Spork

Date & Time: Friday March 13, 2009 @ 9:15pm
Company: Steve
Crowd: Mission-hipsters and those that love them (AKA girls with blue-dyed pig tails & others willing to dine with said pig-tailed-girls)
Decor: Converted KFC which has taken on the vibe of a modern American diner. The stainless steel hood from the original KFC fryer has been bolted to the ceiling as lighting, and the re-upholstered booths are crisper versions of those that came before.
Service: Extremely friendly and accommodating - we even got a special visit from Chef Bruce Binn!
Devour: Dinner Salad with butter lettuce, organic radishes and walnuts (I ditched the shaved parmesan and dijon vinaigrette for olive oil & lemon slices), Pacific Halibut with roasted brussel sprouts instead of the spaetzle/bok choy/baby carrot/whole grain mustard butter mix & a glass of Baker Lane Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast

Reservations are a must as this hipster Mission spot was still crowded at 9:30pm and there was a constant crowd waiting for a table. Despite the interior's clean lines and the chic gray/orange color combination - make no mistake, you are in the Mission. Graffiti tags are scribbled on the outside windows and a crazy, drunk guy (maybe both, maybe neither) started banging on the windows while we were eating.

Spork is definitely geared towards the gluten-tolerant. The restaurant is famous for their Original Recipe Pull Apart Rolls with whipped honey butter - warm from the oven, they're crusty on the outside and soft on the inside (or so I'm told). And, the bill comes out with mini chocolate sandwich cookies in the shape of a burger! That being said, the server was extremely vigilant about checking that everything I ordered could be prepared gluten-free, and the chef even came out to ask if I would like lemon juice dripped on my halibut! The Dinner Salad came out in a heaping tower of butter lettuce, which was as plain as could be - but I needed a good palate cleanser after gorging on Easter candy earlier that evening. For my entree, I was in the mood for some fish, but my server warned that the vegetables sides accompanying the dish were marinated in a sauce that included vinegar. The server suggested I substitute the existing sides for roasted brussel sprouts...he must be a mind reader because I love brussel sprouts! Typically, when a main sauce has to be excluded, I ask that my entree be prepared with olive oil and I accept the fact that it will taste bland. There was nothing bland about my halibut entree - Chef Bruce Binn went out of his way to create a new flavor for the dish and it was delicious! Hats off to the Chef!

http://www.sporksf.com/
1058 Valencia St
San Francisco, CA 94110
415.643.5000