It’s only 5 p.m. on a Saturday — just an hour after Crumb & Spigot has opened — and it’s already hopping.
The 50-seat Bainbridge eatery, filled with families, couples on dates and friends catching up, shouldn’t be this busy, since its the first nice spring day of 2019.
But it’s that kind of place, one that people turn to again and again for simple, heartwarming meals. They’ll even forgo a sunny afternoon for food that’s unfussy, straightforward and tastes great.
“Good food doesn’t have to be complicated,” says chef and co-owner Karen Gorman. “You’re not going to see a lot of fancy tricks or cooking techniques. It’s pretty bare bones, basic heat and basic food but modernized and turned up a little bit.”
The wood-fired oysters ($9) employ just butter and breadcrumbs, but a quick trip in the wood-fired oven give the bivalves a smoky flavor.
Even something as basic as a bar steak ($25) feels homey and special thanks to a tender shoulder cut that gets seared in a cast-iron skillet. Dressed in a whiskey mustard and mushroom pan sauce, it doesn’t try to be fancy or trendy. It’s just a classic, well-prepared dish that Gorman never intends to take off the menu.
She’s committed to her craft, waking up early every day to make dough for her pretzels and pizzas, which come out of the oven with a thin, chewy crust and loaded with toppings such as smoked prosciutto and pickled jalapenos.
“You have to be devoted to doing it exactly the same way every single day,” she says. “You just can’t wing it.”
16783 Chillicothe Road, Bainbridge, 440-384-3035, crumbandspigot.com
