Restaurant Review - Spruce: "That'll Do, Pig. That'll Do"

A couple weeks ago, we went to Spruce for Don's birthday. The dinner was very highly anticipated and I was expecting a pretty amazing dining experience. I guess it would be more accurate to say that I was expecting Spruce to completely blow my socks off - probably not a fair expectation to have going into a new restaurant.

We started off on the wrong foot. It took our server about 15 minutes to take our drink orders. I was thirsty and wanted a drink!! Plus there were a bunch of drinks on their menu that looked really good. I ordered a "Pharoah's Gold" which was amazingly tasty (complete with honey and a garnish of honeycomb). It isn't on their menu right now, so I can't tell you exactly what was in it, but I was impressed by how well-balanced all the flavors were.

For dinner, I started with the Foraged Nettle and Green Garlic Soup (with a soft poached egg). The soup was VERY green, which kind of makes sense. It was a much lighter soup and taste than I was expecting and I could hardly taste the garlic. When I took a bite with everything together, it tasted really good and balanced.

We also ordered the Charcuterie plate for the entire table. I am not normally a fan of foie gras, pate, or beef tongue, but I gave it a shot (tongue for the very first time ever). All of the selections were very tasty, in particular the tongue. I was impressed - this was more of what I was thinking Spruce would be like.

For the main entree, I got the Charred Berkshire Pork Tenderloin with Crispy Pork Belly and Shelling Beans. Once again, the taste did not jump out at me at first. After a few bites, though, I was vastly impressed by the tenderness of the meat. It was cooked absolutely to perfection. The crispy pork belly was also phenomenal. For each bite, I had to chew slowly and allow the flavors to blend together.

Dessert was also quite tasty - I had a chocolate and peanut butter brownie that I finished almost immediately after it was put in front of me (not because it was excessively small, it was excessively good).

As for wine and spirits, they had a fairly overwhelming wine list, but Don and the sommelier had a good discussion and they made some good choices. A couple people ordered rum after dinner and their selections were tasty.

Overall, I would say that Spruce was a very good spot for dinner. Everything felt well balanced - the flavors, the drinks, the ambiance, and the service. The prices on the entrees were quite reasonable. Nothing completely stood out to me as spectacular, but everything together was really good. This is a spot where you will be taking your time for dinner. It's a good spot both for couples and small groups.