Count on hyper-seasonal seafood from Bar Spero. Photograph by Casey Robinson.
Chef Johnny Spero describes his Georgetown tasting menu restaurant just like the instrumental rock band Russian Circles—”it’s form of like heavier guitar tones and ambient.” By comparability, his forthcoming restaurant Bar Spero will probably be extra just like the Philly band Soul Glo—”loud as shit and form of quick.”
“Reverie is a bit more delicate. I needed Bar Spero to be the other, as a result of that’s form of me. I’m a bit of little bit of each,” Spero says. “I might be form of buttoned up, however I’m often a bit of bit loud.”
The restaurant, opening within the Capitol Crossing improvement mid-to-late summer season, attracts inspiration from the fast-paced, high-energy eating that Spero fell in love with whereas residing in Spain’s Basque nation. The moniker Bar Spero mimics eating places in downtown San Sebastian—Bar Nestor, Bar Ricardo—named after their cooks.
That doesn’t imply it’s a Spanish restaurant, although Spero’s model of cooking and strategy to sourcing high quality components are influenced by his expertise in Spain and dealing for the likes of famed Spanish chef José Andrés at Minibar. What you can find is a seafood-centric menu with uncooked bar and wood-fired fireplace cooking.
“A number of the main focus is seeking to discover the perfect seafood and which may imply that it’s solely round for 2 weeks, like these little child squid that we will discover after which it’s gone,” Spero says. “We work actually shut with the fishermen up in Maine. They may be capable to ship us one or two dwell spider crab each couple days, and we’ll concentrate on having that.”
You can too anticipate finding a rotating collection of oysters on the half-shell (in addition to roasted on prime of coals), recent sea urchin (when in season), and dwell child Maine scallops dressed merely with olive oil aged in a sherry cask. Spero doesn’t wish to serve mussels within the shell (“it’s a bizarre factor of mine”). As an alternative, he’ll end plump mollusks over the fireplace and serve them with guanciale, lardo, melted leeks, and a cream “burned with a number of the embers.”
Different highlights: a complete grilled lobster and a complete roasted Spanish turbot, which Spero calls “THE biggest flat fish.” The latter will probably be served with a wealthy Basque-style pil-pil sauce (olive oil, garlic, chilis) amped with kombu and vibrant herbs. Not into fish? Spero will serve pork in various preparations (bone-in loin sooner or later, crispy-skinned stomach the following) from Shenandoah Valley’s Autumn Olive Farms. For dessert: a Basque cheesecake changed into an ice cream cake.
The bar is the beating coronary heart of the glossy 120-seat area, however with a bar menu meant to intensify the meals. The minimalist drink record will characteristic Euro-centric wines, sherries, and vermouths plus elevated traditional cocktails and a few regional draft beers. Spero doesn’t drink, so he’ll ensure that to have non-alcoholic choices too.
“We would like a packed bar each evening,” Spero says, “and the eating room form of surrounds that.”
Bar Spero. 250 Massachusetts Ave., NW.
Meals Editor
Jessica Sidman covers the folks and developments behind D.C.’s foods and drinks scene. Earlier than becoming a member of Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Meals Editor and Younger & Hungry columnist at Washington Metropolis Paper. She is a Colorado native and College of Pennsylvania grad.
