Location: 4560 PGA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418.  Phone: 561 776-9448.  http://spotosoysterbar.com

Oysters are supposedly an aphrodisiac.  I can’t support or deny that claim.  However, I can tell you that the oysters at Spoto’s are the best I’ve ever had.  Clean and smooth with all my favorite enhancements.  The shooters come dressed with cocktail sauce, tabasco sauce and a dab of horseradish.  If you don’t care for the spice just get them to subtract the horseradish or tabasco, but the heat really completes these little shots of heaven.  Everytime I bring these up to someone they say, “Ooh, those sound good…you get them with the vodka right?”  I absolutely do not.  Adding vodka to the Spoto oyster perfection known as the shooter is sacrilegious in my opinion.  If it’s not broken don’t fix it.  The original booze-free formula is essential.  Plus, I gave up shots after the first and last fraternity party I ever attended.  I walked across some sacred frat mosaic bearing their name, so 8 little minions (aka pledges) picked me up and tried to truck me to the showers.  I guess they knew I meant it when I said if I got one drop of water on me I would come back later and tear each and every last one’s testicles off with my mouth.  Anyhow, I digress.  Shooters are a must.  I know Ross will agree because he is the person who turned me onto them.  Spoto’s was one of the first places we went together.  He raved about these shooters for days and as soon as I had one I understood why.

Trust me, she would’ve messed those frat boys up!  My honey is one tough hombre.  Just saying.  Anyway, I’ve been going to Spoto’s for years, starting with the old place that used to be in downtown West Palm Beach.  The food is great, but I have always been a big advocate of sticking with the theme of the restaurant you’re going to.  You don’t order a burger at a chinese joint, or a pizza at a mexican place etc etc.  Everything at Spoto’s is good, we’ve had filet mignon and several fish dishes, all better than average.  But at Spoto’s Oyster Bar, if you want to have an ultimate experience, one almost otherworldly, you have to get the oysters.  And I cannot recommend more vociferously that you should get them in shooter form.  Preferably bluepoints.  I couldn’t wait to bring Maria there when she first came to visit me, and we’ve been back many times since.  We even met my daughter Rachel there on our second visit, and that was the first time that Maria and I (as a couple) and Rachel all sat down together and hung out.  There is a subplot that we haven’t explained to you all just yet, but that’s for another day.  Suffice it to say, you really couldn’t find a more comfortable place to sit and talk.  We each had a nice glass of wine and shared some truly fantastic oysters, and the evening couldn’t have gone better.

In familiar Gallo fashion, Rachel struck up some small talk with a blonde woman seated near us at the bar.  She was flying solo, so we told her to slide on down and join our little party.  Rachel spoke to her for several minutes, immediately launching into hilarious stories about her personal life, which is also a Gallo trait.  We all laughed as she told tales of her boyfriend playing video games all night and she concluded with a, “Well, what do you do!?”  Clearly, judging by her voice inflection she was commenting on her own situation she had just described, but the woman answered, “I work at Publix.”  WOW.  We all had to stop a second and make sure that A.) She was serious & B.) That we didn’t laugh in her face.  Everytime we visit Spoto’s Ross and I recount this comical event and the wonderful evening we spent laughing with Rachel.

The Publix lady!  I’m not sure to this day if she wasn’t listening or is just not firing on all cylinders, either way that shit was FUNNY.  I think Charlie was our bartender that night.  You can’t go wrong with Charlie, Pete or Linda at lunchtime, as you can see we spend most of our time at the bar.  Occasionally we sit at a table, but the bar is so aesthetically pleasing, all the wine bottles perfectly placed and the aforementioned wonderful bartenders, make it our “go to” comfort zone.  I know we’ve lauded the oysters ad nauseum, but I would recommend Spoto’s to anyone who likes good food, great service, clean and comfortable surroundings, a nice wine selection and prices that are in the middle range of fine dining.  If you love oysters, obviously you MUST go.  And if you do find yourself at Spoto’s and enjoying yourself, I would also recommend joining their 45 Sixty Club which is free.  For every $250 you spend you get $25 off your bill.  That’s a decent deal.

Everytime we’re there I see a good deal of people feasting on this giant bowl of linguine and clams.  I always say I’m going to try it, but I never have the appetite.  It’s definitely on my to do list for one of our future visits.  I’ve heard people rave about that dish as well as the Jambalaya.  Ross already told you about their great loyalty program, which we recently cashed in on with our frequency as customers, but there’s also this deal called “Washington Wednesdays”.  It has made Wednesday my favorite day to go to Spoto’s!  And you don’t have to be a member to benefit.  All day Wednesday they offer oyster shooters and/or shrimp cocktail for a dollar a piece.  The shooters are usually $2.50 a piece, so the deal is more than 50% off.  Ross and I joined Linda during lunchtime on a Wednesday.  We had a few beers and a glass of wine along with 6 shrimp and 12 shooters.  The bill came to $46.00 and we ate like kings.  Then I gave her my loyalty card and after scanning it she found that I had $25.00 to redeem.  We ended up with a bill totaling $34.00 bucks – with tip!  I felt like we found money on the ground.

We like found money.  And we love Spoto’s.

Maria’s Rating: 4.5 Wine Glasses out 5.

Ross’ Rating: 4.5 Wine Glasses.