The Spence

So I went the other night with some friends to dinner at the Spence in midtown... some things were great, some not so much.... but to be fair - we were warned when we ordered it.  

Beet salad with Point Reyes blue cheese

 Also - I was happy to find out that Richard Blais really is present in the kitchen most of the time.   I always wonder in these restaurants with celebrity chefs - are they ever really around.  The answer here was yes.  Apparently he is usually in the place Thursday through the weekend...  And many of the folks who work there have been part of his crew since his first restaurant in Atlanta.

Bone marrow with eggs


I decided to have a culinary adventure when I was choose my meal.   The beets were delicious, which was a special treat since I never make them at home.   Too messy to tackle myself.   And I love that the beets were homegrown by a member of the kitchen staff.    The locavore element, without being the only draw to the restaurant,  was a welcome touch.   The marrow was new to me but was very rich and impressive on the plate.

Now on to what did not work so well.....

We were rather disappointed by dessert even though it sounded so good in the description on the menu.

The best part about this is the sweet tea ice cream.  It was delicious.  However, the mint sponge cake and the lemon elements did not work out so well together.  Maybe if they made into a Arnold Palmer dessert with just the sweet tea and lemon flavors.....


The best part of the meal overall was the wait staff and the general ambiance.  When a restaurant is as inviting and energetic as this experience, then it will keep me coming back.   They were friendly and helpful and honest about their favorites on the menu and the ones which they were not so keen about.