There are times when you want to go out for an elaborate meal, and there are others when you just want to grab a quick dinner, or even better, pick up a complete healthful meal to take home and enjoy. Spinnerie on Polk Street neatly fits both bills.
Open since early this year, Spinnerie serves what it calls “locally sourced, globally inspired rotisserie foods while providing an engaged human connection and giving back to our community and humanity for a healthy and happy world!” Translation: They use Mary’s free-range, non-GMO, vegetarian-fed birds, partially deboned and spatchcocked, which produces less waste and crispy, flavorful chicken; reclaimed wood is used throughout the space; and chairs are crafted from recycled aluminum cans. Those who dine in are served on bamboo plates, and takeout orders come in recyclable or compostable/ biodegradable packaging. Spinnerie boasts the only rooftop herb garden in the Bay Area, visible from the side of the building on Pine Street. Plus there is a smaller indoor herb garden also visible from the street.
All of this makes sense considering that Spinnerie founders Niko Koros and Nick Bovis each have backgrounds in farming and cooking. Koros worked with his father in produce and butchers’ markets throughout the Bay Area since he was a child and studied the art of rotisserie in France, and Bovis spent time as a farmer and horticulturist in the Central Valley before taking over operations at Lefty O’Doul’s in the 1990s.
Spinnerie serves two kinds of rotisserie chicken: one seasoned with Mediterranean spices and herbs, and Peri Peri spiced with pepper and local herbs. Options include a whole chicken for $14, half a chicken for $8, and a quarter chicken for $5. Other rotisserie items include responsibly raised tri-tip, sustainable salmon, and Hodo tofu.
Side dishes, hot and cold, are what set Spinnerie apart from other rotisserie joints. A single side is $2.75, two sides are $5.25; three sides are $7.50; and four sides, $10. Hot sides include roasted corn with red quinoa and Greek yogurt; spit-fired cauliflower with pickled peppers, capers, and garlic; fingerling potatoes with fresh herbs and kosher salt cooked in the rotisseries with chicken drippings; macaroni and cheese; garlic mashed potatoes; and rotisserie-seasoned veggies. There are gluten-free, vegan, dairy free, and vegetarian options. Cold sides include Israeli couscous with wild mushrooms, shaved parmesan and lemon-truffle vinaigrette; Togarashi (chili pepper) kale and apple salad with local kale, parmesan, chili and olive oil; your choice of original or spicy hummus; and ginger soba noodles with Asian mushrooms.
Sandwiches are served on house-made flatbread and include various combinations of Spinnerie’s rotisserie offerings such as the Arrogant Greek with roasted red pepper olive tapenade, feta, Greek slaw, baby arugula, quinoa tzatziki, house-picked onions, crispy kale, and shallots (add $2 for chicken or tofu and $3 for salmon or tri-tip). Or try the Simple Noodle salad with baby arugula, seasonal cabbage, vermicelli noodles, Vietnamese mint, cucumbers, sweet peppers, pickled vegetable slaw, dried shallots, organic peanuts, and dressing (grilled items are optional); or the Granja Bonita with romaine hearts, organic black beans, avocado, roasted corn, pickled red onions, sweet peppers, Cotija cheese, cherry tomatoes, jicama, yogurt-cilantro crème, cumin vinaigrette, and tortilla strips. Black bean chili and a soup of the day are also available.
Spinnerie offers a healthful, affordable take-out option for those busy days or nights when cooking just isn’t an option.
Spinnerie Globally Inspired Rotisserie: 1401 Polk Street (at Pine), 415-345-1999, spinnerie.com; daily 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m.
