Spur

Restaurant folks tend to move around. In the case of chefs, it's often a way to gain experience and be exposed to a variety of cooking styles and kitchen cultures. Every now and then those moves are fateful—bringing together people and ideas that give birth to something new. And that is exactly the story of Spur.

Chef Dana Tough's first job was at a private golf and country club in Tacoma where he started forming an interest in cooking. In 1998, he worked at the Cliff House, view dining in Tacoma. A friend got him a line cook job at Waterfront Seafood Grill in Seattle when it opened. "I worked under Vicky McCaffree. She was my first mentor," Dana recalls. He left 3-1/2 years later to work as a line cook at Tulio under Walter Pisano and stayed slightly over a year, leaving to become sous chef at Bandol, then moving to Earth & Ocean at the W Hotel initially as a line cook and later as the lead cook. He worked under Maria Hines and, here fate interferes, met another cook there, Brian McCracken. When Maria left to start Tilth, Dana went with her as her opening sous and became chef de cuisine. "It was amazing to have the chef trust you with everything," he says. "I've taken advantage of my opportunities and taken it slow. And I've decided this is all I know so I'm sticking with it."

When Brian met Dana at E&O, Brian was working banquets under Adam Stevenson, now E&O's executive chef. He became a cook under Maria Hines for 1-1/2 years. Earlier, he attended Western Culinary Institute in Portland, Oregon, then interned at Silks in San Francisco before returning to Seattle. After leaving E&O, he did a 4-5 month stage (French for unpaid aprenticeship) on the East Coast: Restaurant Nora, Eleven Madison Park, Citizen, Craigie Street and a single night at Cru. At that time, Restaurant Nora was the only U.S. restaurant besides Tilth to be certified organic by Oregon Tilth. When E&O went to the James Beard House in New York, Brian was doing his stage tour and joined Maria, Dana and others in the kitchen. After returning to Seattle, he started Flyte (www.flyteseattle.com), a chef-at-your-house business still in operation.

Brian (left) and Dana (right) in the Spur kitchen

While working together, Brian and Dana kept coming back to the question ‘why can't you have really good food in a bar setting?' "People here are geared toward being comfortable, so why not take the tools we've learned and put them into a bar setting," says Dana. The idea stayed with them and became Spur gastropub, which opened in July 2008.

Spur offers new American cuisine and an ever-changing photo gallery of American images (black and white stills on a large screen). They also play old Western movies without sound to underscore their urban Western theme. "If we leave the sound off, people can create their own story line," laughs Dana. The name "Spur" worked for them on several different levels. It's simple and portrays the concept of the urban Western feel. It fits their location in an historic Seattle building. And, as Brian says, "It was a spur of the moment thing."

They wanted to create a gathering space for people, so they put in communal tables for eight from reclaimed Fall City wood. "You're forced to sit and talk with people and may meet your new best friend," says Dana. To fit in a longer bar, they didn't have room for a clear separation between bar and dining room. Consequently, Spur is 21 and over. Tables along one wall can be pushed together and the banquette is one continuous bench. There are a few tables for four and some intimate corners. "Service is about talking to the whole table. The flow of the place, even in terms of how the food comes out, is casual and about sharing. Of course you can have anything any way you want it, but we encourage sharing and the food comes out when it's ready," says Dana.

Nearly half of their menu changes over the month, both sweet and savory, with daily specials. "After 11 p.m., we offer half pints of ice cream with garnishes. For a lot of people, it's like hitting their own kitchen before going to bed." They always wanted to have a chalkboard menu and have used one wall to list happy hour specials. "We aren't trying to compete with Seattle happy hours," explains Dana. "We're offering high quality food—meats from Snake River Farms and fromage blanc made in-house—at good prices to build trust with guests." They're also planning a late-night happy hour. Currently they offer their full menu until 11 p.m. and a six-item menu from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Their cocktail program, headed by David Nelson, fits their food concept. "The bar focuses on quality ingredients, just like the kitchen," explains David. "We make all our syrups, tinctures, bitters and infusions. With infusions, we use the sous-vide method of vacuum packing so the flavors are more fresh, bright and intense." David sees the bar menu as a work in process. "When we first opened, we were using newer things like gelling agents and powders. In the last few months, we've gone back to eggs and fire. Caramelizing things like orange make them aromatic and flavorful."

The Spur concept has worked for them, attracting regular customers across a wide age range. Food & Wine magazine noted them as one of six U.S. gastropubs to visit. Yet even as they play with food and bar menus, they're planning their next venture. "We went into Spur with the intention of having more places," says Dana. "We currently have a different concept for a new place, a lease and almost a permit. We feel we can be successful whatever the concept is. Anything can be done really well—there really are no limitations."

Connie Adams/May 2009