User Posts : The Southwest Voice

The Undercover Chef: The Elephant Bar

I visited The Elephant Bar on Tuesday evening, Aug. 29, around 8 p.m.

This restaurant is part of a chain of 30 restaurants, most of which are primarily located in California. The Bakersfield Elephant Bar is located on Stockdale and Old River, and offers all different kinds of seating arrangements, including booths that are short and tall, seating at the bar, or patio for those cool nights.

Elephant Bar has such a unique and fun décor –– a jungle travelers theme with animal prints and florescent lights all around. The bar is circular, with TVs mounted above on a background made to look like the night sky. Mainstream music was playing lightly in the background –– a perfect meeting place for friends.

The Elephant Bar’s menu is as exotic as the décor, and all the food is fresh and homemade –– everything from their tender ribs to the crème brulee. We started with an appetizer of coconut shrimp on skewers with sweet and sour dipping sauce. The coconut shrimp was very tasty and the sauce was a perfect blend to complement the shellfish. My dining companion had the Kona barbecue chicken, ribs and shrimp, which included a fresh iceberg salad, a slice of watermelon, boiled corn and steamed rice. I ordered teriyaki chicken sautéed in a sweet and juicy teriyaki sauce and mixed with veggies and steamed rice.

I’d have to say that meals at the Elephant Bar are very reasonably priced. The Kona was only $13.95, my Teriyaki chicken was $9.95 and our appetizer was only $7.95.

With our meal we sampled drinks from the bar, including a very well-blended Madori Sour, Alabama Slammer and Salty Dog. The bar was busy and non-stop -- definitely a hot spot.

We were both very impressed with our service. When we arrived at the Elephant Bar, the crowded parking lot made us believe we would have to wait at least 20 minutes to be seated. However, we were seated within five minutes. We were then greeted by our friendly waitress, Jessica. She was very attentive, and right on top of giving us refills and making sure everything was in order. If Jessica is typical of the wait staff, I’d say that the Elephant Bar has some of the best service in town.

The Elephant Bar caters to all age groups, but I especially think the fun atmosphere is the perfect place for a date, or just hanging out with friends.

The Elephant Bar

10100 Stockdale Highway

Sunday- Thursday 11a.m.-10p.m.

Friday- Saturday 11 a.m.- 11p.m.

663-302

The Undercover Chef: Joseph's Italian Restaurant

I visited Joseph's Italian Restaurant on Aug. 12 with friends and family to dine and wine. For those of you you who haven't had the opportunity to visit Joseph's, a charming little Italian-themed restaurant in central Bakersfield, then I highly recommend visiting this great eatery!

Joseph's dim lighting makes for a relaxed feel, with authentic Italian music playing softly in the background. I was very impressed with the attentive, fast and friendly service we all received during our visit. Being a chef myself, I always want to know the customer's opinion of the food and service, which is exactly what their chef did. Our chef greeted everyone in our party and personally asked how the food was.

My table ordered a variety of items from the menu, including a perfectly cooked "exactly what we wanted" New York-style steak. Shrimp fettuccine alfredo, a lasagna Italian trio –– all of these included hot sliced bread and a fresh garden salad. Two of us had some red wine. All of this came to $56.87, which in my book is not a bad price for the quality food we were served. All of our sauces were made with fresh ingredients, from the alfredo sauce to the mariana sauce.

For those of you who want fast, fun and friendly service, I highly recommend Joseph's Restaurant. I put Joesph's on the top of my list for Italian restaurants. It's a tucked away restaurant full of charm.

Joseph's Italian Restaurant
3013 F St.
322-7710

The Undercover Chef: The Back to the 50s Diner

The Back to the 50s Diner has a nostalgic atmosphere.

The décor incorporates all of the favorite 50s idols, such as James Dean, Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, Superman, Bette Boop and Annette Funicello. To complete the mood there is a jukebox playing 50s tunes.

When my companions and I walked into the establishment, there wasn’t a person to seat or direct us –– we simply took a seat. I did observe that there were a few families with younger children enjoying lunch.

The diner has a clever menu utilizing famous names of the era, such as: The Beach Boy (a sandwich with cheese and avocado, served with fries), or The LaBamba (the original burger with Ortega chili and Jack cheese, served with fries).

I enjoyed the California Burger, with cheese, avocado and bacon served with fries for $7.50. My guests had The Mac the Knife (patty melt) $7.99, and The Metropolitan Sandwich (roast beef, tomato, Jack cheese) for $6.99.

Food was brought to our table promptly and warm.

Over all, the Back to the 50’s Diner is a good place if you’re in a hurry and want hot food at an affordable price. We all enjoyed the meal, but noticed that the place needed a deep cleaning, ceiling to floor. The restrooms in particular needed attention.

While the service was cordial, it could have been more attentive.

My guests and I decided we would try it one more time to see if the diner was better staffed.

Back to the 50’s Diner

Address: 5405 California Avenue

Hours:

Monday-Saturday 6:45 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Sunday 6:45 – 4:00 p.m.

Phone:

633-2426