elephant bar, 10100 stockdale hwy, bakersfield ca, 661-663-3020

price: $ 1/2; food: 5/5. this is another chain place i really like. it's cavernous, cool and clean inside. it has a weird make-believe jungle-"africa" theme, with big fake palms, fronds, copper-colored elephants, and thick glass partitions cut to resemble (maybe) the north african atlas mountains... the african theme makes little sense because the menu features foods from "asia, the tropics, and sensational regional favorites." i guess the decor is meant to evoke the feeling of being someplace exotic (and tacky, which definitely adds to the fun). this restaurant has become very popular, so go early or late, or be prepared to wait. it's far out stockdale hwy, with a california pizza kitchen adjacent.
the huge menu features about 20 entrees for under 10 bucks. the "1/2" above is if you include a drink. elephant BAR, being a restaurant bar, charges a lot for sodas... anyway, on to the food. i've eaten here several times & have always been quite happy. tofu pad thai: delicious. shrimp spring rolls in rice paper: wow (tho they seem to have shrunk recently). "adventure side salads" for under four dollars - all wonderful. these salads, plenty big for a whole meal, have names like "jamaica mojo" (with candied walnuts) and "tropical citrus." my favorite side salad is the simple iceberg wedge - a "half head of lettuce," as my spouse called it, covered with bleu cheese crumbles, tiny chunks of tomato, bacon bits and more. i get it with the spring roll dressing on the side, which is a sweet, tangy soybean-tamarind sauce. the chilled lettuce hunks, tiny rich bits of cheese & bacon, and sugary, spicy, fresh sauce make a terrifically tasty combination for four dollars! you also can get full salads for closer to a sawbuck, but i imagine you'd be taking food home, or wasting it.
burgers run standard, southern (different BBQ sandwiches) or more exotic (i.e., teriyaki or fire grilled mahi-mahi). "pacific rim specialties" also go from the more standard, cantonese dishes you'd find at local chinese restaurants to seared vegetable pad thai or macadamia nut salmon. regional favorites are varied, but lean toward the heavy and slightly unconventional: kona pork ribs, jambalaya, fettucini, fajitas, fish tacos... even steaks and chicken, if you don't feel like going even a tad wild. they have a fairly good creme brulee dessert, as well as a puddingy chocolate cakelet with ice cream that made my sister weak with delight, also berry confections and other nice cappers, if you're feeling magnanimous or just desirious of sugar after polishing off your meal proper. jambo.