Spork

Spork speaks loudly through the din of the Mission, a dense neighborhood packed with eateries along San Francisco’s Valencia Street corridor.  With its stylish utilitarian décor, thoughtfully re-interpreted American fare, and worldly wine and beer list, Spork is a dining destination.  The stoves are anchored by chef and owner, Bruce Binn, who has been cooking for 15 years in some of the Bay Area’s top spots.  He’s also worked with some of New York’s top chefs.

The interior incorporates “re-used” parts from the building’s former occupant: a Kentucky Fried Chicken. Binn’s idea was to make the most of what was there.  For example: the stove hood that exhausted the grease from KFC’s fryers has been re-hung in the dining room as the central lighting fixture.  They’ve even made use of the old fans that cooled the walk-in.  The dichotomy that Binn has presented serves his clients well: to serve “slow food” in a former fast food establishment.  Who knew an old KFC could be the new home to such a vibrant dining scene?

The abbreviated dinner menu was compact with choices and offered tasty treats.  We had the “Original Recipe” pull-apart rolls.  They imitated KFC’s original recipe dinner rolls, but were a bit larger and were served with honey butter.  While there’s no charge for bread service, the restaurant wants to eliminate waste by serving these special rolls “on request.”

Since tomatoes were at the peak of their season we ordered the Little Heirlooms with Hand Stretched Mozzarella as one of our first courses.  This delicious arrangement of fresh mozzarella and organic “cherry sized” tomatoes sat atop a piece of garlic bruschetta.  All of this was flavored with cucumber water, basil, and organic olive oil.  The bread soaked up all of the liquids and made for a nice and even medley of flavors.

My dining partner and I both love vegetables so we were adequately prepared for Cauliflower Power.  This first-course combination of lightly crisped broccoflower and cauliflower was spiced with chili flakes and lemon and served with an aioli.  The vegetables were crisp, yet cooked to perfection without being flabby.  The lemon added another dimension, giving this dish a real spark.

The main course menu might provide a challenge for those who have a tough time making decisions.  The night of our visit, Spork was offering six second (main) courses.   They included meat, fish (gilled and shellfish), as well as a non-animal based protein dish.   We ordered the Alaskan Halibut and Mushrooms Gone Wild, which was the vegetarian (not vegan) main course.

Chef Binn’s treatment of the wild caught Alaskan Halibut was very clean, allowing for the sweet and meaty flavor of the fish to stand alone.   First, the fish was pan-seared on top of the stove and then placed in a cast iron skillet and finished in the oven.  This kept the fish moist while maintaining its meaty quality.  Little pillows of house-made gnocchi, sweet corn, English pea puree, and tiny marinated tomatoes accompanied the fish in a symphony of flavors and textures.  The texture of the Gnocchi was “exact”—light and filling.  Tiny marinated tomatoes were bathed in red wine vinaigrette ever-so briefly.  The balance of the tomatoes with the sweet corn and English pea puree sang the song of summer.

My dining mate was intrigued by the pasta dish of the night:  Mushrooms Gone Wild.  I think of mushrooms as hearty and more wintery than summery.  But this was truly a perfect answer to what to do with such special mushrooms as Chantrelle, Hen of the Woods, and Lobster mushrooms.  Binn used a wide noodle of freshly made pasta and made a flavored sauce of three ingredients I would not have considered.  The pasta was topped with the hearty and meaty mushrooms and dressed up with Italian mint, whipped Balsamic cream, and Parmigiano Reggiano.  This made a true convert out of me.   The opposing flavors played well against each other to make this a refreshing use of mushrooms.

When it came to dessert, my favorite course, it was yet another challenge.  The choices were all re-inventions of American sweet treats.  Spork had five house-made desserts as well as ice cream from Bi-Rite Creamery, a San Francisco foodie favorite.

What caught our eye was the dish called “Elvis has left the building.”  The name alone called for closer inspection.  Basically, this was a house-made peanut butter cup covered in chocolate and served warm with sliced bananas, caramel, and salted peanuts.  This was all complemented with vanilla gelato which, when melted, made a perfect pool of salt and sweet.  The texture and flavor was reminiscent of a Reese’s cup left in the sun.   My companion ordered coffee, which as you might have guessed was far from ordinary.  It was from a local coffee purveyor, Four Barrel, and each serving was made to order and served in a French press.  The coffee was delicious and supported the flavor palate as presented.

Beware: the wine and beer selection at Spork is not average.  I referred to it as a “thinker” because they offered more boutique selections on their abbreviated list than you might find at many restaurants of the same caliber. For such a small venue, it was a delight to see that the wine list at Spork included a global blend of varietals.  There were 12 wines offered by the glass including a Prosecco and Grenache (Rose) as well 25 wines by the bottle.   Some of the varietals included were Verdejo (Spain), Gruner (Austria), Malbec (Argentina) and Chinon (France).  The choices for beer lovers were carefully selected.  The list described the beers based on body and flavor.  The variety included beers from the United States, Canada, Belgium, France and Japan.

A lively and stylish utilitarian interior supports an eclectic blend of guests.  Comfortable custom banquettes provided a fine resting place to take in the scene.  The crowd was a cross cut of young, hip urban dwellers and business types who might not have had the chance to change before going to dinner.  Overall, this comfortable neighborhood destination is easily accessible.  Public transportation is nearby and parking is made easy as there is a garage just a block away from Spork.

When I visited the restroom I was pleased to see they also featured outdoor seating on the deck which is kept cozy with heat lamps.   It’s off Valencia and is tucked away behind the restaurant.  Outdoor dining in San Francisco is often a meteorological guessing game.   But the Mission District is sunny and temperate, so Spork’s outdoor deck was brisk with activity.

At Spork, the ever-changing menu goes through daily metamorphoses.   The changes reflect the best of market and seasonal availability. No matter how you get there and whether or not you have a reservation, my guess is you’ll be welcomed and leave satisfied with more reasons to come back to Spork very soon.