Restaurant Review: Speck Lights a Spark in Downtown Columbus
Previously a hit in Delaware, Speck has somehow exceeded expectations after relocating to its lofty, Downtown digs.
It’s no secret that Downtown was in the doldrums after the tumult of 2020. Three years later, many are wondering: Can Downtown make a comeback? The area still has a long way to go, but the February 2023 debut of Speck Italian Eatery brought an energy to High and Gay streets that’s been missing.
Many diners may already be familiar with Speck from its time in Delaware. The earlier incarnation of this restaurant from Veritas chef-owner Josh Dalton was one of this magazine’s 2019 Best New Restaurants, after all. Now housed in the Nicholas, a new development that’s part of the Edwards Cos.’ Downtown renaissance at High and Gay streets, Speck is elegantly conceived with a well-executed—making it a terrific fine-dining addition in Columbus.
The beauty of Italian food is its simplicity. And at Speck, executive chef Jay Kleven is taking delicious ingredients and executing a simply prepared menu that delivers bold and authentic flavors (and a lot of cheese). Many dishes on Speck’s menu only use the Italian word to indicate the primary ingredient featured on the plate: fungi, polpo or pomodoro. As might be implied by a restaurant named for a prized Italian smoked and cured ham, Speck allows its ingredients to shine.
Speck’s interior is similarly spare yet stylish. Two-story windows along High Street bring in natural light in the daytime and sparkling city lights at night. The lofted dining room and an open kitchen format give the sense of lightness, while vining planters hanging above the bar soften the clean and modern space. (During lunchtime, you can sometimes see cooks prepping in the “pasta room” overlooking the dining room.) As with the menu, the simplicity of the interior allows select accents—like the modern light fixtures and the colorful floral pattern on Speck's Hedley & Bennett aprons—the opportunity to fully stand out. One night we visited in October, we were seated next to an artist celebrating the opening of her exhibit at Sarah Gormley Gallery next door, only adding to the exciting, urban vibe.
Like the restaurant itself, Speck’s bar program has earned a buzzy reputation. The craft drink menu offers a combination of classic, signature and nonalcoholic cocktails, along with a short list of European and regional beers, and a tight selection of wines selected by Gregory Stokes, co-owner of Speck’s sibling wine shop, Accent.
One evening, I bravely overcame a college-era aversion to sambuca, at my server’s insistence, to enjoy the Earth Says Hello ($15), which combines the licorice-flavored liqueur with the flavors of snap pea, grapefruit, amaro and sparkling wine. The result was akin to a boozy and earthy cola.
On several visits, we’ve eagerly shared the Speck + Burrata appetizer ($17), a holdover from Speck’s original menu in Delaware. And how can you not order speck at Speck? On this plate, however, the locally made burrata is the star. Served, thankfully, at room temperature, the cheese’s subtle flavors and textures were in full bloom. A generous number of toasts and a small bowl of colorful, crunchy pickled carrots and cauliflower contrasted nicely. The accompanying speck is presented in individual rosettes on its own long, narrow plate, which might otherwise be forgotten if it weren’t so delicious.
We’ve also regularly enjoyed the cold and crisp gem lettuce salad ($10), which is tossed in a sweet and balanced vinaigrette and dusted with a crunchy combination of pistachios, grated Parmesan and breadcrumbs. The lime green lettuce leaves really look like gems tinged with a hint of pink at their edges. When a basic green salad is this strong, you know the restaurant is attending to the details.
The stars on the menu are Speck’s homemade and reasonably priced pasta dishes, all of which feature a sauce made from a signature ingredient and a generous portion of cheese. The rich Fungi ($26) pairs cheese ravioli with an earthy sauce composed of seven types of different mushrooms. Speck’s classic Pomodoro ($19) offers a colorful presentation with tomato-coated bucatini pillow-topped with a nest of ricotta and decorated with basil oil. We also enjoyed a special pesto pasta ($26); made with the last of the season’s local basil, the smooth emerald sauce was almost-impossibly opaque.
Several larger entrées round out the menu. The Polpo ($32) is exquisite, with tenderly cooked octopus tentacles accompanied by creamy white beans and charred tomatoes. The Chianti-braised short ribs ($42) arrive with large bone attached, a spectacular-looking dish with an equally spectacular taste. The Milanese ($34), a fried bone-in pork cutlet, was enormous and perfectly cooked. It came topped with a crispy sheet of prosciutto because … why not? Pairing any of these dishes with a pasta makes a wonderful shared meal.
To end the meal, Speck offers a select number of classic Italian desserts like affogato ($9) and cannolo ($12). As all but the lemon almond cookies ($6) included another generous portion of cheese or cream after a meal filled with it, we instead cleaned our palates with a round of housemade limoncello and amaro, served in dainty stemware ($7-$8).
Indeed, Delaware’s loss of Speck is a gain for Columbus diners. Speck’s menu is straightforward and constrained, classic in its approach to delicious and elegant Italian cuisine, reflecting the lesson that Italian cookbook author Marcella Hazan said of fine cooking: “What you keep out is as significant as what you put in.”
89 N. High St., Downtown, 614-754-8544
Hours: 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Mon.–Fri.; 5–10 p.m. Mon.–Sat.
Not to miss: I love knowing there’s a place in Columbus celebrating mortadella: the lard- and pistachio-studded luncheon meat in all its glory. Order it as a side dish ($10) at dinner, or enjoy it for lunch, sandwiched between slices of pillowy house-made focaccia paired with creamy stracciatella cheese and arugula ($16).
This story is from the December 2023 issue of Columbus Monthly.