Northeast Bakersfield seems to struggle to attract and sustain new restaurants, so it was a great day when Kipsy Cafe opened on Auburn Road.
Opened in the spot that was formerly the Mexican restaurant Ruben's, the restaurant actually has much more in common with its predecessor Cindy's, which called the spot home for decades.
In addition to all-day breakfast, Kipsy, named for the owner's children, also offers soul food on its dinner menu.
Pete Tittl was taken with the chicken-fried steak biscuit breakfast sandwich, not only for the novelty — offering a fresh take on the ubiquitous local menu item — but also the execution.
"It was pretty cool, almost an open-faced operation with two sunny-side-up eggs on top of a very crumbly biscuit that was rectangular rather than round, the better to fit the deep-fried beef strip," he wrote." "The made-on-the-premises gravy was not full of meat or black pepper and worked fine with the whole project."
For dinner, he opted for the catfish, which he said holds up in comparison to the excellent fish at Mom's House with its ultra-crispy cornmeal breading and not a speck of grease.
The sides he selected — dirty rice and chili beans — were also of note.
He wrote, "The dirty rice had a nice veggie flavor and a real punch of spiciness — sometimes there's too much meat in these creations, but this seemed to really get the flavor from peppers and onions, which I liked.
"There was a more pronounced meat impression from the chili beans, which had all sorts of small ground beef pieces in it, and the muddy texture you hope for from slow-cooked beans."
His companion ordered the classic chicken and waffles, which, like the catfish, was brought to the table "exceptionally hot."
The deboned chicken breast fillet had the "similar dry-as-a-bone crispiness" as the fish, and served with a thin waffle, proved to be great comfort food on a winter night.