Sparrow + Wolf — Restaurant in Spring Valley

26 October 2024 On the last Saturday every other month, Sparrow+Wolf collaborates with a different chef, bartender, and entertainer who each showcase their respective talents in a late night extravaganza called Bar Snacks.

This one was in collaboration with •Adam Rains of The Golden Tiki •Chef Oscar Amador of EDO

Atmosphere: S+W went all out to celebrate the Halloween weekend. The theme was "Creepy Carnevil" so spooky lighting and decor, staff in elaborate circus freak show costumes, DJ spinning horror tunes. Adam Rains trucked over several pieces of unusual Golden Tiki decor, including what looked to be his mini-me voodoo doll. And periodically a couple of slinky masked ladies would perform acts channeling From Dusk till Dawn's Salma Hayek.

Drink: The bar greeted diners with a complimentary snifter of herbaceous alcohol to whet the appetite. Went overboard as usual. All drinks were $18. Ordered Chufas Cabra (Rains): Chose because FIRE. Presented in a large monster tiki glass, with the overflowing fluffy sweetness looking like its brains. Tasty. Sin? I'm In (S+W): Spiced puckery. Seccos (S+W): Great contrast of the zesty citrus with the oozing sweet plum. Antes de la fiesta (S+W): A full-bodied milky finish.

Food: Ordered two dishes from Chef Amador ($16 each), the Tomato Tartare and the Bluefin Tuna. Both would seem deceptively simple on the menu, but they were packed with flavor, very bright and refreshing. As a wonderful gesture, the kitchen generously presented to all diners a scallop and caviar dish, also very delicious. Wrapped up with the Vietnamese Coffee ($15): Beautiful balance between chocolate and coffee. Sharable portion too.

Value: So great it was scary.

Service: Amazing from every quarter; special mention to Drew, Amy(?, the harlequin), and sorry I missed the name and probably will confuse the costume to boot, but the caped and butterfly-clipped Pennywise.

06 July 2024 Second time eating here, snagged a reservation at the bar. Head barman Drew was a demon salesman; presented the limited edition menus and described the favorites in such terms that I was easily persuaded to go all out: Maíz Por Favor cocktail ($16): bright citrus beginning which morphes into a subtle salty minerality. Perfect pairing for the Brentwood Corn Arancini ($18): three ping-pong balls of perfectly fried crispy shelled rice and cheese, indulgently topped with even more cheese and truffle shavings. Delightful. From the Hearth Oven portion of the regular menu: the Black Pepper Honey Pork Secreto ($38), ample portion of sliced well-cooked meat, great sear, juicy and tender. Marked with the fire sign on the menu and did have some bite, but was a pleasant kicky contrast to the potato/banana mash. Ordered the Live-N-Let Rye ($16, and a repeat for me from my first visit) from Spirit Animals; smooth and gently mugs the brain. Followed Drew's suggestion, and got a story too, for the Armenian Zulal Voskehat ($15, also a repeat from the first visit). Goodly pour. Had been warned at the start of the meal that the special dessert Chocolate + Cherries ($15), a creation of pastry chef-at-large Chef Ramón, was in danger of selling out, and since food FOMO is a thing with me, hastened to reserve it.The pleasantly tactile crock from local creators Kolivriz was filled with rich creamy chocolate and soaked but firm cherries. Definitely shareable. Drew was kind enough to pour a couple samples of alcohol to go with the dessert; and I preferred his recommendation of 2004 Mavrodaphne ($13 for 1oz). Great pairing, but the price did stop me getting another tot to make it to the end of the dessert course. Finished with another repeat, the fabulously nutty espresso-pandan martini from Tito. Dinner overall was a transportive adventure, facilitated in no small part by the amazing staff, from the friendly hostesses to the knowledgable bar crew and the snazzy sommelier. Value: Tops to me. High quality, fairly priced food and drink provided in decent amounts, enhanced by the interactions with the engaging...

We came here for a birthday and overall, i would come back to try more. The place itself is nice and gives cozy/romantic/easy vibes but can use some renovations and updates. The lighting can be uped a bit, i think, but overall i liked it. The service was hands down fantastic. The staff is attentive and is always ready to give recommendations, answer questions, and fill up your water. They are prompt and just always ready to help. The food was the deciding factor for me and it came at a solid 3.75 between all of us. Starting with the naming of the plates; the names are the ingredients which is nice but also was too long that the menu was a bit confusing. And here it goes for the plates:

1. JAPANESE MILK BREAD - delicious. The butter is on the spicy side but no one had complains about this. Would ahppily take another round of it any day.
2. OXTAIL HUMMUS - that was probably the 2nd weakest plate we tried. The oxtail was completely lost in the humus and i felt like it was a waste to add it there. The roasted chickpeas, however, were a great addition and added to the crunch. My least favorite part in this plate was actually the naan. That was pita bread with some garlic sauce on top. Interesting plate but not great execution.
3. BRAISED RABBIT - that was delicious. Everything is in that plate was perfection for us. Without contender, this was our best bite of the day. The rabbit was cooked just right that no gaminess was to be found and then all the sauces were on point.
4. OCTOPUS SUKIYAKI - our second favorite plate of the day. Again, cooked really well and the man the sauce was delicious. Really hoping they used low sodium soy sauce as it was a very heavy soy-sauce-based sauce but no regrets.
5. BLACK PEPPER & HONEY PORK SECRETO - i was ok with this plate. The sauce is SPICY so be warned but my disappointment comes from the pork which was a little over cooked and sad. But the sweet potato that it comes with is on point
6. FIRE ROASTED LUMINA FARMS LAMB RACK - that was the weakest plate for sure. I love lamb and was looking forward to this but it really disappointed. The lamb was not cooked right and the sauce was just not the right combo (or it was missing something, i just couldn't tell). Also, the lamb comes on the heavy blue side which is ok for me but not a favorite with lambs.
7. WOOD GRILLED BROCOLLINI - surprisingly delicious. For desserts we had:
8. HONEY TOAST - yeah, it is delicious. Perfectly crispy and sweet. The ice cream on top was served just at the right temp so it was a perfect addition. Then the mango was sweet and just right.
9. CHOCOLATE GANACHE TORTE - while it was a delicious it was definitely not a ganache or a torte. This was a chocolate cake. Which is great, just not what you expect. The pistachio ice cream, however, was to die for.
10. They surprised us with a sundae which was also delicious and very sweet. We loved it.

Overall, this is a place i'd visit again to try other plates but maybe twice is as much as i'd...

Happy to be off the strip during COVID, my local friend suggests S+W. We were running late for our reservation, but I called, and they said it wouldn't be an issue. We arrived, and waited for a table to finish their dessert before we were seated. We sat outside on a bench. While on the bench, two patrons left the restaurant and one sat next to me, literally brushing arms with me, and not wearing a mask. Even though my friend uttered "excuse me, if you aren't going to wear a mask, don't sit near us", the lady still didn't move, and her friend then coughed. Irritated, we stood up and kept our distance until we were called in.

The restaurant itself is so cute, and reminds me of something that you otherwise see in a casino. Attractive decor and bar set up. The manager was going around and greeting guests. Our server (we'll call hi Mr. Handsome - at least with his mask on), was very informative about the menu and went over the specials... one of them being swine for two (okay, he didn't use that reference, but you get it).

Here Comes the Sun - Mezcal, St Elder, Yellow Chartreuse, Pineapple, and Lemon. Complete with foam and stenciled S + W. Very cute, and nice signature cocktail. $14

Charred Broccoli - English peas, wasabi, lemon, mint. While tasty and not overcooked, there wasn't much of a char to it. Looks like the campfire went out early. Tasty complimented components, but an otherwise simple dish we could make at home. (not worth the price tag) $15

Coal Roasted Local Beets - hummus, pistachio, mint, dill, Aleppo pepper, Honey Vinaigrette. I could not try this one due to my pepper allergy, but my friend really enjoyed it. This was a good sized portion too. $14

Japanese Sweet Potato - Umeboshi (preserved plum/ very salty and sour) crème fraîche, lap cheong (Chinese sausage) and scallion. This was my favorite dish. The flavors really were a match made in heaven. The skins just crispy and seasoned on the outside perfectly in the right spots, the potato tender and sweet with the pairing of the salty sourness of the cream, like it was melty! Scallion for extra herbaceous crunch. Winner winner!! $9

Spanish Octopus Summer Roll - gem lettuce, herbs, pickled vegetables, Jaew (Thai chili sauce). This would be your basic (mind you fresh) lettuce wrap accompaniments. The octopus looked beautiful, but could have used a touch less dry cooking at the end. Maybe some more massaging before cooking too. Just slightly tough. $19

Smoked Sunchoke Tortellini - Wood fired Trumpet (burr bur de der - my Trumpet noise), Kombu (kelp). Also, another score (joke) here. The pasta, cooked al dente (perfect imo), scored (get the joke now) whole shrooms, pretty as well as great for allow steam to escape, even cooking, and to keep its shape. Shavings of Parm and a couple asparagus pieces. $19

We were so full, that my friend had to take food home. Now, wheel me outta here....