and accompanied only by his guitar. He sold at least one CD that night, as we were impressed.

When the house band came on, it was a new scene. Lots of old Buck songs like “Love’s Gonna Live Here,” and dancers spanning three generations. Organized, impressive Texas line dancing. At one point a group of woman who looked barely out of high school were side by side with grandmas, watching carefully and imitating their moves. So heartwarming it looked like it should be in a holiday commercial.

Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace can be recommended for a fine dining experience.

Read Pete Tittl’s restaurant reviews every week in The Bakersfield Californian

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