Date Night in the 'Hood

Don't you just love it when the hottest place in town opens up right in your hood? These days I'm the lucky one. The wonderful, beautiful, and overall delicious Spruce opened just a few weeks ago right around the corner and down a few blocks from my humble abode. I finally crossed the threshold last night for a school-night dinner date and both of us were impressed.

True, reservations at Spruce are very difficult to come by, and since Michael Bauer's review dropped in the Chronicle & SF Weekly reservations are only going to get more scarce, but if you roll in with no expectations and a penchant for the casual flare of the bar scene, you'll probably get lucky. Eater SF is all over the place with no end to the gossip and spottings surrounding Spruce, even covering an "up for grabs" reservation offered on Yelp.com - now that's funny.

I must say that I truly loved the decor. True, I may be biased since it's all attributed to Williams-Sonoma Home, but the dark chocolate walls are perfect when paired with the substantial camel-colored ostrich leather chairs, pale marble countertops, and white tablecloths. We cozied up in one of the leather couches in the bar area and got a great view of the comings and goings at the front door - and what is good dining without good people-watching? It seems Spruce is where the elite meet to eat.

Mark Sullivan's menu is simple but still sophisticated, he even offers a low-brow bar burger which seemed to be rather popular. Apart from the comfort, we enjoyed a charcuterie platter, duck with fois gras, halibut, a nice cabernet and refreshing tisane after dinner... Sigh! I just love that contented feeling after an incredible dinner, don't you?

Good food, good seats, and good talk. By the time we got up our spots on the couch were among the most-coveted in the whole place. Definitely want to return again - I love it when chic and desirable meets easy and breezy...and walking distance!

Comments

[chic and charming]

Sounds fab! I love eating the bar area of fancy restaurants, it is usually more economical and you are more likely to be recognized as a regular as there are typically fewer bartenders than waiters on rotation.