New Pittsburgh Restaurant Promises Fine Dining Experience For $275 Per Person

PITTSBURGH, PA — The well-received Spork in Garfield shut its doors in September, but the closure was never meant to be permanent. In the ensuing months, the Penn Avenue restaurant was remade into a unique - and some would say expensive - dining venue.

With a single seating for just 16 guests each night, an evening at One by Spork begins with a welcome drink and small bites in the lounge before diners transition to a circular chef’s counter. There’s no separation between the patrons and the kitchen; diners are seated mere inches from where each course is prepared, plated and served with curated beverage pairings.

The experience concludes back in the lounge with a final dessert and drink—and a parting gift of house made bean-to-bar chocolates.

The cost: $275 per person.

“For eight incredible years, Spork was a place where we created dishes inspired by a wide variety of flavors and ideas, and we were incredibly honored to play a role in Pittsburghʼs evolving food scene,''
said James Beard Award-nominated Chef Christian Frangiadis.

"Over time, we began dreaming about how we could distill everything we believe to be important about dining into a singular, curated experience. That vision became One by Spork.”

The One by Spork team harvests more than 50 types of vegetables, fruits and herbs from the restaurant’s expansive on-site garden. Dozens of varieties of house-made misos, amazake, garum, vinegars, black fruits, and fermented alliums are produced to infuse umami into the eatery's food and cocktail programs.

The restaurant has nightly sittings Thursday-Sunday at 6:15 p.m. Reservations are required.