Spark Woodfire Grill

what a delight to dine here! Just went with friends and my child for dinner, they were completely accomodating to my 2 yr. old, had a delicious dinner and great wine list to boot! the place is spotless, and really elegant for a small restaurant. makes you forget you are on ventura blvd when inside!

Pros: menu, waitstaff, atmosphere

Cons: small

Posted 09/21/09

Really good foo, its fun to sit at the bar and order a few appetizers and some drinks. The grilled artichoke is delicious and so are the crab cakes.. nice atmosphere and the help are super nice. Very resonable prices, too

Pros: Nice to sit at the bar and eat some apps

Posted 09/03/09

We've ordered delivery from Spark BevHills 3 times since receiving their menu in the mail. We were excited to find a restaurant nearby that delivered up scale food (what's better than not having to go out Saturday night, and instead have your filet mignon delivered to the door?).
Unfortunately the service and food quality do not qualify as 'up scale' and do not justify their up scale pricing.

First Order, Strike One:
April '09, we ordered 1/2 order of ribs and goat cheese stuffed chicken. I placed the order online, and within 10 minutes, they called to confirm. After an hour, I went to call them to check on the order, and I had 3 missed calls from Spark. The host said there was a problem w/ the card and he needed the info again-someone had typed the card number incorrectly during processing.

Also delivery guy couldn't find the apartment and had been circling around for 25 minutes looking for the building (its an easy building to find, on a corner lot 1/2 mile from the place). When the guy finally came to the door he was belligerent and apathetic, giggling when I asked how long he'd been driving around and if my food was cold. He also had no receipt for me (no receipt for a $65 meal???). I had to fight with the guy to get the copy of the receipt he had!

The food itself was bland and arrived COLD. The ribs were tender and came off the bone with a fork, though very fatty, and the 'garlic mashed potatoes' were made from instant potato flakes (I am a cook, and I know the difference-It's my job).
The goat cheese asparagus chicken & herb rice was bland and tasteless. The portion was tiny, leaving me hungry after finishing the plate. Gourmet food is appropriate to be served in small portions because it is supposed to be extraordinarily complex and filling- This was not gourmet or complex whatsoever.

Second Order, Strike Two:
May '09, we ordered the goat cheese chicken again (for lack of chicken choices on the menu) and NY steak. Again, the food got to us COLD!
The chicken was the same and the steak was overcooked (we'd ordered medium and it came well done). The steak came with a 'smashed potato'- a baked potato that had been smashed with a fork. No spices, no flavor, etc...And not enough gravy came with the steak to dress the potato. (At least it was a real potato) In all, the steak, chicken and their accompaniments were bland.

Third Order, Strike Three:
We had an out of town guest, and decided to order again from Spark. COLD food, again!
This time I again ordered ribs, filet mingon and our guest had a Cheeseburger. The ribs were the same, but, the steak was grossly UNDER cooked this time (ordered medium, and it came to us rare) and there was no smashed potato with the steak this time- It was more potato buds. The cheeseburger, our guest claimed, was no better that a Fatburger.
Our bill, was over $85 for a burger, a steak dinner, and ribs.

We've had 2 rounds with Spark, and won't be ordering again. I'd recommend skipping Spark, or seriously lowering your expectations.

Pros: Delivery

Cons: Service, Cold & Bland Food, Quality Doesn't Justify Price

Posted 08/08/09

This was a great place to take my family for some meat. The grill made everything taste great. the only thing was the vegetables seemed old and re used??

Pros: Steak

Cons: Vegetables

Posted 03/26/09

Spark is consistently good food with great service and nice setting. I've taken friends from out of town for dinner, mainly because we have always had a great meal and nice evening... The fish specials are always winners~

Posted 12/30/08

A wonderful experience from beginning to end. My husband and I enjoyed dinner at Spark for the first time last week to celebrate his birthday. I was able to make a short notice (same day) reservation on Open Table. When I called the restaurant a few hours later to confirm, they had everything including my special seating request that was "no problem" to accommodate. Even when I called 15 minutes before our reservation letting them know we were running about 15 minutes late, they were extremely friendly and thanked us for the notice. Everyone at the restaurant was friendly and the service was excellent. Our beverages were constantly filled (a pet peeve of mine). We started our meals with two appetizers -- the fried calamari and the buffeleta mozzarella caprese salad. I enjoyed a lovely Lemon Drop cocktail while my husband went with the non-alcoholic version (a lemonade). Hubby went for the manly "cowboy" 20 oz bone-in ribeye steak with the Maytag bleu cheese topping. I showed some restraint and tried the daily special sea bass with jasmine rice instead of the mashed potatoes. Both entrees were flavorful and filling. We hadn't planned on having dessert but our server must have overheard me say it was his birthday and she brought us a complimentary tiramisu to end the evening. I have to say, generally I dislike Tiramisu because most places drown it in alcohol or just too much liquid in general. But this tiramisu was just wonderful. It was light, creamy, and the lady fingers were NOT mush. The cocoa powder dusted over the top mellowed out the coffee flavor, and we ate the whole thing. We definitely recommend Spark for a great dinner in a casual atmosphere.

Cons: Valet parking can get hectic, and the wait a little tiresome

Posted 06/01/08

Last night was my second time at Sparks and will not be my last. The ambiance is fabulous, the service outstanding, and the food second to none. The waiter and bus boys were never too far away, I never needed to wait for my glass to be re-filled. Even the manager checked on us several times. With cocktails, drinks, desert, and a well deserved 25% tip, the bill came to about $75 a person which considering the great time we had was a BARGAIN! Keep up the good work folks.

Pros: Fantastic steaks & deserts, great service

Posted 04/11/08

I went here for dinner with my friends and we had a great time. We got a margherita pizza as an appetizer and it was great for a simple thin crust pizza. I also got the fillet minion for dinner and it was delicious. It was cooked perfectly...very tender and juicy. Overall we had a great experience. The restaurant is fairly small and intimate. I definitely recommend it as a date place.

Pros: Great food, service, and atomostphere

Posted 01/04/08

My mom and I went here for dinner and really enjoyed our food. We started with the wedge salad and then shared the fillet with green beans and french fries. The french fries were fabulous and the steak was cooked perfectly. The prices were very reasonable -- it was great for a casual early dinner.

Posted 11/05/07

Some friends and I went to Spark for their Happy Hour after seeing a billboard on Ventura Blvd. I have to say what a GREAT find this place was! Apparently, Spark hosts "studio hour" every weekday from 5-8 upstairs in their wine lounge. Fantastic! The appetizers were phenomenal as was the service and the drinks. The bartender, Brian, really knows what he is doing. I reccomend you stop in and sample one of his spicy-tinis, immediately. Great food, cheap wine and martinis (6 bucks!), wonderful ambiance and music and the sevice is second to none. It's only a matter of time before this place is discovered by the masses, so get here before the rest of the valley does.

Pros: Ambiance, The Service, The Drinks

Cons: Limited Parking

Posted 08/23/07

Our waiter was very friendly and attentive, but when we ordered a steak and told them not to char it, they said "its impossible to char it it," and it then came out charred. Great drinks, nice atmosphere, I would go back.

Pros: Attentive Wait staff, nice atmosphere

Cons: very little parking unless you want to pay for valet

Posted 07/12/07

I like this place. We had an excellent time here with a few friends. Everyone enjoyed their meal, service was good...I had a really great steak...

Posted 07/11/07

This was just OK. Ambiance is supposed to be trendy, but didn?t thrill me. The pizza is good, but not exceptional. Other items I had we just average. This one seems a bit pricy for average food and so-so environment.

Pros: Decent Pizza and some menu variety

Cons: Not a great value

Posted 07/05/07

I read some of the other reviews on this place, and I have been there probably 6-7 times, and I don't know where they are coming from on the review of the food. This is sub $20 a plate restaurant, it is not The Gardens at the Four Seasons. I think the food is well prepared, for a reataurant of this type. They have a great variety of light fair. Their chicken dishes are especially good (love the goat cheese stuffed chicken breast). It is a great casual atmosphere date kind of place, where you are seated promptly, the service is good (but not spectacular), the food is good, the wine list is good (especially by the glass - a wide variety) and the coktails are decent. It does not have the snooty ambience of Firefly across the street, but at least you can get a reservation on a weekend.

Pros: Quality of food for the price, easy parking, good wine list

Cons: Service only average

Posted 01/25/07

Just moved to the hood and gave Spark a try. Definitely want reservations as we were walk-ins an given a really tiny table in the corner. But once we sat down and checked out the menu, it passed muster. They had lots of specials, really nice wines by the glass. Steaks were fairly priced compared to other trendy steakhouses and the salads were really good, especially the wedge. Service was prompt but I did feel we were pushed along because of the no reservation but still, a very enjoyable meal

Pros: Good Salads and Steaks, Nice Wines by the Glass

Cons: Need reservations

Posted 11/21/06

I went here with a couple of my girlfriends. The restaurant is very small and cozy, and the decor was warm and inviting. The wait staff was great about checking in on us. The bread and olive tapenade starter were delicious. My ribs were tender and well-flavored, and my friends loved their fish and steak. The wine list was long and good. BUT I felt that my dish, at least, was not worth the price. I only read about the $35 prix fixe menu after I left, and wish I'd ordered that instead.

Pros: Service, ambience, food

Cons: Value

Posted 11/03/06

Spark is a great place to go for lunch. They're known for their rotisserie meats but even their cobb salad is delicious. Their pizzas are also good. Portions are generous and the atmosphere is comfortably casual. Metered parking can be hard to find along Ventura Blvd. but the restaurant offers valet parking.

Posted 09/24/06

We had our first experience at the Studio City restaurant. It was quite noisy! Lacked intimacy and the waitress asked us if we wanted the spinach salad at a time when all the spinach warnings were telling everyone to not eat the stuff! The waitress was a bit too busy to be courteous. But other than that, the food was great. Would try it once more to see if the service has improved.

Pros: Great food

Cons: Not great service and noisy.

Posted 09/18/06

this is a great place to go with a large group- they're very accomodating! great comfort food, steaks, italian food- everything you could want. i definitely recommend splitting something- everything is huge!

Posted 09/17/06

This is some of the best seafood and Italian woodfire cooking that I have had other than on the other side of the country. I would highly suggest this restaurant to anyone in the area.

Posted 07/11/06

We had great service, fantastic food, and the atmosphere wasperfect. Trendy without being overly so, good quality food without being too pricey, reasonably priced valet service.

Pros: food, ambiance

Cons: parking

Posted 06/26/06

They have this delicious pizza with aruguala, prosciutto and shaved parmesan...it's like having salad on a pizza. The BBQ ribs fall of the bone, but my favorite thing is the crab cakes and the fact that they deliver. I have "girls lunch" there all the time and the waiters are so nice.

Pros: BBQ Ribs, Arugula Pizza, Crab Cakes

Posted 01/30/06

...this was my favorite restaurant. Unfortunately Spark is having its downfall. From bad service to cold and overcooked food you name it they got it. First I thought, well everybody can have a bad day, the second time I thought it was unpleasant, the third time I got really annoyed, so I stopped going there. over the past 4 month I gave it a try again and boy was I shocked. I had to give back my food twice (steak too overcooked, other dish was already cold, sec. time way to salty). No apologies nothing.
Another time we had to wait ages for our food, it finally came but not exactly the way we ordered it, again no apologies. This is not the way to treat regulars. For sure, this was my last visit to Spark! Good night and good luck!

Pros: Best Pizza

Cons: bad service, bad food

Posted 01/05/06

I have lunch at Spark on Ventura all the time when I am in the Valley, but I found a new one on Pico Blvd, just west of Beverly Drive that is a little more upscale, right next door to my house and they deliver. I really like the crab cakes and my husband loves the ribs. Definitely, our new favorite place.

Pros: ambience, location, delivery

Posted 10/09/05

I went to Sparks at Studio City for an early dinner with my wife.It was crowded in the main room,since it was a nice day we decided to sit outside, and it was just perfect. I ordered crabcakes, steak & lamb for my wife.The crabcakes, I recommend them. The wait for our food took longer than I expected,an hour long or more, it was 2 long that I have to inform our server.He told us that they R shorthanded in the kitchen.He told the manager & he aplogized & offered us Tiramisu which we refused. I don't know if the manager is busy cooking or serving guests but given the length of time, he should aplogize himself.Our food finally arrive, my steak is over-cooked I was just too hungry to return it. Wifey's lamb was O.K. nothing 2 exciting. Over all not too impressive, food was not worth it.

Pros: fast seating, nice servers/hostess, crabcakes

Cons: not worth the price, bad manager

Posted 07/04/05

the music on thursday at the Beverly Hills Location is jazz and the performer is really great.

Posted 06/22/05

I dined on a sat night and it was really superior. I had rack of lamb of the wood grill that melted in my mouth. Everything from wine list, to soup, to dessert was phenomenal. I recommend a visit to one of their 3 locations either Studio City, W Pico, or Huntington Beach.

Pros: Good value, Superb food

Posted 03/04/05

i order two things from spark- the artichoke appetizer, and the asparagus pizza... i've had many things on the menu, and i've found that those two are the most consistant and delicious. I also enjoy the sides of green beans.

Pros: good wines, valet, nice lighting

Posted 02/26/05

We had just celebrated my dad's 50th birthday with a cozy dinner for 3 at Sparks. The staff was attentive, the food was delicious and verred on the side of home made ( a huge plus for my dad). The place was bustling for a wed. night with a slew of celebs blissfully dinning right besides us. It was noisy and crowded but at the end the food prevailed over all else. Definitely recommended for a good meal. Lasagna is essecial (it pleased my hard to please mother) as was tira misu.

Pros: Food, Service, Ambience

Cons: , Noise, Privacy

Posted 11/30/04

I had my 50th birthday party upstairs, 30+ people, it went off without a hitch, and I've often jumped in after work and sat at the bar and ordered something easy. Great chops, great tuscany bean soup, great waiters, that must love it too, 'cause they've been there a while.

Pros: Great grilled food

Posted 05/19/04

Not only is Spark great dining in... it's great catering. I work for a law firm and we used them for a business meeting, pretty last minute, and their food was perfect, on time and extremely affordable. We will definitely use them for catering again and again.

Pros: Affordable, Authentic Italian, Wonderful service

Posted 08/14/02