Reno

Reno, Nevada, January 21, 2016—

THE DESTINATION OF this circuitous road trip was The Biggest Little City in the World: Reno, Nevada, where each of us has a cousin living. I don't expect to find Fine Dining in Reno, but I must say things have changed over the years, and ambitions if not always execution have gained with time.

We chose a familiar place for dinner last night, though, because we remembered eating well there ten years ago. Natalie Sellers, the chef-proprietor, definitely has both chops and discrimination, having done her time in the San Francisco Bay area — with Jeremiah Tower at the old Stars, among other assignments.

I had the roast pork tenderloin you see here: pork from Niman Ranch, brined before roasting, cooked to just the right degree, and served with carrots and apples, mashed potatoes, and a nice green tomato chutney. No gloppy gravy; just the clean flavors of the main ingredients.

Dessert was a very nice fig cake, moist and nutty, with a well calculated cream-cheese royal icing that didn't dominate the dish, and a nice, smooth vanilla ice cream. Yes; we'll go back here…

Nebbiolo, Ca d'Maria (Langhe), 2013;
with the dessert, a nice Oloroso

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LUNCH TODAY was in another familiar setting, a soup-sandwich-pasta breakfast-lunch-and-dinner spot popular with the locals. Here, though it was noon and lunchtime, facing the long drive home, I fortified myself with steak and eggs — a small New York steak, tender and decently flavored, and two eggs over easy. With hash browns, of course.

• 4th Street Bistro, 3065 W 4th St, Reno; (775) 323-3200
• Stone House Cafe, 1907 S Arlington Ave, Reno; (775) 284-3895

☛Restaurants visited in the last year are listed at Eatingday's Restaurants