Everything Old Is Old Again

A A A Comments (0) By Matthew Stafford Wednesday, Mar 29 2000

...continued from page 1

Location Info

Map

Spenger's Fresh Fish Grotto

1919 4th St.
Berkeley, CA 94710-1933

Category: Restaurant > Brunch

Region: West Berkeley

0 user reviews	Write A Review
Save to foursquare

Details

Open daily 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Reserva-tions accepted. Wheelchair accessible. Parking lot. AC Transit: 9, 51, 65. Noise level: normal

1919 Fourth St. (at University), Berkeley, (510) 845-7771

More About

Among the entrees, the sturgeon ($18.85) is as taste-free as the oysters, with no discernible fragrance or particular texture and a cursory tapenade offering only minimal culinary respite. One would think that cioppino ($17.55), with its local lineage and rustic, seafaring character, would be a highlight at a place like Spenger's, but its broth is tepid and watery and its seafood, plentiful though it is, is dry and overcooked. The bluenose seabass ($16.95) is a dried-out, jerky-like disaster. Only the Atlantic salmon ($17.80), cedar-planked in the venerable Native American tradition and served with a sweet-tart berry sauce, retains its unique flavor and a measure of moist flakiness. In an atmospheric hint of the institutional, it appears that all entrees come with the same blandly mashed potatoes and boiled broccoli.

For dessert there's a crème brûlée ($5.90) that bears more resemblance to Jello Instant Pudding than the rich, creamy temptation that usually bears its name, while a chocolate truffle pie ($4) is reminiscent of the crab dip: It tastes more brown than chocolatey. There's also an unmemorable slab of apple pie ($5.70) and a pretty good, fresh-tasting mango tart ($5.25). Spenger's wine list is fairly eclectic and not unreasonably priced, heavy on the locals with a number of French vintages, most of them in the $20-$40 range. There are also 19 wines by the glass ranging from $4 to $9.