Since early August, Chef Chris Frangiadis and the rest of the Spork team have been offering a preview of their new restaurant, Spork Pit, every Wednesday and Saturday in the lot next to Spork.
The food, cooked in their Texas-made smoker with a no-frills setup, has already been met with praise.
However, these Wednesday and Saturday events are only the appetizer, with the entrée still on the way.
Frangiadis and his team are working to transform an empty building across the street into Spork Pit’s permanent home. The restaurant will be an Austin, Texas-inspired barbecue joint, influenced by the city’s Franklin Barbecue.
Using the two smokers that Frangiadis had custom-made in Texas, the restaurant will be simple and straightforward, with a focus on the food. The space currently has a front lot that will become a large deck with picnic tables. There will also be a small indoor space.
Frangiadis says the preview hasn’t convinced them to change much about their concept. Instead, they are learning more about how to work their pits and better cook their food.
“From the day that we opened it went pretty much went the way we wanted it to,” says Frangiadis. “It’s kinda modeled after Franklins’, so I had an idea about how it would all work. The more we work on the pits, the more we learn about them. We know when to move a log, when to move the meat.”
The permanent restaurant will be similarily efficient, with guests sliding their tray down a line, and ordering meat, sides, and drinks before paying.
While the Spork Pit crew is excited about everything their serving, everybody has been raving about their brisket.
“The brisket is something I’m really proud of,” says Frangiadis. “A lot of places [in Pittsburgh] are pork-centric, so I’m excited to bring this style here. The response has been really great. People seem to be surprised about the turkey, and we make our own sausage and smoke that, but everyone really just comments on the brisket.”
Customers have also been loving the sides, which, Frangiadis says, aren’t going anywhere.
“At Spork we change five things every day and do seasonal recipes,” says Frangiadis. “This is exactly the opposite. We’re doing the same things and working on the execution. If the menu looks the same two years from now, and we’ve just continued to improve our execution, that would be the completed mission statement.”
While Frangiadis says that guests have been raving about the collard greens, potato salad, coleslaw, and Mac & Cheese, a fast favorite has been the Pigeon Peas with white milk rice, made Frangiadis’s wife – Marilu Castro-Adames – who is of Dominican descent.
Across the street, things are also heating up at Spork Pit’s permanent location, where they are hoping for an early 2018 opening. However, there is no end in sight for the Spork Pit previews.
As the weather begins to turn, Spork Pit will open the doors of Spork to accommodate customers. Spork doesn’t open until 5:00 PM, and guests are welcome to sit inside from 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
The previews are scheduled to run until the official doors of Spork Pit open to the public. Also, for the time being, they have $6 six-packs for sale through Spork.
There are two more exciting Spork Pit developments to keep on your radar as we move into November.
Spork Pit is smoking turkeys to purchase for Thanksgiving dinner. Customers will receive a smoked turkey, stuffing, gravy. These dishes can be picked up on Wednesday, and fresh and hot on Thursday.
The restaurant will also be hosting a “Friendsgiving” dinner the Tuesday of the week before Thanksgiving. The meal will be an upscale interpretation of Thanksgiving.
Keep your eyes on the Spork Pit Facebook page for more information.
Spork Pit is open every Wednesdays and Saturdays for the foreseeable future from 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., and 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Spork Pit (5430 Penn Avenue)
Pedro says
and hopefully won’t burn to the ground as Franklin recently did. http://bit.ly/2iNES3b