Excellent Dining: Spruce

A couple weeks ago, and after a nearly 3-year wait, Spruce finally opened. This restaurant has an impeccable pedigree: owners are from Woodside's Village Pub, Pizza Antica, and Postino.

It is an amazing space. A former garage 70 years ago, the space most recently was another restaurant. It has been transformed into a stunning mix of English gentlemen's club, bold art gallery, and open space. The design was worked out with Williams & Sonoma Home, so: mohair, brown wood, leather chairs.

Upon walking in, to the right is a fireplace with a British bulldog painting above and several leather couches. As you continue on, you are greeted by the maitre d' and to the right is a long bar. This area does not accept reservations and is intended for walk-ins only. There are seats along the bar, a corner with several couches and small tables, and a group of tables along one wall. On the left is the restaurant proper with about 20 tables and leather chairs. In the back, you can view the cellars of wine and the open kitchen. There is a private room in the back, which contains space for another ten tables.

The wine list is epic: nearly 1000 wines from around the world. A long list of wines-by-the-glass and a fully stocked bar with attentive bartenders. Meanwhile, the 2 food menus are actually quite simple by comparison. One is a bar menu which contains a plate of charcuterie (made in house) and plate of cheese (both American and foreign), plus things like a Niman Ranch burger and other casual food. The other menu contains French-influenced locally-sourced food, such as arugala salad, sweetbreads, pork tenderloin, and steak.

We ate on the bar side this time, enjoying some glasses of wine including a glass of pinot noir from Peay, which is usually very difficult to find. It's amazing they are offering it by the glass as this is one of the best pinot noirs made in the Sonoma Coast today. We had a plate of charcuterie, which included duck liver mousse, country pate, beef tongue, bologna, and three other choices. We then chose to go with the American plate of cheese which were paired with champagne grapes and other accoutrements. We then had the chowder, which featured some sweet figs. Finally, we had their chocolate dessert: rich and delicious.

They are certainly working out the first weeks' bugs: we did not have reservations, but we noticed some people waiting for their reservations for a long time; the service seemed a bit uneven at times. Again, though, that seemed like first weeks' bugs that will be worked out. This is a serious dining destination with a stunning setting, wonderful food, and amazing wine list.