Text 24279, 50 rader
Skriven 2007-12-19 00:13:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: Sputnik 571
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Our special-occasion restaurant Sputnik is closing on the
23rd - the owner has taken an engineering job on a big
project in Vegas, apparently, and is tired of running a
marginally viable restaurant. An e-mail goodbye went out,
and so we went for a last visit. It'd never really hopped,
the upscale cuisine market not being strong in the area,
but there were quite a number of diners saying fond farewells,
as it were. The atmosphere was a little forlorn. Service
was competent but had a resigned feeling, and the menu
has shrunk to a handful of dishes. There was one red wine
available and three whites, all that was left of a Wine
Spectator award of excellence list.

We weren't really super hungry and had only main courses
and dessert. Interestingly, though Carol's and my tastes
differ radically, sometimes there is a weird coincidence,
and my first choice was her second, and my second choice
was her first.

I had pork adobo with sauteed greens and basmati rice -
quite nicely done pork, not too salty or sour, served
with heavily vinegared collards and a dish of homemade
vinegar hot sauce. Strong tastes against which the rice
served as just a diluter. I'd rather have had regular
Asian-style rice, but I guess the basmati was what was
left in the kitchen.

Carol's bacon-wrapped pork filets mignon were done juicy
and medium; the two sizable chunks of meat came with broken
potatoes and Brussels sprouts: competency rather than
innovation in the kitchen. She liked my dish better.

De Meye Little River Cabernet Shiraz 05 - there was a whiff of
petroleum in the nose - Carol noticed it more than I; otherwise
a nice wine with very ripe red fruit, a touch of sweetness. It
went well with Carol's dish and had enough oomph to cut through
the adobo without showing too sweet.

When we'd sat down, the waitress informed us that there was
but one slice of carrot cake left, so we reserved it at the
beginning of the meal. Good choice. It was almost but not quite
a double slice, quite classic, tasting like every other well
made carrot cake.

We'll be sorry to see the place go, but this visit showed a
tired spirit in the kitchen.

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