Bakersfield Life

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Lydia Rowles grew up in Baltimore and went to school in Boston. She moved to Bakersfi eld 13 years ago and quickly fell in love with Kern County. She tends to like food that’s a little different, but not too different. “I appreciate a creative menu but not one that’s so creative that I can’t pronounce the ingredients in a dish,” she says.

Katie Kirschenmann grew up in Birmingham, Ala. Where her grandmother was a locally renowned cook. Her grandmother’s recipes can still be found in Junior League cookbooks.

Katie says the creativity her grandmother shared fostered her love for fine arts. “My love for food and cooking is hereditary,” she says.

Penny Rafferty, married to Jim and mother of Katie and Ryan, has lived in Bakersfi eld for 17 years. She feels Bakersfi eld is a great place to raise a family and an outstanding place to conduct business. “It seems like everybody knows somebody that you know,” she says. “That is why I fi nd Bakersfi eld such a terrifi c home.” Tracy Walker Kiser, a graduate of Garces Memorial and CSUB, is married to Brian Kiser. Her favorite foods to cook are Mexican and Italian and her dessert specialty is decorative sugar cookies.

“I come from generations who love to cook and bake and I have family who appreciates my efforts,” she says. A Hidden Gem Katie - Until our diva lunchtime rendezvous, I had never eaten at Joseph’s. In fact, up until our date, I had never even heard of Joseph’s. I don’t like missing out, particularly when it comes to food, and I have defi nitely been missing out on some pretty divine Italian cuisine.

Tracy - Joseph’s Italian Restaurant is a locallyowned family-run restaurant. Roseanna and Luis Ortiz work every aspect of this fl avorful Italian eatery from baking and cooking to serving and greeting.

Joseph’s, named after one of their sons, has been around for 25 years.

Lydia - Tucked behind an auto service shop and facing the mammoth parking lot of the Golden State Mall, Joseph’s is an unassuming presence from the street. Once you pass through their big wooden doors, however, you enter a haven of Italian comfort food. According to Chef Luis Ortiz, everything at Joseph’s is handmade. He arrives at 6 a. m. to begin preparing the sauces and by 8 a.m. the rest of the family arrives to lend a hand. The care and attention shows.

Ambiance

Katie - When you enter the restaurant, you will encounter a cozy and comfortable interior. As soon as I stepped through the door, the heavenly aroma of tomato and garlic greeted me. My initial observation was the steady stream of pizzas and take-out boxes fi ling out the door. It was obvious to me that quite a few people know something that I don’t: Joseph’s is a good restaurant.

Penny - The Italian opera playing continues your sensory experience. The smell of tomato sauce welcomes you as you enter the door.

Tracy - When arriving at Joseph’s at 11:30 a.m. there were a handful of diners, and by the time we were done eating the pizza people were lined up waiting. This place is popular at lunchtime; one for the convenience, two for the fl avor of the food and three for the great value you receive.

A Look at the Menu Lydia - Looking over Joseph’s menu, you’ll fi nd all the Italian standards. Pastas of every type – spaghetti, linguini, ravioli, manicotti, gnocchi and tortellini – are offered with a selection of sauces – meat, pesto, alfredo, garlic and my favorite, marinara. There are also pizzas, calzones and a list of other specialties including lasagna, chicken/veal parmesan, chicken cacciatore, steaks and shrimp dishes.

Starters Penny - We started out with Bruschetta.

There were eight pieces, the perfect amount to share. The bread was toasted to perfection and it was a symphony of fl avors, with the garlic, basil, extra virgin olive oil, tomatoes and cheese. There was just the right amount of garlic, a lot!

Tracy - We decided to have the Margarita Pizza. A size small was a wonderfully rich 12-inch pizza with a crispy, medium-thick crust. The sauce on Joseph’s pizza is spicy, tangy and not too thick. This pizza was fi lled with the wonderful fl avors of Roma tomatoes, spinach and mozzarella cheese. Healthy and tasty, this pizza is a great buy at $14.95 and it looks as good as it tastes.

Our Meal

Lydia - Tracy ordered the mini Joseph’s Special Calzone, Katie had the Lasagna with a side of meatballs, Penny chose the Gnocchi with marinara and I went all out with the special that day, Cappelini Napoletan with Shrimp.

Katie - I chose Joseph’s Lasagna ($8.50) with a side of meatballs. The lasagna was pretty good, but what was truly exceptional was the side of meatballs and the incredible tomato sauce in which they were served. The “side” had completely overshadowed my main course. Don’t get me wrong, my lasagna was tasty. It’s just that the meatballs were so good they made me forget about my lasagna completely. They were serving spoon-sized rounds that were light yet full of gusto. The ingredients are simple: garlic, herbs, onion and ground beef, but the fl avor was intense.

The bright red tomato sauce that covered the meatballs was just plain wonderful. It was everything an Italian trattoria-style red sauce should be: robust with tomato fl avor, savory with the right amount of salt and herbs, and garlicky enough but not so much that the brightness of the tomato is overpowered.

Penny - I ordered the Gnocchi. They were little nuggets of potato goodness accented with warm authentic tomato sauce. How can you go wrong with potatoes, pasta and tomato sauce? Katie and Lydia pronounced the potato dumpling pasta excellent.

Tracy - I went for a house specialty, the Joseph’s Special Calzone, something my husband Brian loves to eat at Italian restaurants.

This pizza sandwich is handmade and baked in a stone-fi re oven, and was stuffed with ham, pepperoni, salami, onions, mushrooms, olives and lots of cheese. This mini calzone, served with a side of sweet tomato sauce, was comforting, soothing and large enough for all of us to share and devour. It was a real value at $8.95. Penny - The calzone was a mini on the menu.

I think that they misspelled mini: It should have been many, as in it could have fed many people. It was huge! The crust was light, tasty and crunchy. The ingredients were working well together to provide a burst of fl avor in each bite.

Lydia - As soon as my Cappelini Napoletan with Shrimp arrived at the table I knew I had made the right choice. My plate was piled with delicate cappelini pasta topped with chunks of tomato, mushroom, green pepper, basil and shrimp that had been sautéed in olive oil and garlic. The shrimp and chunks of vegetables were infused with the taste of garlic and the result was pungent but not over-Powering. Somehow the dish tasted hearty, yet light. In the end, I barely seemed to put a dent in the pile of pasta.

Desserts

Lydia - As the four of us sat debating who got to take home what leftovers, Roseanna came by to offer us dessert. We all looked at each other. No way. And nothing – not even the leaning tower of to-go boxes we juggled out into the midday sun – says more about Joseph’s portions than the fact that for the fi rst time in Diva history, we said “No thanks” to dessert. For the record, Joseph’s does have dessert – I hear they make a mean tiramisu – but I’ve never had the room left to try it. Maybe after my next tortellini fi x, I’ll make a point to get a piece to go.

Impressions

Tracy - The menu at Joseph’s can satisfy anyone’s taste, offering everything from steaks, seafood and chicken to a large selection of homemade pastas and pizzas. The restaurant might be small with narrow booths and tables, but the plates are generous and the staff is friendly.

Katie - Even though I had never heard of Joseph’s before, I feel like I was let in on one of the best-kept restaurant secrets in Bakersfi eld.

I am sure to be a repeat guest. Joseph’s is a charming family restaurant and embodies everything that is good about a small Italian trattoria: it is charming, off the beaten path and they serve honest, rustic food made with care and authenticity.