Pete Tittl: Firehouse needs a spark in the kitchen
| Tuesday, May 05 2009 02:02 PM
Last Updated Tuesday, May 05 2009 02:02 PM
Firehouse Restaurant
7701 White Lane
831-4688
Hours: Serving food 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day.
Prices: Appetizers $4.50 to $9.50, wings $8.50 to $16.89, soups $4.59 to $5.89, sandwiches $7.99 to $9.99, wraps $6.95 to $11.95, burgers $8.95, salads $6.95 to $14.95, entrees $11.95 to $16.99, steaks $17.95 to $24.95, 9-inch pizza $10.95 to $12.95. Child's menu (12 and under) $5.95.
Payment: MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Discover accepted. Does not accept personal checks or The Californian's Press Pass.
Dress: Casual.
Amenities: Wheelchair accessible; full bar service; few vegetarian options.
Food: HH
Atmosphere: HHHH
Service: HHH
Value: HH
Next week: Crossroads Pizzeria
I really wanted to like the Firehouse Restaurant, a spectacular new place on White Lane in the southwest that has a fun environment and a slogan -- "Eat Drink Play" -- touting three of my favorite things in life.
In fact, at first glance it reminded me of the Dave & Buster's chain, which I have visited in Irvine. Of course it doesn't have the extensive video games of D&B, but there are so many pool tables in the back (more than a dozen) that you can rent by the half-hour or hour. A perfect activity while you're waiting for your food.
If you're not a pool player, the main dining room/bar near the front door has plenty of large TVs tuned to sporting events, and there's a patio outfront if you want to enjoy our great spring weather. The decor includes what looks like actual firehouse garage doors and very comfortable booths. There's an ultra cool mega picture on the wall of fire department trucks on display at the corner of 17th Street and Chester in downtown Bakersfield, circa 1926. And there's a balcony overlooking the pool tables that would be perfect for private parties.
Alas, the product coming out of the kitchen needs some serious work. It just isn't up to the attention to detail lavished on the rest of this restaurant. Management needs to find an experienced hand in the kitchen to put out the fires back there before too many ill-advised first impressions are formed. One of the first warnings was a quesadilla appetizer made with grilled onions, flat iron steak and American cheese. American cheese? Ugh. That's strictly a fast-food product.
On our first visit, we sampled a variety of foods: the onion rings appetizer ($6.95), the barbecue bacon and cheddar hamburger ($8.95), the "drunken captain" pork chops ($13.95) and the rib eye with garlic butter sauce ($24.95).
Our onion ring appetizer had a peppercorn sauce, but did not taste as if they were freshly battered. That steak was my entree, and it was pretty much a complete fail. The steak was thin and the quality of the meat was ordinary at best -- average grocery store beef, nothing special. I ordered it medium, it was brought to the table rare. There was no evident garlic or butter presence. I ordered steak fries, as they were called on the menu, but the fries were just the standard cut, not the wide planks most think of when they hear the term steak fries. The homemade applesauce I chose as my second side dish did not taste homemade.
The person on the grill had a rough day. My companion's hamburger was also ordered medium, but it was brought to the table well-done. At least I give the kitchen props for using fresh sliced medium cheddar on that instead of the American cheese I mentioned above.
My companion's pork chops, served bone in, did have some nice notes provided by the bourbon marinade but again, I would fault the meat supplier. We were expecting thick-cut pork loin, high quality chops. We got coffee shop chops.
On a second visit, we had a chance to sample more items, but it didn't get better. My companion's pulled pork sandwich ($8.99) was unremarkable up and down the line (blah bun, pork that was putting us to sleep). My other companion's Maltese Cross wrap ($8.95) was made with bacon, smoked turkey, pesto mayo and provolone cheese, but she noted it wasn't up to the quality of the wraps at Heidi's Brooklyn Deli. I got the specialty pizza ($12.95), made with bacon, ham, sausage and pepperoni. The crust did not seem homemade and the tomato sauce was sweet with no real garlic presence.
One worthy choice from the first visit was the Orange dreamsicle cheesecake, which was quickly devoured with glee and had a nice homemade taste. The waitress said they had a local supplier producing these, and the flavors offered will change over time.
Owner Russ Johnson, who used to work for a homebuilder and struck out on his own with this venture, has some retooling to do.
