Next from the daily menu, we ordered the Razor Clams. Simply grilled, these clams were giant and a little too plain for my liking. While there was sauce on the bottom of the bowl, it did not really come through and a few pieces I had were pretty gritty, which turned me off.
For a side, we chose the Sunchoke. This root vegetable was crunchy and served with an addictive sauce made of Virginia peanut praline and miso. Each bite was earthy and full of umami.
Next was my favorite dish of the evening - Scallops with smoked trout roe, potato mousse and salted lemon. Absolutely stunning and decadent! These paired well with a glass of bright acidic white wine to cut through the buttery flavors.
For a more substantial dish, we chose the Monkfish that was grilled in the fire with a sweet barbeque-like sauce topped with sidra blanc and confit garlic, served with "potato" pancakes. The fish was meaty with the large backbone in the center. I was expecting more latke-style potato pancakes, but what we had was very bready and chewy.
Overall, we had a lovely dinner at Bar Spero, and felt the seafood to be top quality and each dish to be substantial enough to share. I am happy to see chef Johnny flourish and do so well in our city. We've been fans since he opened his first place back in 2013 and have followed his career ever since.
Total Rating: 4.3
Food: 4.5, Price: 4, Service: 4, Ambience: 4, Accessibility: 4.5
