Went tonight for the first time. This would have been a five star review, but it was too noisy. Part was not the restaurant's fault (we were seated next to a ten top of women who thought they were on a Real Housewives reunion show - they were so damn loud and kept getting louder until i told them "go home - you're drunk"), but one part was definitely the fault of the restaurant. You see, they serve bread at each table. And the bread is sliced. But - THE SLICER WAS 10 FEET AWAY FROM US! In the dining room! LOUD. So annoying.
The food was outstanding. The balsamic vinaigrette on the house salad was very good and not overpowering. I had fettuccine Alfredo with chicken, and it was amazing. And I don't even like chicken. My husband has the linguine pescatore, and said it was fabulous. They added just enough crushed red pepper (on request) to give it a kick without it fighting back. My mother ordered the salmon, and said that everything on her plate was outstanding, from the salmon, to the green beans to the rice. We ordered tiramisu, and I'd swear there were chocolate shavings in the layers. That was practically inhaled.
The staff was fantastic and very attentive and knowledgeable. The one thing I'd change would be to get rid of the bread slicer - put it in the kitchen. Hell, put it on the porch. Just get it out of the dining room. We weren't rushed, we weren't in a hurry. We just had a nice, long, leisurely dinner with our courses evenly spaced out at reasonable intervals.
We waited a short while for our table (they do not accept reservations), so maybe next time we'll get there around 7:30 as the place seemed to have quieted down by then in the waiting area.
Overall, excellent food and service!
That second star is there only because our server was so friendly. Ditto the 25% tip I left. Otherwise, this was a far beyond mediocre (in some cases, possibly rancid) food experience at a price quadruple what the food was worth.
The best part of the meal was the bread and olive oil. Well, until we got that final tin of bread that appeared to have mold on it. Otherwise, it was all terrible.
The calamari appetizer was SO fishy tasting and rubbery we could barely eat it. Some pieces were so tough it couldn't be chewed.
The creamy vodka sauce on the Sacchetti dish was so salty it pretty much ruined the joy of the otherwise tasty porcini pockets. I got used to it eventually, but it was blah.
When we read about the rigatoni with "Smoked chicken" we were expecting large pieces of chicken breast or some other form of fresh chicken. Instead, after hunting through the sauce, we discovered what looked like chopped up deli meat. Say what?
The cheese/custard part of the Tiramisu was good, but the ladyfingers were over soaked and grainy.
Also, everything was lukewarm. I got the sense that they're passing off frozen and/or previously cooked microwaved food as fresh. I kept imagining Gordon Ramsay spitting it all out and yelling.
Overall, this was a bad food experience. Had I not been using a gift card given to me by a family member and had not been too exhausted to argue, I would have complained. Instead, I'm chalking this up to yet another lackluster NWI dining experience in a restaurant that is inexplicably considered fancy and delicious here but would never hold up in a town where people really know anything about good food.
I have only been here twice. I would love to go more but alas, you can only eat so much. I ordered one of the specials on both occasions and loved it. (Once was a blackend fish, the other was a pistachio crusted fish). The POLENTA....try it. It's awesome. For three of us, ordering one appetizer, 3 dinners, a bottle of wine and a dessert to share the bill was $100, I found this to be quite reasonable. Everything we ordered was great.
Service was great both times (we never touched the wine bottle to refill our glasses) and I love that it is kind of a fancy place (waiters in tuxes, ambiance, food, etc.) but you don't have to put on your fancy pants to go there.
Moldy vegetables, YUCK!!
We were here for dinner a few nights ago. I ordered the stuffed chicken with a side of veggies and my dad also had a side of veggies with his meal. The cauliflower had dark spots on it and upon closer review we discovered it was mold! The broccoli had BLACK mushy mold all over it as well. I lost my appetite. W sent this moldy mess back to them and rather than apologies and removing this disastrous meal from our tab, they brought us more vegetables! Unbelievable. Yes, they also charged us full price for everything. Will NOT be going back.
A little on the pricey side ($100+ for 2 for salads, entrees, a glass of wine each & dessert martini each), but they offer gluten free pasta and are willing to modify certain entrees, so for me it's worth it. They also offer Chopin potato vodka and a couple basic salads and desserts that are gluten free. The menu doesn't list GF, but the server ran through my options verbally.
Our service was great and the food was all very fresh and well prepared. I'll certainly return.
This place is an institution in NWI. I thought that it would be amazing. So, after driving past this beautiful structure a million times, I decided it was time for me to go in.
What a let down. The high prices keep the structure up but I am sure it is not reinvested into quality ingredients. The food is ok. I can make better items at home. I was not impressed with.
The Grilled 14 oz Bone-In Strip Steak was ok, good sear but nothing to write home about.
The Stuffed Eggplant was mushy. With the prosciutto, salt is not necessary but this item was so salty that for a minute I wondered if I swallowed an ocean.
The Osso Buco .didn't have enough Osso, or maybe it was the Bucco that was lacking. Either way, a disappointment.
This place is pretty overrated. I've eaten here twice and the food is too salty and heavy. Last time I was there I ordered something with smoked chicken prosciutto
and pasta. The dish was almost too salty to eat and they must have run out of both the smoked chicken and prosciutto because it was just cubes of salted ham in a creamy sauce. Do not reccommend this for authentic Italian food.
My party of 5 enjoyed a lovely birthday dinner over the weekend. Â
I had never been to Lucrezia, but my dining companions had and were excited to go back. Â We came at the right time - just before the big dinner rush on Saturday. Â The restaurant doesn't take reservations, but luckily, we were seated right away against a wall in the far dining room, beside a roaring fire (chalk-drawn; not actually lit - still, liked it). Â
Ice water and two, hot, mini-loaves of bread were brought out for the table right away. Â What seemed like minutes later, bread refills were brought out - those would not be the last bread refills, by the way. Â We were devouring the bread and olive oil while we waited for our apps. Â
I had the garden salad + one of the fish specials: blackened arctic char with a creamy rosemary sauce, served with mixed veg + something like cous-cous. Â That fish fillet was a generous size, and was cooked perfectly. Â The cous-cous and vegetables were great too - voila!
Everyone enjoyed their meals, and the one dish that seemed to generate the most envy from other diners was the gigantic lamb shank + potatoes + cabbage. Â Even I thought that was a good looking plate. Â
Service was very attentive throughout the whole meal, the atmosphere was charming and unique, and the food was great! Â What's not to like? Â
Tip: Check out the women's bathroom. Â It's huge and has amazing built-in wooden cabinets adorned with various booze bottles. Â If that wasn't a bathroom, it'd make quite a cozy little study!
My boyfriend and I went on a Friday night at about 730 and were seated right away...A table of 4 ahead of us had a wait of only about 20 minutes. The inside is very beautiful-an old victorian style house converted into a restaurant. All wood floors, fire places. We were seated prompted. Our waitress was excellent-very friendly, had good suggestions. The other wait staff promptly filled our water, was very attentive. The food was AMAZING!! Absolutely delicious. We started out with my boyfriend having the potato soup and I had the house salad. The soup was very good. The salad was great. It was dressed in a balsamic vinegarette with warm mushrooms, onions and a tomato. For dinner, I had a lamb shank with braised red cabbage and roasted potatoes...fabulous! The meat was so tender it was literally falling off the bone. If you like lamb, it is definitely a must order-so so good! We also had a triple layer moose dessert which did not disappoint. Overall, excellent experience! Definitely will be coming back, especially in the summer as I have heard their outdoor seating is very nice. My only complaint is it is a little loud in there. It wasn't horrible, but maybe not the best place if you're driving to have an intimate, quiet dinner with someone. It is a little pricey, average entree about $18-29. Definitely worth it though! I will never go back to Olive Garden again ;)
Review Source:Does not meet the standards as the Lucrezia's in Chesterton - sister restaurant. Had veal marsala here and the wine overwhelmed the rest of the dish - definitely NOT as good as the one I had weeks ago in Chesterton. The pork salti- was way, way too salty for my palate but spouse enjoyed it. The gnocchi was good as was the asparagus was cooked well. Main server was aloof and spent too much time gossiping with other servers - loud chatter from them was distracting and annoying. The second server (water boy?) was polite, charming and attentive.
Although this Lucrezia's is in a larger and very elegant home, I would prefer the attention to food and service that the Chesterton restaurant offered.
Lucrezia is located in an old mansion south of the square. Â It is a lovely location and the garden looked so pretty.
There was a short wait for a table and the bartenders were pleasant and put up with a bunch of crazy old ladies who had been drinking for several hours. Â They took our picture with half a dozen cell phones and a couple of cameras.
Our waitress was nice enough. Â The place was full (Sweetest Day) and a bit loud. Â Several of us had Fettuccine Alfredo which was a bit bland but the grated Parmesan helped. Â The Linguine with Clam Sauce got a good review and the bread was excellent.
We were too full for dessert. Â The bill was $89 plus tip for 5 of us. Â I would return but not on a Hallmark Holiday.
I visited a few days ago with a friend for her birthday. I was pleasantly surprised at the look of the restaurant, it's a very stylish renovated Victorian home! Even though they don't take reservations, we were seated promptly. The server was very attentive and knowledgable about the menu and wine list. For an appetizer, we had the stuffed banana pepper. I've had this appetizer before at other restaurants and I have to say, this version was the best so far! Very simple, unpretentious, but very delicious. For our main course, I had the roasted lamb shank with potato, the birthday girl had shrimp ravioli. Both dishes were very well prepared and absolutely delicious. A word of advice, if you order the lamb shank, bring a big appetite, this was one of the largest shanks I'd ever seen.... Lol. All in all a very satisfying night, which was a bonus because I didn't have to drive all the way to Chicago. This gem was minutes away from my home. I think next time I'll eat in the outside area, I took a peak out there and it looks really nice.
PS. I'm a bit of a beer snob, but they had a nice selection of somewhat hard to find beers.
The outdoor seating is devine. Â It trully rings secret garden feelings when you sit outdoors and true Italian with the aromas of garlic, and olive oil taken up in a cool breeze of Crown Point, IN. Indoors the rustic haunt of old Italian decor gives this restaurant a clean break from the trendy plastor or ceramic sculptures so often used in Italian fine dining places.
As my parents and sister fan through the selections of wine to fit their taste buds, I enjoy their fresh ice flavored teas with fresh mozzarella and tomato for starters. Â The black pepper and olive oil decadence brings my egg plant parmesean and bread to life with savor. Â I enjoy the fresh squeeze of lemon and lime over my meat and salad dishes here at one of their petite tables with big hearted service. Â They keep a peeking view into their kitchen and to me that means a clean and friendly atmosphere for cooking.
Lucrezia is such a relaxed atmosphere with consistently good chow. Oh, and let me tell you, the bartender ROCKS!!! Wish I could remember his name... he's been there since they opended. The outdoor patio is super cute and the wine selection is magnif!!! It's a great place to kick off a friday or saturday night. I often stop in during the week for apps and vino as well. Never had a bad experience here. I do wish they had a pasta carbonara, though... Hmmm... Food for thought.
Review Source:When we entered Lucrezia on Wednesday, my sibling noticed the "People Like Us on Yelp" sticker, started laughing, and said, Roseann, I looked at Yelp before we left the house, and no one has reviewed Lucrezia since you did last year.
Clearly, lovers of Italian food who are resident in NW Indiana are not meeting their obligations to write lyrically about their dining experiences. That leaves it to me, a native Hoosier and current Chicago north-sider, to step up to the plate and dive into the linguine.
Ten months later, I returned to Lucrezia, with the Sibling and her significant other, the Cabana Boy. (Yes, he suggested we call him that, since they are Living Together Without Benefit of Clergy).
Lucrezia was significantly busier this time. Despite the beautiful temperate evening, some indoors tables were occupied. The outside garden was almost completely full. Luckily, the Dining Angels knew a Yelper was coming, so we were seated immediately.
The staff was working very hard last night. Despite the many demands on their time, we still had prompt, friendly service, although our waiter was much too busy to hang out with us, as last year's server did.
The Sibling had a glass of Australian wine, while I tried the $6.25 Chianti, and Cabana Boy had a Peroni. After a long afternoon at the beach, we decided we'd take it easy with the alcohol, and limit it to one each. I thought my Chianti was a big rough, but I did choose that over the $8.00 Chianti. Sibling and Cabana Boy were very happy with their selections.
Can I tell you . . . the food was out of this world. This time, I had the Pasta Primavera. Lucrezia allows you to substitute whole wheat pasta at no extra change, so I did that. My dish was beautiful to look it - big piles of fresh, streamed veggies - and it tasted wonderful.
Sibling had the baked mostaccioli. She was in the mood for cheese, and she got it. She let me take a couple bites, and it was really good.
Cabana Boy had seafood linguini. Since I don't eat seafood, I didn't taste his. But he said it was very good, and he took the leftovers home.
We skipped coffee and dessert. We were just too full and happy.
I hope I don't have to wait another ten months before I eat at Lucrezia again. I will try to add photos.
Incidentally, we were going to try the Chesterton location, but decided we were too stinky after laying out for hours at the Dunes State Park. Crown Point is much closer to the sibling's residence than Chesterton.
We took out of town visitors to Lucrezia's hoping to have a pleasant dinner and visit. Â This was a terrible experience due to the noise level in the restaurant. Â The wooden floors do nothing to absorb the noise, and we were even unable to hear the waiter explain the specials for the night due to a loud party of 14 sitting next to us. Â We had to talk loudly to hear each other, as did all of the other diners around us. Â I ordered a halibut special the waiter recommended and was disappointed to receive an overcooked piece of fish with little flavor, and some mushrooms placed over the top. Â My husband ordered the cannelloni, and thought it lacked flavor as well. Â The only reason I gave this a two star instead of one, is because the lobster bisque that I ordered was delicious. Â However, we probably won't go back. Â It wasn't worth the price.
Review Source:Lucrezia is probably the closest thing to a Chicago restaurant you'll find in Crown Point.
If you're looking for higher quality, more complex Italian food with great atmosphere and good wine then you will like Lucrezia.
Many of their dishes are very heavy, rich and creamy, which isn't necessarily bad. Â However, if you prefer something lighter, they have a great appetizer and salad selection.
I've eaten their Lobster fettuccine and eggplant Parmesan. Â Both were heavy and rich, but very good quality. Â My ex had the veal meatball pasta and my grandfather had lamb (I think)...Either way, they were both happy.
Lucrezia is considered an upper scale restaurant in this area, but it's still less expensive than downtown Chicago.
if you're east of 41, south of 30, and lookin' for some good italian eats, this is the place. Â i realize the above statement makes no sense to anyone outside of the area... Â :)
waitstaff: friendly, knowledgeable and quick on their feet
food: good stuff. Â there's enough selection on the menu to make you want want to try something different every time.
ambiance: looks like something out of bob villa's this old house. Â kinda neat.
i think i'll be going back for more.
I haven't been here for a couple years, and I don't know why? Close to my home town, Lucrezia is in Crown Point (about an hour from Chicago). It's an old victorian house converted into a charming ristorante that can accommodate small to large groups.
Came here with my fam for my b-day this weekend, and we had a great time. I started with cream of carrot soup with toasted almonds, and had to share with my hubby b/c it was such a huge bowl. I ordered a special for my entree, shrimp and scallops with linguine and roasted red peppers in a cilantro pesto... Â yum! Others ordered the stuffed chicken breast, smoked chicken with mushrooms, and everything was delicious. On top of everything, prices are really reasonable ($125 for 8 guests)!
The wait staff is very attentive and friendly, but not overbearing. I will be back soon :)
Located in the most unlikely of places, Crown Point, Lucrezia has truly awesome eats.  I grabbed lunch here with my friend expecting at best  an average experience, but was pleasantly surprised.  The place looks a lot smaller from the outside than in.  There's actually plenty of parking in their own lot as well as street parking.  The inside was cozy and quiet.
Service was prompt, courteous, and professional. Â The attentive wait staff did everything perfectly as did the culinary staff. Â We started off with a tasty quail over risotto. Â We then shared their stuffed eggplant and also mako shark (you read correctly, SHARK). Â I just had to get it so I can finally say I had shark for lunch... oddly enough in Indiana! Â Both entrees were great and the shark was perfectly done with what seemed to be piccata sauce with capers. Â The meal was rounded off with a delicious plate of stuffed strawberries over chocolate sauce and whipped cream and some awesome cups of coffee.
I can't believe I found such a great ristorante in Indiana! Â I can't wait to go back.
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