I was thrilled to be invited back to Scampo earlier this month to try out their new spring menu. After my previous visit in January I knew the menu would be out of this world and I was looking forward to seeing their friendly staff and hopefully get to speak with Chef Lydia Shire again.

Scampo is located within the gorgeous Liberty Hotel in Boston.

The Liberty Hotel

I was really excited to bring my mom as my dinner guest this time! I had raved to her how amazing my last meal was at Scampo so she has been wanting to try it ever since. We already were talking about when we can come back and bring my Dad along.

As we sat down to look over the menu and wine list we were served the Fava bean puree with basil oil and toasted pine nuts. Accompanied with house made bread sticks its a really fun way to start the meal.

After putting in our wine order we decided to try the Bacon Pizza. The bacon is cured in apple cider than smoked over applewood and is the perfect thickness with the right amount of crunch. The pizza is also topped with smashed ripe plantains that have been fried and whipped ricotta. It sounds like an odd combination but together is it out of this world. It was hard not to eat the whole pizza in order to save room for the rest of the meal.

Next up was the Spaghetti with Lobster Knuckles and Scampi Diavolo. The amount of lobster and seafood in this dish was insane – and we only got the half portion! The spaghetti was cooked perfectly al dente as well.

For our last appetizer (if you can even call these dishes appetizers) we tried the Rare Tuna Marco Polo with Crushed Wasabi Peas served along with Steamed Kabocha Squash Dumplings.

How beautiful are the colors on this plate?  The portion size for a starter is huge so it’s definitely good for a group to share. The wasabi peas give the dish a really nice spice as well.

I was already stuffed to the brim at this point but I ordered the Boneless Colorado Lamb Porterhouse Steak with a Flaky Tomato Robiola Tart with a tart lemon vinaigrette. They really know how to cook lamb perfectly with a warm pink center and not dried out at all. I had to wrap up one whole piece to go since the portion was so huge. I would definitely order this dish again, it was perfect.

My mom ordered the Chilean Sea Bass over Sweet Cabbage Lobster Risotto topped with Crisped Shaved Brussel Sprout Leaves and Fried Onions. I had previously tried this dish back in January and was happy to be able to taste it again – this was the dish that made me realize I like sea bass! As expected it was cooked so well it flaked apart with a fork. Another dish I would order again and again.

I don’t know how but we found a little room left for dessert. We shared the Chocolate Peanut Roulade with dark chocolate mousse, peanut caramel and served with malted vanilla ice cream. It was definitely a rich dessert but SO good. The malted vanilla ice cream mixed with the peanut caramel was the highlight of the dish for me.

Although Lydia Shire was not in the restaurant that night the menu exceeded my expectations which were already very high from my last visit. I want to thank Scampo as well as Meaghan and the team at The Moxie Agency for inviting me back for such a special night!