The Secret’s Out

Written by Mike Stepanovich

The Crest Bar and Grill may be one of the best-kept secrets in Bakersfield. It’s one of those places that you’ve got to know where it is, and be purposely going there, to find it. No billboards or signs direct you. For longtime Bakersfield residents, the clue is in the name: the Crest Bar and Grill is on the site of the former Crest Drive-in Theater, a Bakersfield fixture for decades.

It’s the focal point of the Bakersfield RV Resort, the creation of Ed and Sharlyn Patterson...themselves RV aficionados. The converted, old drive-in site, which sat empty from 1998 until the Pattersons opened the Bakersfield RV Resort in spring 2007, is now a destination for RVs. It won a Beautiful Bakersfield award in 2009, and judging from Internet ratings, is one of the best places in the state, if not the West.

That distinction certainly applies to the restaurant; it’s well worth the effort to find it. To get there, head south on Wible Road and take the first right past Pacheco Road into the RV Resort (address is 5025 Wible Road). Turn right at the large building in front of you, and go to the entrance to the Crest Bar and Grill. There’s a putting green to the right as you enter, and a patio with misters. Inside, the bar is on the left, with the dining room at the south end of the large, open room.

The staff is quite friendly. You’re barely in the door when the host or hostess calls out a greeting and seats you promptly. You quickly discern that resort guests are the core customers, as your server will ask where you’re from. They weren’t surprised to learn we were locals—our server said about 40 percent of her customers are local, perhaps more—but it’s clear visitors are anticipated.

The interior is dark, cool, and comfortable; ideal if you’ve driven in from elsewhere or had a long day at work and are looking for a place to unwind. Either way, the Crest works.

We had visited the Crest shortly after it opened, and found a “new-place” buzz had brought a large crowd. We hadn’t visited in a while and decided it was time to reacquaint ourselves with the Crest. On our first visit back, it was much quieter, which allowed for pleasant conversation and for us to focus on our meals. A nice touch: cloth napkins.

Our server, Mary, was quite helpful with our menu selections. I told her I was looking for a lighter entrée, so she recommended either the Eggplant Parmesan ($13.95) or the Lemon Chicken Picatta ($13.95). When the host recommended the eggplant, that convinced me; I also ordered a bowl of the Santa Fe Chicken Soup ($2.95). My wife, Carol, chose the Ultimate Works Burger ($9.95).

My soup arrived, and was delightful. It was served hot, and had a creaminess to it that coated my palate. Chunks of chicken and chili peppers dotted the soup; roasted red peppers were pureed with the base to give the soup a pinkish color. And that wonderful, roasted-pepper flavor came through! This was one of the more imaginative and delicious soups I’ve had in awhile. And it was hearty enough that with a crust of bread and a bigger bowl, it could have easily been a meal by itself.

Carol’s burger arrived, and it was a huge, half-pound monstrosity. It had crisp bacon, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, onions, and thousand-island dressing—in short, the works. “I’m telling you, this has got everything on it but the kitchen sink,” she said. She got halfway through before she had to quit, but she enjoyed the other half the next day.

She also ordered onion rings instead of fries...and these things were huge! They were an inch wide, with a light batter, fried to a golden brown. Carol let me try one, and with the ranch dressing that came as a dip, they were great.

My Eggplant Parmesan was a work of art. It was smothered with a blanket of mozzarella cheese, and had fettuccini Alfredo as a side dish. The Alfredo sauce was light and mildly cheesy, and a good balance to the bold Eggplant Parmesan.

The eggplant was absolutely splendid. The three slices of eggplant had been fried to give it a nice, crunchy texture, then assembled with a rich, almost sweet, Marinara sauce, draped with the mozzarella and baked. It was delicious! No wonder Mary recommended it.

We were so impressed that we returned a few nights later. I was intent on ordering that Lemon Chicken Picatta, but I never did. Instead we went for fried calamari strips ($10.95) and stuffed mushrooms ($8.95) for openers.

Our server on this visit, Matt, was an outgoing and friendly fellow who gave details of the various items we inquired about. It was his descriptions that sold us on the calamari and mushrooms.

Good choices, too. The calamari came in quarter-inch-square strips about six inches long, coated in a light batter, which we were learning was one of the Crest’s trademarks, and a light sprinkling of seasoned salt.

The presentation was appealing, with the strips lying on red-leaf lettuce leaves, and a small cup of cocktail sauce, spruced up with black pepper, in the middle. The strips were so tender you could cut them with a fork, and quite tasty.

The mushrooms were about a half-dollar size and stuffed with bacon and cheese; were they ever rich and flavorful! Both Carol and I liked the size as it made for an easy bite – just pop it in your mouth. The mushrooms came with warm marinara sauce that added volumes to the complex flavors of the mushrooms, and it also went exceptionally well with the calamari.

Upon Matt’s recommendation, we decided to split the daily special, fish and chips ($11.95). What a great choice! Three large fillets of cod arrived, about twice the size of what you normally get at other places. They were coated in a light batter (naturally) that included herbs de Provence which provided subtle flavors that left us both in awe. The fillets were fried to a dark, golden brown; crunchy, but not oily at all. The fish was firm and flaky, with great texture. Just outstanding.

Matt provided us with tarter sauce and ranch dressing (dip for the fries, which were terrific), and my lone disappointment was the sweet pickles in the tarter sauce. The sauce was fine, well made, but I’m a dill guy...what can I say? Just a personal preference. So I used the ranch dressing for my fish, and was happy.

For dessert, the grilled bananas ($5.95) are sheer genius. And they’re to die for! The dish comes with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, surrounded by chunks of fried banana. The banana pieces are more like lightly seared because they’re still firm—not mushy at all. They’re sitting in a pool of caramel sauce with chopped pistachios sprinkled generously on top. What a way to end the meal.

Both Matt and Mary kept touting the homemade peach cobbler ($5.95), so we’ll have to try that on a future visit. Which will be any day now.

The Crest accepts major credit cards, and is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It closes nightly at 9 p.m. Phone is (661) 833-9998.

Article appeared in our 27-3 Issue - August 2010