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Pete Tittl: Mmm, mmm imperfect -- in a good way

BY PETE TITTL, Contributing columnist | Wednesday, Sep 16 2009 04:53 PM

Last Updated Wednesday, Sep 16 2009 04:55 PM

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.

This is mostly not the case at Andre's Drive-in, the Bakersfield institution on Brundage Lane that has lived off of BHS students for decades and is still plugging along with items like the Big Big Burrito ($2.55), so imperfect in its presentation that you know it was made and deep fried right in the kitchen. Andre's may have run up the white flag on a couple items (the famous fried pie we ordered -- apple at $1.95 -- was not fresh made), but for the most part it still creates some distinctive items at fast food prices that lack the corporate polish, and aren't we glad of that?

Let's take the French Burger ($4.55), the most famous item on the menu. Sadly most fast-food restaurant buns are inoffensive carb bombs. Lately the major chains have tried to make them seem like Kaiser rolls and other high-quality bread products, but they seem phony. This bun, a sourdough product from local baker Pyrenees, is bakery fresh, and was toasted. Two burger patties were placed side by side with lettuce, tomato, American cheese, pickles and mustard. I skipped the special sauce. I wouldn't rank it up there with In-N-Out, but it's an honest diner-style burger that tastes homemade.

The Big Big Burrito ($2.55) -- so impressive that it needed two adjectives -- is a chimichanga stuffed with whole pinto beans, cheese and finely ground beef. It's crisp, a bit ugly, made with one of those extra large flour tortillas, and unlike anything else in town. At that price, it's the cheapest lunch around.

One of the off-menu specials I can tell you about is the taco burger ($2.30). The kitchen grills some of the seasoned ground beef used in the tacos, tops it with shredded mild cheddar and puts it on a bun. I wasn't as crazy about it as the two items I just mentioned, but secret off-menu items are always cool.

Also worth mentioning are the thick crinkle-cut French fries ($1.95), which, while not fresh cut, have an appealing starchy sweetness. The shakes and malts are marvelous and are available in 10 flavors including grape, kiwi, mango, peanut butter and boysenberry.

I did not get a chance to order another specialty, the French dip pastrami ($4.55). Most of the rest of the menu board is a mix of sandwiches, including a fish burger, Mexican food and fried snacks.

The decor may be a bit faded, but I appreciated the shaded parking stalls in the front and the old Pepsi sign that was the menu board. The old sign out front is weathered but looks like something from the '50s. No fancy graphics, only one drive-through lane and no playground. How can that sort of thing survive today? Go find out for yourself.