RETURN TO GRACE
JOHNNY SPERO BRINGS A TASTE OF BASQUE COUNTRY TO GEORGETOWN.
Johnny Spero brings a taste of Basque country to Georgetown.
Chef Johnny Spero is no stranger to DC. His work includes stints at Minibar, Komi, and the shuttered Capitol Hill restaurant Suna, and he recently returned to the District from cooking in northern Spain’s Basque country at a two-starred Michelin restaurant called Mugaritz. “They have such a respect for the ingredient, and present it very naturally,” Spero says. “Chef Andoni [Luis Aduriz] and his entire team are a constant inspiration.”
This summer, he brings that inspiration to Grace Street in Georgetown with Reverie, a new 50-seat restaurant. “The space is part of a collective of mixed retail. Already open are Grace Street Coffee, South Block Juice Company, and Sundevich,” he says. “The idea is casual fine dining, offering an à la carte menu and a small five- or six-course tasting menu.”
But diners don’t have to wait until the early-summer opening to taste Basque-inspired, Modern American dishes like txuleton steak or dried carrots cooked in coconut fat with Thai basil. Spero is hosting a series of preview dinners, likely two per month, in spaces around the city—including the future home of Reverie. Says the chef, “This is a chance for me to share my voice, vision, and passion and to continue to be a part of the ever-growing and changing dining scene.” Follow Johnny Spero on Instagram (@johnnyspero) to watch for invitations to his preview dinners.