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The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, June 28, 2012
Eye Street Editor Jennifer Self | Phone 395-7434 | e-mail jself@bakersfield.com
Index Patriotic Blast .......................................... 24 The Fourth at River Walk ........................ 25 Arts Alive .................................................. 26 Writer-in-Residence Workshop .............. 27 The Lowdown with Matt Munoz.............. 28 Tehachapi Independence Day Concert .. 29 13th annual Bad Bull Riding Tour............ 33 Calendar .............................................. 34-35
A kinder, gentler bar Rosedale joint is transformed into clean, friendly pub BY MIRANDA WHITWORTH Contributing writer
G
oodbye, dive; hello, neighborhood bar. What was once the Pit Stop on Rosedale Highway near Verdugo Lane is now J&M’s Bar and Grill, a sleeker, more upscale establishment that has ditched a rough-around-the-edges clientele for a more mature crowd. The new owners, who also run the popular coffee shop by the same name next door, have put their own stamp on both establishments, but their influence is most apparent at the bar. Manager Andrew Wilkins said that while the previous owner kept the two establishments separate, new owners Colins Rimer and Cap Prielipp decided to join the businesses. They’ve applied to extend the liquor license into the restaurant while keeping the bar 21 and over. “Before, the restaurant would close at 2 p.m. and the bar would open at 3 p.m., so a lot of people didn’t really even think to go to both places,” Wilkins said. “Now we have both open during some of the same hours and serve food on the bar side so you can have a Bloody Mary with breakfast if you want or just keep your food in the diner. It’s up to you.” Following a five-month remodel, J&M’s Bar and Grill is a far cry from the Pit Stop, which featured a weathered, horseshoe-shaped bar with karaoke and cover bands on the weekends. In place of the shredded bar stools is new seating and granite countertops. The bar menu — which is evolving, Wilkins said — boasts a selection of pub fare available until 9 p.m. “Right now it’s your standard stuff like sliders and fries, but I’m looking forward to steaks and other dinner options that we just don’t have at the cafe because it closes so early.” Wilkins, who co-owned Fishlips Bar and Grill downtown until it closed in December, joined Rimer and Prielipp as a consultant during remodeling and was asked to stay on and manage two weeks before the bar was set to open. “I had to think about it for a while,” he said. “I didn’t really plan on getting back into the bar
SHELBY MACK / THE CALIFORNIAN
Andrew Wilkins takes drink orders from John Sandstorm and Sally Cress at J&M’s Bar and Grill.
J&M’s Bar and Grill 10801 Rosedale Highway 589-3042 Hours: 10 a.m. to close, seven days a week Food: Breakfast, lunch; evening bar menu available until 9 p.m.
business after Fishlips closed. It was one of those things I knew I could fall back on if I had to, but I have a lot of respect for the guys and I want to see them succeed.” Having reopened in May, J&M’s still has the equivalent to that new car smell. The fresh paint on the walls, new tables, chairs and spotless bar are waiting to be broken in. It has the feel of a freshly built Rosedale home with all the charm of an upgraded bonus room or dream man cave, complete with a custom cabinet bar and digital wall jukebox. Wilkins Please see J&M’S / 30
Bottles of wine sit behind the bar at J&M’s Bar and Grill. The bar was recently renovated in an attempt to change its image to that of a friendly neighborhood watering hole.