Happy New Year everyone! My husband and I drove to Pittsburgh for a fun mini vacation and ended up having dinner at a place called Spork. They offered a 6 course pre fix menu for NYE that was absolutely delicious! Their complimentary bread service was complex and unique. First Love of Rye post of 2020! 🙂
Let’s get on with the crumb score! 🙂
- Presentation – 1 Crumb
First, I was not expecting a complimentary bread service, so I was shocked to see our server with it. The bread was served on a thick cutting board with a butter and a bread knife, There were two ramekins; one with butter and the other with olive oil, as well as two muffins. The knives were carefully laid out, and the baguette was cut twice, but not completely making for a fun experience. The. presentation was thought out and will receive a full crumb.
- Bread Variety – 1 Crumb
Hands down, this service deserves a full crumb for variety. They served a sourdough baguette, focaccia bread and pumpkin and sage muffins. Two types of bread typically will suffice, especially when they’re bigger servings. Add two pumpkin and sage muffins on top? Exceptional! The baguette was bouncy on the inside, and good but the outside was rather tough, as sourdoughs are. This was particular hard to chew and made my jaw hurt a bit. I soaked the bread in the oil and it helped. The focaccia was juicy, held together well, and the herbs on the crust was very tasty. The star of the whole thing were the pumpkin and sage muffins. The sage came through so strong, I couldn’t even taste the pumpkin, I believe the pumpkin is what gave the muffins so much moisture. I wish there were more than two on the platter.
- Quality of Bread – 1 Crumb
Overall everything was very high quality. The muffins and focaccia were top quality, and the baguette was just so/so. The butter that was served was house cultured butter with sea salt. The bread was made in house as well, which I’m a sucker for. Full crumb here.
- Quantity & Quality of Butter, Jam, etc – 1 Crumb
As I just mentioned, the butter was made in house. It tasted a little less fatty than butter you would buy at the store. I really liked it, my husband didn’t seem to notice a difference in taste. The only other side they had was plain olive oil. The baguette really needed the oil, and the presentation would have been lacking without it, so no points taken out here for plain oil. Full crumb again.
- Cost – 1 Crumb
This was a complimentary bread service with two full servings of bread and two muffins? Why in the world would this not get a full crumb? 🙂
Overall – 5/5 Crumbs
Overall, this was an exceptional bread service. I scanned their normal menu and they have another bread service they normally offer, that I would love to try. Unfortunately I don’t know when I’ll be in Pittsburgh next. If I ever make my way back to Spork, I will for sure have to try it,. I’m glad I was able to experience their special New Years eve menu and their wonderful bread service.
Check out Spork here!
ABOUT SPORK
We are a small-plates, chef-owned restaurant with a firm commitment to scratch preparation. Our constantly evolving menu features fresh pasta and house-cured meats alongside a variety of composed dishes. We love to work with local farmers and purveyors to highlight the diverse bounty of Western Pennsylvania.