Spork
937 NW Newport Avenue, Suite 120
Bend, OR 97701
Website: sporkbend.com
Phone number: (541) 390-0946
Prices: $$$$
Prices: $$$$
I was enthused when I saw the diversity of cuisine on their online menu before arriving, but as we stood in line for 30 minutes waiting to order, I became somewhat disillusioned. The carnitas tacos ($3/ea) sounded good, but when I saw an order of the fish tacos pass by while in line, I quickly revisited the menu for a suitable alternative.
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| Spicy Fried Chicken ($13) |
Dying for some chow after 30 minutes in line, I decided on the Spicy Fried Chicken ($13), small chunks of boneless chicken breast breaded and fried in a spicy Korean barbecue sauce. The small steel platter, about the size of my hand, contained a small order of kimchi on one side and the chicken on the other, atop a thin bed of jasmine rice. The chicken was absolutely delicious, spicy, crispy, and perfectly cooked. The kimchi was also quite tasty with just the right amount of chili. Unfortunately, there just was not enough chicken, rice, or kimchi to justify a $13 price tag. At most restaurants I have been to (in Korea and elsewhere), a similar dish with identical ingredients would come with the jasmine rice in one bowl, kimchee in another, and the chicken in a dish the size of the one I received tonight. I would hate to tell you the price of that same dish in Korea, but I can tell you that it would cost a fraction of the $13 I paid.
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| Rice Bowl with Tofu ($11) |
My wife ordered the Rice Bowl with Tofu ($11), palm sugar peanuts, sweet soy reduction, and shredded green onion sitting upon a similar serving of jasmine rice to mine. It also came with a cucumber salad. Her dish was very dry and bland except for the very spicy peanuts sprinkled liberally on top. There were no mention of "chili" or "spicy" on the menu, but we would never have guessed that the "palm sugar peanuts" were actually quite spicy given the fact that my wife cannot tolerate spicy dishes.
I really cannot comment too much on the service because interaction with staff was minimal at best. The young lady taking our order was all business, zero pleasantries, and the only other staff we saw quickly dropped off our orders with nary a word. They even ask you to bus your own table before departure, but "recommend" a 15% tip on the computer screen they ask you to utilize when paying. Throw $5 in the jar for staff? You betcha! But, expecting a 15% tip at a self-service restaurant is out of line in my book.
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| Spicy Pork Noodles ($13) |
Fortunately, for their rating, my son absolutely loved his Spicy Pork Noodles ($13) and his partner was equally enthralled with her Peanut Tomato Curry ($13), which I tasted and it was very good. So, they got one additional star (2 Bombs) over what I would have given them if my wife and I had been on our own. Not bad, not great, some people will be very happy at Spork and others will not as was the case at our table.
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| Peanut Tomato Curry ($13) |
To end on a positive note, the space emits a warm vibe with deep red walls, lots of wood, and playful lighting. They are obviously doing something right based on all the people queueing up to eat there, so maybe I am missing something ... and maybe not.
CombatCritic Gives Spork A Very Average 5 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!
Five Bombs Equates To:
Translation for Civilians: "Continue Mission"
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Title: Bend, OR: Spork Calling Orson, Come In Orson ... Get Me The Hell Out Of This Line!
Key Words: Bend, OR, Spork, central, Oregon, asian, fusion, Mexican, curry, tacos, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Google
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