Very rarely do I venture into the downtown restaurant scene, but a new lease on life has shown me that sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone for the best of reasons.
As a result, I went to Oklahoma City’s Pridefest last weekend for fun, laughs, and, of course, to be a bane to the existence of Ryan Walters.
Near Scissortail Park, my girlfriend, my loyal dog Sean, and I had lunch at the festive Spark, located at 300 Oklahoma City Blvd.
After parking the car in the blazing sun, we found shade at the restaurant and looked over the menu on our phone. I immediately noticed they had gourmet ice cream for dogs, which impressed Sean immensely.
As I went to order the food, a blustery blast of Oklahoma wind blew into the restaurant, projecting trash, dust, and debris into the bocce ball court where some kids were trying to have lunch. I wanted to rush out and save the day, but the smell of the food coming from the kitchen kept me focused.
Though quite slender in its construction, Spark was pretty packed around noon. A large smattering of downtown professionals, moderate families, and rainbow-clad youths gave Spark a lively, lived-in look, especially on the patio.
After a few minutes, I got the celebratory food and brought it back to the hungry masses.
I started with Spark’s trademarked Pink Fries ($4.50). These crinkle-cut fries are draped with a pink sauce—actually more purple—but who am I to quibble? It tastes like a slightly richer mayonnaise mixed with parmesan and parsley.
I've tried many pink sauces around town, all with different degrees of taste, but Spark’s variation takes the cake! The sauce actually complements the fries with a natural taste, likely due to the beets in the mix.
On the healthier side, my girlfriend had the Power Park Bowl ($12.50), which was a tremendous value in both size and price. It featured quinoa, grains, sweet potato, avocado hummus, crispy chickpeas, red onion, diced tomatoes, candied jalapenos, sliced almonds, and chia seeds with a citrus vinaigrette.
This is not a paltry side salad—this is the real deal. While the quinoa and sweet potatoes provide a filling kick, the candied jalapenos and crispy chickpeas make it a true meal. The avocado hummus, though it seems like it might be too much, is actually just right, offering two extra meals with this lunchtime portion.
As for me, I went for the traditional Spark Burger ($11.00), a double-patty burger wonder with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and a heaping helping of Spark sauce.
Although the big leaf of lettuce stealthily covered the whole burger, underneath were the juiciest patties around, with melted cheese making it a well-done burger-banger. The dollop of Spark sauce took it to a whole other level. You need to try this!
While we enjoyed our lunch, Sean crouched under my legs and devoured the Pup Cup ($4.00), a frozen treat of vanilla custard, whipped cream, and a Milk Bone. After a few seconds of sniffing it, he went to town, simply enjoying the cool treat. Good boy, Sean!
As the wind started up again, we deposited our trash into the appropriate receptacles. With newfound energy from this surprising lunch, we walked down to the stage, making me rethink dining in downtown and making this a Pride to truly remember.
Cómpralo ya!
Follow Louis Fowler on Instagram at @louisfowler78.
