SpireWorks serves Döner Kebob American Style

After traveling to Berlin, Turkey, and over twenty years ago to Israel, I always crave döner or döner kebob. Now you can get a perfect flavorful doner spire of beef, chicken, or veggie köfte in LA. For vegan Angelenos, the köfte option will satiate their appetite with meatless meatballs made of cubed vegetables held together by chickpea flour and Urfa biber (dried Turkish Chili pepper).

Spire Works in Westwood. (Photo credit: Melissa Curtin)

SpireWorks just opened in Westwood and is the perfect haven for the traveling foodie using vertically spit roasted meats. Try your own doner creation, perhaps the way you remember it, or try doner on their signature bread or over greens or wild rice with one of SpireWork’s new flavorful twists.

“Döner is arguably the number one street food in Europe, and all over the world, they are making döner in some regional variant,” says SpireWorks™ Founder and CEO Bob Kaufman. “SpireWorks™ takes the authentic taste of döner and pairs it with fun, foodie flavors and ingredients from across the globe.”

Start with the Arrivals (beef, chicken, or köfte,), then a Base, SpireWorks signature bread, fresh greens or exotic wild rice, before selecting one of the seven Destination Arrivals. I was drawn to the Istanbul, and the Bangkok, their two most popular “destinations,” but I opted for the Istanbul with feta cheese. I am still thinking about this sandwich with its exceptional meat taste and airy, light bread with a nice crunch and sesame seeds, and there is a reason why.

The Founder and CEO not only took a meat journey with his restaurant business savvy friend to sample one döner after the next throughout Europe to secure the recipe to the most delicious döner they had tasted, which ended up deep in the heart of Istanbul, BUT to capture the authentic flavors of Turkish döner they soon learned agriculture affects the food on our plates. “Different meat rearing methods will garner different results,” explains Kaufman, now the wiser for his experience. “Rather than following a specific recipe, we knew the target flavor, taste and texture, and we had to figure out how to create it.” So Kaufman did just that with the help of a food innovation and development company called Pilot R+D and Glen Rose Meats. Now Angelenos and tourists can enjoy special SpireWorks döner selections, quick and easy.

Arrivals: Choose your Destination

Baja California, featuring cabernet tomatoes, tomatillo sauce, cotija cheese, baked tortilla strips, pickled onions, and green onion shreds.

Bangkok, with tamarind chutney, yellow curry aioli, green onion shreds, Thai coconut curry crumble, and pickled red peppers with sambal.

Carolina, comprised of Smokey The BBQ sauce, cabernet tomatoes, angel hair carrots, collard green coleslaw, pickled cauliflower, and BBQ Shaker.

Istanbul, with cabernet tomatoes, cucumber spirals, Zaatar Labneh, pickled red onions, and Zaatar Shaker.

Little Italy, starring fresh basil leaf, cabernet tomatoes, yellow squash spirals, tomato jam, pesto panko crunch, and shaved parmesan.

New York, comprised of Russian dressing, sauerkraut, shaved parmesan, cucumber spirals, angel hair beets, and New York Shaker.

Peking, with hoisin sauce, green onion shreds, crispy onions, angel hair carrots, cucumber spirals, and Rayu Shaker.

Departures

Next, select the Twice-Cooked Potatoes (Dutch yellow potatoes boiled, smashed, and flash fried to golden perfection) from the Departures, and five crazy-delicious mouthwatering proprietary Shakers offering mixtures such as:

NY Shaker is reminiscent of the quintessential New York Deli

Zaatar Shaker will take you on a stroll through a Turkish spice bazaar

BBQ Shaker has guests at a backyard barbecue in the heart of the Carolinas

Furikake Shaker transports guests to Japan

Rayu Shaker is every aroma and flavor of a Beijing Night Market

SpireCakes

For little dessert bites, we recommend these rolled and cut filled cakes with creams because they are not overly sweet and help curb those sweet cravings. Try a few bites with flavors like the Banana Cream Pie, Italian favorite Tiramisu, a decadent Chocolate Ganache, creamy Dulce de Leche, Honey Mascarpone, and Strawberry Shortcake. Our favorites: chocolate and dulce de leche.

Drinks

We appreciate the Fair Trade Certified Can Sugar Sodas with yummy flavors like Caleb’s Kola, Classic Root Beer, Black Cherry with Tarragon, Lemon Berry Acai, and Agave Vanilla Cream Soda. Need a bigger buzz? Don’t miss the Stumptown Coffee Roasters Nitro Brew Coffee and the Okinawa Raw Sugar Sea Salt Nitro Latte exclusively developed by Chef Kuniko for SpireWorks™.

The SpireWorks™ interior is even designed as a playful take on an urban transit center, with the menu boards reminiscent of the old-school Arrivals and Departures screens, and wall murals that give the feeling of one looking out of a train window while moving.

Move over bad fast food, here comes California’s answer to quick and easy vertically spit roasted meats paired with unique flavors from around the world. Delicious spires in the works!

SpireWorks