spinnerie in the tenderloin...it's an eat in and delivery adventure
Most times I'm stuck at work by myself and am unable to go out for lunch like normal folk. Usually I bring food, though, there is no microwave here either, thus most of what I bring is of the salad or sandwich variety. Occasionally, I'll look at what I brought and go, ugh, I want something else, preferably heated. That's when I resort to delivery services. I'm always on the lookout for these things to see what new entrees or restaurants they may have added recently.
This particular day I decided to skip past Munchery or Sprig (delivery apps I've reviewed before) and try GrubHub, which one of those that delivers restaurant food to you. I logged on and scrolled through their choices and what felt like an endless list of pizza, Indian and Chinese food. After several pages I landed on Spinnerie. I remember seeing them on a jaunt through the Tenderloin (they can say they are in Nob Hill but they ain't) a few months back and had wanted to try them out, so why not now? Plus they only had a $15 minimum and no delivery fee, meaning I could tip the delivery person without having to go deeper into my wallet. (cheap b****rd that I am)
I waited till later in the day to do this figuring the lunch rush would be over and the food would come quicker. They have a couple different chicken options and a selection of either cold sides or hot sides. I clicked and chose and once my order was placed I got a text my food would be there in about an hour. In the grand scheme of things, it didn't seem too bad, It wasn't like I was going anywhere. In around 40-45 they showed up at my work and voila! Lunch!
peri peri half chicken with roasted cauliflower and beets with goat cheese
Spinnerie is all about the spatchcock rotisserie cooking of chicken. That's where you cut it open and lay it flat to cook. Me and the SO had done this with a turkey one Thanksgiving and to our surprise, it worked amazingly well. I opted for the half a peri-peri chicken, roasted cauliflower and beets with goat cheese. That's $8.50 for the chicken, $3.25 each for the sides and with tax and tip it was about $20. Seems like a lot for a single lunch, but I have to say, the picture is a bit deceiving as there was plenty to go around. In fact, I ended up getting 2 lunches out of this.
Props to GrubHub and Spinnerie for getting this to me while it was still hot. I got a nice waft of steam when I opened the box with the chicken in it. Peri-peri (or piri-piri) is a Portuguese sauce blend of spices (you read about here). It is kind of like a spicy tomato barbecue sauce and it was liberally coating the chicken. I liked it a lot, it gave the chicken loads of flavor. Add in the tender, juicy and perfectly cooked chicken and this was a winner, winner, chicken dinner so to speak. Plenty of meat and crispy skin to hit the sweet spot for me.
The cauliflower was roasted with Calabrese peppers, capers, garlic and olive oil. They have this starred on their menu as a favorite, for me it was alright, but nothing to shout about. Peppers didn't really add any kick and I can't say I'm the biggest fan of capers either. Came off a little bland, but hey, if nothing else, it is at least a healthy side dish.
Beets and goat cheese, what can I say? I'm just a food sucker for both of these things. Beets were soft and a tad sweet and the goat cheese adds some saltiness to counter it. This is one of those dishes that just works in its simplicity. No need to add any of those fancy sounding things to perk this up. As is, it is just a tasty side that also pairs well with the spicy chicken. Side note, these were actually supposed to be rainbow beets, but I ended up with all purple somehow, but beets are beets to me so I was fine with it.
Not content to just stick with one delivery, I ended up going by the restaurant itself to check it out firsthand.
inside Spinnerie on Polk Street
It's a long space with tall ceilings to make it feel more open. It is part of that "fast casual" restaurant concept that is sweeping the country. You order at the counter then seat yourself. They have all their hot and cold sides on display which is nice to see what things look like before ordering. After perusing down the line I placed my order.
quarter Mediterranean chicken with mac and cheese and caprese salad
Staying in the same vein as the delivery, I went chicken and two sides. This time it was the quarter of Mediterranean spiced chicken $5 with truffle mac and cheese and a caprese salad $3.25 each. Mediterranean means lemon, garlic, salt, pepper, parsley and what they say are a few other "secret spices." Though these spices were kind of so-so taste wise not as bright as the peri-peri. I thought the quarter size was a little on the small side. Supposed to be half of a half but without the leg and a wing instead, made the half feel like a better bargain. Still, it was tender, juicy and nice crisp parts of the skin. Kind of you basic roast chicken.
The mac and cheese on this day was a truffle oil one which adds in an earthy flavor. Not sure they do this all the time though, so if you are not a mushroom fan keep hope alive if you want to try it. It is a creamy mac with a sprinkle of bread crumbs to give some crunch. It's a good, decent version that makes a nice side.
A caprese salad is supposed to consist of tomatoes, mozzarella, a basil leaf or two and drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I got most of that here, except they skimped on the mozzarella as I had one small piece that sat in the middle of the tomatoes. You can see it hiding behind a leaf in the picture above. Because of that I'm just gonna call it a chopped tomato side which was a fresh, chilled and healthy side partner to offset the heavy mac and cheese.
Between both delivery and eat in, I actually did enjoy most everything I had at Spinnerie. Most of the menu is mix and match, thus you can pair up some eats that won't bust the budget. Plus some, like the half a chicken could be extended into two meals or shared. They have a nice variety of sides in both hot and cold you probably can't go wrong with. If you aren't into chicken they also do beef, salmon and tofu in grilled versions. Not my thing, but they are there.
Outside of the mozzarella shortage, both the delivery and the dine in worked out well. I got some tasty chicken and some mostly healthy sides to pair it with. It's one of those kinds of places I wish were in my neighborhood as I could see dropping in to grab a quick affordable bite every now and then. For now they are only in the Tenderloin, not necessarily a place you wanna go, but if you are nearby, they are a healthy option beyond all the pizza, Indian and Chinese food you'll find in the Tenderloin AND with online delivery.
