Spark Restaurant Lounge
By Courtney Buell
Photography by Cody Buell
Provo, Utah: A chic, urban destination with gourmet dining, sleek style and a buzzing social scene. What? Not the Provo you know? Well, I can think of one spot that fits the bill. Meet Spark Restaurant Lounge.
Located in the Wells Fargo Building on University Avenue, Spark serves up hip, gourmet eats and sophisticated atmosphere unlike anyone in Utah Valley. You can enjoy a delicious meal at a table, or drinks and appetizers at the bar, or cozy up in the lounge and loft areas.
One of the first things you should know about Spark is that it’s a teetotaler’s paradise. A playful drink menu includes such fun refreshments as mango mojitos, peartinis rimmed with cinnamon sugar, and even Shirley Temples topped with clouds of cotton candy—and all non-alcoholic but still delicious. Particularly interesting was what they call the “hot and cold:” a layered beverage with a warm, lemon base and cold Coke on top.
Appetizers are equally novel with options like cumin fries with garlic aioli and house-made pasta with lamb ragu. One of our favorites was the “dueling edamame,” feauturing soybeans two never-had-before ways: vanilla-steamed and bacon-sauteed. The chef also whipped up some just-for-us fancy mushroom and swiss profiteroles (kind of like a cream puff, but without the cream). We hope to see them on the menu soon.
For dinner, we ordered roasted black cod with spaghetti squash and crispy mashed potatoes, and flat iron steak and short rib with fingerling potatoes. The cod came topped with garlic foam and was cooked to flaky perfection. The flat iron was tender with a great crust on the outside, and the short rib literally fell apart it was so well-cooked.
Dessert, anyone? Choices range from delicate to decadent with pink grapefruit frozen mousse and poppyseed cake with lavender foam, to almond-coated fried chocolate pudding with orange coriander ice cream. Despite their complex sounds, these sweet options taste oh-so-right at the end of a meal of this kind.
Here’s the deal: Don’t let Spark’s chic decor (did you see that chandelier?) and gourmet options scare you into ordering small. Even when it includes appetizers, drinks and dessert, the bill won’t hurt too much. Specialty drinks range from $3 – $4.50, appetizers from $5 – $10, salads from $8 – $11, entrees from $14 – 20 and desserts from $6 – $7, so you can impress your date and still make rent. In style.
{Spark’s Flyin’}
Spark Restaurant Lounge
86 N. University Avenue
Provo, Utah
801-701-6780
November 17th, 2008 at 10:23 am
seriously, this place is fun! my favorites include: mint mojito, dueling edamame, chicken risotto and the fried pudding. your pictures look fantastic!
November 17th, 2008 at 10:31 am
I can’t wait to check this place out. My good friend did the interior design for it, she’ll be thrilled you featured it.
November 17th, 2008 at 11:12 am
wow, this looks great. we definitely did not have restaurants like this when i lived in provo.
November 17th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
thank you so much!! i am so excited to try this little, chic place out.
November 18th, 2008 at 4:17 am
Hurray! I’m so glad you guys featured Spark! (I have to put my two cents in and recommend the appletini– it’s on the menu while pears are out of season. Our server described it as “Christmas in a glass” and nothing could be closer to the truth. It is absolutely amazing.)
November 18th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
wow. we are definitely going to have to try this new place out when we’re in p-town over the holidays. so happy places like this are making it to provo!
November 24th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
My classmate and dear friend Suzanne did the interiors and did a wonderful job! I’ve been there twice now and LOVE it! The Bacon & Eggs Ice Cream is a very unique dessert and fabulous- it’s not what you think. Try it! Everything else I’ve had on the menu is DAVINE! Worth the drive from SLC to dine here. See you there.
December 30th, 2008 at 8:50 am
My husband and I went for our anniversary dinner last night. All I can say is W.O.W! It exceeded my expectations in every way! The food, the service, the ambiance it was beyond amazing. So far everything YHO has recommended that I’ve tried has been perfect! Thank you!
February 14th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
We went to Spark last night for a V-Day Eve date and wow! Thanks so much for the recommendation, it was amazing!
February 17th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
We went there for their Valentine’s Day 7 course tating menu, it was phenominal! Thanks for the post, my husband needed the hint!
March 6th, 2009 at 1:50 am
I absolutely LOVE Spark! I got tired of driving all the way to SLC and PC for great atmosphere and great food, and now it is just down the road. I have been multiple times, and I have NEVER been disappointed! Every time I order I am excited to see and taste what has been created. The wait staff is awesome – knowledgable of each item, attentive, and personable. The owner is even up and about checking in with people. You can tell he loves his restaurant! Oh and if there is ever a lull in the conversation you can check out the art. Very fun! Right now I am craving the fried choc. pudding and orange-coriander ice cream (the most amazing ice cream I have ever had – subtle!) and a peartini – yum! I will go again and again!
September 2nd, 2009 at 8:31 am
[...] for YHO! Yay for YOU! We won a contest offered by our friends over at Spark Restaurant Lounge by sending them the most summer voucher referrals, which means we get to give away four gift [...]
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:26 am
Yum! Pick me!
September 6th, 2009 at 6:50 am
she’d love to try out Spark!