Have you ever dined at the same restaurant ten days in a row? No? I have—and if you know me, you know it’s par for the course. So which fine establishment did I shamelessly frequent day after day? Lucca CafÈ in Irvine, CA—a restaurant that truly is ìAll About the Foodî.
Before I divulge all the delicious little details, let me get the basics out of the way. Lucca is a charming restaurant located in the Quail Hill shopping center off of the 405 Freeway and Shady Canyon, adjacent to Wells Fargo. Believe, me I never expected to find such a treasure here, but I’m glad I did. Their cuisine is Italian/Mediterranean, and they serve lunch and dinner Monday through Friday, brunch and dinner on the weekends. You can check out their menu, map and hours on their site www.luccacafe.com.
Ok, so here’s how my love affair with Lucca started. One of my favorite clients suggested Lucca for a lunch meeting earlier this summer. She’s a Lucca regular too and casually mentioned that she loved their Mediterranean wraps. I’m not a big fan of wraps usually, but I thought I’d give the place a try. Am I glad I did! I opted for the Lucca Fiesta Cobb Salad with Chicken not expecting anything out of the ordinary—it was supposed to be just a salad. I was delightfully surprised; it was a blend of your traditional Cobb with a Greek and Southwest influence. The visual presentation alone had me salivating and the taste put it over the top; perfectly grilled chicken served over beautiful butter lettuce, tomatoes, corn, red onions, kalamata olives, feta and a generous portion of avocado drizzled with dressing. I can’t tell you how surprised I was by the delicious balance of textures, flavors and colors. I thought this was just a salad, but I was wrong. In fact, I quickly realized that there is nothing generic about Lucca. I was intrigued at first bite. If a salad could be this tasty, I would have to try the rest of the menu.
So, every day thereafter for nine consecutive days, like a devout follower, I made my pilgrimage—sometimes twice a day and always with a newbie. My insatiable appetite took over and I devoured their handmade pasta dishes and slurped the soups and savored the delectable dinner dishes, but always made room for the _____ MÈnage Trois, a dessert threesome that you must not pass on. How could you possibly say ‘no’ to a scoop of raspberry sorbet filled with dark chocolate chunks served with a perfect chocolate cake and the most decadent espresso chocolate mousse?
Keep in mind, while lunch portions are quite sizeable, dinner consists of small plates. Think of it as a Mediterranean version of tapas. But don’t be fooled by the smaller servings, they’re rich and packed with flavor. Here are just a few items to give you an idea of what I mean: pistachio-peppercorn crusted halibut, lemon-artichoke risotto cake, basil butter, tomato coulis; Certified angus beef hanger steak, wild mushroom trifolata, yukon gold potatoes, mustard-cognac béarnaise; need I go on? The menu changes seasonally so you know you have the best ingredients packed in each exquisite dish.The restaurant is owned and operated by a lovely couple, Cathy and Elliot Pavlos; her heritage is Italian, his is Greek; she’s the Chef and he’s the General Manager and Wine Steward; her background is in architecture, fine art and environmental psychology and his is in architecture and urban planning. Here’s the answer to the obvious question, despite over 20 years as an architect and college professor, Cathy has always been drawn to cooking. Her earliest experience of
cooking with her grandmother for their very large family set the foundation for her passion. In 2002 Cathy attended a Boot Camp training program at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley. Soon after she switched careers and opened Lucca CafÈ with the help of her wine aficionado husband. Lucca is not just a restaurant; it’s a testament to passion, an homage to tradition and the reason why I’ve gained 20 pounds.
The next time you’re trying to decide where to eat, check out Lucca CafÈ, where you’ll experience wonderful service and fabulous food. You won’t be sorry.
