Pete Tittl
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PETE TITTL: If you're rarin' for Bavarian, try this
It's easy to forget about Bit of Germany on the east side because German cuisine doesn't get the kind of universal respect reserved for, say, French and Chinese cuisine. It doesn't have the cool quotient of California cuisine. It's just European and, like Mexican food, possibly unfairly downgraded for not having exquisite sauces.
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PETE TITTL: Victor Victoria's raises the bar
I had to take a few deep breaths before I wrote this review, so impressive was my first visit to Victor Victoria's, an elegant new downtown restaurant.
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Culmination of a dream
Victor Victoria's is the culmination of a lifelong dream for owner Alia Brost. The Texas native has lived in Bakersfield for 12 years, and has 17 years in the food business, working at various restaurants, doing catering and studying at the Culinary Institute of America.
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PETE TITTL: Crepe expectations
Certainly when I list what types of restaurants Bakersfield needs that it doesn't yet have, I'd include a crepe restaurant. We had one for a brief period on California Avenue near Stockdale Highway, but it quickly went away.
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PETE TITTL: Gorge your gullet on game day
You might be forgiven if you've come to believe that the NFL is something of a religion to some Americans, especially with the growth of sports bars. Just take a look at this picture. Fans are passionate true believers, check. They have sacred garments, typically replica jerseys, check. They meet for worship on Sundays, and those services can get quite emotional, check. There are moments of ecstatic joy, usually preceding or following moments of intense silence staring straight ahead, check.
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PETE TITTL: Mike's get its combo just right
I received the equivalent of a throwdown challenge regarding Mountain Mike's Pizza. Reporter Steve Swenson was talking to reader Patti Rostain, and he passed along her suggestion: visit Mountain Mike's on Calloway, order a medium combination pizza, and if you don't like it, I'll pay for it.
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Pete Tittl: Pizza Bob's could be savior of East Hills Mall?
If the East Hills Mall had any luck, it wouldn't look like it does today. Once it had three anchor stores: Harris, Mervyn's and Gottschalks.
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Pete Tittl: Rice Bowl consistent but bland
I've written in the past that some folks consider me the traffic cop of Bakersfield restaurants, and they sometimes write to wonder why I'm not out giving tickets to those committing grievous culinary crimes. Recently I got an e-mail from Beverley Park wondering when I last ate at the Rice Bowl and urging me to go there and write an "honest" account, as her visit was a disaster.
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Pete Tittl: Mmm, mmm imperfect -- in a good way
As a long-time restaurant customer who visits all types of places, I get a bit discouraged by how many businesses are more food assembly businesses than actual cooked-on-the-premises, legit restaurants. We have undoubtedly all patronized that famous Mexican fast-food chain where the refried beans are dehydrated and reconstituted on the premises rather than freshly made. Prefab soups are so good now that it's hard to detect their use. Faced with such conditions, you may as well get the stuff at the grocery store, cook and assemble it at home and save some change.
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Pete Tittl: The Q does barbecue to a T
Contributing columnist
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Taste of Grand China
Contributing columnist
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Pete Tittl: El Pueblo muy bien, homemade tortillas or not
By PETE TITTL
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Cupcake masterpieces start their own craze
Years ago on HBO's "Sex and the City," Sarah Jessica Parker brought a lot of publicity to a Greenwich Village spot called The Magnolia Bakery. The show had already made a habit of shining a spotlight on Big Apple trends, and one of those was a cupcake craze.
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Sports, spirits and tasty bar grub
A couple of years ago I thought great progress had been made in the Battle of the Sexes when B-Ryder's Sports Bar opened up with an adjacent beauty salon. Finally, a husband could accompany his lovely wife to her hair appointment and still be able to watch whatever was on ESPN while drinking a beer. I could hear divorce lawyers all over town slamming their briefcases down in anger. Marital bliss was possible on White Lane, just east of Gosford.
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Camino Real still serving up winners
Return visit confirms earlier positive review
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Go through Jersey to get to Philly
Cheesesteak a rave, but other stuff so-so
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Tired of the others? Check Kabob House
Refreshing Persian dishes delight senses
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Come hungry, leave happy
Eatery thrives while others go under
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Easily missed, but what a find
Delimart at new spot is worth the visit
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Can't beat this deal
Honey Baked Ham's lunch a tasty bargain
