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Lucia's Restaurant & Wine Bar
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| Uptown Icon Revisited | Flying at half-throttle | |
| Lucia’s
holds a special place in the hearts and minds of long-time observers of
the Twin Cities’ dining scene. It opened in 1985 as one of the first
chef-run restaurants targeting a growing population of foodies. There
were certainly alternatives for good food then, but, by and large, they
were not located in neighborhoods and catered to the business meal. With
its emphasis on fresh, seasonal, often local produce, Lucia’s
was an instant hit. There was talk of Lucia Watson, the proprietor,
being to Minneapolis what Alice Waters (Chez Panisse) is to
Berkeley.
The Twin Cities is no backwater any longer when it comes to gourmet dining. I would even wager (a meal at Vincent) that there are more and better restaurants in our metro area than in any other metropolitan area of similar size or smaller. Indeed, I’ve taken to searching out good places to eat in my travels—which are frequent and all over the U.S. map—so, while I cannot lay claim to a comprehensive survey, the assertion is not completely uninformed. Through all the churn in the local food scene, Lucia’s has retained its mission of serving up flavorful renditions of what might be considered "co-op food." But there’s competition in every niche of the eating out dollar, and, sad to say, Lucia’s can no longer claim pride of place. Yet the aura lingers and I was looking forward to our lunch of the week, with expectations that had been raised not only by past associations but also by our outstanding outings of the last two weeks. If you’re like me, with a perpetual complaint about how restaurants give quantity precedence over quality, your first reaction on being handed Lucia’s menu will be unequivocally favorable. The choices are few, but balanced, and they change weekly and sometimes oftener. On the day in question, the menu featured one soup, one salad, and four entrées. The last included a farmer’s salad with roast chicken breast, mixed greens, red cabbage, and raspberry vinaigrette; a risotto with wild mushrooms and herb oil; smoked salmon cake with aoili and vegetable sauté; and—my selection—grilled beef tenderloin kebob with sesame-cilantro soba noodles. I started with a cup of the soup, which was a puréed root vegetable with ham. The soup was thinner and lighter than most of its kind. The root vegetables imparted a sweetness to it, but otherwise it lacked distinction. A liberal helping of black pepper improved it considerably in my opinion: possibly my taste cells are becoming jaded from over-stimulation, or possibly my sensibilities just aren’t attuned to the delicate flavors that Lucia’s espouses. My reaction to my entrée was mixed as well. The kebobs, of which there were two each on two skewers, were excellent; perfectly medium rare and benefiting from a slightly spicy marinade. The soba noodles, on the other hand, were bland and soft. The dish also included some sautéed asparagus and pea shoots. The latter were served complete with a long and woody stem, which I realized the hard way was probably not meant to be eaten. The shoots themselves had a nice nutty taste. The wine list has some unusual selections, not too surprising given that Lucia’s is a "restaurant and wine bar." (The wine bar is right next door and can be a good choice for a casual afternoon bite and drink—it opens at 2 p.m.) I ordered a cinsault blend from Lebanon. It was another one of those wines that is better accompanying food than being imbibed by itself: I found it increasingly palatable as the meal progressed. The portions were reasonable enough that we both had space left for dessert. I ordered a nectarine and peach pie. I especially liked the crust—flaky, buttery, croissant-like. The pie was served with vanilla ice cream, but it really didn’t need the a la mode touch. (Like the excellent bread, the ice cream is made on the premises.) Lucia’s also has sidewalk seating, with deep blue awnings that provide shade to the diner and contrast to the exterior. The interior walls are rose-tinted except for two murals on opposite sides of the dining room. The one on the back wall has a classical theme that is complemented by two large urns with fresh flowers and greens that leaven what is otherwise a spare decor. The quality of Lucia’s fare isn’t what it once was, and the restaurant may be in danger of resting on its past laurels in some respects, but with its reasonably priced food, fresh ingredients, a frequently changing menu, and neighborhood orientation it still merits a recommendation. A |
We are often disappointed
when memory doesn’t square with reality; this is the case with Lucia’s
restaurant, the subject of this week’s review as the venue for The
Lunch. I have dined here frequently in the past (but not since New Year’s
eve) and recall always having liked the food. This hindsight must be
influenced by the extremely pleasant memories I have associated with
this place: dining with good friends and early dinner-dates with my
significant other (girl friend, if you don’t like that hoary
cliché!).
Lucia’s would feature on any list of the most romantic restaurants of the Twin Cities. It is ideally located, just off the busy Hennepin/Lake Street intersection on 31st street, in a small single level space, that might very well be a converted single family home. Dining area is divided into two sections with additional space in the delightful little bar, for the adventurous there is curbside seating as well. The restaurant sports a blonde wooden look, which is complemented well by the blue awnings. Sunlight cheerfully spills in courtesy of the huge windows making for a most pleasant environment. The lunch experience is greatly enhanced by the fact that there is NO SMOKING in the whole restaurant, bar included! For this alone Lucia’s goes up a notch in my etc. rating. But for every ointment there is a flying creature and in the case of Lucia’s it’s the food. Mind you the food is entirely palatable in a boring Midwestern sort of way, but I for one expect more from a restaurant that has so much potential and such perfect location. The lunch menu changes weekly and is quite small: soup (root vegetable), simple green salad, smoked salmon cake with vegetables, farmer's salad with chicken breast (radishes, carrots, red cabbage) and pan seared flank steak with sesame-cilantro soba noodles . The menu has suggested wines to complement the food. I ordered a glass of the gamey noir, chateau du bluizard a raspberry colored, intense wine with wooden overtones, which went rather well with the surprisingly good complimentary bread. I was torn between the farmer’s salad and the salmon, a choice that was settled by an inquiry to the waitress – who suggested the fish. A table near ours ordered the salad and when I saw it I was glad that I had gone with the salmon cake. My entrée came attractively prepared – I would expect no less – in appearance but was very ordinary tasting. So much more could have been done to this dish to enhance flavor – perhaps more herbs and spices (garlic?) could have done the trick. The vegetables seemed to be simply boiled – boring! Desserts are prepared daily – not listed on the menu – and are brought to table in a tray for your perusal and selection. I chose the apricot/peach tart with honey and white raspberry sauce. The honey made this dish interesting but the crust was too hard and not easy to part with a fork. The taste lurched (unexpectedly) between sweetness and tartness and once again it’s hard to imagine how such a delightful dessert (on paper) could be executed so poorly.The service was efficient and friendly and our bill came to about $56.00, not good value for my money. In the future I am going to restrict my visits to the wine bar portion of Lucia’s. An ideal evening might be a meal just down the road at Café Barbette followed by a drink at Lucia’s B
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