It ’twas the anniversary of my birth, and M* decided to take me out for a lovely meal at SPQR in Pacific Heights. I’d been hankering to go there for years, but rarely find myself in that neighborhood so had been putting it off for some time. When it proved IMPOSSIBLE to get reservations at State Bird Provisions- I requested M*take me to SPQR as a consolation prize.
The meal did not disappoint and I savored every bite.
I started things off with a cool glass of white from Piemonte….
and it was fabulous- cool, crisp with hints of citrus.
next up was a slice of duck liver, encased in a delicate blackberry “gelee” and surrounded by freshly harvested, plump blackberries and coconut shavings. This was a party in my mouth- rich, buttery duck fat cut by the acidity of blackberries and a touch of sweetness from the coconut. yum!
Next came the main. I spent a couple minutes decided over which plate of pasta to pick (carbs be damned!) and went for the fresh sounding Meyer lemon Fettuccine with an abalone alfredo sauce. Abalone is so rarely seen on menus because typically, it has to be locally sourced out of the sea by a diver, so it’s typically expensive and not easy to find.
This was delicious. The pasta was perfectly al dente, and the sauce emanated with a rich burst of meyer lemon flavor and was complemented by the rich, creamy abalone sauce. SPQR didn’t skimp on the abalone- there were large chunks in the sauce that were just perfectly cooked.
We ended up skipping dessert and grabbing cookies around the corner, but this is definitely a place I’d check out again!
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