Yep - It's great. Hype: deserved. Anticipation: rewarded. Welcome to Lucia.
^ We are greeted with warm Olives in Rosemary Olive Oil; ^ and a selection of Chef David Uygur's house-made Salumi. The standout is the ridiculously good n'duja (like the French term 'andouille' , 'n'duja' is derived from the Latin for "too insert") - a highly spiced spreadable pork sausage originating from Calabria - here spread on crostini. We had to have a second order. Learn more about n'duja here.
^ A late Friday evening found us among a nice group of like minded Dallas food types.
We decided to grab a bunch of stuff to share on our first visit:
^Seared Beef Tongue with Roasted Onions and Salsa Verde; ^ Crispy Lamb Meatballs.
^ Oyster Risotto with Parsley (Nice); ^ Potato Gnocchi with caramelized Cabbage, Taleggio and Speck.
^ Slow Roasted Pork Belly with Corona Beans and Broccoli Rabe; ^ Panna Cotta with caramelized apples and Aceto Balsamico.
The rest of this week's menu is equally tantalizing. (View the Lucia menu for the week of December 17 here.)
After two bottles of wine, my conspicuous dining companion and I rattle off numerous adjectives in praise of the food - the deft balance of fat and acid, the skillful execution - to which Jennifer U. simply responds, "Well, that's great! We hope you had a lovely time and are glad you enjoyed your meal!" Later on Chef David chats with us in some detail, but kinda humbly shrugs off the accolades. He's just cooking with integrity and procuring great ingredients. The Uygurs have created something special. A small neighborhood restaurant that cannot avoid the reality that it is important for the Dallas food scene.
^ Chef/Owner David Uygur.
It's been over a year since that last service at Ugyar's previous culinary home, Dallas favorite Lola. There has been a real dearth of excitement in restaurant openings in that time, and we've had to endure some painful closings lately. That's why there's almost a feeling of relief that Lucia is as wonderful, welcoming and satisfying as one might have hoped for. It's great already, and they are only getting started.
^Manager/Owner Jennifer Uygur at the window of her Bishop Arts District gem.
, it was paid for with Cold Hard Cash, and that's that.
nice post, Brad. was there the night before with my son and Jeremy. the place was buzzing with chefs, writers and other food freaks. Just like Paris in the 20's
Posted by: Alfonso | December 18, 2010 at 07:37 PM
Everything was delicious here, very fresh. My only complaint is that the risotto and polenta were on the salty side.....and they didn't need the extra salt because they were seasoned well otherwise and cooked perfectly. Other than that, divine. The duck and crispy lamb meatballs were so good. Best bread I've ever eaten, too. Would love to see them someday sell their bread so we could take some home with us!
Posted by: Michelle | December 19, 2010 at 11:34 AM
Michelle, interesting - we did not have the salt issue. And about that great bread - they do it in house in small batches right in the Wolf oven.
Posted by: TheBrad | December 19, 2010 at 02:34 PM
I know it sounds like andouille... but according to Jennifer it's n'duja. And, agreed, it was very yummy!
Posted by: Margie | December 22, 2010 at 11:57 AM
Yes, Margie, you are correct. I forgot to dig up that info before I posted the other night. I went through this before, after enjoying a Richard Blankenship's n'duja at Charlie Palmer. I went ahead and added some links for the peeps to explore. It is KILLER!
Posted by: TheBrad | December 22, 2010 at 12:34 PM
The crispy lamb meatballs were our favorite. They were truly amazing!
Posted by: Liz | December 31, 2010 at 08:38 PM