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PETE TITTL: A little of this, a little of that and a lot of wonderful

BY PETE TITTL, Contributing columnist,
ptittl@bakersfield.com | Wednesday, Jan 27 2010 03:58 PM

Last Updated Wednesday, Jan 27 2010 03:58 PM

One of the most exciting trends over the past decade has been the fusion cuisine trend, which is a logical outgrowth of the world getting smaller due to better transportation, more global trade and the expansion of the media and Internet. While at one time purists would have insisted that great cuisines like Chinese, French and Italian should stay segregated, the benefits of the cross pollination of these cooking styles is evident in the restaurants.

Locally, Elephant Bar is a company that is built on something that mixes American, Japanese, Chinese and Thai cuisines. A locally owned restaurant that has been at the vanguard of this trend has been The Orchid Thai Fusion Cuisine, which has unveiled a new menu since we last reviewed the restaurant that further cements its status as a great local asset.

There is an excitement in the kitchen, an inventiveness we've praised in the past that is probably typical of fusion cuisine. Lots of Chinese, Italian and even a Mexican influence here and there. It's so hard to order, given the possibilities, but we finally narrowed it to tom kah lobster bisque ($8), duck and potato ravioli ($16) and one of the house specialties, the orchid pepper steak ($24). We stayed away from any of the great items we've enjoyed in the past such as the macaroni and cheese with lobster ($16), the salmon with garlic noodles ($18), the garlic salmon with pesto cream ($18), the kurobuta pork chop ($22) and the lamb chop with spicy mango sauce ($26). All those, in the past, have been excellent.

The bisque was the biggest disappointment, though it was attractively presented with a piece of langostino floating on top with orange and black caviar. The soup itself was just far too salty, none of the wonderful lobster taste came through. Given the name, I was expecting to get some coconut influences, but that was also lost.

The entrees soon soothed our disappointment. I've always loved what the Koreans do with short ribs of beef, and the rib-eye steak my companion ordered reminded me of that. It was presented on a bed of rice with what the menu called a cabernet reduction sauce, but it had a smoky sweetness that reminded me of a Korean restaurant. With coconut rice and grilled vegetables, it was a fantastic repast.

I've always thought the kitchen was skilled with duck, but I confess I ordered the duck and potato ravioli only because I had never had such a thing and wondered how it would work. The answer is, if you love duck, try this. The six large ravioli were floating in truffle-sake cream sauce that was decorated with bits of vegetable, so it looked like a confetti cake. My only regret was that there was no bread left to soak up the marvelous sauce. It's the kind of ravioli that tempts you to close your eyes to savor it. Another must order on my personal list when I visit. My companion tried it and chastised me for not raving enough about this place in the past.

This is also a restaurant with a lot to offer for vegetarians, such as the trio flavor eggplant ($12), made with tofu and eggplant prepared three different ways (spicy, sweet and sour) and curry bowls and stir fry made with tofu.

Dessert was a disappointment. They make an incredible red velvet layer cake that we've enjoyed in the past, but the version we sampled on this visit was too dry, as if it were old.

Of course they have that machine that offers more than a couple dozen wines by the ounce. My budget doesn't allow me to spring for $100 wines, but I will pay $8 to get one ounce just to see what I'm missing. It turns every dining experience into an impromptu wine tasting, though inevitably I seem to tap out the little debit card you use far too quickly.

The Orchid Thai Fusion Cuisine can be recommended for a fine dining experience.