Valentien

Great dinner last night summer solstice herb cocktail beef cheek bite wine pairing pork veggies summer dessert with watermelon & herbs & fruit compote worth every cent spent! Service perfect great ice water and wine home run! Tom Edmonds

This place is incredible!
I went there with my girlfriend for our anniversary and everything was great. The menu is small but accommodating for everyone, she’s a vegetarian but had no problem finding something to eat and raved about how delicious it was. I had the Tasmanian Ocean Trout and it was hands down one of the best fish dishes I’ve had.
The chocolate Soufflé for dessert was incredible and they even wrote out «Happy Anniversary» for us in chocolate on the place.
Overall one of the best places I’ve ever been in Bakersfield and somewhere we plan to visit many times in the future.

Loving it! I came by for a Friday lunch (the only weekday they are open for lunch). Walked in and seated immediately. They have a great prix frix menu for lunch which included options of a chilled apricot soup and salad greens to start. I ordered the rockfish which was cooked perfectly but with just a little more pepper than I like. Attentive service. Can’t wait for my next visit!

Today I was lucky enough to have the cod. I hate cod. It was amazing. The side was sea beans and they were perfect. Made my meal. Hands down the only fine dining in town.

My husband and I celebrated our 11^th anniversary yesterday and had a fabulous dinner at Valentien. I have been eating at this incredible restaurant for years and finally got on Unilocal to spread the word. We started our evening with a three course cheese plate. We chose the 3 cheeses from a selection of choices… Each one was perfection. My steak was cooked to the exact perfect temperature. It was melt in your mouth delicious and was honestly one of the best meals I’ve ever enjoyed.
The dessert was unlike anything I’ve ever had… coconut sorbet with flavors of lime and basil. A «soup» of watermelon was poured over the sorbet at the table.
Thank you, Valentien, for an incredible evening!

Don’t laugh when I write this. I’m about to make a comparison between one place and another, and when I do, I don’t want you to laugh, I just want you to wait for the explanation before making judgement. OK? Ready?
Good.
In one way (and one way only), Bakersfield is a lot like Hawaii.
I told you to not laugh!
Anyway, it’s true. The two very unlike places are alike in one key way: No matter the occasion, no matter the event, there is a level of formality that these two places simply do not cross. Fancy restaurant in Hawaii? Aloha shirt, shorts, and flip flops do the trick. Fancy restaurant in Bakersfield? Well, many times you’ll see the men in the same attire. Or jeans and cowboy boots. Or whatever they happen to find handy in their closets at the time.
Thus is the case with Valentien, easily the best restaurant in Bakersfield. In other cities, this would be a make-​yourself-​fancy-​and-​enjoy-​a-​great-​night-​at-​a-​super-​restaurant type of place. In Bakersfield, wear a jacket and you’ll look more out of place than the guy in torn jeans.
But this does not take away from the food whatsoever. When I say that this is the best restaurant in Bakersfield, there is simply no exaggeration. From the professionalism of the wait staff, to the incredibly extensive wine list put together by the wine genius himself Jeramy Brown, to the seasonally-​changing menu, there is simply no match in town.
While this is the best restaurant in Bakersfield, the ambiance can be somewhat awkward at times. It is a small place — maybe 10 – 12 tables? — and when the place isn’t quite full it can be almost awkwardly quiet. My wife and I have enjoyed listening to the conversations of couples breaking up and men one-​upping each other in the past, but if I had my druthers, I would rather not hear them at all. Or maybe I’m just a loudmouth.
But if that’s the only negative (and it is), then this restaurant is something special (and it is). I’ve never had anything from the restaurant that I didn’t like, save from the pâté that I was allowed to sample one night. And that was disgusting. But not because of Valentien; it was because of the person who invented pâté.
On my most recent visit, I split the cheese board with my wife, and had the split pea soup along with the Lavender and Lemon Poulet. We had a blue cheese and a manchego on the cheese plate, both with their own merits, but the standout was the Barely Buzzed cheese from Utah. This cow-​milk cheese is hand-​rubbed with espresso and lavender and is a unique, full bodied cheddar-​style cheese. I was satisfied at this point, but there was much, much more.
I love getting the Pea Soup Andersen’s split pea soup at the grocery store out of the jar and eating it at home, but the same soup at Valentien has spoiled that experience for me. While the soup had the same heartiness as the canned version, this had a freshness that could never be matched from a preserved soup. And the seasoning was perfect, taking the level of what a split pea soup can be to new heights.
But the poulet was the star of the night, as the main course should be. Poulet, of course, is chicken, and this was chicken unlike I had ever experienced in my life. The skin was crispy and was full of richness and it was also seasoned perfectly. It was served with a vanilla bean buerre blanc, and don’t let that turn you off. The beurre blanc gives off just a hint of vanilla that creates a unique, yet satisfying, flavor that I never expected would work, but does.
We were too full of wine and delicious food to try dessert, but I have had the crème brûlée in the past and it was amazing. I’ve also been told the soufflé is great as well, and our server was apparently pushing them the last time I was there since he asked us if we would like them three different times throughout the meal. He must have had us mistaken with his other table.
So a delicious French restaurant in Bakersfield? It might seem unlikely, but it is here. And it is wonderful. Come on down! It’ll make you feel like you’re in Hawaii — at least in one way.

Amazing food and great service! It was my birthday and they surprised me by customizing the menu with my name on it !

By far one of the best little romantic places in Bakersfield. The atmosphere is quite and beautiful and all the staff is amazing. One of the best experiences we’ve had. We were celebrating our 8 year anniversary and they just made everything so special. (side note I had to borrow pics due to me forgetting my phone). But the food is so amazing, We started with a cheese bored and then shared a broccoli leaf salad and I had the Sage & Citrus Chicken and my love had the Filet and then ended with the Chocolate Soufflé and the Coffee. ALL the food was to die for.
And to the lovely people in the table next to us who graciously explained the fun of the restaurant and all the exciting times they’ve had there, Thank You so much for making our night by picking up our tab. You really mad it a magical night for us and we really enjoyed the added Coffee you had sent over. People like you and your kindness is what this world should be about. Your are truly amazing people, and we feel so lucky to have met you.

Wonderful place to eat coming from the previous owners daughter I still absolutely love this place.

Who knew that Bakersfield has such a wonderful French restaurant?! Well, I am certainly glad for it since I have to be in the area once a month for business. My girlfriend came along on this trip so this dinner was special even though this restaurant is not particularly romantic. It is casual but nice. We got a bottle of Haut Jonset Bordeaux wine. She loves dairy so we ordered the Cheese platter of triple crème Brie, Comte reserve & truffle tremor. For the main dish she had the Steak au Poivre
And I had the Portuguese Pork Tenderloin. The meal was fantastic & the drive home to San Bernardino was a happier one for it.

Best restaurant in town. With Amazing food, intimate atmosphere, great wine list, sophisticated service, and I have never been disappointed here. Thank you Jeremy for always making me feel important. Love your restaurant and I am so thankful you are successful, wishing you many more years of success.

We arrived at 8:00pm.The staffs are very nice. Our dessert is chocolate soufflé that’s pretty awesome! Looking forward to back again.

The food and service were very good here hence the 4 stars.
The restaurant itself does not cry out fine dining, really. The first thing I noticed were the Ikea looking chairs. Hard as a rock and a tough place to spend about 2 hours. The small space could be anything — at the end of a strip mall. Inside, the large white middle wall could be painted a taupe to elevate the class from plain white to make a warmer space. And I was not a fan of the sleepy music. In short, in my mind this place from the name and menu would have looked like something else, but that is subjective, of course.
The menu changes for the season and on this day we tried an amazing spicy butternut squash soup and a field greens salad. Both were very good and staff offered to split both for us (no up charge). Loved both but would have loved more goodies on the salad besides 2 small pieces of beet and 1 green bean. The sea bass was incredible but I liked the accompaniments that came with the trout dish more. If you love Basque (tomato and garbanzo beans), go for the sea bass. The trout came with delicious small potatoes, green beans, bacon and almonds. The trout had a really good, edible crispy skin. I did learn that substitutions are welcomed so I would keep that in mind for next time. My sea bass with the trout sides would have been perfect.
The restaurant is knowledgeable on alcohol pairing which was nice. We tried a nice French beer, a German wine and had a wonderful 1800’s style German coffee that was made in some sort of beaker and stole the show! Best coffee ever takes a bit of time!
Special occasion x 2 here on this night so we could not pass up the chocolate soufflé even though we are not dessert people. You must order it at the time of entrees being served as the soufflé takes 25 min to bake. Comes with a little scoop of vanilla ice cream and it was quite good. I had a nice Port after dinner that was recommended as well.
All in all, a nice time and the cost did not break the bank.
I wish Bakersfield had more fine dining options.
Reservations recommended.

5 stars for the food! This place isn’t a «nice» place it’s charming and quaint with good food. I came alone completely casual and was not out of place.
I started out with the pumpkin ravioli small plate. Loved the walnuts on top! Very good dish.
For my entrée I ordered their Vegetarian dish centered around a piece of a Chicken of the Woods mushroom complemented by cranberries, onions, carrots, kale and a huge chunk of sweet potato. It was very good. Perfect, hearty veggie dish to be enjoyed in the Autumn season!

There aren’t many white tablecloth restaurants in town and this place is one that has a great reputation. I have heard a lot about this restaurant and have been patiently waiting until we had an opportunity to go on a date. The best word I could use to describe this place is good. The service was good, meal was good, and the ambiance was good. I had the steak and my husband had the chicken. The portions were small and they were both on the blander side. The steak was cooked to my liking and the chicken was moist. We also ordered dessert (which I was very excited about since I had heard a lot about them). I had the chocolate soufflé and my husband had the crème brûlée. Both were good, but not overwhelming. I was expecting to be knocked out by this place, but I wasn’t. If you want to charge big city prices, you have to have big city quality. I often look at quality vs value when looking at restaurants. If the quality is amazing then I am willing to pay for a great experience and will return. If the value is great then I will return. I really wanted to love this place, but it did not have enough value or quality for me to return.

I’d actually give this review a solid 4.5 stars! So close to being a five star place! Valentien is so different from other places in Bako. First of all it’s a French restaurant– not many of those in town. And second, they have a wonderful seasonal menu, in which they sometimes source from local bake shops and local farms’ ingredients. They are open for dinner and a weekly lunch on Fridays only. I also love the events they put on throughout the year! Lots of celebrations and wine dinners! Sign up to get their emails. Additionally, they support the arts and symphony in town. They are at Bakersfield Museum of Art a lot pouring wine during their new opening exhibits. They also have art on the wall for sale by local artists. Tons of local support and encouragement. All of this comes at cost but their ingredients, chefs, and meals are top notch. I like to go a couple times per year when I see something delicious on their ever changing menu. It’s a beautiful, intimate place to go for a date but they can also host a small gathering of people quite well-​just make a reservation. I’ve had a birthday celebration here as well as a couple date nights!
On to the food and drink! They have an excellent wine list. I always find something unique to try. The hubby and I love their 3 cheese flight. The best appetizer! We recently had a coffee encrusted cheese that had a hint of lavender that we can’t stop talking about it! Their soups and salads have also been quite yummy in the past! I’ve enjoyed every entrée I’ve had there. And I love that there are so many yummy components to each dish. Their chicken, salmon, and filets have all been delicious. You have to save room for dessert and coffee! The coffee siphon they use is so awesome! It’s fun to watch at your table!
In regards to service at our last visit I only have two tiny complaints. Our waitress didn’t ask me if I wanted another glass of wine once mine was finished. This was before our meal was out of the kitchen too. As I explained to my hubby-there’s a big difference between asking for another drink and being asked if you’d like another drink. Most people prefer the latter, as do I. Additionally, we would have loved to have tried the chocolate soufflé for dessert however after a lengthy meal we didn’t want to wait for the 30 – 40 minute cook time. I wished our waitress would have mentioned this option when she mentioned the specials and soup of the day. That way we could have tried it. Oh well, we now know for next time. That is, if they have it next time!

Romantic corner California-​French restaurant with excellent wine collection from local and international wineries.

A genuinely good restaurant.
I feel absolutely horrible for prejudging and stereotyping. I was expecting Sysco-​style reheated entrees, but was completely blown away with a fantastic chef-​made steak a poivre.
Bakersfield residents take note — the food and service doesn’t really get any better than this in LA or SF. You have a true gem on your hands.

So the food was sooo good. Started with the cheese flight, yum! On to the second course which I had the truffle risotto, my favorite dish of the night, my husband had the blueberry venison sausage he said was excellent. Both had salads for our 3^rd course, very good as well. Filet and duck for our main course, great! Really enjoyed the coffee siphon … Fun experience And a nice fine dining experience.
So I would have given it 5 stars but our server who was very nice never took our side plates away and had ask for clean silverware after 2^nd course. Should be an automatic. Also forgot to bring me my left overs after asking her to box them up. All in all I would definitely go back, like the fact that their menu changes pretty often she said.

I took my girlfriend here for our 1 year anniversary.
I looked at the Unilocal ratings and decided to make a reservation. I’m from LA and if a classy restaurant has ratings like this, you make a reservation no matter what night of the week it was. It was monday, so I’d imagine this place wouldn’t be as packed, but I didn’t want to take any chances since it was our big night – I went ahead and reserved a table for two at 6:00pm.
I got an email directly from the owner that they were expecting me at 6pm. That was cool.
I ended up being super late because of traffic coming up from LA, so I called in to let them know I would be late — I didn’t want to lose our table. We arrived at 7:30 and I was surprised to find the place empty aside from 1 other couple that I learned was celebrating their 13^th.
We were sat quickly and the first thing I noticed was the cool glass chemistry sets on the table. Jeramy, who was our wonderful host and our waiter for the evening, informed me that they were coffee siphons and recommended I try the coffee at the end of our meal. I learned from the website that he was working on his certification to be a sommelier and so I asked for a wine that would pair well with the two appetizers we had ordered… he didn’t disappoint with the pinot grigio selection. We started with the seafood risotto. Delectable. Probably the best risotto I’ve had. The rice was perfectly al dente and the seafood (I believe scallops was one of them) give the dish a wonderful chewy texture. LOVED IT. We also had a red lettuce/​cabbage salad appetizer – I can’t really recall the ingredients. It was also amazing and its slight bitterness complimented the pinot grigio so well.
For our entrees, I ordered the Pork tenderloin with Cherry Compote, Creamy Polenta, Haricot Verts, Slow Cooked Onion. Holy crap, did I just die and go to heaven? The tenderloin was cooked medium, so it was juicy. A nice slightly sweet flavor complimented the gritty and yummy polenta. Wow. My girlfriend ordered the breast of duck with Apricot Gastrique, Quinoa, Almonds, Haricot Verts, and Leeks. I’m not a fan of duck… but I quickly became one with this dish.
All dishes were plated excellently — and they were fantastic portions. We both left extremely stuffed. This is hands down the best restaurant in Bakersfield, in my opinion. Exactly 1 week before dining here, I was at Drago Centro, a ritzy restaurant in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles. The food was comparable if not better than Drago’s. Indeed the service at Valentein was much better than Drago’s.
When I arrived to see an empty restaurant, I was a little disappointed. If people don’t patronize an excellent restaurant like Valentein, these excellent restaurants go away — this is definitely NOT what we want with a restaurant like Valentein. Bakersfield is quickly becoming a place of chain restaurants as many cities of this size become — chilis, elephant bar, and soon maybe a cheesecake factory… but these busy national chains don’t hold up water when compared to good, privately-​owned, culinary artists like those at Valentein where is food is more of a passionate expression than a marketing ploy. It’s only here where you can find locally sourced ingredients and dishes that aren’t at some point pre-​fabricated at some factory somewhere miles from the restaurant.
Will definitely be back again soon.