Lucques
Category: American (New) [Edit]
Neighborhood: West Hollywood8474 Melrose Ave
West Hollywood, CA 90069 (323) 655-6277
- Hours:
Mon-Tue 6:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
Tue-Sat 12:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
Wed-Sat 6:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m.
Sun 5:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. - Menu: MenuPages
- Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street, Valet
- Attire: Dressy
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
114 Reviews for Lucques
Everything they serve is well thought out, nicely detailed. The little almonds and olives they give you at the beginning make you feel important. The hot chocolate comes with a dish full of cute little chocolatey things to add to it, as if it weren't rich enough. The room is intimate and cozy.
This is my friend, D's favorite restaurant. She has been telling me for years how much she loves Lucques. Finally, we got it together and and met for dinner.
I was initially struck by how cozy this restaurant is. There is a fire place in the lounge area and it makes it feel like you're eating in someones living room. I like this feeling, but my bag had no where to settle and I made a mental note that this is a clutch restaurant, not a status bag restaurant. My eating buddy was a bit late and I sat with my delicious, albeit a bit strong, cocktail listening in to other people's conversations and perusing the menu.
It was Sunday night, so we had the Sunday dinner. The flavors were comforting and the presentation and service was good. The hostess girls were extremely nice and our waiter was professional. The food was good, I liked everything, but I didn't LOVE anything. I will definitely come again, I enjoyed the experience and the proximity to the MJ stores all but ensure my return.
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If you like Top Chef, you probably remembered the episode on Season 2 with the vending machine quick fire challenge and the episode where Betty (chef from Grubs) cheated on the elimination challenge. The guest judge on that episode was Suzanne Goin, who runs both here and AOC (the better restaurant east of here).
I was also geeked about coming here when LA magazine crowned this place as the top restaurant in LA. I just had to find a way to get in here. Sure enough, I found a reason and occasion to come here.
The place was described often with the key words "cozy" and "inviting". In other words, not much to look at and a really serene environment. The place tried to offer contrast on the darker inside and the brighter outside. The inside was woodsy and very dimmed, while the outdoor patio was brighter and more festive.
The outdoor seatings were quite loud and was very hard to hear from what others are saying as the decibels level can reach fever pitch from chatters around you.
My night started it off interestingly with being placed near the front window with booth seats for six people (it looked to only capable of seating three or four people). One of my dining companions gave one of the best impression of "not acceptable" and we were promptly taken to a better table outside. (mental note: need to bring this young lady more often) Trust me, you'll probably want and need to sit outside at this place.
We were handed a menu on a pad with one page of paper being held to the pad by a very thick rubber band. I guess they had spared no expense on the menu with this approach!
I decided to take a shot on several things. One thing, they were known for their starters. So I decided that I like soup and tried out their White Bean Brodo. It was creamy and have some wonderful texture to it. I enjoyed this soup immensely even with white beans reminds me of Del Taco beans.
The main course however was really what bums me out. I ordered the well known braised short beef ribs. Imagine this for one moment... I like beef noodle soup in Chinese restaurants. I often praised about how soft and chewy these beef meat are on a soup with noodle. So, imagine it with just the meat itself being soft and tender off the bone with some horse radish cream sauce on top of it.
It's not bad at all and I would have thought nothing of it..... but it cost $28. Was it worth that $28? Even if it was drench with Apostle's wine, I don't think it would merit the cost. There were some that I made exception to like Delmonico's steak in Vegas, but the short ribs was not worth the price even if it had to warrant a Dine-LA week price.
My other companions didn't like the lamb either. It seemed like the lamb was a huge miss based on other reviews also. The Hawaiian tuna was well received at our table along with Colorado Lamb carpaccio.
We had moments with some of the staff where they forgot the drinks several of our tablemates had ordered, yet we were still charge when the bill arrived. They were apologetic about it, but it is something throughout the night we wished they were on the ball a little more.
The service wasn't bad or rude, but it just seemed lackluster. For the price you are going to shell out, you would expect something close to an outstanding. When you are coming here, if the food was not living up to the price tag, you would normally chuck it out as paying for the scenery. Since that was not the case here either, it was a little bit disappointing to have the service here and there, then having a messed out final total for something you would have gladly paid if they have served you those items.
The name of the restaurant is pronounced "Lukes" as in Cool Hand Luke. I originally mistaken it for "Lucks", but I might as well called it Lacks as in the place "Lacks" something.
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Oh Lucques,
It was about 5 or 6 years ago since I've last seen you. I can vaguely remember that night. I think it was a Sunday and took a date here. We sat at the bar chatting with one of your cool bartenders, enjoying some good wine and a couple of stiff cocktails discussing with him about a plan to head out to some far-flung destination to jumpstart the relationship.
I was a bit dumstruck that night that I didn't even notice you. You may have well been prancing around naked but your effort must have gone in vain. You may have been trying to impress me but my attention was to someone else that night.
So, a few years, numerous breakups and getting back together, fights, visits to a therapist and bottles of prescriptions, I made it back to you.
This time, it's different.
This time, I made it a point not to neglect you, to actually notice and make an effort to see that your sweat did not go to waste.
Contrary to what a few people say about you, to me, you are real. You're subtle. You're multidimensional. You actually have something to offer.
You even surprised me with a few tricks I won't normally think would be entertaining, to say the least. You managed to pull it off. You somehow mesmerized me without you appearing to be trying too hard nor have an air of pretense.
You were attentive to my needs without being intrusive. You were lively and entertaining. You were focused and you have good taste.
But pardon me for taking some time to get back to you. I think you'd understand that I needed a break and get over some bad memories. Now that I've moved on, I think you and I can have our own memories together.
So, I'll see you soon.
Marco
P.S.
I'm sure you wouldn't mind if I ask someone to join us, right?
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As a tradition that my parents left us, before they decided to retire abroad, my family gets together once a week to maintain that familial bond. So, in honor of this clan ritual, it was only fitting that my brothers and I convened at Sunday Supper to talk about the events of the week past.
Sunday Supper is a top-notch dining experience that occurs on the (Christian) sabbath. And, at an amazingly affordable price, $40. fyi: Corkage is a mere $20.
This past Sunday was even more special, as it was the 5th Annual Cassoulet Night. We heard that Chef Suzanne Goin consumed herself with this week long preparation. And, although my brother rocks a killer "slow cook," Chef Goin knocked it out of the park with the cassoulet de maison.
The full menu follows:
1.) salad of young greens and vernires roquefort with local walnuts, walnut oil and honey
2.) cassoulet de maison with duck confit, pork confit, garlic sausage and white beans
3.) warm buckwheat crepes with armagnac prunes, creme legere and toasted almonds
Chef Suzanne Goin, congratulations on your James Beard nomination for OUTSTANDING CHEF of the year.
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Excellent citrus and avocado salad, great martinis, really good steak. With its cool atmosphere it's a great place for a date.
This is one of my favorites. The food is amazing, the wine list is creative, and the atmosphere is wonderful. As others have noted, their Sunday supper is a prix fixe menu, so I wouldn't recommend this as your introduction to the restaurant unless you are a true foodie who is fond of pretty much everything. :) This is also NOT the place to take Mr. or Ms. "Picky" - "leave off the butter" / "I don't eat dairy" / "Where's the pasta" / "Why is there fruit with my steak?" friend. The ingredients and preparation are top notch. They serve a complete menu at the bar, so you can pop in without a reservation if you like.
We ordered 2 desserts after having and dinner at Little Next Door.
Both were extremely impressive and despite how full we felt, we nearly cleaned off the plates. We sat in the patio which happened to contain a table of loud rowdy people that made the volume level of the restaurant seem like a club. Otherwise, I think on any other night, Lucuqes would have a fine ambiance.
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Went on a wed night and had one of the best dinners ever!!!!! This place has a all kinds of people. You have the after workers, the old Hollywood money with too much plastic surgery at 80yrs old, the first daters, and of course rock stars (don't want to drop names, but one of the biggest of all time right next to us). What it all comes down to is that there is no real scene, its just about AMAZING FOOD!!!!!
It was just gross. The bread and the butter was good.. that's about it.
Sunday Supper for Easter. Perhaps it was a bad day to do prix fixe.
Drink was lackluster and $14 which is a ripoff.
The salad was just sour. No real taste and difficult to eat.
My Lamb... was cold. We had to send it back. The flavors were not very delicious.
Dessert was just whatever.
Service was boring and stuffy.
In general, the only thing good about this place is the ambiance. That is about it. Pretty disappointing.
Did I really just pay $56 for a distgusting dinner? DAMN IT!
That is like 2 Restaurant Week dinners!
That is like 14 pitchers of beer at B2O in Temple City!
That is like 18 Double Doubles!
That is like 164 tacos from Del Taco on Taco Tuesday!
Ugh. Piss me off.
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Came here for Easter dinner, they had a prix fixe menu consisting of spring salad, grilled lamb sirloin or sauteed sand dabs, and a vanilla pavlova. Overall, underwhelming... the sand dabs were tasty, but the lamb was cold and uninspired as was the salad and pavlova... perhaps its unfair to judge based on a prix fixe menu, but I'm reluctant to come back to try the regular menu... the ambiance was great though, and we had perfect weather for sitting out on the patio.
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Anybody that gives this place anything less than 5 stars is WRONG. The food here is absolutely ridiculous, the flavor combinations are off the charts and executed perfectly. Probably my favorite restaurant in LA. The ambiance I like just as much. On my last visit I noticed they play really cool music in the background as well. The service is little up down ranging from fantastic to average but never bad. Tonight the food was lamb carpaccio appetizer...omfg! one of the best things I have ever tasted. Main course - suckling pic with carbonara risotto and truffle butter, even better than the lamb . Eclair with salty peanut butter and vanilla ice cream for desert....perfect ending. I don't think the food could have possibly been any better, a virtuoso performance by Susan Goin.
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Came for Sunday Supper and what a great deal!!! Love the ambiance and the little covered courtyard area. The food was impeccable in every way. Uh, and I know this is such an odd thing to notice, but the homemade croutons? A-mazing!!
i have a love affair with lucques...
so many special moments in my life have been shared here... tears of joy, tears of sadness, tears of deliciousness.
it was one of my earliest fine dining experiences in LA when it opened in 1998 and the one i go back to the most frequently in all of LA. (probably something like 35 times now)
last year, when i was working on the incredible hulk in the marvel offices, i was finally close enough to have weekly lunches here with my mom or with friends, having a glass of wine in the patio with some steak frites or a perfectly cooked wild striped bass with north african accents...
the sunday supper is probably the single meal i think about most in los angeles.
the warmth of the space melts the edges of the fine dining experience and one feels nestled rather than on stage... likewise, the food is warm and inviting rather than angular.
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Lucques is definitely one of LA's strongest restaurants, and I give it kudos for the following:
+ Cozy ambiance
+ Great cocktails and extensive wine list
+ Imaginative apps
+ Expertise with red meat, esp. beef, pork, and lamb
The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is due to a weak cheese course. You can't bill yourself a French-inspired restaurant and only offer three run-of-the-mill cheeses! Otherwise, the food is top notch.
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Bar menu rules.
The rest is not very interesting and overpriced. I say that having eaten over and over and over again at AOC. The Sunday Menu is an interesting and wonderful idea. I'd eat there more if I were a richer man AND I also live on that side of town.
Goins is a flavor-concocting genius. I hope that she one day dukes it out against the Iron-man Flay. But . . . I'd rather go to AOC where there are more flavors (from the same color scheme) for a whole lot less dinero.
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Lucques' is perfection!!! I heart Lucques in every way. The ambiance is somewhat reflective of the plates. The front room is very rustic with exposed brick (a great fireplace) and exposed wood beams. While the back room has more of a modern twist with a roof that can be opened to the elements. Much in the same way that Suzanne Goin prepares rustic dishes with her modern interpretation of yumminess. It's hard for me to understand how Lucques can get less that five stars because interpreting rustic dishes and making them taste even better is not easy.
We went for Sunday Supper of cassoulet...pork, duck and sausage bathed in confit...every bite was amazing. And the dessert was simple crepes done up like only Suzanne Goin can do it. It was sheer poetry. Lucques has delivered and exceeded expectations every single time we have made a visit there. I hope and pray that Suzanne's culinary efforts will bring her a 2008 James Beard outstanding chef award...she already is in my book.
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Wow, so many split reviews for Lucques. I had no idea this could ever be a 'you either love it or you hate it' kind of a place. Lucques is an island of understated class and elegance amidst a sea of Los Angeleno gaudiness... everything from the grand fireplace, timber lofted ceilings, garden dining room and amazingly inventive menu are always top notch to me - It's like having dinner at your rich Uncle's mountain villa.
I've been there a few times and have never been disappointed by the food or the service. The spiced nuts and olives are a nice starter, but my favorite appetizer is the sweet pepper and ricotta tart with cured anchovies and celery salad. Mmmmm!! You clearly need an open mind and adventurous palate to appreciate the Lucques experience.
The lunch and dinner menus change seasonally... on my most recent visit I had the braised beef short ribs with kabocha squash puree, sauteed greens and truffle butter. It was literally the best thing with the most amazing flavor that I've ever put in my mouth (no offense, boys). How is everybody not blown away by this food?? Are your taste buds dysfunctional?? Maybe you ate hot pizza the night before and they're just f'n fried.... This dinner is perfection.
If you still manage to have the tiniest bit of room for dessert go for the bruleed chocolate eclairs, they are a must try!! And if you don't like those either, there is no hope for you my friend, back to fast food you go!
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I should start by saying that AOC, is my favorite place to eat in LA, so far...so, when I heard I was being taken to Lucques I was rather excited! However, I had read a few reviews and a few other websites had described it as 'traditional' and I am a completely untraditional kind of person! Also, a few people had said it was 'Cozy'...which as we know can also mean boring as hell, so I was also a bit apprehensive.....
First of all I loved the decor.I spend a large amount of my time in London, where Interior Design is really at the cutting edge and that exposed brick look has really had its Time now , but saying that, at this place it really works and I feel gives the place an intimate, yet contemporary feel.I also liked the way the tables were spaced out , not too close or too far apart, and the lighting was neither too dark or too light.There is a Cozy feel to the place, but it's Cozy in a cool way! Cozy in the way that when there is a chill in the air you would be happy to step inside here!
In terms of the clientele, it was really mixed , in terms of age and everything else really, with some conservative people, some in between and some more fashionable types and the general feel was one of unpretentiousness, although it still feels 'special' .More importantly people looked HAPPY and seem to generally enjoy eating there!There was definitely a bit of a buzz about the place too..
Service, was good.Our waitress was particularly charming and took time to explain the specials and generally recommend things from the menu. She was also very smiley and appeared genuine, which is important I think.
The Food was good and as some other reviewers have said very fresh, but not WOW. However, I am comparing this to the food at Spago, which I thought was fantastic! The food at Lucques was (unsurprisingly) Very similar to AOC I thought.However, one dish did stand out.The waitress advised me on the special which was fresh mozzarella with breadcrumbs and Italian ham, which was extremely fresh and quite outstanding. The mozzarella was so fresh, you would have expected a cow to be out back! My entree of pork, was good, but not too dissimilar to my own home cooking !(Which is good, if I do say so myself).My partner had the lamb, which he said was good .
To sum up- If I had friends coming to stay, and I wanted a fail-safe restaurant, which guaranteed a good atmosphere/buzz, fail-safe cooking and Cozy cool decor, this is where I would take em!
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Been here twice never had a bad meal, great decor and service
WOW WOW WOW!!! :)
Rarely am I this impressed! I had high hopes coming here, and seldom do my restaurant expectations get met, but I love that in this case I'm wrong! It met my very high expectations!!! And is now, my second favorite restaurant in LA behind Hatfields (Musha may be a tie for 2nd place also), and in terms of bang-for-your-buck, the #1 restuarant!
Here's the lowdown (between both of us, we shared everything):
::drinks::
- The Sparrow: pyrat rum, elderflower liqueur and meyer lemon juice with a hint of vanilla
- Roth Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
- [forgot region] Syrah
::apps::
- andante goat cheese and rapini tart with house cured anchovies and celery salad
- lamb carpaccio w/argula
::entrees::
- black grouper with crushed fingerlings, sugar snaps, creme fraiche and cara cara oranges
- braised veal cheeks with farro, chestnuts, red flame grapes and pedro ximenez
::dessert::
- acacia honey panna cotta with blood orange granita and citrus tuille
TOTAL: $180 (includes tax/tip), only $160 if I only had 1 glass of wine instead of 2 ;)
EVERYTHING was great! I don't even remember the last time I can say that about every course of a meal, but this was utterly memorable.
For me, this overall experience rivals (food wise) my experiences at Hatfields, Chez Panisse, Le Cirque and Musha.
I can't wait to go back :) But next on the list: Providence and Ortolan.
NYE 2007... what to do, so many possibilities!
I'm one of those people who have made a huge ass deal about what to do on NYE over the last 10 years. But you know what. I've realized it's overrated and come to the conclusion that I've been blowing it way out of proportion for really no reason. I am over the club scene, unless if it's for someones birthday. I don't wait in any lines if I'm not part of a list. And most importantly, Prix-Fixe meals at restaurants on NYE is like going out for a nice meal on Valentines... probably overrated, overpriced and mass-produced.
After telling EJ this, he was still sweet enough to surprise me with reservations at Lucques, one of my all-time favorite places over the last several years. I really, really liked this place... everything about the interior design, the rustic yet contemporary ambiance and the outdoor back patio. The Sunday night supper prix-fixe meals here are probably one of the greatest deals in town.
We arrived here and the mood was rather festive (Greek themed) - the employees and servers were dressed in togas (not frat party togas utilizing white bedsheets) but they were tastefully dressed with a lovely draped celadon green chiffon cloth with gold accents. They even gave all patrons leather gold leaved wreaths to tie as a headbands... sort of what Medieval Times does when they distribute crowns to the guests. Corny. It's like what do you do... if you don't wear it you're a boring party pooper but if you do, you look like a tool so there's no win-win. We ended up wearing ours. They also had an Olympic juggler make performances throughout the restaurant to have entertainment tie in with the theme. That was pretty corny as well.
So, why am I giving this place only 2 Stars? Because of the sub-par, unacceptable service. I am now completely turned off to this place. The server could not tell to me what she was serving and when I asked, she had the nerve to throw me attitude because SHE couldn't recite it? Then she went to go get a menu and told me to read it. What the F. She could be rest assured that if I were to ever throw anyone under the bus, it won't be behind their back, but to their face, so I therefore told her flat out that I didn't like her attitude. Lucques will be receiving a scathing letter from me in the near future.
I try to give fair reviews so here is the good:
* Love the Roasted Almonds and Kalamata Olives with Sea Salt they have always given you when you are seated!! This has been very consistent.
* We had a Four Course Prix-Fixe Meal and the highlights were: Swiss Chard and Haloumi Tart with Pinenuts, Pomegranate and Blood Orange Salad and the excellent dessert, which was the Apple and Quince Galette with Walnuts, Dates and Honey Ice Cream. My Shrimp Entree was quite dry (so easy to overcook shrimp).
Will I ever come back to this place... I really don't know. Give me a few months to forget about our skanky waitress and we'll see.
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This place serves top notch food in a very classy yet casual environment. Most of the newer restaurants have the same sorta look n feel, but this place has an OG euro vibe that i love. Food is a bit on the heavy side, but they'll change their menus from time to time, and will never serve anything that'll disappoint you. I once had the pork belly which was very greasy, but tasted great. They also serve very fresh fish and meats with strong rich tastes. This is a perfect place to take someone who doesn't like the "trendy" LA restaurants, but appreciates quality food with a low-key classy environment.
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Yeah! What she said!
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
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Lucques is one of the most comfortable great restaurants in LA. Located on Melrose not far from La Cienega and has great food that is always good the twenty plus times I have been there over six years now. It is food that everyone can enjoy and everyone I have taken to Lucques continues to go there also.
The atmosphere is contained in cottage type setting but much more upscale but not over the top. The materials are brick, wood, stucco, metal, fireplace, garden like with colors of brown, green earth tones. Very friendly servers and professional. The bar is small so it isn't a singles hang out; it's a place you can bring a date, friends and great for out of towners.
On Sunday's they do a very reasonably priced pre-fixed supper menu. Additionally it is great for lunch also but my preference is dinner because of the great atmosphere.
They also won the James Beard Award and have a excellent wine list to match the food. You can park on the street or valet your wheels.
Comfortable, classy, and just all around good cuisine. Went there with 6 friends for my birthday. Pleasant service, veal cheeks were like buttah. Appetizers all excellent.
so i'm totally late writing this review...but i still remember it like it was just yesterday....
my friends and i went for my birthday....we arrived just in time for our reservation and were seated right away....a little crowded perhaps, but the ambiance was great!! the service was totally awesome, too.
i started off with a cocktail - the ginger mule...and it was so good. if you like ginger, i highly recommend it. my fab friend y ordered the lucques gimlet...and let me try it...and that was really good, too. tasted like it had a touch of basil in it. we were off to a fabulous start!
to start, i had the market fish crudo. it was really good....being japanese of course i've had sashimi before, but it's so different. the green harissa just really made the crudo come alive for me, it was that tasty. another friend had ordered that as her entree an she love it as well. for the entree, i had the short ribs with the kabocha puree...i can still taste the kabocha....the meat of the ribs was really tender...let my friend y try it...she liked it too. she was sharing the club steak with the arugula with another friend...they offered me a piece. who was i to say no? that was fab, too.
we all managed to make it to dessert....i had the sorbets du jour...pear and persimmon....very tasty...and not too sweet. oh...i can't wait to go back again!!
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So I went to Lucques a little while ago. Saturday night, reservations at 6. We got there a little early and decided to have a couple drinks. It was so fun, the bartender was nice and she made a great Hendricks gin martini. The little plate of snacks they give you is so good.
For dinner I had the pork and the hubby had the short ribs. I have to say, they were both very tasty but the pork was so rich I needed some white rice to cut it with. Or anything that wasn't covered in sauce. I had trouble finishing it. For dessert we had the dough nuts, very good.
I really liked this place but the crowed is very... trendy with a bit of attitude.
I love Susan Goin and her cookbook Sunday Suppers at Lucques, but this place was a huge disappointment. Food was extremely so-so.
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If I knew I only had 24hrs to live, my last meal would be at Lucques.
My absolute favorite thing on the menu is the braised short ribs.
Ok..I have to stop right here b/c I'm going to start crying just thinking about the place!
Try EVERYTHING on the menu.
I love you Lucques!
Kisses, (sniff sniff)
Pooks
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without a doubt this must be one of the best places i really love to dwell in and wish i could come more often..ITs quaint the food is good and great place where you can have a good time at,..romance is Lucques!
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After cooking extensively from Suzanne Goins's cookbook, I was uber excited to eat at Lucques. Quelle horreur! It was so disappointing, I actually felt sad afterwards. The food was just okay. None of the flavor combinations quite worked and the dishes didn't taste or look very fresh or flavorful. Even the decor was a letdown. Seating was uncomfortable and our waitress, while alright with us was a bit surly with other diners sitting right next to us (seating was a bit tight). Perhaps the Sunday Suppers are a different experience, but it doesn't matter -- we won't be back.
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Although it was 6 years ago, this is still the best meal I've had in LA, even over much 'fancier' places like Melisse.
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What is there NOT to like here? I enjoyed my chicken Cobb salad. I didn't care for the corn soup. But overall, a good dining experience.
Ok...hate to say this, but I had dinner here on a Sunday and it was not great. Seems like from the other reviews Sunday is supposed to be their best day. The old saying of never eat seafood at a restaurant on a Sunday actually applied here. This was surprising considering last time I ate here I had an incredible meal. My scallops and the fish my friend had tasted 'fishy' and didn't smell too good. Because of this I am not sure I could do it again, which is a shame because they have a great patio and aura here. The server was very attentive and I know last time I ate here the shortribs were excellent.
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This review is serious, serious business. I hereby in front of all the interwebs officially declare that Sunday Supper at Lucques is my favorite meal in all of Los Angeles. Every time I have gone, every course is beyond perfect in a fresh, often surprising way. I know they don't need my help, I just felt professing my love was the right thing to do. I feel better now.
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Having been here for dinner before, coming here for a wedding reception was exciting! I knew I was NOT in for some crappy dried up piece of chicken from a banquet hall.
So, we got there 30 minutes late from the most horrible traffic caused by a tragic 15 semi pile up on the 5 fwy.
Bummer, we missed out on a lot of the passed hors' duevres. I managed to snag a meatball slider. YUMMM I saw fried oysters, carrot soup, and some seafood salady thing on individual spoons. Hubby saw some bacon something. DARN the traffic.
This reception was all cocktail style. Great idea, but it was hard to eat the killer kick ass short ribs. We also had the roasted halibut with sweet potato puree. OMG it was so good. Oh there's pasta? HELL yeah! with sauteed chantrelle mushrooms and some cheese. Oh.
Then, dessert: petit four size lemon raspberry tarts, hazelnut chocolate krispy thing, blueberry meringue cookies and wedding cake. All good.
This was such a schmancy affair. I can't wait to come back for dinner again.
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Expensive - yeah. You can see their menu online, they include prices.
Ambience - cool. Lots of brick, kinda dark. People seemed fine, hollywood ish but not like Katsuya hollywood, more like the deal-makers, not the talent ;)
Went with my friend and we had the lamb tartar to start...very very good. I was a little worried b/c lamb has a pretty strong flavor, but it wasn't overwhelming at all. The key was to get a little bit of each item on the plate. So put the white bean spread on the cracker, then the lamb, a touch of the cheese and a little bit of olive...all together, heavenly. We had another appetizer of prosciutto grapes and goat cheese - it was fine, the grapes were a touch wilty though - they are roasted, and I dont see the point of that...doesn't make for a tastier grape. Just a warm grape with wrinkled skin. Shrug on that one.
Onto the main courses - heavens, I actually giggled when i tried the shortrib - it made me so happy. Seriously, I GIGGLED. It was sooo tender and fatty and amazing and the horseradish on top was perfect...very smooth, like it was mixed with heavy cream or sour cream or something. It was sitting atop a bed of extremely tasty mashed potatoes. Incredible. Couldn't even come close to finishing it though, and I am not a light eater.
The other dish was the black cod - came with mint, pomegranate, and a few other items (check that online menu, each dish has like 6 ingredients...bananas). Anyhow, the crazy thing about this cod is that every time you took a bite to your mouth you were tasting something completely different because of all the component parts. Its like mining, and each time you come up with some different ore...makes sense?
We had some white wine with our appetizers, and we had to wait a long while to find our waiter to bring us some red for our entrees, so because of our long wait he made our reds on the house.. Very cool of him.
We finished it up with espressos and the plum and something tart. It looked good but it isn't fair to judge it since at that point we were just force-feeding ourselves and I am pretty convinced we were incapable of actually tasting anything else.
With tax and tip - about $77 a pop.
It was good, kids. Hope you aren't a vegetarian if you are reading this...that shortrib is like last meal good.
KG
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I went to Sunday Supper at Lucques for my birthday. We had made a reservation for 8pm. The place was packed, there were no seats at the bar area and the tiny fireside waiting area was full. Some people were waiting outside on the sidewalk.
After about 30 minutes, we were seated at a lovely corner table in the "patio" area, which is covered, but still has a great outdoor feel, with ivy growing up the concrete walls and a tree growing inside. Heat lamps were there, but not lit, as it was a mild night.
The menu consisted of a dandelion green and endive salad with shaved cheese, cameo apples and walnuts, then your choice of a halibut with sweet peppers, eggplant and black olives OR a lamb shank with polenta and cherry tomatoes. Dessert was a ricotta and grape tart.
I ordered the lamb, my boyfriend ordered the halibut.
Our waitress was able to offer helpful comments on the wine and we sat back to enjoy the ambience. The wine arrived immediately and our water glasses were always full, but it took FORTY-FIVE minutes for the salads to arrive!! (Wait to be seated (30) + Salad delay (45) - made it 9:15 before we had any food!)
We found this surprising, since the salad was not an option - everyone who was eating the supper was going to have the salad, so why would it take 45 minutes to get 2 salads to the table. The waitress came back and asked if I'd like a second glass of wine. I said yes - because we hadn't even gotten our salads yet!
Then, the salad appeared and the second glass of wine came. I had the expectation that perhaps they'd comp the (1) glass of wine due to the delays in seating and salads, but they did not.
The waitress said that there was some issue with the "salad person", but that it was fixed. The manager(?) came out and apologized for the wait, but I just wish that someone would have noticed earlier, while we were waiting. I just expect a little more at a place with this kind of reputation... you know?
On to the food:
The salad was wonderfully balanced. We were both pleasantly surprised and remarked on how well dressed and fresh it tasted. The cameo apples were a wonderful addition as was the shaved cheese. Yum.
Then our main courses came out. My boyfriend had asked for the halibut without the black olives, so it was do doubt missing a dimension of salt, but was perfectly cooked, light and flaky. He enjoyed it greatly. The lamb was fall-off-the-bone tender and delicious. The polenta and tomatoes were wonderful additions and enhancements to the wonderful decadence of the meat, which was HUGE.
Then dessert. My boyfriend (not so subtly) told the waitress that it was my birthday, so the flame grape tart showed up with a candle and the plate decorated with chocolate sauce (which I'm actually allergic to...) so we switched plates and ate up. As a dessert course, it wasn't that great. The tart was bland, especially after such rich flavors during the rest of the meal. Don't get me wrong, we ate all of it, but really felt like the salad and main courses were just so much better than dessert.
For $40 / 3 courses, we'd definitely go back again. I think it might be better if you make the reservation for later in the night. Several guests who came in about 10 minutes after we did (8:45) were served immediately, with no gaps between wine / salad / entree / dessert.