Lucia
408 West Eighth Street, Suite 101
Dallas, TX, 75208
214-948-4998
http://www.luciadallas.com
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Photo credits to Robert Bostick.
The enthusiasm surrounding David and Jennifer Uygur’s latest venture, Lucia, is staggering. Anyone serious about dining in Dallas has kept a watchful eye over the space next to Dude, Sweet Chocolate over the past several months as the interior transformed from office space into an intimate place that is now one of the most anticipated restaurants in town.
I first heard about chef David Uygur from his previous work at Lola. The restaurant was wonderful, especially for special occasions, and I regret only having one experience with the full blown tasting menu, which I made an effort to try upon hearing news of the restaurant’s impending closure. After Lola, Chef Uygur participated in charitable dining events around town such as 48 Nights. The excitement kicked into gear once Lucia was announced, and I was invited to dinner by a good friend, Steve Doyle.
Lucia is all about honest Italian food as Chef Uygur creates in-house salumi, pasta, and bread from scratch. The food and beverages will change as the seasons do. The restaurant feels like you’ve warped out of Bishop Arts, straight into an Italian restaurant full of history and character. His wife, Jennifer Uygur, was formerly in charge of the wine program at the Dallas location of Central Market, and she lends her expertise in developing the wine list as well as her jovial charisma as she entertains guests at front of the house. Kevin Dean worked for Tillmans, and contributes as sous chef.
Our party of four were provided a four course menu that seemed to be a few revisions away from becoming the final draft. We made an attempt to differentiate our selections to get as much variety as possible and I’ll share some favorites from each course.
Warm olives infused with rosemary oil, and bread were provided in anticipation to the first course. Unsurprisingly, more servings of Chef Uygur’s addictive bread would be brought out throughout the meal.
ANTIPASTI: Salumi misti, a tasting of house cured meats
The house-made salumi platter which included lush coppa, intensely spicy nduja (spread over bread), slightly zesty orange and fennel sausage, and savory black pepper sausage.
ANTIPASTI: Seared beef tongue with roasted onions and salsa verde
The hunk of beef tongue had a delightful sear outside, while moist and tender inside. The slightly sweet onions and zesty, but not overly spicy, salsa verde nicely complemented the beefy flavors.
ANTIPASTI: Crudo of sea scallop with shaved fennel, radish, and olives
This thinly sliced seafood reminded me of the octopus carpaccio at Keiichi. Both dishes are clearly prepared with precise knife technique. There was remarkable contrast in the clean and light scallops against the stronger, zesty flavored olives. This dish was on practically every table.
Up next are items under the primi header of the menu; the pasta section. These can be ordered as small or large portions and I agree with Andrew Chalk’s suggestion of going with the large size.
PRIMI: Spinach and ricotta gnudi with Parmigiano Reggiano and brown butter
This particular pasta dish was another popular one during my particular visit. The gnudi is a naked ravioli: ravioli minus the pasta, only the filling. I assume each one had to be hand-formed, based on the variation of size across each individual piece. Wonderfully moist spinach outside, while the cloudlike ricotta inside brought out a creamy texture upon the bite.
PRIMI: Littleneck clam risotto with parsley
The aromatic dish left me astounded by Chef Uygur’s ability to infuse a celestial depth of flavor into microscopic food. The wonderfully creamy broth held firm like a magnet to the grains. Every bite of this comforting dish brought flavors from the sea.
Secondi are the main courses.
SECONDI: Slow-cooked wild Maryland rockfish with pistachios, olives, and chard
The skinless rockfish’s subtle and mild flavors were brought forward by the slow cooking. Contrast was provided by the more prominent parts of the dish: the nutty texture of the pistachios, tart olives, and earthy chard .
SECONDI: Quail al mattone with pancetta, polenta, and vincotto
The literal translation for “al mattone” is “under a brick,” a preparation method that involves pressing small fowl. The quail was remarkably crispy with a sweet glaze of vincotto. I also liked the fluffy creamy texture of the finely ground polenta.
We conclude with dolci, dessert.
DOLCI: (clockwise, starting from left)
Assorted gelati
Bittersweet chocolate budino with salted caramel and orange cream
Pannacotta with dry figs and bay syrup
Hazelnut cake with poached pears and brown butter gelato
I’m pushign the boundaries of my stomach by this point in the meal and managed to get one bite of each dessert. The gelato included lemon, chocolate, and brown butter. My favorite was the delicate, rich, and creamy pannacotta.
The Uygurs ambition for Lucia was to reflect the neighborhood and provide a place for people to have a laid back meal with friends. The whole experience was comfortable and also remarkable was the level of quality, which is comparable to more expensive and upscale restaurants, at a lower price point. Lucia is now open for business, so better go get reservations quick.
ok, homie… how’d you get such good pictures there? The restaurant was too damn dark for me to get anything useful.
Interesting to see the variation that he’s done already, in less than a week. Our scallop crudo had no olives, but did have orange supremes and some onion. And I loved the use of whole parsley leaves – beautifully plate refreshing in between bites.
loved “Uygur’s ability to infuse a celestial depth of flavor into microscopic food”
The pictures actually are not mine. One of our dining companions was Robert Bostick, a photographer, and he was shooting with a digital SLR and used portable sources of lighting.