I grew up in the 1970s in the Bay Area, where my family often went to our favorite seafood house, Berkeley’s now-shuttered Spenger’s Fresh Fish Grotto. The sizable eatery was the spot for New England clam chowder, crab Louis, and raw oysters harvested from the 90-plus-year-old eatery’s own shellfish beds. The decor was heavy on dark woods, nautical knickknacks, and nostalgia.
Stepping into LoDo’s Water Grill took me back to those family dinners of my childhood. Maritime kitsch, a bustling raw bar, and the aroma