It’s a small Hilton-affiliated chain. Other Spencer’s restaurants — in Houston, Seattle, Spokane, Wash., San Jose, Calif., and Salt Lake City — are owned by Hilton hotels. The Omaha Spencer’s is owned by North Central Group of Middleton, Wis., and managed and operated by Hospitality Restaurant Group.
Executive chef Clayton Chapman grew up in Omaha, got a culinary degree from the Institute of Art in Chicago and has worked and apprenticed at Chicago restaurants Tru and Alinea. In 2007, at age 21, he was the youngest executive chef at V. Mertz in its three-decade history. He joined Spencer’s in November 2008.
For wine lovers: Spencer’s has two four-bottle argon-gas-injected wine storage devices, allowing tasting flights of rare and highly rated reds and whites at a fraction of their by-the-bottle costs. It also hosts four-course winemaker dinners about once a month. The next is April 15, with Janet Viader from Napa Valley’s Viader Vineyards.
For cocktail aficionados: Look for a booklike menu of vintage cocktails in April. General manager and wine director Brad Marr said the bar will feature about 50 classic cocktails, from the Old Fashioned to the Rusty Nail, made with top-shelf alcohol, freshly squeezed juices and, eventually, house-made grenadine and ginger ale.
Options for the budget-challenged include a Friday and Saturday night prix fixe ($35 for three courses of the chef’s choosing, usually with a few options for each course), the $14 burger plate on the dinner menu, a menu of sandwiches, soups and appetizers under $16 served in the bar, and a “Prime Time” bar menu of $5 dishes and drinks served from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays.
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