Joseph's Italian Restaurant, Bakersfield

Joseph’s Italian Restaurant, Bakersfield, Ca

My Friend Nick was in town from Calgary helping with some vessel work at the shop.  It’s nice to have someone to out with when Betty is hosting a class at home on Thursday night.  We went to Joseph’s Italian Restaurant on F Street.  Joseph’s is a 30 year Bakersfield establishment.  I remember first going there for lunch when the Unocal offices were across the street.  Nick and I walked in and were seated right away.  It’s a small restaurant with only about 15 tables.  We got a booth along the far wall.  The bench seat was kind of weird.  I sat down and sank down so that the table was chest high.  I felt like I was in a high chair.  OK, no big deal, nothing to get upset about.

Then I notice the woman in charge.  You can always tell who the boss is.  And she looked a lot like the owner of Sorella’s .  When she came by the table to check on things, I asked her if she was related to the lady that owns sorells’s.   And that she bears a striking resemblance.  She said, “thank you, she is my aunt”.  I asked her about Joseph’s and she said her father started the restaurant 30 years ago when he moved to Bakersfield from Boston.  She took it over a few years ago.  It’s a nice family restaurant with a 30 year history. 

Nick and I wanted a bottle of wine.  There is not a wine list.  The limited wine available on the menu is Inglenook.  That will not do for me.  I would rather have Coke with dinner.  Nick was insistent.  And there was a small folded cardboard ad on the table for an Italian imported red table wine.  The ad said it was ruby red in color and fruity and stuff.  And it was only $16 per bottle.  Well, that can be good and bad.  We ordered a bottle and hoped for the best.  The wine was a nice red table wine and well worth the $16.  I was remembering one time when Betty, Lia, her boyfriend and I went to Josephs and I brought a bottle of Le Cuvier Bat Cuvee.  I was telling Nick how great that wine was.  And like other great Le Cuvier wines, it’s gone and no longer available. 

The waiter brought the wine and a large basket of fresh soft bread.  Nick ordered the Capellini Neopolitan.   I asked about the sauce and the waiter said it comes with a butter lemon sauce.  I ordered the manicotti with marinara sauce.  As the waiter was walking away with our order, another waiter delivered food the table across the aisle from us.   Nick and I both noticed the steak special, rib eye Caruso.  Nick and I both said at the same time, “waiter.  Wait a minute.  I want to change my order”. 

The rib eye Caruso was amazing.  The 16 – 18 oz. steak was cut a full inch thick, topped with sautéed mushrooms, little slices of ham and 3 or 4 large shrimp sautéed in garlic butter.  A half of baked potato was on the side.  And a full dish of spaghetti and marinara sauce was served for each of us.  My steak was cooked to medium rare and was juicy and flavorful.  I was not even temped to add salt or steak sauce.  The mushrooms on top were sliced in half so they were bite size.  The shrimp were large and garlic-buttery with the tail on.  The ham did not really add much.  The steak was so flavorful the ham went pretty much unnoticed.  The baked potato was hot and actually fully cooked.  You know how a baked potato is sometimes still hard?  I hate that.  The waiter brought sour cream and the butter was already on the table.  A little parmesan cheese sprinkled on top added some extra flavor.  The marinara sauce on the spaghetti was a little light.  But it was tomatoey and made classic spaghetti and red sauce.  Oh yeah, it comes with a small antipasti salad or soup.   

I interrupt this blog for a wine update:  I am now enjoying a Rotta 2003 Estate Zinfandel, Giubbini Vinyard, paired with sliced salami and Tillamook sharp cheddar cheese, topped with a tomato pesto.   The wine is great.  But I have to warn you that I believe that I have a special bottling from this winery.  About a year ago I was wine tasting at Le Cuvier with my friends, Mike and Evan.  We arranged for a barrel tasting with the winemaker at Le cuvier.  It was a very special private tasting and the Le Cuvier wine was, as usual, spectacular.  We did, however, make the mistake of going to other wineries with the hopes of finding other great wines.  Other friends have recommended Rotta Zinfandel to me and the winery is on Vineyard Drive in Paso, so we went there.  I have made this mistake many times and keep getting the same result.  Isn’t that the definition of insane?  I have not enjoyed any wine tasting after tasting at Le Cuvier.  The Rotta we tasted at the winery tasting room was not drinkable to us.   So when I was digging around in the wine cabinet and found the Rotta Zin, I thought, this is contaminating the “goods”.  Well, it turned out that the Rotta Zinfandel I had was very enjoyable.  I credit the quality to the 2003 vintage, estate fruit and Giubbini Vineyard.  If you can find one of these, you should buy it on my recommendation.  Fat chance.  Maybe their newer Estate Zins are OK.  Let me know if you try one.    

The rib eye steak at Joseph’s was really good.  I totally enjoyed each juicy bite, the mushrooms and shrimp.  The tiramisu at Joseph’s is some of the best around.  I like it because it’s not too heavy. It has 2 layers of cake in it so the cheese and cream is not too dominate. 

By the way, Joseph’s is known for the calzones.  They are huge.  Like an extra large pizza folded in half.  I give Joseph’s a solid 3 star rating.  I should compare the rib eye steak and shrimp at Sorella’s.