Review: Bakersfield OTR

After hearing a lot of buzz about Bakersfield OTR, the new taco joint in Over-the-Rhine's Gateway Quarter, Kate and I decided to give it a try. Our friend Christina met us there at about 6 pm on a Tuesday night.

The restaurant was already filling up even at this early hour, but luckily we were seated right away. I've heard the wait time on the weekends can be 2-3 hours, so be prepared and get there early if you plan to go on a Friday or Saturday. When we arrived at 6 pm, there weren't any "regular" 4 top tables available, so we were seated at a long picnic-like table at the front of the restaurant. A few other people were already seated at the same picnic table, but it was spacious enough that we weren't right on top of each other. It didn't bother me at all; however it could be annoying if there was a loud/obnoxious group sitting next to you. :)

Shortly after being seated, our amazing server came over to get our drink orders. He was incredibly friendly, knowledgeable and full of great suggestions. There was quite a lot to choose from, including specialty cocktails made with mostly whiskey or tequila (since that is what they specialize in), margaritas, sangria, wine and beer. After some debate, I ordered the Sangria, Kate got the Red Headed Stranger (bourbon, cayenne pepper, candied ginger, lemon, bitters and Domaine de Canton) and Christina ordered the Bakersfield Margarita.




We were all very pleased with our cocktails! The sangria was made with Rosé and was rather sweet, but delicious. One was definitely enough. Kate really liked her bourbon concoction as well, and Christina was happy with her margarita! When our cocktails arrived at the table, we knew we were ready to order the chips and queso. There are a few appetizers to choose from but we all agreed that the chips and queso sounded great! And we were right! Deliciosa! The chips were clearly homemade and so was the queso and the two salsas. They have a green salsa verde that was my favorite. It was clearly made with fresh ingredeints. The same can be said for the red salsa, which is smoky with a nice spicy kick. They were both fantastic with the chips - and the tacos!

Just as he did with the drink menu, our server thoroughly explained the food menu to us and made fantastic suggestions. In addition to appetizers, there are salads, tortes (sandwhiches) and lots of TACOS to choose from! There are 7 different types of tacos to choose from, and they're priced individually so you can mix-and-match. I aboslutely love this concept! You don't have to commit to one type of taco...you can order a few different ones and try a little bit of everything. The server said the Pastor (chili marinated pork with pineapple, onions and cilantro) was the #1 favorite, so we all ordered that one. In addition to the Pastor, I ordered the Short Rib and Fish tacos. Kate ordered the Rajas (portobello mushrooms) and the Short Rib. And Christina ordered the Pollo Verde (tomatillo braised chicken) and cochinita pibil (spicy pork). 

We could not have been happier with our choices! Of all nine tacos, there was not a single complaint about any of them. I aboslutely loved all three of mine. The Short Rib taco was the winner (Kate also agreed), but not by much. The Pastor was a close second! The combination of the sweet and spicy was fantastic! And the mahi mahi taco was light and flavorful and a good change from the other two tacos. It was topped with a cabbage slaw, cilantro and a tabasco lime mayo. Yummmo!!

I will definitely be back to Bakersfield in the near future! The service, atmosphere, food and cocktails were very impressive and worth a repeat trip! I'm already planning my next visit!

~ Kris  

Food: 5

Service: 5 

Overall: 5

Review: Rock Bottom Brewery

A few weeks ago, Kate, her husband Ross and I went out to dinner at Rock Bottom Brewery at Fountain Square. Ross gave us the parameters that he wanted good beer and somewhere downtown, so Kate and I decided on Rock Bottom Brewery (our other choice being Nicholson's).

After parking at the Fountain Square garage, we made our way up to the restaurant, where we were told there would be an 1.5 hour wait so we headed to the bar, of course. I am not at all adventurous when it comes to beers. I wish I was but I just don't like very many of them. I was in the mood for beer but wasn't familiar with any of their handcrafted brews, so the bartender recommended the Kolsch. It was pretty good - similar to a Bud Light which was good with me. Ross had the Brown Bear Ale and Kate went with the Red Ale. They were both happy with their choices as well!

A couple beers later, it was finally our turn to sit down, and we were famished. We decided to get an order of the Ballpark Pretzels with jalapeno spinach dip to hold us over. The pretzels are brushed with ale and topped with salt. They were crispy on the outside and soft in the middle, and they paired really well with our beers and the spicy jalapeno spinach dip. Nothing fancy, but they were good.

For our entrees, I decided to order the fish tacos, Ross ordered the sirloin, and Kate got the roasted vegetable pizza.

I always find it a little risky to order a steak at a place like Rock Bottom, but Ross was confident in his decision and said it was actually pretty good. The sides were just okay. The broccoli was steamed and pretty plain (which Ross liked) and he was not impressed by the mashed potatoes.

I was pleased with my cajun fish tacos as well. I liked that each taco had a hard taco shell and a soft tortilla shell. The blackened fish had a spicy kick to it and went well with the cajun remoulade. The sides were just okay. The black beans had way too many scallions and the rice was a little dry.

Kate's roasted vegetable pizza looked delicious! If I wasn't so full from my own meal, I would have definitely snagged a piece of this. She had to take a few pieces home with her because it was so big. I like that they weren't skimpy on the vegetables. It was loaded with mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, peppers, onions, zucchini, mozzarella and feta cheese. The base was a sun-dried tomato pesto. Kate was happy with her decision.

While no one was overly impressed by their meal, we all thought everything was good. Nothing to write home about but decent food, which is what we were expecting from Rock Bottom. The service on the other hand was below standard. One would think that after waiting for almost 2 hours to be seated, the service after we sat down would be exceptional, especially because we noticed a ton of empty tables after we were seated. If I were the server, I would have started out by apologizing for the wait, and then do what I could to get things done quickly. That did not happen. Things seemed to move at a snail's pace, and the only times we saw our server were when she took our order (after a long wait), and when she gave us our bill. Someone else got our drinks and brought us our food (which I understand is a common restaurant practice so your food doesn't get cold). No one really checked in on us, asked us about dessert, etc. I definitely wasn't impressed with the service.

Overall, the experience was just "okay". The food was pretty standard and the service sub-par. It won't make it on to my favorites list anytime soon. If I go back, it would be for the great location and diverse menu. Even the pickiest of eaters could find something at Rock Bottom.

~Kris

Food: 3
Service: 2
Overall: 2.5

Recipe: Fish Tacos

Recently, I have been craving really good fish tacos, so this week I finally decided to make them. I looked up a few recipes online and combined several of them that I thought sounded best - keeping the ingredients that sounded good and eliminating a few others. The experiment was a complete success! They were deeeeelicious and definitely worth trying!

Ingredients:

MARINADE:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp honey
Juice from 1 lime
Green hot sauce, a few dashes  (like at Chipotle)
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
Salt and pepper
2-3 tilapia filets, cubed (or halibut also works well)

DRESSING:
3/4 cup sour cream
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
Juice from 1/2 of a lime
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
Salt and pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

TOPPINGS:
Mango, diced
Shredded red cabbage
Cilantro, chopped
Corn tortillas (2-3 per person)

Start by whisking together all the ingredients for the marinade and refrigerate for at least a few hours if time allows. I marinated mine for about 8 hours while I was at work, so it was nice and flavorful.
Next, combine all the ingredients for the dressing. I'd recommend doing this before cooking the fish, since it cooks so quickly. Once it's prepared, taste the dressing and adjust the seasoning as needed. You may want more or less chili powder, cumin, etc. to your taste preference.
Now you can start cooking the fish. Place the chunks of tilapia in a skillet over medium heat for several minutes until the fish is flaky, making sure to stir occasionally. While the fish is cooking, I baked a few corn tortillas in the toaster oven for about 2-3 minutes, chopped the mangos and prepared a "taco bar" for my toppings and dressing.

All that's left to do is assemble! Place the cooked pieces of tilapia in the corn torillas, drizzle with the dressing and toppings of your choice. I like a lot of cilantro on mine, and I also squeeze a little lime over the assembled tacos. So simple, fresh and delicious! I hope you enjoy!

~Kris