I don't know about ya'll, but I love me some fierce cooking competition shows, namely Chopped and Iron Chef America on Food Network and Top Chef on Bravo-it's my guilty pleasure. Ask any of my friends-instead of going out on the weekends, I would've much rather chosen to stay at home, in my pajamas, catching reruns of the episodes I missed or really enjoyed the first time around. Well, when you're someone who enjoys eating food as much as watching how it's prepared and presented, then you'll understand where I'm coming from. Even if you're not like that, watching those aforementioned shows are like watching the Olympics-these chefs bring heat to the kitchen, and if you can't fight it, then you get the boot, it's that simple. There can only be one winner-and watching how intense the competition gets is the most exciting part.
So, before I begin, I should mention that I have the biggest celebrity chef crush on Richard Blais. Not only does he own some of my favorite restaurants in Atlanta, namely Flip Burger Boutique (you all know how many times I've raved about that chorizo burger and those milkshakes) and HD1 (those addicting gourmet haute dogs), but he was the winner of one of my favorite TV shows, Top Chef: All Stars and was the runner up in the fourth season of Top Chef. Also, he appeared on Iron Chef America, which he totally should've won in my opinion against Cat Cora. With a background that extensive, a warm personality and a smile so genuine, there's nothing to NOT like about him. Everything he touches turns into gold-literally. Flip Burger & HD1 have become my usual lunch/dinner spots and places to take friends, family, and out-of-town guests. Not only is the food itself mindblowing with all the unique ingredients that go into the dish, but the overall atmosphere and decor, especially at Flip Burger, is awesome, relaxing and casually sophisticated. So, when I heard the news late last year that Blais was planning on opening a new restaurant called The Spence (French for pantry) across from the Georgia Tech Barnes and Nobles, it was immediately placed in the number one spot on my "Foodie Adventures" list, beating out some of the other top Atlanta establishments that I've had on there for months. Because of prior commitments and the fact that it was nearly impossible to get in a reservation when it had first opened, I wasn't able to dine here until recently. Read more to find out what I thought of The Spence.
Let's get started:
❀Unique menu-skeleton key is The Spence's main logo
❀Menu printed daily-left: alcoholic beverages, right: food offerings. Their menu changes daily depending on what inspires them and what ingredients are in the kitchen that day
❀Interior shot of the restaurant
❀Holy mackerel, fried clams, yuzu & smoked aioli ($13)
❀Bone marrow, tuna tartare, fried quail eggs ($13)
❀Milk chocolate, peanut, burnt banana ice cream ($7)
*****WARNING: Long Review Ahead*****
❀FOOD (2.5/5): Seeing how much I love Blais's other establishments in Atlanta, I was a bit disappointed at The Spence. While I sincerely appreciate all of the culinary techniques and unique ingredients that go into each dish of their everchanging menu, the dishes that I ordered just didn't cut it for me. For the meal above, it not only cost me $40 (with gratuity included), but it left me wanting to go to the Varsity nearby and grub on some chili cheese fries and a burger. I understand that the dishes here are meant to be "small" and that you have to order "a lot" in order to feel fully satisfied, but I'm not willing to pocket out over $100+ for a dinner alone, no matter how much I may love Blais's cooking style. The menu itself is very unique-it plays on various flavor combinations like you would've never imagined or tried before (hello! it's Richard Blais for goodness sake!), so if you like being an adventurous eater, you'll definitely see something on the menu for you. Let's started with the first dish-the mackarel: incredibly salty!! I don't even know where the salt would have come from, to be honest. I felt like after eating this dish, my sodium levels went through the roof, as if they accidentally dropped a jar of salt on it. It was difficult to eat-but the fried clams with the aioli sauce were tasty. I just wish that there were more sustenance to the plate itself, even though I know that you're "paying" for presentation and quality of the food here rather than the quantity, but still. Next up was the bone marrow with tuna tartare and fried quail eggs. Having never eaten bone marrow before, I wanted to venture out and try something new. After reading various reviews, it seemed as if the bone marrow was a must order, so I just had to order it. This was definitely my favorite, hands down. The rich taste of the bone marrow on that delicious piece of toast, topped with that fresh tuna tartare was just mouthwatering. I would've never imagined pairing those ingredients together, but they worked like a miracle, not to mention the beautiful presentation as well. The quail eggs were rather tasty as well. If I was to ever go back to The Spence again, I'd have to order two of these alone they were that good. Last dish I ordered was a dessert. I wanted to order more "small plates," but the horrible service was enough to just make me want to stand up and leave the restaurant, but I'll get to that later. On this day, there was a ricotta cheesecake with strawberry that I had been eye-ing ever since I had seen it on the menu, and I was set on ordering that. When I had told my waiter that that was the dessert I had wanted to order, he kept recommending something else on the menu, even though I had hesitated, saying that this milk chocolate dessert was so much better and was his favorite, this and that. For one, if I had asked for his recommendation, then that would have been a different story, but no. Because he wouldn't go away unless I said to do away with the ricotta cheesecake for this dessert, I ordered, with extreme hesitation so that I would not be bothered anymore. Finally the dessert came. Considering how large the plate is, the portion of the dessert was extremely meager. But for the size of the portion and Blais's interesting techniques, it was worth it. This dessert is rated a 1.5/5 to say the least-I honestly couldn't taste the banana ice cream whatsoever. The milk chocolate was pretty standard, and it's sad to say that my favorite part of this dessert were the little crispy chocolate balls and oreo crumbs along the dessert. I think I would've MUCH rather preferred my ricotta cheesecake. When asked how the dessert was, I told him I wasn't a big fan of it, and he just replied "Really?" and walked away.
❀SERVICE (0/5): I came in for dinner on a Thursday night-right when it opened at 5:30PM. Not a minute before, not a minute after. Having looked around, there were a few people drinking at the bar (which opens at 5:00), and a few small tables (3 to be exact) spread out. I walked in, stood around for about ten minutes before ever being helped. Honestly, that's a little absurd considering there were many employees standing around and chatting with the kitchen/bar staff. What's even worse is that these employees had been making eye contact with me ever since I walked through the doors. Even the hostess, who finally gave me the slightest bit of attention, told me that a table would be ready after she went to help a customer. Another five minutes passed until she finally returned and she brought me to my table. I wasn't seated until 5:47PM, by that time, I wanted to just walk out of this restaurant. But because it's a Blais' establishment and the fact that I had driven over an hour to dine here, I decided to stay. With all of the open seating available, she decided to seat me right next to a couple having dinner. Having felt extremely uncomfortable, again considering the fact that there were lots of other tables open, I asked to be moved to a table near the windows, and was given a strange look. About another ten minutes went by before my server, Michael, decided to come by and offer me water. It wasn't busy whatsoever-yet I saw him continuously giggle and chat with the kitchen staff prepping my food and other servers, that's nonsense. Because I couldn't find Michael half of the time, I wasn't able to put in my order until about 6:10-6:15 or so, and that was after having to flag down another server to find him for me. Finally my order arrived-not once was I asked how the meal was nor given a refill on my drink (the water pint had been empty for a long while). Funny thing was-he was giving the couple a few tables besides me excellent service-all smiles and laughs. When he finally realized that I wasn't being helped, he came over. By that time, my dining experience here had pretty much hit rock bottom. To at least lighten up my mood, I wanted to order dessert, which was the ricotta cheesecake with strawberries. Instead of putting in that order, he kept trying to persuade me to order the milk chocolate one saying it was his favorite and this and that-so I ordered it to keep him quiet. Dessert came, I ate it, and when asked how it was, I told him I wasn't a fan. His reply was "really?" and walked away-that was it. He brought my check over and called it a night, no "thanks for coming, hope to see you soon" or "have a good night." Zip-Zilch-Nada. By far some of the worst service I've ever experienced at a Blais restaurant, yet alone an Atlanta restaurant.
❀DECOR (5/5): Like many other upscale restaurants here in Atlanta, the decor at The Spence did not disappoint. In fact, I'd probably come right out and say that it's by far, one of the most aesthetically pleasing restaurants I've ever been to/seen in Atlanta. The beautiful high ceilings are always breathtaking, and the mysterious look of the restaurant itself is simply elegant. The bar area is "levitating" as you can see by my pictures, and also, there's an open kitchen where you get to see all the masterminds at work creating your dishes. While I most likely will not be returning for the food any time soon, I will stop by and try one of their delicious drink options at their beautifully stocked bar. Trust me, words simply can't describe the interior here. Also, not to mention, they have outdoor seating for those who enjoy sitting outdoors in the nice weather. Just like Flip Burger & HD1, the decor here sets the highest standard for all restaurants in Atlanta alike.
Overall, as big of a fan I am of Richard Blais's cooking and other Atlanta establishments, I will not be returning back to The Spence any time soon, nor will I be recommending it to other area bloggers or friends. I'd rather take my business and hungry friends and family to Flip Burger and HD1 where our business is actually appreciated and where we don't have to give up an arm and a leg to dine there. Honestly, I was more excited than anyone about The Spence opening because of how much I enjoyed watching him compete on Top Chef and Iron Chef America, winning Top Chef: All Stars, and dining at his popular restaurants here in my hometown. I sincerely wanted this experience to be at the top of my Atlanta restaurants, but unfortunately, that obviously did not happen. There are too many other restaurants in Atlanta that offer top notch cuisine at similar prices and incredible service, and this just did not compare. But because I have much love for Blais, I wish him the best of luck and I really hope they work on improving their service and portion sizes. In addition, I hope they don't raise their prices anymore because I was disappointed by the fact that the prices jumped rather significantly from the time it opened to the time I dined here-people do notice that.
While some people have experienced a fabulous time at The Spence, based on this prior experience alone, I beg to differ. I hope you all have a more enjoyable and pleasurable experience that I did.
Here's the physical address: 75 Fifth Street NW
Atlanta, GA 30308
Thanks for stopping by,
-Sandy
FTC: I was not paid or compensated for this review, all reviews and opinions expressed are my own.
If you'd like to invite Bella Vivere to cover & share your restaurant's media events, tastings or parties, feel free to shoot me an email at bellavivere@gmail.com-Thanks!
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