Pete Tittl: Flat screens a nice distraction from slow service
| Wednesday, Feb 18 2009 08:16 PM
Last Updated Friday, Mar 27 2009 01:25 PM
WINGS, PIZZA ‘N’ THINGS SPORTS & GRILL
7900 District Blvd., 836-2220
Hours:10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday.
Prices:Appetizers $2.99 to $8.49, salads $2.59 to $8.29, hamburgers, sandwiches and wraps $6.49 to $8.99, large pizzas $15.99 to $19.99. Child’s plate $3.99 to $4.99.
Payment:MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Discover accepted. Does not accept personal checks or The Californian’sPress Pass.
Dress:Casual
Amenities:Wheelchair accessible; full bar service; some vegetarian options.
Food:21⁄2 stars
Atmosphere:2 stars
Service:2 stars
Value:2 stars
Next week:Union Station Deli
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Sports bars come and go in Bakersfield, but this does seem the perfect type of town for all things celebrating games. After all, how many top-flight sporting goods retailers keep coming to town, and reportedly another big name is on its way.
Kosmo’s closed up, but the New Goose Loonies Cafe moved in downtown. And now another new one, a franchise called Wings, Pizza ‘N’ Things Sports & Grill has moved in near the Home Depot on Gosford Road.
Perfect alibi time. Honey, I need to get a few tools over at Home Depot. Then, after you’ve watched the game on one of the restaurant’s many flat-screens, you can race over to Home Depot and get what you were supposedly after.
One of my visits to this place was on the last day of the NFL regular season, and it was like a United Nations of football. In one room, Niner and Redskins fans were yelling, in another Cowboy and Eagles fans were dining on one side of the room while Jet and Dolphin fans were watching on the other side. You could tell by the jerseys everyone was wearing. The Ravens and Jaguars were in the lone snoozer of the day, but from my seat, I could watch three games at once. Playoff berths were at stake. Who could possibly think of tools at a time like this?
On that visit I tried to stay low-key, ordering a bacon cheeseburger ($8.99). It took quite a bit of time to get served, the order was bungled and I didn’t see a server for a long time after. But with all those games on and plenty to watch, I didn’t really care.
Wings, Pizza ‘N’ Things has almost anything, from sandwiches and wraps to chicken wings, shrimp and pizzas (regular and gourmet). There is a game room, a separate banquet room, a patio (where Bronco fans were waiting for their game that night) and an enclosed bar.
We also went on a Friday night when only the NBA was on and it was less crowded, but we had a few more troubles. We ordered a “family meal deal” for $29.99 that included a large gourmet pizza, 15 wings and pizza bread. We selected the Red Baron, a “triple pepperoni” pizza. Sounded crazy, but apparently the German ace pilot got shot down on the way to our table. After a long delay, a woman came over and explained our pizza “got lost in the oven.” I don’t know if that meant they burned it, but eventually it showed up and it looked like a regular pepperoni with a lot of extra cheese, but not many extra pepperonis.
The wings are big, meaty, thick things, similar to what Church’s Chicken serves, and the usual sauces. My favorite was a chipotle pepper, which had nice smoky nuances, sort of like that great chipotle Tabasco sauce you can buy at the grocery stores.
Oddly, despite the one hour to get a pizza, there was no offer from the staff to comp anything or adjust the bill. Probably not wise. Got an e-mail from a reader on a problem at another southwest restaurant that went bad and was met with a similar aloof/inadequate response to a snafu.
“You only get one chance to make a good first impression,” he said. A word to the wise for all restaurant owners in today’s tough climate.
