Spoon & Pork
| Spoon & Pork | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Restaurantinformation | |
| Established | 2017 |
| Owner(s) | Ray Yaptinchay, Jay Tugas |
| Food type | Filipino |
| Dress code | Casual |
| Street address | 3131Sunset Boulevard |
| City | Los Angeles |
| State | California |
| Postal/ZIP Code | 90026 |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 34°5′7.32″N118°16′28.55″W/ 34.0853667°N 118.2745972°W |
| Website | www |
Spoon & Porkis arestaurantspecializing inFilipino cuisine.First opened as afood truckin 2017, its main location is presently located at 3131Sunset Boulevardin theSilver Lakeneighborhood ofLos Angeles.
History
[edit]Spoon & Pork was opened in April 2017 by Ray Yaptinchay, Jay Tugas, and Josemari Macasaquit. Childhood friends from the Philippines who both later moved to the United States.[1]Initially launching as a food truck, neither Yaptinchay nor Tugas had any experience in the restaurant industry when they first opened.[1]
In late 2018, after developing a loyal following and looking to expand, the restaurant announced that would open a permanent location inSilver Lake,which would largely serve the same menu as the food truck.[2]Initially scheduled to open in February 2019,[2]the permanent location opened in July of that year.[1]
A second branch of Spoon & Pork opened on 2121Sawtelle Boulevardin theSawtelleneighborhood in October 2021.[3]
Location and concept
[edit]
Spoon & Pork's main Silver Lake branch currently occupies a 1,300-square-foot (120 m2) space along Sunset Boulevard which also includes a modestly-sized minimalist dining room,[4]modern in design with tropical-themed walls, and an outdoor patio space slightly detached from the rest of the street.[5]In addition to its in-house operation, the restaurant is also a fixture atSmorgasburg's Los Angeles iteration.[6]
The restaurant's space is in a building that is shared with Diablo Tacos,[5]a prominent Silver Laketacorestaurant.[7]The building, owned by nightclub owner Steve Edelson, also previously hosted long-time Mexican restaurant La Parrilla,[5]which closed in October 2011.[8]
Spoon & Pork's menu, with both Yaptinchay and Tugas equally sharing cooking duties at the restaurant,[4]has been described as being "modern Filipinocomfort food",[6]informed by the owners' love of cooking at home despite their lack of formal culinary training.[4]Porkcooked in various ways dominates the restaurant's offerings, which include takes onlechon kawali(served as an appetizer) and thechori burger.[5]Itssignature dish,thepatita,is the restaurant's take oncrispy pataand is large enough for up to three people, served with a sweet chili and garlic sauce.[5]Braised for up to 15 hours and subsequently air-dried for an additional 24 hours before being put in the fryer,[9]and originally served with apopsicle stickas a means of eating the dish,[6]thepatitahas been described as being rich and flavorful, and has been instrumental in building its following.[4]
Although it primarily serves pork, Spoon & Pork also serves other meats,[5]as well as vegan dishes, which include ajackfruitdish that was named byThe New York Timesas one of its top ten dishes in Los Angeles for 2019.[10]
Awards and accolades
[edit]Spoon & Pork has been identified by theLos Angeles Timesas part of a growing number of Los Angeles-based modern Filipino restaurants,[11]helping raise the profile of Filipino cuisine both in the city and nationally.[12]A few months after opening in 2017,LA Weeklyreaders named it the best food truck in Los Angeles,[13]and in 2020, theLos Angeles Timesnamed it as one of the city's 101 best restaurants for that year.[14]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^abc"Meet Raymond Yaptinchay and Jay Tugas of Spoon & Pork in Silver Lake".VoyageLA.August 10, 2020.Archivedfrom the original on April 12, 2021.RetrievedApril 11,2021.
- ^abChaplin, Cathy (December 10, 2018)."Popular Filipino Food Truck Moves Into a Permanent Silver Lake Storefront".Eater Los Angeles.Archivedfrom the original on April 12, 2021.RetrievedApril 11,2021.
- ^Holmes, Mona (October 4, 2021)."Silver Lake's Filipino Star Spoon and Pork Expanding to Sawtelle Japantown".Eater Los Angeles.Archivedfrom the original on December 14, 2021.RetrievedDecember 13,2021.
- ^abcdEscárcega, Patricia (November 6, 2019)."Review: Our critic's favorite pork dish? The patita at this Filipino restaurant in Silver Lake".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on April 10, 2021.RetrievedApril 11,2021.
- ^abcdefSaperstein, Pat (October 31, 2019)."Diners Are Tickled Pink at Spoon and Pork".Los Feliz Ledger.Archivedfrom the original on October 4, 2023.RetrievedApril 11,2021.
- ^abcKleinman, Evan (January 3, 2020)."Spoon & Pork revels in the vivid flavors of Filipino cuisine".Good Food(Podcast).KCRW.Archivedfrom the original on April 22, 2021.RetrievedApril 11,2021.
- ^Paulas, Paul (July 8, 2013)."What Is L.A.'s Iconic Food?".KCET.Archivedfrom the original on April 12, 2021.RetrievedApril 11,2021.
- ^"Storefront Report: Nightclub owner expands Silver Lake presence".The Eastsider.November 21, 2011.Archivedfrom the original on April 12, 2021.RetrievedApril 11,2021.
- ^Holmes, Mona (November 8, 2019)."Critic Praises the Pork Dishes at Silver Lake's Hot New Filipino Restaurant".Eater Los Angeles.Archivedfrom the original on April 12, 2021.RetrievedApril 11,2021.
- ^Rao, Tejal (December 9, 2019)."The 10 Best Los Angeles Dishes of 2019".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on April 12, 2021.RetrievedApril 11,2021.
- ^Snyder, Garrett (August 28, 2020)."Ma'am Sir, Charles Olalia's Filipino restaurant in Silver Lake, has closed for good".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on April 11, 2021.RetrievedApril 11,2021.
- ^Addison, Bill (February 3, 2021)."Kuya Lord's Filipino feast is food of power, finesse and delight".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on April 25, 2021.RetrievedApril 11,2021.
- ^"Best of L.A. 2017: LA Weekly Readers Poll Winners"(PDF).LA Weekly.October 6–12, 2017. p. 32.Archived(PDF)from the original on April 12, 2021.RetrievedApril 11,2021.
- ^Addison, Bill; Escárcega, Patricia I. (December 7, 2020)."101 Best L.A. Restaurants of 2020".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on June 7, 2022.RetrievedApril 11,2021.
