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...

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.



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.



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 Bakersfield.



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.

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



We started out with Bruschetta.

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...

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.

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 flavor of the food and three for the great value you receive.

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.

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.

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.









 

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...

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.



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.



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.

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.



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 fix, I’ll make a point to get a piece to go.