Capital Cooking Contributor
Located off the beaten path in Old Town, I’d never
dined at a la Lucia, but a friend recently did for the first time during
Restaurant Week and really enjoyed it. When I had the opportunity to visit the
restaurant and check out their offerings – as well as their private dining
area – I jumped at the chance. I’m always looking for good Italian food and a
la Lucia did not disappoint.
I began my visit with a tour of
the restaurant. a la Lucia has two distinct dining rooms – a smaller, more
intimate dining room with walls painted a creamy yellow, and a larger, darker
dining room that faces the front of the restaurant, which tends to be more
lively. There is also a seasonal patio, as well as a cute bar area. Finally, I
arrived in the private dining area – a.k.a. The Wine Room. This charming space
houses hundreds of wine bottles that line the walls on custom wood shelves, can
seat up to 40 guests, and has its own dedicated bar space.
The menu items I tasted from a la
Lucia did not disappoint. I began by sampling a tasty plate of Italian
charcuterie, then moved to rigatoni with spicy sausage, peppers, and tomato
sauce. Even though I’m generally not a fan of peppers, this dish was very good,
with the spicy sausage complementing the sweet peppers.
Afterwards, I sampled a few more
small bites – fresh summer melon wrapped in prosciutto and a spin-off of Caprese – this one made with fresh watermelon. Incredibly refreshing on this
90+ degree day!
Moving on to more pasta dishes, I
sampled the homemade veal ravolini with tomato sauce and the homemade
fettuccini with spinach and tomatoes. You can certainly tell when a restaurant
makes their pasta in-house vs. one that uses dried pasta – what a difference!
When I began sampling the pastas,
I switched from white wine to red and found that the 2012 Coltibuono Cetamura
Chianti was lovely with all three red sauce pasta dishes. This wine was
fruit-forward with a hint of spice and smoke on the finish which was a great
pairing for the Italian dishes. One major bonus about a la Lucia – they offer
25% off all wine bottles on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays. On top of an
already-reasonably priced wine list, this is one awesome promotion!
Great food, a terrific wine list, charming restaurant, and lovely private dining space? A winning combination in my book.
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