Most people who mosey into Spread pause in their footsteps and immediately think, “What on earth?” Then a moment of bafflement ensues over whether this nutty new restaurant is a trendy hair salon or a piece of the movie set from Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 sci-fi film A Clockwork Orange.

The radically novel Spread, complete with hanging bubble chairs and vertical-standing fork ware, denotes the slow renaissance of North Park while pretty much stretching San Diego’s limits of contemporary dining.

Aside from its sleek minimalist layout and curvy seats tailored in effulgent colors, the menu is like a Peter Pan dream come true. Nothing from the kitchen escapes the inclusion of all-natural peanut or almond butters, which the proprietors produce in more than 100 flavors at a facility in Little Italy.

The rich, intense “butters” supply the protein to meals that are completely vegetarian and constructed in deliciously odd ways. “Crazy,” “clean” and “wholesome” were among the adjectives my herbivore dinner companion and I blurted as we eased into an appetizer of Fruit Sushi. We couldn’t help but dissect these cheerful-looking rolls before wholly reigning in on their combined ingredients of rice, strawberries and white chocolate-pretzel peanut butter. Willing taste buds will surprise skeptical minds, as even the edible orchids on the plate went down smoothly.

A metallic bluish-green goblet and heart-shaped spoons gave rise to an order of Truffle Almond Soup, which had the consistency of melted-down peanut butter, but with flavors that were more plucky and far out. The soup is supported strongly by almond butter and fresh mint, plus a little bit of chili spice. No doubt, it’s a bewitching concoction that would seem impossible to duplicate at home.

According to Andrew Schiff, who co-owns the restaurant with his wife, Robin, “We’re doing things with food to make people stand back and realize they’re experiencing something unique and sexy. Our dishes are anything but mundane.”

Schiff’s claim is well proven with the Thai Pizza we ordered – a daily special that uses hot-chili peanut butter as the sauce. The toppings included veggies and soft white cheese piled on a tasty, thin crust that jibed superbly with the restaurant’s star ingredient. A torrent of fresh flavors also leapt from our Almond Salad, a vivacious medley of organic greens, fresh berries and noticeably low-acid cherry tomatoes. Here, the almond butter was faint, yet comfortably at home.

Where commercial peanut butters leave off in their selections, the Schiffs pick up with flavors such as cinnamon-cherry, spice curry, Mexican-chocolate and butterscotch-almond – all of which are available for purchase in the restaurant. The shelves are also stocked with Marshmallow Fluff in an effort to introduce nostalgia to the nouveau.

Other lunch and dinner selections include various forms of peanut butter sushi and a rich, weighty molé with grilled vegetables and sticky rice. And the Crudite, presented in a space-age bread dish, features fresh fruits and veggies with a choice of two peanut butters and two almond butters.

Of the five desserts available, the Electric Gelato is the most tongue tickling with its penetrating vanilla gelato, butterscotch-almond butter and exploding Pop Rocks! The audible snapping noises emitting from your mouth will bring a quick halt to any serious conversation you’re having.

Tradition strikes only the breakfast menu, where you’ll find PBJ sandwiches, along with protein shakes, Belgian waffles, granola and bagels, all served with varying dosages of nutter butters that “spread” across the roof of your mouth in ways you’ve never imagined.