May 1, 2007

Stick a Spork in It

Spork Restaurant Opens

You could do without bacne and the governator. But sometimes blending two words can create something glorious. Like brunch. And the curiously fascinating spork.

In fact, Neil Jorgensen and Bruce Binn were so fascinated by the utensil that they named their new Mission eatery in its honor. (“Runcible spoon” just doesn’t roll off the tongue as well.)

Housed in a former KFC, the decor is fittingly fast-food chic: ’50s-style counter seating, gray booths, and a retro Union Gas billboard. Coffee pot water carafes add kitsch factor. A reclaimed street lamp, old theater chandelier, and other lighty objects cast an amber glow.

Haute roadside eats follow suit: an inside-out burger (two patties, caramelized onions, tomato, lettuce, special sauce, and Tillamook cheese surround a sponge bun); layered nacho-style caviar and chips (house-made potato chips, smoked trout and its roe, watercress, crème fraiche); and a pot brownie that won’t get you high but tastes fantastic and terrific all at once.

In a word, fantasteriffic.

Spork, 1058 Valencia Street, at Hill Street (415-643-5000 or sporksf.com).