Runcible Spoon is not your average spork

A loose translation for a runcible spoon is a "fork with three broad-curved prongs." \nIt's also the name of an eclectic restaurant, which might be something out of the ordinary, but truly fits the nature of this Bloomington original. Located at 412 E. Sixth St., this restaurant offers gourmet food and coffee at a fraction of the gourmet price. \nUpon entering this small, old house, we waited to be seated only to find out that we needed to seat ourselves. After we stopped blushing, we flipped through the short menu to see creatively designed entrées for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Once our waitress came with water, it was explained to us that several of the items on the menu were not available that evening because the kitchen had run out of key ingredients. The already slim list of seven dinner choices had therefore been reduced to a meager four.\nThankfully, breakfast can be ordered all day, so we sampled from both the breakfast and dinner menus. For "breakfast," we chose the simply-named "As You Like It" ($3.25), two eggs cooked to order with toast and apple butter on the side. We added an order of Home Fried Potatoes ($2.45) and enhanced them with vegetables and cheese (75 cents each). The dinner entrée had no name specifically assigned to it; rather, it fully described the platter. We chose the pan-seared Atlantic salmon, mixed greens and rosemary-cheddar potatoes ($7.95).\nAs we waited for our food, we sat drinking papaya tea ($1.30), which was both sugar- and caffeine-free, recommended by the waitress. The tea was bland, and the fruit flavoring was too weak to really be enjoyable. Instead leaving little of an impression on our taste buds. We wish we would have ordered coffee after hearing rave reviews about the freshly roasted beans that have made The Spoon famous.\nDuring the wait, we decided to change the chairs we were sitting on, for the armchairs' weak support system left our eyes even with the tabletop. The seating in The Spoon is a hodge-podge array of old armchairs and dining chairs, which make for an interesting, yet impractical use of the space. The artwork is modern and does not quite fit with the rest of restaurant, but we think that is the point. The atmosphere, however disorganized, is oddly charming on its own. The Spoon is more like a coffeehouse than a gourmet restaurant, which is very appealing to college students looking for a relaxing place to eat. \nHowever, this coffeehouse atmosphere translated into coffee house-service during our meal. The busy waitress was juggling bussing, making coffee, cashier duties and serving. Although we sympathize with her, more staff should have been on duty considering it was a football game weekend. There is never an excuse for serving lukewarm food to customers, and unfortunately that was the case during our visit.\nEven though the food was served temperate, it was still delicious. The eggs were cooked to perfection, and the home-fried potatoes were absolutely amazing. The interesting mix of vegetables added in with the seasoned potatoes (onions, mushrooms, spinach, broccoli and carrots) complemented the taste perfectly, and the melted cheese provided the extra accent to make the dish extraordinary. No matter what time of day, this breakfast is not to be missed. Trust us: Do not dine at the Runcible Spoon without sampling this side.\nEqually delicious were the rosemary potatoes served alongside the salmon. The rosemary was not overpowering, but complemented the red potatoes nicely. The salmon and asparagus would have been spectacular if they had not been cold. The salmon, served rare, was tender and had obviously been cooked with expertise. It is a shame that this potentially wonderful food was spoiled by something as simple as understaffing.\nDespite the setbacks we encountered, the Runcible Spoon offers a unique selection of delicious cuisine at a good value. For the two of us, our meal cost just under $20. It is hard to find such quality food at bargain basement prices. When you are looking for an exquisite breakfast, lunch or dinner, the Runcible Spoon can be a palette-pleasing destination. Open daily from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., step off the beaten path into the Runcible Spoon. We guarantee the food will be delicious.