Ethel's Old Corral

11/17/10

Ethel’s Old Corral

Towards the top of Round Mountain is a developing oilfield.  It is the sight of our first Hydromation Filter sale in California with the new mixer-agitator design.  This sale in 1997 began a revolution in filtering oilfield produced water using ground walnut shells as the filter media.  It was the first of a string of successes in California that put my girls through college.  And now it’s continuing in North America, especially in Canada, and South America and beyond.  Today we were at the Round Mountain field inspecting some equipment to refurbish.

It was lunch time on the way down toward the Kern River.  What better place to stop for a cultural experience than Ethel’s Old Corral.  This place has is out on Alfred Harrell Highway near the Kern River.  There is lots of horse property nearby and folks ride their horses there on a regular basis.  On weekends, it’s a real shit kicker hangout.  Cowboys, bikers and Oildale trash are regulars.  I know because I used to ride my Road King out there for some reason, I can’t recall.  They often have music outside and last time I was there on my Harley it was fun watching drunk people try to get back on their horses to ride home.  One of the coolest things about Ethel’s is the giant Indian out front.  It’s a Bakersfield icon that has been restored and installed there with a historical marker.  That’s a great story in itself.  

I had not been to Ethel’s for lunch in years and I was surprised when I saw a note on the front door saying “cash only”.  This pisses me off because this is a business lunch and we have credit cards for purposes such as lunching while reviewing our findings in the field and strategizing our next action.  If I had known it was cash only, I would have taken our threesome to the other Oildale classic, the Highland Café.  So, we are here at Ethel’s looking for a table.  Outside it was cool in the shade but they were working on the roof so it was noisy.  And I don’t like being greeted by a dog when I sit down to eat, unless it’s my own precious Lily.  She can jump and beg anytime.  And to me, dogs are like farts, there are 2 kinds: yours and somebody else’s.  So we took a table inside.

My companions ordered the special chicken fried steak.  I ordered the Ortega, bacon, cheeseburger. I’ve been wanting one of those for months.  It’s my favorite dish at the McKittrick Hotel and Penny Bar.   This was a big fresh burger with the bacon made just for my burger, not sitting on the grill since morning.  I could tell, it was served open face and it was still sizzling.  I had a salad, no fries.  The salad was fresh with tomatoes and tasty blue cheese dressing.  It was good but I think a little high price at $8.25. 

The chicken fried steak looked really good too.   And that came with a salad at $8.75.  I inquired if my Harley riding buddy Virgil still was an owner there.  The waitress said no, but he still comes in sometimes.  My one companion was from Houston so I was explaining how the place gets crazy on weekends.  And the other guy with us confirmed saying that he used to live nearby and ride his dirt bike down and get shit-faced.  So, we’re feeling the love and nostalgia when a couple came in from the back door.  That’s where they tie up the horses.  This guy was so tall he could hardly fit through the door.  And his girl was almost as tall as he was.  They were both decked out in chaps and boots with spurs and all the trimming.  My friend from Texas looked and smiled.  I don’t think he even sees cowboys like that in Houston.  I said, “See, I told you”. 

Ethel’s Old Corral is a good place for a beer and burger and colorful people.  It’s a fun ride just out of town.  And where else can you ride your horse and get a burger for less than $8.25?

Rating: 2.5 *.  3* if your riding a horse.