The Prime Cut
The Prime Cut
The Prime Cut has come a long way from the small meat market on Stockdale Highway known for its famed Mervburger to the grand expansion out in northwest Bakersfield. With its emphasis on quality meats of all types, the restaurant was a great spot to send our new Dining Divas for their first adventure.
Warm welcome
Aimee — The owners, Michelle and Merv Crist, have done a nice job of making their customers feel welcomed as soon as they walk in the door. When we arrived, we sat at a table and were greeted by a very friendly server named Chad. He gave us a rundown of the menu and drink specials and was very helpful in answering our questions.
Wendy— Michelle Crist introduced herself to us and gave us an update on an upcoming event. Merv was nice enough to let us have a tour of the kitchen and gourmet shop. I am a cook myself, so getting a tour of the kitchen was very exciting for me. I would have loved to put an apron on and start cooking!
Atmosphere
Lori — As I walked in the doors I admired the Jamaican theme décor. The music was soft but loud enough to hear and it was soft rock. The lighting was casual and comfortable, not too dark. The seating had regular, pub style tables, and a few booths. They also had a few TVs, which were on different sports channels, and a full-service bar.
Whitney — The atmosphere at Prime Cut is fun! Cajun fun! If you have ever been to New Orleans you understand Cajun fun! Great music, lively decor and lots of things to look at. They have a huge mirror that hangs over the bar with some interesting history. Ask the bartender about it!
Drinks
Wendy — My favorite drink was "Jamaican Me Crazy" since it set the tone for our dining experience. I think our readers will find that these Divas are four crazy fun women who have a sister-like relationship.
Whitney — Oh the bartenders! Now these guys at Prime Cut can make some great drinks! We had more fun just looking at all the names of the drinks and reading their ingredients. I ordered the Roadrunner. It was electric blue and big! Cajun big! It was made with blueberry vodka and several other concoctions.
Appetizers
Aimee — We started our meal with three appetizers: Stinky Fries, Popcorn Crawfish and Blackened Shrimp. I sampled the crawfish, and to my surprise they were very tasty. It was a perfect start to our eating feast.
Whitney — My favorite was the Popcorn Crawfish made with corn meal! Deep-fried good! This was served with a cocktail and remoulade sauce. Even Aimee, my “I don’t eat anything that lives in water” friend liked the Popcorn Crawfish.
Wendy — The Stinky Fries were very good. I had to force myself to stop eating them. They were steak fries with garlic, parsley, seasoning, then topped with Parmesan cheese. Very flavorful. The Blackened Shrimp were presented in a large martini glass with a cocktail dipping sauce in the center. I enjoyed all the appetizers.
Beef
Wendy — I was excited to hear that we were going to Prime Cut since I am a "where's the beef?" kind of a girl. Prime Cut offers to its customers a "Pick Your Own Steak" from the butcher shop. So it wasn't any surprise that I picked a rib-eye, which is my favorite cut.
Whitney — If you like meat, this is your place! They have a butcher shop on the premises with all the cuts of beef, chicken and sausage Bakersfield likes. They have a freezer full of different kinds of specialty sausages that are outstanding. I got a kick out of watching a few men trying to decide on what sausage to buy. It was like watching a kid in a candy store trying to pick out his favorite candy!
Lunch
Aimee — For my main meal I ordered the Caesar salad and Voodoo Pasta with chicken. The salad was crisp and had the perfect amount of hard-boiled egg, bacon, Parmesan cheese and homemade croutons. I truly enjoyed the dressing. The fresh-made Caesar dressing was full of flavor, but didn’t overpower the other ingredients in the salad. The Voodoo Pasta was a spicy Alfredo-type sauce tossed with rotelle pasta, topped with bell peppers, Parmesan cheese, chicken, and parsley. It was an explosion of flavor in my mouth! The portions are huge, so there is always enough for lunch the next day!
Whitney — Since I’m at Prime Cut and they specialize in Cajun, then I went Cajun all the way with the Crawfish Ya Ya. This is crawfish etouffee served over jambalaya. Can you say HOT! It’s not too hot that you won’t love it but hot enough for you people who love spicy!
Dessert
Lori — I tried saving room for dessert knowing I had to try something, and everything sounding so good. I went with the peanut butter homemade cookie ice cream sandwich, drizzled with caramel and laying on drizzled cherry sauce. Fabulous, if you love peanut butter cookies and something light. I highly recommend this. The other ladies ordered bananas foster, bread pudding and a sundae with caramel and nuts. Each of us allowed the others a taste. All of our desserts were extraordinary and generous in size.
Aimee — We all chose a different item from the dessert menu in the hopes everyone would share. I hate to say it, but some Divas become very territorial over their desserts. I had the bananas foster. It was vanilla ice cream served with warm caramelized bananas. The sauce was served separate from the ice cream, so you could put the perfect amount of bananas and sauce over the ice cream.
Whitney — As usual, Aimee and Wendy jump on ordering first, so Lori and I have third and fourth choice. Those two are so dang competitive when ordering food. When it was my turn to order, I choose the Bread Pudding Creme Brulee Style (warm bread pudding with a creme brulee underneath it). This is my kind of dessert, huge! This was one of the instances where you are so full you are almost sick but you keep eating it anyway!
The Prime Cut
9500 Brimhall Road
Bakersfield, CA 93312
831-1413
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.