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Sputnik Cafe
The Sputnik Café: And now for something completely different.
Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd are playing in the background. Bill takes a seat and struggles a little bit to sit upright. “I’m sorry, I’m pretty beat,” he says and downs some coffee. Last night was the 6th anniversary of the opening of the Sputnik Café, and the evening included a five-course mega-celebration.
Six years is worth acknowledging. Especially for a restaurant that’s off the beaten path. Virtually
hidden five minutes outside Annapolis, the Sputnik Café is…well…absolutely unique. The cuisine is global
fusion. The décor a hip blend of Jetson-retro and visionary art. The wine list is Wine Spectator ‘Best
Restaurants for Wine’-worthy. The drinks — sorry about this — are out of this world. Bring on Da (Global) Funk For the Sputnik folks, global is anything good from anywhere. Pacific Rim. Mexican. Indian. South African. Sashimi quality fish is flown in from Hawaii. (“There was this great fish called ‘moi’,” says Bill. “It feeds on crustaceans, so it has an amazing flavor.”) There’s swordfish, marlin, salmon for Tazmanian Salmon, with curried garbanzo beans. They have “the best game in town,” and they mean game. Elk, venison and goat, depending on the time of year. (The fall equinox is always a good time to introduce game to the menu, September 21st. Look for it.) And that’s just the start of the menu.
Nothing is too funky — after all, diners tend to be conservative around here. But if you’ve
had it up to here with crabcakes, try the Crab & Mango Tartar, with red onion and fresh horseradish. Or the Adobo Ribs.
Or the Quail Relleño. Or the Indian-spiced Porterhouse. Or the East African Spiced Organic Chicken Breast. I had a
local Hereford Filet to die for, with golden roasted beets and gorgonzola sauce. The Origin of
Sputnik
Where did this come from? How did Sputnik Café land in our part of the world? David Brown and Maria Buszinski were the start of it. The catering business they originally owned morphed into a restaurant, when Bill, a trained engineer, joined the group.
Today, Bill Buszinski is the Executive Chef and beverage director at the Sputnik Café. Maria handles the desserts and staff and Dave handles the business — but that’s a loose break-out. Maria’s mother, Rebecca Ramos, a retired M.D., makes the lumpia for the restaurant and serves as resident expert for the Phillipine dishes. And the “Sputnik?” It’s
the style of chandelier they found in Chicago. Art is more than the setting at Sputnik Café, it’s part of the
raison d’être. Maria and Bill are both artists. The outdoor dining area is decorated with sculptures and mobiles.
Inside, art leaps out against the bright orange walls, with robots over the wine wall. The glasses and silverware are shaped
to the hand.
Drinks are equally visionary. (Ross, working the bar, tells me that the signature Sputnik Martini is very
popular — a blend of Stoli vodka, o.j., pineapple, lychee juice and a splash of grenadine.) And “happenings”
are commonplace. That’s a gathering for the making of art…and having dinner…and drinks. One happening
resulted in the robots over the wine. Another led to the art in the garden.
The love of food, the love of adventure and travel, love of drink, love of funky visionary art and the
creative soul in all of us…it all fused together. And it all works. Sputnik
Café was just listed in Wine Spectator’s Best Restaurants for Wine — one of only a handful in
the Annapolis area, and only 50 across the entire state of Maryland. The Wine Spectator Award of Excellence goes to restaurants
with more than 100 selections from better producers that match the restaurant’s pricing and cuisine.
As the restaurant prepares to open for the evening, Bill heads back to the kitchen to
join line chef Karl Adams (recently from O’Leary’s), and starts grinding coriander, cardamom and mustard seed
for the Indian-spiced Porterhouse. Maria welcomes guests. The Sputnik cosmonauts: Miranda, Ross, Matt, Laura, Mallory, Piko,
take their places.
What’s coming up? You just gotta go see. October 4th is the 50th anniversary of the launch of the
original Sputnik satellite, and Bill’s searching for a Tokay from the former Soviet bloc to feature for the meal. Or
stop by some day after work, they open at 5:00, for martinis on the back patio and some roasted duck rolls. Who knows
where you will go from there.
Want the recipe for the Crab and Mango Tartar?
click here:
Sputnik Café at a Glance:
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