Spoon + Fork: A Standard Name for a Not-So-Standard Restaurant

Cautious optimism might be the best way to approach a restaurant called Spoon + Fork, a name that seems almost purposely ambiguous as to the food it serves. But with the recent opening of its second North Texas location in Frisco, it’s hard to resist the urge to see what the hype at Spoon + Fork is about.

The first giveaway might be the smells. Scents of lemongrass mixed with garlic and curried spices are quick to hit you when you walk through the front door. An open dining room offers a comfortable place to sit down and enjoy a group dinner. Yes, they have spoons … and forks. But there’s a lot more cooking in the kitchen that merits a visit.
While the name doesn't give any hints, the Spoon + Fork menu focuses primarily on traditional Thai cuisine. A spicy garlic catfish ($17) tops the menu — a deep-fried fillet drenched in a Thai curry sauce and topped with crispy garlic. Tamarind shrimp ($17), panang salmon ($17) and crab fried rice ($16) are other must-try “chef’s specialties.” Standard Thai dishes like pad Thai and drunken noodles are complemented by lesser-known Thai favorites like roma long song, which is your choice of protein, wok-fried with a nutty sauce, vegetables and crushed peanuts. Select menu items are marked with an asterisk to designate above-average spice levels.

As the large dining tables make clear, portions here are crafted for family-style dining. If you’re not visiting with a large group, prepare your fridge for some leftovers. The average dish here serves at least two or three diners. Whether you spoon-and-fork directly from the platter or ask for some extra plates to share, there’s enough food to go around.
Round off the meal with your choice of traditional East Asian desserts. Making a seasonal appearance on the menu, the mango sticky rice ($7) is a sticky, milk-infused rice topped with juicy mango slices. The black rice pudding is another dessert specialty. Sticky rice’s lesser-known sibling, this Thai delicacy gets its name from the food dye that tints the dish jet-black. It’s flavored with fresh pandan leaves and leaves a nutty coconut-like aftertaste on the palette. Don’t be turned away by the unnatural color. It looks scarily poisonous but tastes scarily good.

The Frisco branch of Spoon + Fork marks the Thai restaurant’s third location; the others are in Austin and McKinney. Owners Thana Trepetch and Mona Tapaneeyakul have made it their mission to introduce locals to the same recipes cherished by their families back in Thailand. The name Spoon + Fork, according to Trepetch, is a reference to the way Thai food is traditionally eaten, with a spoon in the right hand and a fork in the left. From the unique name to the shareable portions to the large dining tables, everything here is intentional. "Cooking is a way to bring families and people together. That’s exactly what we’re trying to do here,” Trepetch says.

Spoon + Fork, 7967 S. Custer Road, No. 400, Frisco. Open daily, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.