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| - Who knew you could strip a pierogi and turn the shell into a taco shell?
So co-workers arranged for a going away party for one of our dearest employees who is moving on to another job, and because of its close proximity, Bakersfield was chosen. Knowing that we all don't earn very much, it's kind of hard to understand WHY they chose one of the pricier places in the neighborhood, but there ya go.
We arrived at what was supposed to be an hour into the event, and we could find none of our group. Not upstairs, nor downstairs, and no one, including one other former employee that found us, knew anything about where this gathering was, so we opted to wait at the bar until it could be figured out.
I had no idea that a taco place would be quite so 'country' themed, but when it came down to it, it was much more 'Tex' than Tex-Mex' anyway. Some of the food was called the 'Willie' and the 'Loretta'. YEE-HA!
The music was loud, which made the rest of the atmosphere loud. Loud music and people yelling at each other. The bartender, who was actually very cool, and a bit gifted in the mixology department, asked what we wanted to drink. The special was the Bakersfield Margarita, and I am not a fan of Tequila at all, unless it's being sung by Son Of Dave, Tape Five or The Manhattan Transfer. My better half had one, and I ordered a Manhattan, which I should NOT have done on an empty stomach. The bartender, a guy probably in his mid to late 40's, silver bearded, said that I would not get a Manhattan like this from anyone else in the place.
It was STRONG, and almost SO 'fancy' that I didn't recognize it as a Manhattan, and on the empty stomach it took about one 'finger' to go to my head. But the 'not quite recognized as' theme carried through to the food.
My better half ordered a Pollo (POY-yo - which is chicken) Taco from the special taco menu, and I ordered the Cubano sandwich, or as they called it, Torta. Just after I placed my order, my better half's 'taco' came. A $4 taco. It was truly so tiny that it literally looked like they'd split open a pierogi, scraped out the stuffing, and then topped the pierogi dough with some taco stuff. It was very flavorful, according to my better half, but for $4? Totally not worth buying. It definitely didn't serve at a meal, and barely as an appetizer. And definitely not enough to counter a strong Margarita.
Another former employee came by, and we discovered that our gathering was hiding in a back corner, so we moved to that area before the sandwich arrived, and it was delivered back there.
Now, I lived in Miami, and I know what a Cubano is in terms of the sandwich. Also called a 'Medianoche' (May-dee-ah-NO-chay - which means 'midnight') it is a common late night post drinking binge nosh, rather like Primanti's. Well, this sandwich at Bakersfield was NO Medianoche, but it's okay that they call it a Cubano. It really was very good, with delicious and kicky toppings, and a wonderful side chipotle sauce. It was ten bucks, but a decent size.
So, for a Manhattan, a Margarita, a toy taco the size of an unfolded pierogi, and an actual sandwich, the bill came to just over $40.
The bartender was awesome, and the staff were all helpful and courteous. I just can't say I'd make any kind of return trip. Too expensive, tacos totally not worth the price, and so loud that you could not have a normal conversation without pressing your mouth to someone's ear, or flat out yell-talking.
But seriously...the tacos...there are several Mexican options downtown, and Tex-Mex. With such competition so nearby, why the tiny tacos? There wasn't even ROOM on the shell for more than a heaping tablespoon of 'stuff'. This is kind of a need to go BIGGER or go HOME kind of thing.
I do give points for the Cubano though. And one final pronunciation, and a good thing to remember for spitting out the Spanish language. All of the vowels in the Spanish language only have ONE sound
A - Ah
E - eh
I - ee
O - oh
U - ooh (like eww, not 'ohhhh')
Coo-BAH-no.
Not Cue-BAN-oh...
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