Sometimes a new restaurant makes
such a tremendous first impression that you're torn between wanting to
shout from the rooftops about your new find and wanting to keep your new
find to yourself so that the new gem remains your carefully guarded
little secret. Wanting to ensure the restaurant has a prosperous
future, you'll naturally take the former course and tell all your
friends and neighbors about your newfound treasure--all the while
keeping your fingers crossed that the incursion of "less deserving
patrons" doesn't change those things that made such a great first
impression on you.
Starky's is such a
restaurant. Situated on the site of the old Assets Grill
restaurant (once hailed as one of the city's very best restaurants),
Starky's is named in honor of a Portland, Oregon restaurant on Stark
Street owned and operated by its proprietors for 25 years. Those
proprietors, Doug and Archie (along with their friend Karl) relocated to
Albuquerque where the weather is more agreeable.
The triumvirate of
Doug, Archie and Karl are a big reason savvy diners have been enjoying
Starky's. Not only have they brought a cosmopolitan panache and
sophisticated menu to their new restaurant, but they've invigorated what
used to be a dreary and stuffy restaurant edifice and added fun to the
dining experience. Cosmetic changes include coloring over the
large window which once provided a view of the Assets Grill brewery (now
called the Isotopes Brewery and not affiliated with Starky's), banning
smoking in the bar and eliminating most of the bar's televisions which
unintentionally gave the large wooden bar area a sports bar feel.
Doug and Archie did
retain the original Assets chef and a few Assets' standards including
the sesame-battered calamari, albeit with an uninspiring aioli
instead of the Thai sweet and sour sauce which made the calamari one of
the city's best appetizers. Also retained is Assets' green
chile stew which, while not particularly piquant, is flavorful and
delicious with large chunks of tender pork. Delicious bread from
Fano Bakery (an Albuquerque treasure) is brought to your table and
replenished faithfully.
The dinner menu
includes an upscale selection of pastas and salads, the star attraction
of which is a wilted spinach salad with hot bacon dressing
prepared tableside by Doug. The bacon dressing is crafted from raw
bacon, brandy, brown sugar and other rich ingredients. Hard-boiled
eggs can be added to the salad if you like. At $7.50 per person
(minimum of two orders), this salad is reputed to be sinfully rich and
absolutely delicious.
Also prepared tableside
is Steak Diane, a rich steak entree which has evolved over the
years and rarely graces the menu at Albuquerque dining establishments.
Typically Steak Diane is made from individual beef steaks pounded flat
then quickly cooked in butter, flamed with Cognac and finished with
sherry, butter and chives. We didn't sample Starky's version, but
based on what we did order, will do so at a future date.
The suggestion of
ordering an entree of Pork Loin Medallions might elicit a blasé
reaction or even involuntary yawning because pork medallions have been
served ad nauseum (and ad infinitum). Pork medallions are
typically an inexpensive entree you might order if you're uncertain of
the quality of a restaurant's food and don't want to blow a week's
salary on a more expensive entree you might not like. Such was the
case when we ordered this "Rodney Dangerfield" (no respect)
entree.
We found out pork loin
medallions don't have to be boring. At Starky's, they're
invigorated with a rich Mascarpone Marsala cream sauce complemented by
thinly sliced Granny Smith apples. The pork loins were as tender
as a bird's heart, perfectly seasoned and absolutely delicious--well
worthy of the beguiling sauce. They're served with oven-roasted
Yukon Gold potatoes which we used to dredge up that wonderfully rich
sauce.
An ultra-rich Raspberry
Jack Daniels sauce emboldens the restaurant's Flat Iron Steak
entree without detracting from the native flavor of the perfectly
grilled ten-ounce steak which is sliced into thin medallions.
Unlike the cloying Jack Daniels sauce served at TGI Friday's, a subtle
flavor concentration seems to have equal parts savoriness and sweetness.
This wonderful entree is served with mashed potatoes.
The lunch menu features
some excellent sandwiches including a unique Monte Cristo made with
bread that doesn't resemble flaccid French toast. It is instead
made with a thick egg-coated bread that made a perfect host for ham,
turkey and cheese. Each sandwich comes with your choice of soup or
salad. The Caesar salad is an excellent choice with a strong
garlicky flavor that enlivens fresh, crisp greens.
A decadent dessert menu
would tempt Job and introduced us to the element of fun Starky's
proprietors bring to the dining experience. As we were pondering
the tempting offerings, Doug told us to make sure we insisted that our
Oriental waiter Kwan ensure our brownie sundae included the fresh
brownies made that day. The joke was lost on Kwan, but everyone
else enjoyed it--but not nearly as much as we enjoyed the sundae.
The brownie (alas no longer on the menu) was made with luscious cream
cheese, giving it a cheesecake-like texture and making it even more
wonderful.
Starky's is the type of
restaurant in which the peripatetic owners are not only approachable,
they're an essential part of the ambience. The service is
absolutely impeccable while the portions are bountiful and delicious.
It's the type of restaurant that will continue to grow in popularity by
word of mouth alone. You get the feeling that's the way Doug and
Archie want it.
