Lucia
Warm Olives
Crusty Bread with Salted Butter
Salumi Misti – Speck, Fennel-Orange Salame, Coppa, Boar Ventricina, Duck Salame Cotto, Chicken Liver Crostini, Lardo Crostini, 3 Foie Gras Stuffed Prunes
Smoked Sweetbread Mezzalune with Hedgehog Mushroom and Green Garlic
Pasta al Sangue with Spicy Red Wattle Pork Ragu, Broccoli Raab, Pecorino Romano
Cocoa Tagliatelle with Braised Duck and Foie Gras
Hazelnut Cake with Chocolate, Prunes, Quince, Hazelnut Gelato
Candy Cap Bombolini with Walnuts and Pears
French Press Coffee
Likely Dallas’ toughest ticket, the sort of place where a phone call at a designated date and time over a month in advance still cannot guarantee a seat, dinner at Lucia came with lofty expectations; the promise of perfect pastas and stellar house charcuterie in an intimate setting delivered upon from the moment I walked in the door until I hit the road bound for Austin two hours later. Located in Bishop Arts and seating perhaps 40 Lucia is the pride and joy of Chef/Owner David Uygur and focused on cooking what is “fresh and exciting” his enthusiasm is clearly contagious – servers smiling and diners glowing amidst the long room with each plate, pour, and interaction…all the more so as the night progressed. Beginning first with warm olives and hot, crusty bread it was with much debate that I perused a menu with perhaps two dozen options that all sounded divine but thankful to find half portions of pastas available the decision became less daunting, my request for four savory courses and two sweets marched out in procession. Beginning first with a mountain of salumi plus three $1 prunes stuffed with creamy duck liver mousse each of the meats proved Chef Uygur’s passion for the art and moving next to a trio of pastas it was here that ‘good’ transitioned to ‘great’ – the mezzalune nearly transparent pockets of creamy offal softened by garlic, the gamey blood tinged noodles perfectly al dente finding balance in spice plus acid, and the light chocolate notes of the tagliatelle proving a deft base note to the richness of duck and foie – the later an early contender for best thing I’ve eaten this year and a perfect transition into a pair of innovative desserts, both lighter than one would expect and impressive in their restrained sweetness allowing fruits, nuts, and mushrooms to shine – a remarkable end to a memorable meal served by people that seem to want little more than to make guests happy while doing what they love.
