Vanessa M.
Yelp
A lovely experience at this restaurant. I had come here once before for a fundraiser that was done on the first floor, but didn't get a chance to try the food, though at the time I had really enjoyed the vibe. This time, I came with my husband for dinner and was happily surprised to see a Des Moines restaurant with a prix fixe menu that keeps you within a certain range but allows plenty of choice.
I like the decor, it's clean and crisp, and I love the concept of an open kitchen where you can occasionally see the cooks sauteeing and finishing dishes with the open flame. Very cool!
The menu includes 4 courses, featuring a salad or soup course, a pasta course, a meat/pork/fish or chicken course and a sampling of desserts. I had the balsamic greens, which were fine, especially the dressing but the salad itself seemed like it had been sitting for a while because it wasn't as crisp. My husband had a salad with goat cheese, which he loved.
Then, I had the carbonara pasta course - yum! A perfect portion for a 4 course meal, creamy sauce, not overpowered by the bacon, pasta cooked al dente. Then, I had the NY Strip - it's a big portion, some sweetness to the sauce and balanced with black pepper, baby potatoes and spinach also included. This dish was nice! I also had a bite of my husband's scallops and those were very well executed too.
Unfortunately, I was too full to try the dessert (a sampling of 3 desserts including pannacotta, and 3 different dessert sauces) so we got it packed to go (and then due to some unforeseen event I left it at my hotel's fridge so never tried them at all) but I'll come back to try them for sure.
I loved the Cabermet served and the service was excellent too. Lucca is a must in the East Village