Bakersfield - 29 December, 2005 -

Though there are definite downsides to Bakersfield's "all growed up" status (traffic, expensive rent and housing, decent lattes), one of the benefits we really reaped here this year was a nice group of new restaurants. Some years as I looked back on the previous 12 months, we had nothing but more Mexican restaurants. Diversity was lacking. It seemed we got more of the same and those seeking urban fare or more exotic ethnic choices had to drive two hours south to the world's biggest 24/7 traffic jam. It wasn't pretty. I really started noticing the change this summer when Shogun Palace on California Avenue near Stockdale Highway opened. Another Japanese restaurant with teppan grills, I thought, but I was wrong. It had a more sophisticated edge to it, and at the time I compared it to restaurants I had visited in Santa Monica. Perhaps I was dazzled by the decor, with the underlighting at the tables, but I thought it was so cool that newcomers were ratcheting up the competition a notch. It was only one of a number of impressive new restaurants that opened in 2005. One of the first is still one of the most impressive: Little Italy at the corner of Gosford Road and Stockdale Highway. It's a tiny place (many of these are), so it's like a dainty objet d'art. A reasonably priced, white tablecloth Italian restaurant run by an Asian husband and wife team. With many entrees in the mid-teens, I felt like it was a value and the quality, well, it matched the more expensive restaurants. Sure, we also saw our first Elephant Bar open near California Pizza Kitchen, and that was far more interesting than the typical chain restaurant, but as the summer wound on we noticed more idiosyncratic places on the scene. The Saigon Bistro went as far as any restaurant could to restore some of the dining elegance to Union Avenue. Patrona Argentine BBQ, operated by the capable owners of Champs BBQ, brought another moderately priced casual dining option to town that wasn't a corporate creation. The fall was even better with the charming Mama Roomba opening in an old shoe repair shop downtown and offering Cuban/Argentinian/South American food in an eclectic atmosphere. McGee's at the Icehouse took one of our most history-steeped spaces and turned it into a vibrant nightclub-restaurant, though I've been accused in e-mails from some readers of overpraising it before its time. Maybe the new restaurant glitches aren't worked out, and perhaps I was losing my bearings with all these enjoyable new dining spots popping up. But can you blame a guy for getting excited about all these places? Of course not all new restaurants were dazzling, but others did help add to the diversity. The Hawaiian barbecue restaurant is well established in the Southland, but Bakersfield's first, JT Hawaiian Grill, opened up near the corner of Stockdale and California. Logan's Steakhouse, a variation on the Roadhouse Grill on Rosedale Highway, moved into the old On the Border location at California and Highway 99. New sandwich chains included Obee's on White Lane and Tacone's at Valley Plaza. And the first Planet Smoothie opened up in the Rosedale area to challenge Jamba Juice's dominance. Few new Mexican restaurants opened in 2005. The most significant was the new La Cabana that was built from scratch next to the Sonic on White Lane west of Ashe Road, but that was merely moving from a smaller location on the same street. We did lose a few restaurants, such as Bella Italia at the Icehouse, and local institution the Hush Puppy, that became Le Corruse Rouge after an ownership change. Fresh Choice closed and reopened as California Grill, a locally owned variation on the soup-salad bar concept. Goose Loonies became Kosmo's. And Christopher's Diner up in Oildale (open in the same location as the legendary Friendly Cafe) finally shut down, thus depriving all of us of the chance to eat a two-pound hamburger in one sitting and get a Polaroid picture of ourselves hung on the wall. Another Bakersfield institution, eastside coffee shop Corkey's on Niles, was converted into a broiled Mexican chicken restaurant. And we lost our only Krispy Kreme, though there are more than enough competitors such as Smith's and Foster's to keep all our belts too tight. We also enjoyed being the lab rats for the Jack-in-the-Box experiment to create a Chipotle-like restaurant chain called JBX. Though we were fans, late in the year the corporation announced plans to end the experiment. You can still get your deluxe burgers until February or March when the restaurants are converted back. The most improved restaurant in town, to me, is Frugatti's, which has evolved into a Buca di Beppa style family-dining Italian restaurant. "Real Italian food from Real Italians" is the restaurant's slogan, and it really fits. Hard to beat the pizzas coming out of the wood-burning oven. The best new restaurant, by a smidgen, is Little Italy. As I said, it's small, you need reservations and weekends can be tough, but it's that good. In other years any of the other choices could've taken the crown, but that's how strong 2005 was for Bakersfield restaurant customers. All we need now is a health food/vegetarian restaurant. For more information about Tacone , call 213 236 0950. email: info@tacone.com

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