After an amazing experience one week before at Mizuna we decided to try Luca D'Italia. When booking there was only a 9pm reservation which we accepted (same time we ate at Mizuna). The food was good, well presented and the service initially was excellent. Halfway through dinner we realized we would be the last table in the restaurant and noticed our service started to decline. Our server, though very knowledgeable, seemed tired and primarily focused on closing the evening. The staff congregated around the bar waiting for us to finish. When were done and walking out the door, someone actually cheered that we were leaving. When you spend $250.00 on dinner for two you expect more. We won't be returning.
Review Source:If I could give no stars I would...Overall it was a much hyped about meal that left a horrible last in our mouths.
Pros:
Sommelier - he was wonderful and the wine he recommended was fabulous
Hostess  - kind, inviting and helpful
Cons:
Marginal food - nothing to write home about; food arrived at our table cold
Waitstaff was atrocious - Â we waited nearly an hour for someone to come to our table and offer anything (water, bread, etc). Â They never arrived, we had to flag another waitress down. When our waiter finally came begrudgingly to our table, he did not welcome us and only touched on the prix fixed meal, nothing else on the menu. With the prices, we were expected to pay, I expected a little flourish about the menu items - when pressed, he was short and unfriendly.
After we ordered, we barley saw him again. When he arrived for nearly the second time that evening with the dessert menu. He never checked on our food - if he had, he would have learned that our meals came out cold, Â nor did he ever fill our water glasses. It was apparent that his attitude progressive got worse throughout the evening.
Overall, I will never return and caution others to do the same. It was special evening and all of us (there were four) were disappointed. We have had the opportunity to dine at many places and so dissatisfied with a meal or dining experience.
Chef Bonanno always seems to knock it out of the park at his restaurants and Luca is no exception. Â I went with a group for a birthday, and the birthday girl used to work for the Bonanno empire and was friends with our server. Â So needless to say we got the royal treatment and hooked up, big times.
We shared plate after plate and everything was delicious and inspired. Â Fresh pasta, a wonderful appetizer that was a play on the flavors of an everything bagel, risotto with sea urchin, and too many to remember. Â For my entree I had the scallops which was of course amazing. Â The service there is impeccable as well. Â The bill may set you back a bit, but it is definitely worth every penny. Â It was easily the best meal I've had in Denver and definitely the perfect place to splurge on a romantic dinner.
We dined here last Tuesday and were very disappointed. Â We had dined at Luca 6 months ago and had an amazing meal. Â The meal served to us this past visit was NOT worth the hefty price tag required. Â Every dish was either cold, too salty, underwhelming in flavor, or hard/dry. Â It was a birthday celebration so we tried to make the most of it, but we'll never be back to Luca. Â So sad too because our first experience was amazing.
Review Source:This was really an excellent meal. The prix fixe menu is a great way to go. I would not suggest the wine pairing -- just get a glass of wine off the "by the glass" menu. Three of us did the four-course prix fixe menu. For the appetizer, two did the octopus and one did the Sicilian calamari. Hands down, the Sicilian calamari was better. (The octopus was very good too.) Then we did pasta. One had the crab pasta. It was solidly good. Another had the duck pasta. It was very good. I had the pasta with wild boar. It was amazing. For entrees, we had the lamb, the porchetta and the duck. The lamb was the best, followed by the porchetta and duck. Desserts - we had the apple dessert, the chocolate (pudding-style) dessert and the almond cake with a small dollop of ice cream and an amazing caramel sauce. The almond cake won by a mile. The ice cream was insane, the caramel sauce better, and the cake was fantastic.
Wait staff were attentive but not intrusive. Not snobby at all -- very friendly. Wine selection was great. All in all a terrific place to go if you are looking to drop a lot of money on your meal.
Love Love Love! Â Went last Wednesday, had never been, but my friend raved about this place -and now I know why! Â We had not seen eachother for a while, so catching up on conversation was a mild way to put the chatter back and forth while we enjoyed a bottle of wine and attempted to decide what we wanted to do for dinner. Â The server was attentive to our need for conversation and never intrusive, but always available when we needed anything. Â We started with the cheese plate (fantastic) and selected a few other entrees to share. Â I had never tried Octopus before, but my friend was a fan so we ordered. Â Amazing. Â With little to compare it to, and being told that it was one of those foods that if cooked well is good - if not is not a favorable dish - I could not have been more pleased!
We were totally those people that lost track of time, and once looking up from our conversation realized we were the only one's in the place and it had clearly closed. Â The staff never made us feel as though we had overstayed our welcome, and were not quick to rush us out upon paying. Â
Awesome experience - Thank You!
What happened to Luca D'Italia?! Â I have been here several times in the past and have really enjoyed it. Â Despite its hefty price tag, it has been worth it and I am happy to pay a little extra for a great meal with great service. Â This was not the case.
We arrived (three couples) at 7:45ish for our 8pm reservation before we headed to a friends holiday party. Â The hostest was friendly and directed us to the bar while we waited...and waited...and waited. Â About an hour after our reservation, the bar tender suggested she would take care of us with some apps. Â We ordered the calamari (semolina free since I am alergic to corn) and cheese & salumi plate. Â Finally about an hour 25 after our reservation (9:30) we were seated and they brought the apps out with semolina on the calamari. Â Not a big deal, they corrected it and brought another plate out. Â The waitress heard us discussing the holiday party we were supposed to be going to next (ending at 11pm) and asked if we were in a hurry. Â We said we would like to enjoy our meal but if they could make sure and get us taken care of in a reasonable time, we would be good (which I didn't think would be an issue since they kept telling us the delay in our reservation was the time it was taking the previous party to finish their meal). Â
My girlfriend and I split the truffle fussili and scallops with a side order of brussel sprouts and another couple split the scallops as well. Â First, they brought our fussili with the others salad course. Â I know that pasta is typically served first, as the primi course, but the waitress brought it out with the others salads. Â We said we weren't ready and she acted offended that she didn't want us not to have something to eat wtih the others salads (which I found strange since there were a few others who didn't have a salad), then offered nothing else. Â We covered it with another plate to keep it warm. Â When we ate it, it was quite good, I must say, but would have been much better hot. Â The scallops on the otherhand, were honestly pathetic. Â They came out with 3 of the smallest tiny bay scallops that are the equivalant on one normal sized sea scallop. Â I absolutely love scallops (and all things food), so I know the value of a sweeter, smaller female scallop but this was not the case. Â It was then massacred in pig and a bunch of other garnishes. Â We could barely cut the third baby scallop in half to split it. Â For $34 for a plate in Denver, I expect at least three large bay scallops if not more. Â To be honest, it was barely an appetizer. Â Our friends steak was mediocre although I do have to say my husbands entree sized (still a bit small) blognese was very tasty. Â If you are going to go hear, stick to the past and they can double the primi course to make it an entree. Â Oh, and they ran out of the bottle of wine we had ordered first, so we chose a different one (not as good but not a huge deal) and they ran out of any chilled beer that men were drinking.
It took almost 2.5 hours for them to serve us so I think the delay wasn't really the party before but the kitchen/staff (def not the scallops since they couldn't have taken more than 1 min to cook) and we missed our holiday party. Â The worst part, they comped NOTHING. Â Not the appetizers the bartender suggested we try as she said she would take care of us, not a drink, bottle of wine, nothing (and they added their own 20% gratuity to the bill since it was a party of 6). Â With two split entrees, it was still $100 per person and I was still hungry. We said something about how we were dissapointed that we waited patiently for an hour and half after our reservation and nothing was taken care, despite being aluded that it woudl be, when the hostess asked us how everything was. Â We also said we were dissapointed to her and the waitress with the scallops of which the waitress did nothing. She asked surprised they didn't take care of anything, Â then said she was sorry...and turned and left.
I used to love this place and was willing to spend the money for it, but this was not only mediocre at best from a food perspective, the service was no where on par with the pricing. Â If you must go here, stay away from the scallops mentioned in previous reviews and stick to the pasta but I can't think of several much better itialian restaurants for half the price.
My 100th REVIEW! Â Its only perfect that Luca D Italia gets the honor, because in my opinion, this is the best restaurant in Denver. Â I've had the privilege of dining and Luca three times and have experienced several other Bonnano resturants. Â The experience does not change and that experience is described as amazing. Â
Entering into the small but quaint restaurant, the decor is humble and intimate, the servers are impecable in presentation, and the ambiance is quiet and relaxing. Â It is within the quiet that ones senses are that much more enlightened with the incredible tastes of all the dishes. Â
There are little things too that make the difference like the lardo and rosemary spread that I try to imitate at home, but come no where close to. Â The fusilli that I will get every time I come here, that someone Luca finds a way to make truffle oil taste better.
The servers and sommelier give great advice and take great care in service. Â I wish I could try everything on the menu, but I'd have to leave fusilli behind to do it. Â I guess there is always next year.
Luca, oh how I love you! Â Let me count the ways...
I love you for your four course prix fixe with wine pairing. Â What a perfect experience!
I love you for your Tuscan Kale salad with earthy kale and crispy coppa.
I love you for your Sicilian Calamari with a spicy sauce peppered with a hint of sweetness.
I love you for the Brachetto D'Acqui, the most amazing dessert wine I've ever tasted. Â
But, most of all, I love you for your Fusilli with mushrooms and truffle crema. Â Nobody does truffle like you, Luca. Â This is the dish I want for my last meal and every meal in between. Â This is the dish that makes life worth living. This is the dish that will make you fall in love with Luca D'Italia, too!
We had heard that Luca was really good, so we were excited to give it a try.
We arrived and the host was pleasant. Â She took our coats and seated us since we had a reservation.
I immediately felt underdressed despite a nice shirt and nice jeans. Â Apparently this place is higher class than my clothes represented. Â This was unclear to me, so I felt a bit out of place. Â Minor point, but worth noting.
We were offered Denver's finest tap water but not offered an alternative (with gas) - we had to request it.
We received a small-bite complimentary, a slice of carrot with a few accoutrement to make it look like it was more than a carrot. Â Seemed like a cheap beginning, to be honest.
The waiter took our drink order, and the time between order and reception of drinks was well over 10 minutes. Â My drink was good, but it was nothing memorable. Â One of my companions got a house manhattan and it looked better. Â I ordered one as my second drink and again, it was good but not impressive.
We waffled over the Prix Fixe menu for a bit vs. not, and in hindsight I wouldn't have gotten it since the desert was unimpressive (one of them was basically pudding with some PB2 on it).
While ordering, I asked the waiter how to pronounce things, so that if I chose to order something again, or of I was speaking about it to friends, I'd actually know what I was talking about. Â He made a joke about how English was his first language and pretty much refused to even check for me. Â Minor nit, again, but it hurt the overall experience.
Sparing the details of what we ordered, I will mention that my wife and I both ordered Sea Scallops and I since that was the name of the dish, I was expecting scallops with some flare, but much to my dismay I received only two very small sea scallops, a few slices of fatty bacon, and a bunch of mushrooms and carrots. Â I was disappointed and mentioned it to the waiter, and then when the manager came over he simply asked if something was wrong, instead of the waiter actually communicating my issue, he passed the buck. Â Further, the manager didn't offer to do anything at all. Â For $34 you'd expect a bit more protein and a bit less fluff.
Conclusion? Pretty disappointed overall. The food was decent, but the experience was not and I felt like they went the cheap route with a few of the dishes. Â For 4 of us it ended up being $310. Â For that kind of money once again, I'd expect a bit more.
This is the second disappointing Bonnano restaurant that we've been to that also happened to cost quite a bit of money, so our conclusion is that we will probably avoid the more expensive Bonnano concepts as a result.
We've been to all of the other Denver-area Bonnano-owned restaurants, loved them, and were excited to finally try Luca d'Italia with 4 of our friends.
Our table was in the middle of the dining room by the wine station and the small hosting stand. Â Luca's is an intimate dining space, decorated simply, but possessed a warm, welcoming ambiance. Â Diners filled up the place by 7PM and the volume of noise was a pleasant, lively hum. Â Everyone was well-dressed for the most part, but it didn't make the place feel stuffy or formal. Â The waiting space is standing room only, unless you waited on the bench on the outside of the interior door where the well-trained staff had offered to hang up our coats. Â
After we all agreed to order the $75pp 7-course Chef's Tasting Menu, an oblong wooden bowl was laid before us. Â It contained housemade crazy-long, skinny breadsticks, a pile of rustic white bread, and several slices of to-die-for focaccia. Â I'm not sure what they put in that focaccia; it seemed to be infused with more than just rosemary- perhaps sea salt and brushed lightly with flavored oil? Â Whatever it was, but it was the best I've ever sunk my teeth into with its delightful springy texture.
All of the courses were utterly delicious and were presented in a thoughtfully artful display. Â Though each one looked tiny on the large white dishes, we all left very full after the 3 hour meal. Â I can't remember the exact details of each dish, but the standouts were the meaty baby octopus dish, the small bowl of farfalle sangue (a dark red pasta) in some sort of buttery sauce with shaved cheese, and the palate-cleansing apple-celery sorbet sprinkled with gorgonzola. Â Even the crispy piece of trotter (meat between a pig's hoof cleat, I believe) accompanying one of the dishes was cooked perfectly. Â *drool*
Service was excellent. Â The staff here was very personable and engaging, somehow more so than the employees at Mizuna. Â Not that Mizuna's people were bad, they just seemed more aloof and too quick (hence the 4* there I gave about a month ago). Â Here at Luca they didn't seem to mind stopping their bustling to carry on a conversation with you if you gave them a little lead, and our server made little appropriate jokes throughout the night. Â We even saw Bonnano's wife working the floor and bussing tables. Â The only hiccup was a long wait after the 1st course. Â We waited on the 2nd course for almost twice as long as any of the others. Â Thankfully, with our group of 5, our conversations dominated the wait.
We loved Luca and we know we'll be back!
If you are like me and don't do dairy or seafood you will starve here. This restaurant is only 2 blocks from me but I've never been because the menu looks dairy soaked. I went because my bf likes that and it was his bday so we went. He loved it and I had to get a burritto from Bennys afterwards because there was NOTHING on the menu I could eat. This is rare normally I find something on every menu. Â Not here and we told them these and they could not have been less accommodating. Clearly, I won't be back.
Review Source:The stars came together this past Saturday for a perfect meal at Luca.  From the greeter at the door, the glass of Prosecco, the understated, efficient, and friendly service, the wine, the food  - all pretty much perfect. I have been, often several times, to many of the higher end places in the Central Denver area (Fruition, Barolo Grill,  Potager) and this was as good or better than all of them. Â
It's not cheap ($210 including tip for two, 3 glasses of wine total, 4 course tasting menu + one extra app) but it's worth it.
i ate here on saturday night with one of my girlfriends and have been lamenting writing this review since.
i had the ABSOLUTE pleasure of meeting & chatting with out of the owners outside her other restaurant on our way out. Â she overheard me discussing my desert with my girlfriend and it began a VERY pleasant conversation. Â a conversation that i was hoping would overshadow my otherwise underwhelming restaurant experience.
i am not what i would call a foodie, but i do love unique and tasty food and am comopletely willing to pay top price for something if it's incredible. Â also, i don't have what i would call a sophisticated pallet. Â this may be one of those situations where i might have just ordered the wrong thing, but since 3/4 of my dishes left me dissatisfied, i don't think that's the case.
i started with an AMAZING glass of chianti. Â if you like chianti - have it! Â it's perfectly smooth and amazing. Â when they served our bread, we were served a 'lardo with proscutto' in lieu of the magical olive oil or butter which usually accompanies the white flour feast. Â sad. Â i was sad. Â i wanted oil or butter, but felt that it was the kind of place where you ought not ask and so i did not. Â i did try the 'lardo', but as i predicted, it was fat with a prosciutto flavor and i did not care for it.
i ordered the meatballs as my appetizer. Â they came in a sauce which included an AMPLE amount of rosemary. Â although i do like rosemary as a garnish and a bit in chicken and breads, i am not a fan of it overpowering my meatballs. Â i couldn't get past the rosemary garden in the plump little balls of goodness. :(
the next course was the bolognese with parparadelle. Â two things: Â the waiter should learn how to pronouce the pasta if he works in an italian restaurant. Â this is my ONLY criticism of him as overall he was lovely, educated, helpful and attentive. Â the pasta itself was wonderfully aldente and super tasty. Â the sauce, however, was nothing special although it was tasty.
finally, i ordered the spumoni for dessert.  i told the waiter, with much zeal about my love for spumoni and this is when he informed me that this was 'not your average' spumoni  he explained how the ice cream part was goat's milk, but then there was a layer of cherries & a layer of pistacio pudding.  i grimaced, visably i'm sure, for a moment, but he still urged me to try it.  it certainly was different, but nothing i cared for.  i ate about 1/2 of it and then thought to myself: stop eating these calories.  you're not even really enojoying them.  then i stopped.
i do have to stay, however, that the atmosphere in the restaurant is very inviting, warm and comforting, but givin the price tag and the value for it, for me, i'm going to have to 'just say no' to future visits here.
HOWEVER, the owners also own Mizuna around the corner and due to the amazingly friendly experience, i'm looking forward to trying it.
This place is awesome. We all ordered the four course prix fixe. You can choose what you want and it will not disappoint. Had it paired with wine and based on what you order the sommelier chooses wines for each specific dish. I was so impressed with all aspects of this place. I cannot wait to go back. Cheers
Review Source:Great restaurant! Â The complimentary champagne for being first time visitors was a great start for my wife and I. Â Everything on the menu sounded delicious and our waiter was very knowledgable about the food which convinced us each to do the four course prix fixe menu. Â We ordered everything our waiter suggested and he didn't steer us wrong at all: Carnoli Risotto (Sea Urchin), Braised Meatballs, Tagliatelle Fra Diavola w/ Lobster, Bolognese, Seared Scallops and the Duo of Duck + desert... though they say they change the menu every 2-3 weeks.
Definitely worth another trip!
Very enjoyable meal - perhaps best I've had in Denver, but slight let down on one of the mains. Pricey....
Romantic, small room, greeted at the door.
Tables are close, perhaps a little too close.
Staff bought us over a glass of prosecco complementary given we were first timers. Nice touch. Also bought over a little amuse-bouche taster with the prosecco. Again, nice touch.
Was impressed by antipasti and pasta selection. Hard to choose from. Went with the baby octopus from the antipasti - delicious, appropriately charred, with tang and a bit of chili. Wife chose the crab ravioli - refreshing and tasty. I went the mushroom fusili - again excellent dish, truffle rounding out the creamy flavor.
For mains, the result was more mixed - I went duck, which was wonderfully cooked, served with foie gras, risotto and quail egg. Although rich, a wonderful balance of flavors. The other main was disappointing - the pork, served on polenta was overcooked, stringy, and the crackle was soggy. It required more of the pear and lettuce than it was served with to cut through the richness.
Sadly too full to try dessert. However one criticism was the lack of any zesty/light desssert (OK there was sorbet), which I thought was an over sight. Some serious citrus tang was needed to wash down the duck/pig/mushroom that had just proceeded.
Sommelier was helpful and pointed us to a delicious wine. Service outstanding.
Perhpaps the best meal I've had in Denver. However perhaps we ordered poorly with the pig, and perhaps there could have been some more inventive light tangy dessert options.
Eating at this place was kind of like a roller coaster ride for me. Â The highs were exciting and the lows were underwhelming. Â I guess it would be fair to say that it was about the quality of food I was expecting to get from a place that still had reservations in the 8-9pm window on New Years Eve less than a week out. Â So I went in here with expectations tempered. Â
They were doing a 5 course menu with 2 choices on every course except dessert. Â We had a reservation for 8:45 and weren't seated until 9 which was slightly irksome, but really not that big a deal. Â I ate or tried everything on the menu. Â Some of it was exceptional, some of it was not that great.
Exceptional: The lobster and mushroom dish. Â It was very tasty. Â I loved the earthiness of the mushroom and the delicate taste of the lobster together. Â It was really solid. Â Also, the tuna dish was very tasty. Â Probably my favorite of the evening. Â Well seasoned, flavorful with tomato and olive. Â Very nice. Â The bass dish was also very nice. Â It had a marrow emulsion which gave the dish a very decadent and savory flavor. Â Well done. Also worth a mention was the duck entree. Â Excellently prepared and very flavorful.
Not that great: The scallop and squid ink pasta dish was my least favorite of the evening. Â The scallops were small like the kind you buy in bulk from the grocery store. Â Not the big, plump tender ones I am used to getting from high end restaurants. Â Also, I felt the pasta on this dish was a little underdone. Â The panna cotta amuse was a little off as well. Â Extremely citrus-y and I'm not sure I enjoyed the oyster foam that came with it. The key lime sorbet palate cleanser was very, very tart. Â I love me a good key lime dish, but you need some sweet to balance out the sour, and it wasn't present in this dish. Â Lastly, I didn't much care for the carpaccio dish. Â I felt like the components of the dish overpowered the beef itself and I didn't get to taste the meat very much.
The service was adequate (although a bit on the slow side). Â Over $200 for a meal for 2 and you want every dish to knock your socks off, not just half of them. Â With that said though, I left feeling happy, full, and ready for 2012 to arrive.
Denver deserves better for one of its top restaurants. Guests and I ate there on a Friday night, busy, so everything should have been excellent. For Primi courses, I tasted calamari, prepared in a very ho hum tomato sauce, nothing special. My partner had the octopus and it was really not good, served on a pig trotter base, smoky pork meat, nothing special about the combination. Pasta dishes included linguine with clams, very salty, another dish with mushrooms, again ordinary, and a friend had the "house special" venison, tough, not very flavorful.
Denver deserves better and for the prices at Luca, so does your pocketbook.
Luca D'Italia falls out at the top of the list here in Denver with 5 star service magical creations of deliciousness.
My wife and I have definately found a new favorite for Italian Food in Denver. Â I grew up in St. Louis and dined at the best of the best eateries on the Italian Hill. Â I learned what made outstanding Italian food and what was not. Â Luca's food is amazing and their service is the best!
Luca is on OpenTable, so it's easy to make a reservation from your phone, or you can call them and they will graciously help you with reserving a table. Â The restaraunt is smaller, cozy and according to my wife, is "romantic". Â Dana, the hostess was super nice and friendly and we thank her so much for making us feel so welcome when we arrived.
We told our waiter, Kip that we were vegetarians (no meat, poultry, etc.) and had a shellfish allergy. Â We shared that we do eat cheese and Kip recommended their Italian Cheese Plate of homemade artisan cheeses. Â The cheese was incredibly flavorful and a great way to start off our night. Â Kip also brought fresh bread and breadsticks to our table and they were amazing as well. Â The bread they served were slices of plain Italian bread, Italian bread with parmigiano and Italian bread with olives....
Next up, dinner. Â As we looked over the menu, 2 items jumped out that we could not pass up... Pumpkin Gnocchi with Brussels Sprouts, Chestnuts and Sage Brown Butter and Fusilli with Wild Mushrooms, Truffle Crema and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Â Our waiter said he would make sure they were not prepared with any meat items or shellfish and we got them ordered. Â
The portions are smaller with these dishes, but my wife and I are all about quality over quantity. Â Our waiter explained that if we wanted to order more, it would only take a minute to whip some up, but when we were finished, we were full on the small portions. Â And both dishes were incredible - especially the pumpkin gnochi. Â For any of you that are gnochi fans, this gnochi tasted as light and fluffy as it should. Â Not the hard, lumpy golfballs that some places try to pass off in its place.
We finished our dinner with an espreso, a latte and some tea - the meal was dessert enough! Â Hands down the best service we've had at a restaraunt in a long time (and as our waiter mentioned - he said "They make it so easy here to be a good server, because the food is so incredible") and he's right.
Thanks Dana, Kip, Cori and Frank! Â Your restaraunt was definately the highlight of our evening and we will be back! Â Luca is incredible.
My experience with Italian food in Denver has been mediocre at best and I was very excited to find out that my fiance had made reservations at Luca D'Italia for my recent birthday. I was well aware of its reputation for good Italian food and romantic ambiance.
Sadly, the food was just okay. We started our meal with the grilled baby octopus and the Sicilian calamari. I suspect our octopus got a little too close to the heat because all we could taste was char. The calamari was delicious and the stewed preparation was a nice change from the typical fried style. We then split the caprese salad which was good minus the bread which was also a little burned. We finished off the meal by sharing an order of Fusilli pasta (with mushrooms, a truffle cream sauce, and fresh parm) and the Tagliatelle Fra Diavola (basically fettuccine in a spicy tomato broth with a whole bunch of lobster meat). Both pastas were flavorful and well cooked. The Fusili was the clear winner, but was also incredibly rich tasting so the smaller portion size was a plus.
I can't say that I would rush back to Luca D'Italia. While our service was great, the food doesn't warrant a special trip back for me. Despite my serious love of pasta, I prefer Frank Bonnano's take on Italian better at Osteria Marco- the menu is more appealing and the prices are more reasonable.
Yummy! I had the caprese and bolognese, both of which were simultaneously traditional and complex in taste. The caprese had a foodie flair to it with mozzarella gelato (surprisingly delicious!), basil seed jelly and crunchy basil along with the traditional heirloom tomato and fresh mozzarella. Â
I went on a quiet Thursday night, but had it been crowded and buzzing, I probably would've given it a full five stars. The tastes were fabulous, but the ambience was a little quiet for my liking.
First off, I'm in the camp of folks who get frustrated when people poorly review a restaurant based on quantity vs. price. If you want a huge serving of cheap food, please just go to Denny's.
Next!
My friends and I indulged in the chef's tasting menu, paired with wine. We all agreed that it was one of the best meals of our lives - everything was simply amazing, from the service, to the presentation, to the food. I won't list the items we ate since everything changes so frequently, but my meal at Luca definitely inspired me to get more creative with what I cook at home.
Word to the wise: If you're going to get the tasting menu paired with wine, DON'T stop off for a drink before arriving at the restaurant. I could barely finish the last glass of wine, and I hold my liquor quite well. It's a ton of food, and a lot of wine. :)
Ah, one other note - if you do the menu paired with wine, the sommelier gives a wonderful description of each and every glass as it comes out. Two of my dining companions are definite oenophiles, so they really enjoyed that experience. The sommelier was kind, informative, and not at all pretentious.
So, now for the where everyone gets to laugh at me. I was getting ready to take a picture of the wine station, and this semi-bald dude jumps in the shot and smiles. I pulled back, all "WTF?" (Thankfully I didn't say that out loud.) He gave a friendly laugh, waved, and walked away.
The sommelier came over... also laughing... just said, "That was Frank Bonanno."
D'OH!
It started out so well...
The antipasto - Sicilian Calamari (with their delicious bread) and Cucumber Crab Zuppa  -  Both delicious.
Then.... Luca Burrata - with Arctic Char and Caviar - Did not resonate any sort of wow factors. Â Fish needed smoke or cure, dish needed some sort of acid.
Then.... Fusilli with white truffle and mushrooms - ahhh. Â Such high expectations so perhaps that explains it's downfall. Â Slightly overcooked pasta, too much white truffle oil (none of the real stuff). Â It was a flavor bomb that resulted more or less in disaster.
Perhaps I ordered the wrong things ...... I will be back.
(Oh, decent staff, decent wine by the glass)
I was alittle skeptical about the hype surrounding Luca D'Italia, especially after reading all of the bad Yelp reviews concerning their service. However, I was very pleased to have had an amazing experience with exceptional service!
Our servers were very pleasant and not the least bit condescending, which is something that I have often come to expect as a 24 y/o in upscale places. Plus, one of our servers even made a Monty Python joke reference that I definitely tipped extra because of!
We were given a small plate (that night it was shaved cucumber, mint, with a chile jelly on top) and a basket of different breads prior to ordering. I had the..
*Braised meatballs (appetizer): Definitely recommend. A familiar favorite, but with those special touches that make this place so great.
*Fusilli with wild mushrooms and truffle cream (appetizer portion): I nearly cried my first bite, it was so delicious!
Because the foods were very rich, I don't really understand people's frustration with the allegedly small portion sizes- smaller, yes, but I was full after 2 appetizer portions of food because of the outstanding flavors.
I really really REALLY wanted to have dessert. They have approximately 10 desserts, each for $9. I could have eaten any of them. I will definitely be back for just a dessert and glass of wine to top off the night!
At least on my first visit, I am slightly underwhelmed by Luca D'Italia. Â Of course, my expectation might be too high, however, for its price range and reputation, I believe it's reasonable to have high expectation.
We started with grilled baby octopus, house-cured meat plates, and paired with a glass of house rose brut sparkling wine. Â Everything, including the house breads, was pleasant and quite filling. One exception was that the smoked pig trotter by itself (used in grilled baby octopus dish) was a bit too salty to my taste. Â
Moved on to the pasta courses, we ordered the Braised Oxtail Mezzaluna and Buckwheat Chitarra, and paired with a glass of house Nebbiolo. Â The flavor of the oxtail ravioli, in my opinion, was good but definitely not great enough to do the glory justice to the black truffle, veal sauce and smoked parmesan cheese. Â For the buckwheat homemade paste, I like the chitarra paste, the escargo and herbs combination, but didn't quite get the use of those crispy sweatbreads. Â First of all, the sweetbread bites weren't crispy or adding any depth to the dish. Second of all, the deliciousness of the sweetbreads was completely lost in this rich dish.
We didn't order any second course, but did ordered a side vegetable dish. Since my first choice of cauliflower was out, we settled for the Kale, which was quite salty and buttery.
Overall, the service is great and so is the wine list.
Everybody likes to be different.
I'm the kind of guy who says, often without thinking, that the book was better than the movie, or the b-side was better than the single, or that Disney World isn't all its cracked up to be. Â Sometimes, I don't even mean it. Â Sometimes, the book isn't as good as the movie, and the single is the single because you can dance to it. Â Sometimes, Disney World is fun.
But everybody likes to be different. Â And so I resist, wholeheartedly, the food cult of Frank Bonanno. Â So revered is the man in Denver food circles that I avoid him. Â I insist that noodle places on Federal are better than Bones (they aren't), that the sausage at Lou's is greasy (it isn't), that the service at Osteria Marco is bad (which it is) and that Mizuna and Luca are overrated. Â
But in my heart of hearts, I know these things aren't true. (except the service at Osteria, which is awful.) Â Frank Bonanno is revered because he is so damn good. Â Last night, my second visit to Luca, it started with amuses which were simple, just white bean paste and bacon on flatbread, but extraordinary. Â My mixed salumi plate and my companion's pea and lobster soup were perfect. Â My risotto and scallops was light, although the pork belly compliment was a hair overcooked and tasted "ham-ish."
But what set the evening apart was courtesy. Â My dining companion was visiting from Europe, and did not speak English. Â The staff was patient and polite to him. Â He felt ill, and wanted something simpler than what was on the menu. Â I discussed it with our waiter, and the kitchen prepared something exceptional.
Service is never perfect. Â At Luca, which was nearly empty while I visited, the waiter was a bit over-zealous with our water glasses. Desert was only fine. My housemade gelato was unexceptional; the pistachio was not at all sweet and the chocolate was cloying. Â But ultimately, like it has been before, Luca was one of my favorite mile-high dining experiences. Â
Everybody likes to be different. Â It pains me to admit that what makes Frank Bonanno different is his superlative skill in the kitchen and in the front of the house at each of his restaurants, especially Luca.
Arrived to an empty restaurant and it stayed that way most of Friday night. The selection of entrees was mediocre. A lot of over the top descriptions. When the food came I was not as impressed. It was good but at $40 a plate I was expecting better. The staff was very attentive and inquired about the flavors we were enjoying.
All in all I would categorize the place as overpriced and not as flavorful as I had hoped. ($120 bill for 2)
But the saving-grace was the homemade almond cake at the end.
I was excited to check out Luca D'Italia during Restaurant Week, since I'd heard such good things about it. Â I left feeling a bit disappointed. Â
Although the service was above average in the overall scheme of things, it was a bit sub-par for a fancy restaurant. Â We waited at the bar for over five minutes while our table was being prepared with hopes of getting a cocktail, but we were not acknowledged. Â When we were seated, we waited what felt like quite a while (maybe 10 minutes?) for our waiter to come by and give us a menu and drink list. Â Oh, and when I tried to put my coat on a rack near the hostess station, I was politely informed that the rack was a "warming rack" and that I'd have to put it in the frigid foyer -- but by the time we left my coat had grown quite cold, and hadn't been moved inside despite the open spots on the warming rack.
The food was a bit hit-or-miss, though our Montepulciano wine was delicious. Â The selection of bread and flavored butter was tasty, especially the fennel (I think?)-flavored breadsticks. Â (A couple of them, however, were quite undercooked and tasted/felt doughy.) Â The sage cavatelli pasta we ordered as a first course was good, but it lacked punch. Â The pork shoulder was delicious, but while the menu advertised that it came with gnocci, the gnocci had been replaced with some type of polenta (a let-down, in my view). Â The cacciucco was too briney, perhaps due to some excruciatingly salty olives. Â For dessert, the panna cotta was delicious. Â I especially enjoyed the contrast between the mild custard and the sour orange flavor. Â But my husband's panna cotta came topped with two cookies and I got no cookies! Â (Well, until he kindly shared one of his.) Â
I wonder if the restaurant was a bit overwhelmed and cutting corners due to the pressures of Restaurant Week. Â Given all of the other delicious restaurants in Denver and the sky-high prices of this one, I'm not likely to head back soon.
I went to Luca for the first time on 8/31/2010. This will be only my second 5 star rating ever. I can't help it. Luca is perfection. The wine list is comprised of phenomenal selections. The service is impeccable and the food - I could crawl into a vat of the fussili and die a happy death.
If you want info about their wine selection the sommellier is passionate and knowledgable but neither pretentious nor arrogant.
I cannot say enough good about Luca. I can't believe i've never been there before. I can assure you I will be back many times.
Based on its reputation, a friend and I booked dinner here in anticipation of amazing food, service, and wine. Â We were not disappointed.
The moment we went in, we were offered a glass of a wonderful rose (makes me reconsider my prejudice against wine that is pink) as they prepared and led us to our table.
Then the amuse bouche came.... a little pre-appetizer that was outstanding. Â The wine list was diverse, and offers great value.
You really need to plan to do either an appetizer or salad, and both a pasta and main dish. Â All the dishes are small. Â
The pasta dishes were WONDERFUL! Â The Cavatelli in particular was a hit. Â Mains were also very good, but weren't quite as good as the pasta dishes.
Service for the most part was outstanding, especially early on. Â Very knowledgable wait staff. Â At one point, though, there was a service gaffe, and apparently our order never made it to the kitchen. Â After they realized the error, they brought out another appetizer to tide us over while our mains were coming out. Â Not quite sure what happened there.
One slight annoyance. Â Our table was in the middle, and its a somewhat old building with some really bendy subflooring. Â As a result when waiters and customer walked by our table, their steps made a trampoline-like bouncing effect I could feel every time. Â Again, small annoyance, but still, little things get magnified in places of this caliber.
The bill for 2 appetizers, 2 pasta dishes, 2 mains, 1 dessert, and a good bottle of wine ($100ish) was steep -- over $250 with tip. Â But it really was good!
Luca not only has earned a return visit, but makes me want to try other Frank Bonnano places like Mizuna as well. Â Modest elegance - Well done!
My review is based on a Restaurant Week 2009 visit and my first experience at a Frank Bonanno restaurant. Decor definitely a bit austere and underwhelming at first, however, as the night progressed, it seemed fine enough. Big-city level of service all-around was great all night, friendly, helpful, and attentive.
From the offered 52.80 prix fixe menu, the salad with finochetta and robiola, fusilli carbonara, and the prosciutto wrapped pork tenderloin were all tasty and very nicely presented. The house made meats and also lardo served with the bread were authentic and uncommon treats. (Yes, now I know lardo is lard with spices - quite delish.) The other main course offered, stuffed rainbow trout, was fine, but unexceptional, with neither the artichoke stuffing, grilled vegetables, or marinara sauce adding much overall. Panna Cotta w/ a biscotti for dessert was fine, though on the rich/creamy side for me.
Unfortunately, likely due to price points, the set menu offered no items from their regular menu, save the tricolore salad. So I added a pasta of cavatelli with lump crab and asparagus, which was really good. Their fresh/house-made pastas are great and served perfectly al dente, and should not be missed for carb lovers.
I would agree with other Yelpers that a meal here is spendy, and it seems Denver offers many higher-end choices where you might feel you get more decor, good food (quantity?), and perhaps innovative cuisine for your bucks. But when craving this quality of Italian cuisine, along with good service in an intimate venue, Luca is a good bet. And I found their "disciplined" portion sizes just fine. Me, I'm off to try Bones next (door);)
Luca is a nice break from the usual Capital Hill finds, with its upscale menu and large list of wines. Â This is normally an establishment that I would award four out of five stars.
So, why on earth did I allow my supposedly possessed mouse to give it only two?
From the moment we stepped into Luca, we were greeted and seated promptly. Â The wait staff was knowledgeable and had their service nicely timed with our needs. Â The food was fresh, imaginative, and tasteful on the palate. Â From the flavors of the Beet and Spinach salads we ordered, to the Lamb and Pork entrees paired with a great wine at the suggestion of our waiter.
After such an amazing meal, why do I still have such a bitter taste in my mouth?
We were conversing about how much tip to leave, when the General Manager interrupted us. Â "Is there anything I can help you with?" he said in a very condescending tone, as he hoovered over our table, eying our bill. Â Now, I find this interaction highly offensive for two reasons. It seemed as though this person thought: 1) Because we came in jeans we might not be able to afford the bill, but it's Capital Hill for goodness sakes and 2) we might not be smart enough to figure out how much tip to leave, I have mathematical skills thankyouverymuch! And after asking him to leave the table multiple times, he still hoovered, asking more questions, being more offensive, making nasty comments about us to the waitstaff, and drawing attention to our table. Â And to put the proverbial cherry on top, Mr. Manager had the audacity to say, "See you real soon." on our way out.
And this is why that bitter taste still resides in my mouth. Â There is a certain level of intimacy you establish when you go out to eat somewhere, and no matter how good the food is, if you have an interaction like this, it is not likely that you will go back. Â Management should never make you feel out of place, or treat you in a condescending manner, especially when you are a paying customer.
If you chose to eat here, you will likely see this man who calls himself the "General Manager" lurking in the shadows of this fine restaurant. Â Try to avoid him at all costs, or he will smother you and likely offer to help you balance your checkbook before you eat there since he doesn't feel like you can handle it.
Man, do I feel retarded in this sophisticated restaurant. Â With words like fumet, fagiolo, bechemele, fritta, etc. on the menu, I thought they were using obscene words or something. Â The entrees are pretty good, although they are nothing special. Â I've tried the squash blossoms, seafood lasagnette, sea scallops, and seared halibut; all were delicious, but nothing overly wow'ed me. Â My favorite is probably the seafood lasagnette; I could easily get other entrees elsewhere for less. Â The ambiance is romantic and refined. Â Although I had a nice meal here, I probably won't return any time soon. Â I'm taking my money to places where I can get unique foods (and decode the vernacular better). Â Wow, vernacular, big word.
1 star off: price
1 star off: I'm way too fritta immature for this place
Been to Mizuna. And Osteria Marco. In that order. Luca's been the elusive one, until now.
The Space:
(And logo) don't quite match up in the quality of the meal. Leaves something to be desired, but with good company and a good meal, those things can be overlooked, unnoticed, or easily forgotten/forgiven.
The Food:
Exquisite. Loved it all from the amuse bouche to the wine to the pastas, rabbit, and rhubarb tart dessert. I'm partial to butternut squash ravioli, and Luca's was incredible. They also have a great bread selection - a mixture of ones they bake themselves and ones they get fresh daily from a local bakery.
The Service:
Attentive + helpful with recommendations on wine and menu items.
Other Random Tips:
Make a reservation. It's just a good rule of thumb at any restaurant with a good rep. And ask for the table with the kitchen view.
If you're open to it, heed the recommendation of your server. I had a bad experience with rabbit previously, and was reluctant, but he sold me on it. And I'm glad he did. The Rabbit Three Ways was amazing, to say the least.
Lancer Lounge and Gov'r Park are both within a block or two away, if you're looking for pre/post-dinner drinks.
Finally made it to Luca last night, eager to 'test drive' the menu as part of Denver Restaurant Week.
The limited prix fixe menu didn't do Luca's overall menu justice, so we sampled a few small plates off the regular menu as well.
Whoever decided that Foie Gras bechamel was a good idea deserves a medal of honor. Â The gnocchi with pheasant and the aforementioned livery goodness was amazing. Â From the Rest. Week menu, Ziti with housemade fennel sausage was fantastic, but the Sole Milanese really disappointed. Â All breading and no fish.
Service is friendly and attentive (way above average for Denver fine dining), wine list is pretty inclusive and includes some fun obscure, indiginenous Italian varietals and thankfully the prices run the gamut from $30ish on up to the stratosphere. Â So often a place with food prices like Luca doesn't offer value wines, but I was pleasantly surprised with 20+ wines priced at $60 or under, and some interesting ones too....
Look forward to going back soon!
As a New Jersey native I've been searching for a long time for the perfect Italian restaurant here in Denver. Â Back about 7 years ago I found Carmines on Penn... an excellent family style restaurant, in a neighborhood location. Â But for me, it has recently lacked what originally drew me to it's to it. Â I'm not sure why this is was but, maybe I was just interested in finding something new or varied from the typical family style Italian which has been copied over and over again by the big box Italian restaurants.
Well along came Luca! Â Definitely NOT family style... and definitely fine Italian dinning. And don't think that it is stuffy... Although I would not recommend wearing a t-shirt and jeans you could get away w/ a swanky shirt and jeans. Â Also the wait staff is friendly, attentive and helpful. Â And lastly, the small 4-6 person bar in the center of the restaurant, loosens the place up just enough.
The food is the perfect mix of Italian flavor, sophisticated presentation and perfectly reasonable portions that won't leave you disappointed. Â They don't go overboard in creativity but, add just enough distinctive flavor and fine ingredients to make you savor each bite.
It is true that Luca lives up to it's billing (check out Zagat). Â And don't get me wrong, Luca is not a replacement for a (still great) restaurant like Carmines. Â For those who search out Italian, it is a perfect complement to the fledgling Denver Italian restaurant community.
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