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The Dining Divas
Topics: Crest Bar & Grill, Bakersfield dining, Bakersfield
Posted by admin Tue Sep 4, 2007 12:35:55 PDT
Viewed 1302 times
0 responses 0 comments Location: Pacheco and Wible, Bakersfield, CA

Dining is such a part of Bakersfield life that we felt it wouldn’t be fair to enjoy this monthly topic without some friends. Every issue, our Dining Divas will enjoy lunch at a different restaurant and bring you all the details of their meal. From the appetizers, entreés and desserts to the service, atmosphere and ambience, the Dining Divas are prepared to give you a well-rounded look at the establishments they experience.    Without further ado, let us introduce Bakersfield Life’s Dining Divas.

 
A New Place For Lunch
Tracy Walker Kiser - The Crest Bar & Grill, at the Bakersfield RV Resort located on Wible Road, has all the makings of being a relaxing destination spot.  Not being an RV owner myself, I was not sure of what to expect.  However the spacious grounds and numerous trees were welcoming.  The park offers a putting green, inviting pool and a fabulous outdoor covered patio.

    Our waiter, James Eaton, clicked with us from the very beginning; he was attentive, quick-witted and knowledgeable about the menu and the resort.

Lydia Rowles - I have to admit, I was kind of sad to see the screens at the old Crest Drive-In come down. So, when my Dining Diva friend told me we’d be having lunch at the new Crest Bar & Grill I was struck with a bit of nostalgia. Perhaps it was guilt-by-movie-theater-association that had me expecting more of a snack-bar experience, but boy was I wrong.  The food at the Crest has come a long way from Sno-Caps and Jujubes.

Ambiance
Lydia Rowles - The first thing that struck me when I arrived was the decor of the dining room. It was warm and inviting with rich woods and granite. I easily could have been in a trendy cafe in a major metro area. It’s nice... but not too nice. Nice enough to recommend for an important business lunch yet not so nice that I’d be afraid to bring the kids for dinner.

Penny Rafferty - Running late, as usual, I was shown promptly to our table. I was surprised at how busy the restaurant was at 11:30 a.m. The groups of people eating were very eclectic, from extended families enjoying a meal, to employees from the car dealerships across the street, to friends having lunch.

A Look At The Menu
Lydia Rowles - The menu is surprisingly extensive and creative. For people who like their meals “stock,” they can get their wings, steak and onion rings. Yet, for people like my friend Katie who thinks cheese on a burger means Gorgonzola, they’ve got them covered too. From the Thai Lettuce Wrap appetizer to the Grilled Bananas with Caramel and Pistachios dessert, the menu showed a diversity and inventiveness I wasn’t expecting. It all sounded amazing there in print, but I had to wonder, could chef Dan Phillips deliver?

Appetizers
Katie Kirschenmann - To start, upon James’ recommendation, we decided to share an order of fried calamari; I have to admit I was hesitant. However, my fishy fears were abated when the calamari arrived at the table light, tender and perfectly seasoned. In fact, it was some of the best calamari I’ve eaten in Bakersfield - or Japan for that matter.


Decisions
Tracy Walker Kiser - James was back immediately to take our order and offered some great suggestions. We all agreed to order something different. James informed us all the meat, chicken and seafood are always fresh, never frozen; so my decision was simple – an eight-ounce top sirloin with garlic mashed potatoes preceded by a house salad. 

Soups & Salads
Tracy Walker Kiser - My salad and Lydia’s soup arrived in a timely manner with a basket full of fresh warm Pyrenees French bread accompanied by sweet, honey whipped butter.  My crisp salad was not like typical house salads with iceberg lettuce and a tomato.  Instead, I was served an assortment of greens and crisp vegetables with a creamy, homemade bleu cheese dressing.
Lydia Rowles - Despite the looks of Tracy’s salad, I think I won with the soup. It was cream-based with lots of grilled chicken, corn and peppers. The Crest Bar & Grill makes all their own soups and it shows. I’m usually hesitant to order creamy soups since so often they’re thick and gummy. This soup was actually... well... creamy. It had a great smoothness to it and the real grilled chicken added to the flavor.

Main Dishes
Katie Kirschenmann - Shortly after we polished off the calamari, soups and salad, James expertly served us our spectrum of entrees. Tracy ordered the top sirloin medium rare with garlic mashed potatoes, Lydia ordered the pan-seared blackened salmon, Penny ordered the citrus marinated grilled chicken and I ordered the Gorgonzola burger with grilled onions. In between mouthfuls of conversation and food we all managed to sample each other’s dishes.
    Tracy’s steak was top notch, Penny’s chicken was healthy and flavorful, my burger satisfied my hankering for good old-fashioned American food, but Lydia’s blackened salmon was out-of-this-world delicious! As we were raving, Chef Dan Phillips peeked out from the kitchen long enough for us to thank him and compliment his menu.

Desserts
Lydia Rowles - James then suggested that we try dessert. Wow, was I impressed. The presentation of all the dishes up until this point had been impressive, but the presentation of the desserts was stunning. Warm brownies and cobbler with vanilla bean ice cream melting on top and both plates decorated with a lattice of caramel and a dusting of powdered sugar. I could not resist. I went for the cobbler and it tasted as good as it looked. It was rich and warm and full of cinnamon-y goodness without being too sweet. Both desserts were huge and definitely sized to share.
    I also liked the fact that while most everything on the Crest Bar & Grill’s menu is made on-site, the things they do buy, they try to buy locally. The onion rings are fried in Lengthwise beer batter, the rolls are from Pyrenees, the tortillas from La Bonita. What a great way to not only support the community but also to give RV travelers a real taste of Kern County.

Impressions   
Lydia Rowles - I’d have to say the theme of this lunch was, “Who knew?” Who knew you could find high quality food, a warm atmosphere and great service all at an RV resort?  The Crest Bar & Grill seems to be succeeding on all levels. I don’t think it’ll take long for the word to get out about this place so I’ll be back before the line starts. Meanwhile, if you need me, I’ll be on my elliptical trying to work off that cobbler!

The Crest Bar & Grill is located across from the Auto Mall
in the former location of the Crest Drive-In.

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