Lucques

Simply remarkable. Started by the amazing service and great chic yet casual atmosphere. The wine selection is impressive and the food outstanding. Fir appetizers we had the Squash salad and the scallops, for main course the Black Cod which for sure is the best I ever have

In town just one night, I took a chance and headed to Lucques at five pm just as they were opening, hoping to grab a quick dinner without a reservation. As luck would have it, the restaurant was actually closed for a private tasting dinner with two guest chefs, but the staff graciously invited me to stay and found me a seat at a quiet table. The price tag for the prixe fix meal was $150 and well worth every penny. Just over $200 including one drink and the tip, I absolutely enjoyed every mouthful prepared by chef Suzanne Goins and the two guest chefs. From wood fired pizza to grilled veggies, seared fish to duck, the meal was amazing. The melon panna cotta for dessert was the perfect ending to a really outstanding meal. The restaurant is gorgeous, the staff professional and accommodating. Just be aware that the valet parking is cash only or you will need to go back inside and outside with a credit card. I would absolutely go back to Lucques the next time I'm in town.

This is the second time I’ve tried it. I’ve given it the varsity effort but it’s been misses both times. Normally I wouldn’t complain but the service kept stumbling. Decor is good. Music is good. Food is just decent. Service stumbled, like I said.

I visited Lucques during the most recent round of dineLA. It's considered a must-try classic Angeleno institution, famous for Sunday suppers, owned by a James Beard Outstanding Chef winner and renowned cookbook author. Lucques is categorized as California-Mediterranean. I would describe it as Californian-cuisine focused with a pan-Mediterranean flair (French flavor leaning). Our meal began with toasted almonds and giant oblong green olives, served along with sourdough bread, butter, and French sea salt. The highlights were the crunchy almonds and the crusty sourdough. We ate all off the bread, which doesn't happen very often. Moving on, I shared a Barbara's Greens salad with my girlfriend. The waitress allowed a split order for this dish. The salad was simple, direct, fresh, and seemed to emphasize the use of seasonal local ingredients. The elements were leafy, crunchy, and creamy in texture. I thought that the beet puree was brilliant and blended well with the nutty pistachios and pomegranate seeds. It would have also paired well with goat cheese. Although the thin crostini topped with tangy labneh didn't quite fit in with the salad flavor-wise, this pair tasted good on its own. For the main course, I had the Portuguese-inspired stuffed chicken and I ate a few bites of the pan roasted lingcod. The Portuguese chicken was obviously the more entertaining dish, consisting of a Portuguese cured pork sausage stuffing enclosed in a small bone-in chicken with skin attached. The chicken was accompanied with sweet raisins and a tomato rice that's somewhat soupy. One thing that bothered me - the chicken was glazed with a thick sauce that's as sweet as yams. I personally prefer a spicy and smoky BBQ flavor profile more for the chicken to pair with the savory stuffing. But otherwise, this dish especially the sausages was scrumptious. Meanwhile, the lingcod was the more sophisticated dish. In my head, I imagined a heavy casserole of white fish baked together with a lot of cheese and potato gratin. Lucques had something else in mind, pan roasting the buttery fish and then layering it with tomatoes and perfectly cooked salt cod-potato gratin that had a silky, evenly distributed texture, all situated in olive oil and a very light tomato confit. It tasted like a creative homecooked dish. For dessert, I went with the apple galette that the waitress highly recommended, but ended up liking the meyer lemon semifreddo more. The fragrance of the meyer lemon stood out. It was bright but not overwhelming. The dessert had the brittle nuts and flaky crust necessary to match the sweet/acidic flavor profile. For the apple tart à la mode, I enjoyed the crust and the accompanying nuts the most. The Armagnac prunes were somewhat syrupy sweet and rich, apparently Armagnac is a French brandy. I thought that Lucques did a solid job putting together Californian comfort dishes using seasonal ingredients. But food is not the primary aspect that motivates me to return to Lucques, it's the excellent service, personal touch, and comfortable warm ambiance that made an impression on me. I came to celebrate a birthday and everything was executed smoothly. I'd like to revisit Lucques for their Sunday Supper in the future.

Braised short rib was great and must try dessert is Churros with chocolate sauce!

The atmosphere was wonderful and warm, the staff were very knowledgeable about the menu (it was a pre fixed menu for Oktoberfest) and also very friendly and accommodating. The food was delicious and hearty, not to mention the portions were huge. The only complaint I had was that the beer didn't come with a big enough head.