Mauricio’s Grill and Cantina

Three locations: 10700 Rosedale Hwy Bkfd , 6401 White Lane Bkfd, and 5701 Dennis McCarthy Dr., Lebec

www.mauriciosgrill.com

Bakersfield’s Mauricio’s is a local favorite for many people, and if you haven’t been there, you are sure to recognize them from their catchy television commercials where patrons enthusiastically sing, “Mauricios!” In fact, it’s been my go-to restaurant for our girls’ night out because it has the best tableside guacamole in town, which happens to be my favorite Mexican creation. This time at Mauricio’s we were in for a treat because we didn’t order our usual dishes, we left that up to the manager Sal. He surprised us with some of Mauricio’s favorite dishes that made me realize this restaurant has a lot more to offer than what many people may think of as traditional Mexican fare.

With my husband, and two close friends, Damien and Jennifer Wolff, we geared up our taste buds and were ready to have a culinary adventure. The meal started with chips and salsa, and my favorite, tableside guacamole mixed right before our eyes from our fabulous server, Maria, in a traditional mocajete bowl. The chips for both the salsa and guacamole were hot and fresh out of the oven – the only hard part was controlling our intake because we knew a lot more food was coming.

First came out soup and salad, but not your average starters. The soup, Sopa De Nopales, contains authentic cactus sautéed with onions, combined with tomatillo and Jalapenos, then simmered. The cactus was cooked perfectly where the texture was soft, not chewy or tough, and tasted delicious. Paired with a mixed green salad with red and yellow peppers, and olives, it was tossed with a citrus-lime vinaigrette. This combination would be a perfect light lunch or dinner. Next came four entrees with beautiful presentation on colorful plates that we ate family style: Tacos De Vegetables, Rosemary Sea Bass, San Francisco Bay Enchiladas, and Chicken and Steak Fajitas.

We decided to eat the vegetarian tacos first, which was the perfect combination. Even though there was no meat inside, these tacos proved savory and filling. Tacos De Vegetables combines roasted zucchini, red onion, and bell pepper topped with a sharp pepper jack cheese encased in a corn tortilla. Served with whole beans and a fiesta-style white rice.

The Rosemary Sea Bass is the perfect blend of rosemary, garlic, and Mexican spices that doesn’t take away from the fish itself. Served with spinach, it adds a buttery complement to the fish but keeps the rosemary taste present.

Known as one of the specialties of the house, San Francisco Bay Enchiladas can be summed up with one word: “WOW!” The dish is two flour tortillas filled with shrimp, crabmeat, and cream cheese, tomatillo and cilantro sauce, served with steamed broccoli and fiesta style white rice. This contemporary Mexican dish sounds like it’s going to be heavy with the cream cheese, but it’s not. In fact, the sauce is so rich, sweet, and delicious you can use the broccoli to soak up any extra that is left on your plate.

Lastly, we tried chicken and steak fajitas with bell peppers and onions that you can hear sizzling before they’re presented hot at your table. Fajitas come with fresh corn or flour tortillas, Spanish rice, refried beans, fajita salsa, fresh guacamole, and sour cream. This traditional Mexican dish engages all five senses: the presentation is beautiful and colorful, you can smell the spices cooking as you hear them sizzling, you actively create your own fajitas, and then it livens ups your taste buds. Never pre-grilled, Mauricio’s meat is seasoned and prepared fresh, and you can tell.

If that weren’t enough food, Sal brought us two desserts: Sopapillas and Strawberry Shortcake. The sopapillas are a Mexican flatbread deep fried golden brown and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and served with caramel sauce. They are light and fluffy; and even though they are deep fried, they are not greasy. The real surprise of the night came with the second dessert. With moist double layered shortcake, local strawberries, a scoop of chocolate chip ice cream, and topped with cream and a sprig of mint, this is not your average strawberry shortcake. Everything marries so well together and the bitterness of the chocolate against the strawberries makes this the best strawberry shortcake I’ve eaten.

The night was fun, exciting, and trying new things I’d never thought to order at Mauricio’s. You can tell the chefs take no short cuts and prepare ingredients when ordered. This can make for a slightly longer wait time, but believe me, it’s worth the wait!