Dining at Lucca in Oakland

Since my blog is new and still somewhat experimental I thought I would write some thoughts about the different things that happened to me for the day. An online diary in a way, but I'll try to make it more interesting. Today's big event, other than BarBRI, was a nice dinner out...

So, Heather and I went to Lucca this evening for dinner. The atmosphere was really nice and we chose to sit on the outside patio. We've heard the food was quite good (see the below article), and were eager to try it for ourselves.

The result? I can't help feeling like we were a bit ripped off. The food was cooked in that "ultra-gourmet" fashion which I don't really care for, consisting of small portions of highly decorated, but not very tasty food. Heather ordered some giant scallops which she liked. However, the accompanying mango sauce was no bigger than a half-dollar size spot on her dinner plate. She said she didn't mind, but I felt kind of bad for her as she had to really ration the stuff to make it through her meal. I was going to order the lamb chops, but was told there was no substitute for their pureed mashed potatoes (I don't really like mashed potatoes of any type). Instead, I chose the pork chops with couscous and zucchini. They were ok, but somewhat bland. I was going to add some pepper, but the restaurant doesn't have pepper shakers at the tables! Only salt! I guess they don't want anyone to spoil the way the meal is supposed to taste. Well, I gave it a taste and determined it needed some pepper, so deal! ;-)

We both ordered dessert, although they were out of the one I wanted. The two that arrived were tasty but petite. I guess I'm just so used to having tons of food on my plate when I go out to eat... I'm not used to being hungry when I'm ready to go.

I guess the ripped off part came along with the bill. Our two meals were about $28 each and the deserts were $7 each for a total of $70 before the tip. Now Heather and I have eaten out several times where the bill has been this high. But those other times all featured very high quality and filling food, some appetizers, some drinks, etc. In this case, I felt like the food was merely ok and definitely didn't warrant the high price. Maybe I'm not refined enough, but I prefer my food to taste good rather then look good.

It's a shame actually, because I really liked the atmosphere and ambiance of the place. However, I really can't justify spending that much money for a meal which is merely ok. I'd recommend going elsewhere.

Anyway, the Post-Gazette had this article on the same restaurant. They apparently loved it...
Choices at Oakland spot delight food and wine connoisseurs