LUCA
436 W. James Street
Lancaster, PA
If there is one thing I really love in the food world: its Italian food.
Sauce on sauce on bread on top of more bread. I cannot get enough.
It is hard for me to find Italian food I love that can compare to my familys Italian food. My dads meatballs or eggplant parm, my mom's pasta with broccoli or lentils, my Aunts lasagna.. brb- wiping drool.
Enter: Luca. This place had a lot of hype surrounding it before it even opened. The owners also own a French restaurant in Lancaster (Maison) that people die for so Luca was supposed to be just as amazing. I couldn't wait. We have been there twice. Twice because well, its not exactly a standard for a Friday night dinner date. Its on the pricier side.. our kids aren't great at taking out to eat anywhere that doesn't include the atmosphere that comes with a "Buy one adult entrée get one kids entrée free" sort of thing. We save this place for special occasions. Follow me as I give you a play by play of the place, beginning to end.
Atmosphere:
The place is BEAUTIFUL. Exposed beams. This gorgeous, huge bar. You can see the kitchen area (which I love), think lots of wood... modern and yet eccentric. Swanky, if you will.
Staff:
In the two times we were there, our servers were nice and prepared with recommendations. I personally am not a fan of asking your server for a recommendation because well, everyone has their own likes and dislikes so I guess I just don't necessarily think they will like something I will. Anyways, their uniform is a t shirt and jeans which may sound super casual (and it is) but somehow it works. I don't know if its the color of the t shirt or just the fact that everyone looks so put together (nice hair etc) but it works. Its a little on the louder side since the kitchen and everything is open to the restaurant so you hear lots of movement, plates, etc.. but the place is very open so you don't feel like its over powering.
Drinks:
I only had one drink in the two times I was there and then my grandma had a glass of wine. The drink I had isn't on their usual menu, it was a special for the evening. It had a limoncello base and was super light and summer-ish and I really loved it.
Apps:
In the two times we visited we had: the handmade burrata, housemade ricotta and the prosciutto de Danielle. DELICIOUS. The apps were all super original and not just the typical things you find in an Italian restaurant. They make their own cheese there and although a little on the salty side, so good. The only thing about the apps that would be considered a negative is that they are small. Two people can have a serving of an app but there isn't much more than that. And you definitely cannot share it with more than two people.
Dinners/Pizzas:
I am going to review just what I personally had for dinner. The first time I went I had the Tagliatelle (pasta Bolognese). It was delicious. The portion size was perfect. It had the perfect about of sauce on it and they used homemade noodles. The second time I went I had the Piccante pizza. Pretty much a fancy pepperoni pizza. It was a wood oven pizza. It was DELISH. The pizzas are also a great size. I think I had two pieces and then we ended up taking the rest home, I was stuffed. I only stopped eating because I ran out of room in my stomach. I without question wanted to keep going.
Dessert:
This is 9 times out of 10 my favorite part of a meal. They make their own gelato there and my gosh it is amazing! They don't have their desserts on their online menu, I suppose because they change quite often so I cant remember exactly what the flavors were of the gelato but seriously, delish. I remember one of them was a lemon/olive oil type.. the flavors didn't sound like something you would walk into a shop and order. Super unique. We also tried their Italian donuts dessert which was just to die for. Little fried balls of dough, dipped in sugar and then served with this delicious raspberry glaze. Heaven.
*I would rate this restaurant 4 out of 5 stars. The only changes I would make is more dessert options and that there be less salt in some of the food items.
Check out their website to book a reservation or click HERE for the menu!
(Side note: the following photos are from their facebook page)
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