Brunch at Spork Can Be Challenging but Not a Disaster

When Spork, the overtly outer-space themed restaurant opened in March, it felt less like a sonic boom and more like the seal of a Pringles can being broken. Living nearby and being the consummate professional/fledgling alcoholic that I am, I made semi-frequent visits during happy hour wherein I would find a handful of MILFs nursing blonde beers and salads. But then the patio opened. Spork, in an exterior landscape design move so ingenious it could rival Klyde Warren Park, retrofitted the drive-in so as to create an AstroTurf lined, twinkly lit wonderland. There’s a ping pong table, corn hole and swings big enough to accommodate the whole damn fam. Basically, they took The Lot and moved it 20 miles north, resulting in the kind of safe yet passably cool space that appeals to both adults and kids. I can only assume that at some point a shadowy figure of weather-proof furniture must have been beamed into the night sky, for North Dallasites quickly heeded the call to dine outdoors, turning Spork into the neighborhood hangout.

In its uncontested race to be the coolest restaurant in the Frankford/Preston area, Spork introduced weekend brunch service about a month back. The menu is small and primarily offers variations on a theme. That is, don’t expect to eat here and have some sort of egg-based awakening or to see a.m. cocktails in a new light. This is the place where you come if you want some version of something you’ve had before for about $10 a head.

But hey, that’s not necessarily a bad thing – classics are classics for a reason, right? This is why some version of eggs Benedict can be found on virtually any brunch or breakfast menu: it’s a solid dish that people know and love. Spork’s rendition of eggs Benedict consists of an English muffin, split and topped with pork carnitas, bacon, poached eggs and ancho chile hollandaise. I was hoping for bright, Southwestern flavors with heat that could actually register on the Scoville but the final product was less exciting. The hollandaise was white people spicy, not actual spicy, and the carnitas just seemed to sit there — protein dead-weight on what should be a charming dish.

The polenta fries, however, fared better. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, the fries came topped with a salad of baby arugula, a poached egg, avocado and pesto. Again, nothing earth-shatteringly clever about this dish, but unlike the Benedict, all of its components came together to create something cohesive, flavorful and satisfying. The runny yolk, the bitter greens and the hearty polenta made for a nice way to start the day. 


Our table also split the waffle-fried cinnamon rolls, which had been highly touted by our waiter. Now, I don’t want to go so far as to say there is something wrong with that waiter, only that some people have more sensitive taste buds than others. No really. Google supertasters. It’s science. Or something. Anyway, our waiter didn’t know what he was talking about because the cinnamon rolls looked and tasted like the ones that come out of a can, only the kitchen had gone to the trouble to fire up the ol’ waffle iron and so they came out kind of indented. Which is cool, if you’re into indented food, but from a purely gastronomical perspective the rolls’ main characteristic was that they were brutishly sweet.


All in all, Spork’s brunch offerings aren’t exactly out of this world (did you really think we were going to get through this post with only two outer space puns? I drone't think so!), but the restaurant as a whole is a new and welcomed edition to the ‘hood. 

Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Double Pork & Eggs Benedict - $10
Fun, Fresh & No Bread - $9
Cinammon Roll Waffles - $9
Brunch Burger $10
Open Faced Bacon, Scrambled Egg & Cheddar Sandwich - $9
Over Easy Kimchi Bulgogi Fries - $10
Libations range from $5-$8

Spork Dallas
6110 Frankford Road