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PETE TITTL: Mill Creek Deli shows promise

BY PETE TITTL, Contributing columniste-mail:
ptittl@bakersfield.com | Saturday, May 15 2010 12:00 PM

Last Updated Saturday, May 15 2010 12:00 PM

Mill Creek Deli is a charming little jewel box of a restaurant located near Mexicali downtown that surprised me in many ways. Owner Brenda Sharp, the landlord of the neighboring Silver Fox and a longtime hairstylist, did not have restaurant experience before opening the deli. Like many, she did appreciate good food and always wanted to open a restaurant. At least in this case, the initial results are promising.

I have to say that the most startling thing about the deli is the mural on the wall by local artist Patti Doolittle. She's worked Buck and Merle, Luigi's, Dewar's, the old 99 Drive-in, the Fox Theater and all sorts of other local institutions into the design. It really dominates the space (only 800 square feet).

We counted eight tables inside and two outside, so the art just rules the room. Backing up that nostalgic style is the Big Band music playing softly in the background (that never gets old) and a nicely painted 1936 Dodge pickup truck out front used for deliveries.

My companions and I had a chance to sample an assortment of the deli's menu: the Basque setup ($6.95), the meatloaf sandwich ($5.50 on special -- usually it's $6.75), the cheeseburger ($5.50) and the chicken breast panini ($6.75).

There are nine cold sandwiches and 12 hot sandwiches as well as lasagna and a daily special to choose from, including the New Orleans special muffaletta, which is rarely found in these parts.

My biggest gripe was with my companion's Basque setup, which is presented on a disposable tray.

Sure it includes a respectable Basque vegetable soup, salad and French bread with butter, but you have to choose one of the following: pickled tongue, Basque cottage cheese, marinated white beans or tomato/onion/bell pepper salad.

Seems like a skimpy setup to me, especially since my companion chose the cottage cheese, which she maintained was flavored with green onion and I thought was seasoned with the typical parsley-garlic mix.

The dressing choices for the salad should have included a simple oil-vinegar option, as that's what we always find in Basque restaurants.

The sandwiches were good. The meatloaf was a simple, home-style variety with hints of tomato and onion, beautiful in its lumpy imperfection, and it's great on a soft, brown squaw bread.

My companion's cheeseburger was thick with vegetables (lettuce, tomato slice, onions, pickles) and not too thick. Best of all was the panini, lightly pressed, which was made with tomato, lettuce and provolone cheese.

My companion asked for her mayo on the side and didn't even use it, so perfect was the proportion and presence of the cheese.

Save room for dessert. We ordered the strawberry shortcake special ($3) and the red velvet cupcake ($2).

The strawberries were frozen (that's a guilty pleasure of mine from my childhood when fresh strawberries were a seasonal rarity in the Midwest) but the pound cake beneath it was a buttery delight. The cupcake was moist and could compete with some of the best in town.

Service was fine, though Mill Creek was not particularly busy when we visited. You order at the counter, and one of the staff of three will eventually bring it out to you. It looked like a tight fit back there, but the crew seemed efficient and friendly.