Horse in the Alley — Restaurant in Bakersfield

This was a reservation for six on a Friday afternoon at 17:30. It is very important that you make a reservation for dinner. Hours are limited, and the restaurant is well worth it. Samantha was our waitress for the entire dining experience. I absolutely enjoy when the person handling your table loves what they do. You could tell how much Samantha enjoyed her position. Samantha made our dining experience top-notch. We had a chance to speak with Chef Jason. He came to check on our table, making sure we were satisfied with our selections and to answer any questions we may have on the menu. Oh, Beth, you will hear more about her later on in this review. We ordered all four appetizers on the menu, which were stuffed mushrooms, shrimp cocktails, escargot, and the bruschetta. We were given two extra plates, stuffed mushrooms, mushrooms, and shrimp cocktails. This was given to us on the house by Chef Jason. We ordered the lemon drops, and every one that ordered ordered a second one. That is how tasteful they were. I ordered a bottle of the talosa Pinot Noir 1997, always a crowd pleaser. Moving on to the main course, we ordered the ribeye, chicken alfredo, and four dishes of the block fillet. The block fillet was topped with a gorgonzola cheese slice and then finished off with a balsamic drizzle. My guest stated that each filet was cooked perfectly to a medium consistency. Flavorful and melt in your mouth. The ribeye had a mushroom shallot cream sauce on top of it, with a hint of time. My ribeye was ordered medium, and it also was flavored extremely well, never once overpowered my palate. Cooked to a medium perfection. One of my guests ordered the chicken out Florence, which she stated was the best dish she has ever had. Chicken was nice and juicy full of flavor, and the pasta was perfectly al dente. She stated the sauce was rich in flavor but not heavy in her stomach. Moving on to dessert, we ordered two of each. The first was a South African pudding called malva, which does not contain chocolate. It contains apricots, and the way Beth has perfected this recipe leaves me speechless! I at first didn't want to taste it because I thought it was all fudge. After my guess were ranting and raving about how delicious it was, I had to try it. And I am so glad I did. A big round of applause to Beth for baking this dessert and making my life better for tasting it!! The cheesecake was good with the blackberries on top, and the turtle trifle was just as delicious. The dessert of the Malva is something I would literally stop by just to pick that up. It is a must try if you come here. If you come and have dinner here and do not order the malva pudding, you may end up with an empty little hole in your heart for never tasting it. I 100% did not have one bad bite of anything at this restaurant. I am so happy that I chose to have dinner here. The entire experience was top-notch. If you are in the area, make sure to make reservations and dine here. Don't forget that Malva pudding. This is a 10 out of 10, and I...

I ordered the lamb chops rare ($65). They were well done, and the rosemary/wine sauce they were smothered in was extremely salty and inedible. I returned them and asked for rare meat with the sauce on the side. I was told they could not serve me sauce on the side. After finally convincing the manager to give me the sauce on the side, I was given about a tablespoon of sauce. I asked for rosemary on the lamb, but didn't get it until I repeatedly asked, and was finally given about an 1/8 a teaspoon. The second set of lamb chops were so tough I couldn't eat them. I had to chew for a long time and ended up with a chewed-up piece of meat I had to spit out. Very disappointing, to say the least. I eat lamb chops quite a bit and know how good they are when prepared properly. My husband ordered the filet mignon with blue cheese stuffed inside ($58). The brown mushroom sauce that it was smothered in was again so salty and inedible. He was really hungry, so he scraped the sauce aside and ate. His filet was a very good piece of meat, but ruined with the sauce and blue cheese mash. How does blue cheese and brown mushroom sauce even go together? I think these people are trying to be creative but completely missing the mark! Our baked potatoes were lukewarm, and the very tiny portion of vegetables on the side was ridiculous. One small piece of carrot and a few small pieces of zucchini and broccoli. How cheap can these people be? The bread and melted garlic butter were great. Very tasty bread. A salad is an extra order. Again, how cheap can these people be? This isn't "Ruth's Chris." For the price of our dinners, everything should have been much better. I was being very nice when I told the owner and manager about the salty sauces, and was met with defensive attitudes. I didn't even tell them everything that was bad because I didn't want to be as critical as I could have been. I really wish we had left when I was served the second dish of lamb chops. I have now seen several reviews that say how salty the sauce is. It ruins the entrée. We didn't ask for any discount for our horrible experience, and they didn't offer anything. The bill was about $157.00 with 2 drinks, about $60.00 more than the "Hungry Hunter", where you get a great filet mignon or prime rib, a tableside salad bar the waiter serves, and a generous portion of veggies. We dine out often, and price is never a problem. One added bonus... the ladies bathroom was dark and dirty with the toilet seat hanging off one side of the toilet. We were very excited to try this new place for us, and now we know. Don't revisit the "Horse In The Alley". Cute name, but maybe "Horse's Ass In The Alley" would be more fitting... Don't waste...

Quick Summary Great food, ambiance and service. The best steaks in Bakersfield! Try to get street parking around the area; the lot next to the restaurant is a paid lot

Food- 5 stars Escargot- this was decent. I would order a different appetizer in the future

Ribeye- this was divine. The steak was so tender, juicy, and fatty. Ordered the baked potato and Caesar salad along with it, and they were very delicious as well. My go-to steak order

Filet- this was very delicious as well. I'm usually a fan of fattier cuts (e.g. ribeyes) but this filet was very juicy and tender

Rack of lamb- this was cooked perfectly as well. They even lollipop the lamb as well at request. Very good

Veal- this was cooked perfectly as well. I'm not usually a huge fan of veal but the flavor and tenderness was great here

Dessert- we tried all 3 of their house desserts. The cheesecake was standard, but the other 2 desserts (Malva pudding and South African Cape Dutch) were very good and I highly recommend it

The bread was very good as well. They had melted butter which was great

Drinks- 5 stars We tried the Manhatten and Apple-tini and they were very delicious. The drinks are strong here and I do like that they ask for your liquor brand of choice here

Service- 5 stars The service was solid throughout. Our server was friendly and attentive throughout and the owner/chef greeted us at the end of the meal as well. Terrific experience throughout

Ambiance- 5 stars It's an interesting vintage steakhouse vibe in an alleyway (e.g it looked really ghetto from the outside, but transformed into a classy steakhouse when you entered). Really enjoyed the playlist in the background as well

Bottom Line Great food, drinks and service. The ribeye was the most memorable dish of the night. Try to get here early or late to snag free...