Meet the Chef: Foodie Heaven on Broadway

When you walk through the front door of SPARK Restaurant & Catering on Broadway, it's hard not to be taken in by the comfortable, inviting atmosphere. Vibrant paintings and tablecloths brighten the room, while twinkly lights give it a glow. The bistro-style seating makes for an intimate space, but spacious enough for you to control how engaged you are in your neighbors' conversations.

The congruous nature of the décor carries over into the menu, which is a seasonal, creative one, featuring well-balanced flavors, clever twists and a taste of something from every food group.

Creating an intimate space for foodies was exactly the goal of co-owners Kim Comfort and Sue Zinno.

The two women first met just down the street at Tucker's, where Kim spent some time waiting tables and Sue served as executive chef. They combined efforts to open "For the Love of Catering," and from there concluded that it would be a natural extension of the business to open a restaurant. Thus, SPARK was born on Nov. 1, 2006.

"The two businesses complement each other," Comfort told Patch. "Restaurant patrons learn about our catering and vice versa."

Many of the foods used for the catering company can also be used for restaurant specials, she added, "so we have minimal food waste, which is good for business, but good for the landfill too."

The jaunty combination of global-meets-local is accomplished without confusion at SPARK, which is partly thanks to the experiences the women picked up in other restaurants along the way.

Originally a New Yorker, Comfort's family moved to Newport about 20 years ago while she was a photography and art history student at Manhattanville College in New York. She did some waitressing and catering during that time, but her involvement in the restaurant world became more permanent when her parents opened the former Music Hall Café on Thames Street. There, Comfort waitressed, did some accounting and progressively took on even more duties. Eventually, she was managing the dining room and the kitchen simultaneously. After a 10-year stint at the Music Hall, Kim moved on to wait tables at Tucker's on Broadway, where she met Zinno.

Zinno is a Portsmouth native. Her restaurant career began while she was a student at Northeastern University majoring in journalism. Zinno started working as a waitress at Pronto (formerly on Thames Street) and soon, like Kim, she was rising through the ranks, moving from waitress to manager to line cook and finally executive chef. After seven years, she moved from Pronto to Tucker's, where she was executive chef for four years. Having an inherent understanding for flavors and textures and an uninhibited capacity to learn has given Sue the knack to create sophisticated menus time and time again.

"She has such an incredible ease with all things behind the line," Comfort said. "Her timing and speed are two incredible qualities that I have never seen in any other chef that I have worked with, and I've worked with quite a few."

The two women say that SPARK has given them the opportunity to have the kind of intimate interaction with customers that they enjoy.

"Most of the people who come to a restaurant like SPARK are really into food and want to talk about it, so we speak the same language as a lot of our patrons," Comfort said. "Many of them say we compare to their favorite restaurants in the city."

SPARK has certainly earned the accolades of some of its big-city counterparts. Lining the front window of the restaurant are an assortment of framed accolades, including write-ups in Rhode Island Monthly, the Providence Phoenix and Yankee Magazine.

"When we first opened, a huge source of inspiration came from Kittichai on Thompson Street in New York City," Comfort said. "We fell in love with the food there."

The two didn't need much, influence, though.

"Much of what we do is based on what our likes and dislikes are," she said. "We don't compare ourselves to any other restaurant in Newport."

There is certainly nothing run-of-the-mill about SPARK or its menu: rich foods are balanced with light, savory flavors are blended with sweet, crunchy can be found with smooth. It can be hard to decide whether to have Beef Tartare (tossed with red onion, capers and white truffle oil and served with lavash crackers); the Thai-Spiced Ground Lamb Slider (sandwiched between crispy russet potato rounds and drizzled with sweet chili sauce); or the Hot Wiener (a grilled Andouille sausage, BBQ-pulled pork and gooey cheese served in a grilled bun). There's also the Roasted Salmon Salad (with edamame, roasted sweet corn, black beans and greens tossed with ancho chile vinaigrette); Swordfish Steak (grilled with lemon and crushed red pepper-infused basil oil, served with asparagus & pineapple Israeli couscous); Roasted Duck Breast (served with mixed-grain rice cake, julienne vegetables and mango-honey-truffle vinaigrette); and plenty more.

The portion sizes are also a welcome change from the superabundant meals one might find in other restaurants. The three plate-size options are "Light Bites," ranging from $6 to $12; "Big Plates" (to share or not to share), from $10 to $17; and entrees, from $12 to $30. The restaurant is also BYOB, making it a great place to try a new wine.

Whatever you choose, sharing and tasting are encouraged here, so bring a friend that won't mind if you steal a taste from their plate!

If the flavors of SPARK leave you craving more, Comfort and Zinno have graciously shared their Paella recipe for you to try in your own kitchen. Comfort says the key to the dish is the sausage. She finds the Andouille packs the most punch.

Paella Recipe

Serves 8

1 lb Andouille sausage, sliced

40 littleneck clams, scrubbed well

16 deveined shrimp, size 16-20

16 large sea scallops

Steamed rice, red rice or a red rice blend

One quart quahog juice (preferably fresh juice from a seafood market)

2 tablespoons of chopped garlic

A large pinch of saffron threads

Julienne red peppers, leeks and scallion

In one pan, sauté vegetables in olive oil, salt and pepper until soft. In another pan, sauté Andouille in olive oil until browned, adding garlic at the end (it is important to sweat out the flavor of the garlic, but don't brown it or it will be bitter). Add the clams, white wine and quahog juice. Cover and simmer until one or two of the clams open. Add the saffron, then the scallops and shrimp, to poach.

When all the clams open, the shrimp and scallops should be done. Then toss with rice and vegetables.

SPARK Restaurant is located at 12 Broadway in Newport (half a block from Washington Square and the Jane Pickens and Opera House movie theaters). It is open for dinner at 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The restaurant encourages you to bring your own bottle of wine, but if you arrive empty-handed you can place a delivery order with Vickers' Liquors. There is also a liquor store about a block or two up the street.

For reservations call 401-842-0023. Visa, Master Card and American Express are accepted.