Roman Holiday

Walking back from the Kabuki theater late one January evening, we walked by SPQR on Fillmore and saw a poster for reservations for their Valentine's Day prix fix. Excited at the prospect of actually making a reservation at SPQR (which doesn't normally take them, meaning I've never been because when someone in my household wants to eat, he wants to eat now, not wait forever for a table...) We poked our heads into the smallish space and set an 8pm date for Valentine's!

Come Feb. 14, we dressed up and walked up to the top of the hill. I had heard nothing but good things about the restaurant, opened by the same people as A16 on Chestnut, mostly about the simple yet stunning dishes. On being seated, at a comfy table along the wall, we were shown the special edition menu. The starters were adorably called "Fourplay," a nod to both Valentine's Day and the fact that we'd be served four unique small plates: raw scallops with (I think) whole mustard seeds, fried fresh mozzarella balls, something with wild mushrooms, and the best of all: crostini with white bean puree and a chewy, flavorful meat I learned was in fact pork brain. Apparently it was on the menu, but I must have been under a spell because the look on my face as the waitress explained that what I thought was sausage in my mouth was not sausage. I'm adventurous when it comes to food, so I was in heaven tasting so many unique flavors and textures. The bean puree tasted almost like super soft cheese. The scallops were a sexy choice with that crunch of mustard seeds and slippery sweet raw texture. The mozzarella balls were salty and crunchy with the consistency of pulled taffy.

On the second course, we savored an ovesized earthenware bowl filled with clams, spicy sausage and crostini. Note to self: giant, crusty, garlic bread soaking up broth in the middle of a bowl of steamed clams (or mussels) is a hit. I'm pretty sure we ordered the wine pairings with each course, a good way to savor some unusual Italian wines, and an even better way to forget what we ate for dessert!