Spro Hampden

Any given Saturday morning you can find Uncle Charlie down the street on The Avenue having coffee at Spro. It is "his" place. He should really be writing this post. It's not as much of a review as it is an introduction to the fact that they are now serving food.

Lauren and Adriana are now in the kitchen making delightful bites to pair with your espresso. Spro is a nickname for Espresso in the coffee culture club.

Brie French Toast

Spinach quiche

Biscuits, cream and figs, oh my. I have given up eating all of these treats. It's not as sad as it sounds. I feel so much better. But if you are still in the gluten zone, you will have lots to choose from.

They do offer some gluten free options which is awesome.

The quail egg sammie looked not only delicious but adorable and had a Bechamel sauce to finish it off. Good gracious that sounds amazing!

E. knows everyone in the place and this other regular Dave asked me who I was when I joined him one morning. 

While E. was getting his MoJava on with Dave I took a few photos and got a tour of the kitchen.

There is a great little back room now open with an outdoor space as well.

This may be my husband's favorite place in the whole city.

The owner Jay is a sweetheart. He knows all the top chefs in town and runs a tight ship. Eric's favorite thing is that they offer coffee from a variety from roasters which is very rare at coffee shops.

Apprentice barista's wear a gray shirt at Spro. Black is worn by the master barista. I'm not sure what qualifies the black shirt but assume there is a test with latte art competitions and a standard quality for the espresso shot. The term means bartender in Italian.

I loved getting a look at the kitchen. All of the homes in our neighborhood have stone somewhere and the exposed brick in the kitchen is a true sign that you are in the oldest part of Hampden.

Lauren was the chef across the street at Soups On!

Jay decided not to cover the stone with dry wall but to left it exposed. It's an historic badge of honor.

They pickle the watermelon rind.

Adriana was juicing the watermelon for the Agua Fresca they serve daily.

It is a small but efficient space.

I recently visiting the Julia Child exhibit at the National Museum of American History and loved seeing her pots and pans. Not much has changed with regards to cook wear, just a lot more stainless steel.

E had the watermelon muffin. Yes, the chef uses watermelon in the muffin. It looked very moist.

This lovely woman works at a hair salon down the street and also wanted me to mention she works at The Zone, a vintage shop on Charles where she found her fabulous mink beret.

We run into so many friends at Spro and their doggies. I enjoyed a glorious jasmine tea made in a French press. I've given up coffee as it does nothing but make me nervous and irritable. I don't miss the caffeine at all. After the detox I realized that it is the tradition of sitting down for coffee or tea that is the part I love best. I'm sure that is why Eric loves Spro so much. He gets away from everything and just has his own time to stop and sip something warm.

Thank for the tour Jay and to your team for always taking such good care of us, especially Eric.