TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

Side dishes: Pizza Bob's making a new move

Readers Len and Karen Sessions wrote to tip me off to the move of Pizza Bob's from its East Hills Mall location (the original Morning Drive parlor closed months ago) to the old Shakey's at 2100 Alta Vista, also in the northeast.

"My wife and I are in town twice a year for a few weeks each time and our dining is steered by your recommendations," Len wrote. "We've followed Bob wherever he goes and he moves on the day we fly back to the UK! He gets a fresh review from you every time he moves, which is the silver lining to this relocation. Thanks for drawing him to our attention."

Owner Bob Sitarski said he'll be opening in the new location about mid-February, and the business will have the same phone number, 871-2000.

More on bad service

In my year-end restaurant roundup, I vented about the sloppy service trend in which waiters or waitresses walk to the table holding entrees and saying, "OK, who had the fettuccine alfredo?" It should be a basic of restaurant service to be able to serve people without intruding on their conversation.

We heard from Margaret Lemucchi, who was owner/operator of Lemucchi's Tam O'Shanter in the northeast from 1971 to 1988, when it was easily the best restaurant in town. She said the restaurant had devised a system that made getting the right entree to the right customer a breeze.

"When the order was taken, there was a position one at each table or booth, and that order went on the first line on the pad. If the third person ordered first, that went on line 3. If there was no position one, then number two became position one. Then the food went up on the rail from the kitchen, under the heat lamps, it went up in that order, so anyone could deliver the food. We used to say hot food has to go out hot, so another waiter or the bus person could take that out and serve it properly, even if they hadn't taken the order."

She thinks the numbering would work on modern computer ordering systems by inputting the entrees in the correct order.

Highland Inn

I've received several emails about the ownership change at the Highland Inn in Oildale, an establishment I praised lavishly in my year-end restaurant story. I will be visiting and do a report on the new crew in the next few months.

So long, Plumberry's

Sad to see that Plumberry's, a long-time Bakersfield pizza parlor, has shut down. One former employee posted on Facebook: "The roach thing back in 2010 certainly didn't help, especially with the slightly sensationalized media coverage during that time. What was not a headline was that the restaurant opened again hours later after passing a follow-up inspection and numerous ones since. ... our 4th quarter just wasn't what it needed to be."

Owner Jennifer Thomas cited costs and competition in the decision to close.

"The combination of the downturn in the economy, the sharp price increase of the cost of wheat and cheese and the number of pizzerias that opened in the southwest and northwest in the last three years (Red Brick, Mountain Mike's, Round Table, Jimano's, Taste of Italy and Tony's on Coffee and Hageman) did us in. Also, it's also hard to get people to pay $24 for quality pizza when they can get two for $10 from Pizza Hut. It may not be great pizza, but that really doesn't matter to a 12-year-old.

"Thanks for the positive reviews over the years. The employees that I have had working for us for years are really upset about the Plumberry's brand passing away. Maybe some enterprising entrepreneur will resurrect it. It's nice to know we will be missed."

You have to try this toffee

I recently received a gift of English toffee from a friend that came from a local business called Katie & Kasadi's Kitchen Homemade English Toffee. Toffee to me is OK, but this stuff was so buttery it was amazing. There are five different flavors, including peanut butter and dark chocolate. Cost is $14 to $15 a pound. Call Stef at 477-4992, Cindy at 340-2758, Debbie at 204-3225 or Dottie at 599-3282 if you're interested.

Mixing your own soda

The latest gizmo in many fast food restaurants (such as Wing Stop at the corner of White Lane and Gosford) is the Coca-Cola "freestyle" soda machine. You can basically create 100 or more different beverages using basic brands (all varieties of Coke, Barq's Root Beer, various Fantas) combined with flavoring syrups such as vanilla, cherry, etc. The secret is microdosing technology instead of the typical 5-gallon boxes of syrups most fountains use nowadays.

The company has been testing the machines since 2009. More information can be found at coca-colafreestyle.com.

-- Pete Tittl