Bon Appétit magazine just published its annual list of best new restaurants nationwide, and D.C.’s Bar Spero was among them. The downtown Basque-style restaurant made the coveted list of 24 restaurants (longer than usual this year) for its menu full of “flavors of the hearth.”

“Few chefs know fire quite like Johnny Spero,” Bon Appétit writes. “You taste it in the gentle bitterness of a charcoal cream that dresses raw slivers of hiramasa, or in a beef tartare bound together with an earthy emulsion of ember-rendered tallow, or humming somewhere in the background of a spoonful of burnt cheesecake ice cream.”

The bar, which opened last September,  uses over-the-fire cooking to convey the flavors and spirit of Basque cuisine. Chef Johnny Spero says he felt inspired after spending time in San Sebastian, Spain and working with the team at Mugaritz, which was named one of the best restaurants in the world. (Spero was also once executive chef at José Andrés’ Minibar).

But Spero is careful to say that his bar is merely taking inspiration from his travels and experiences, not trying to replicate them.

“We don’t cook Spanish food, we are inspired by the emotions and feelings of Basque country and how that was seen through my lens,” the chef told DCist/WAMU last year.

The magazine also recognizes Spero’s resilience. Bar Spero opened a few weeks before the chef’s Michelin-starred Reverie in Georgetown caught flames. Spero had to close that restaurant due to the fire.

The chef thanked Bon Appétit for the honor on his Instagram page.

“The first year of any opening is difficult, and I couldn’t be more thankful of every single person who helped build this space into what it is,” Spero writes. “I’m proud of what we’ve done in this short period of time. We are only a week away from our one year anniversary, so I cant wait to celebrate with all of you!”

Bar Spero wasn’t the only local spot this week to receive national recognition for its cuisine. Food & Wine magazine listed Isabel Coss of Georgetown French restaurant, Lutèce, among its best new chefs. Southern Living Magazine also named Riverdale Park’s 2Fifty Texas BBQ the 19th best barbecue joint nationwide.

Local restaurants have been awarded a place on Bon Appétit’s list before. H Street “Indian-ish” hotspot Daru and Rockville Palestinian bakery Z&Z Manoushe were recognized last year.