Jöel J.
Yelp
Luce is a very nicely appointed, spacious restaurant with an excellent service staff -- friendly, attentive, and professional. Not once was a water glass empty. A wonderful bread basket arrived immediately, filled with slices of pizza bread and garlicky pita bits. The specials were recited right away, and our order was taken promptly once we were ready.
Unfortunately, that's where the positive experience ended. The food was mediocre at best -- very subpar Italian cuisine.
The appetizers arrived quickly: fried calamari, which wasn't bad but was a bit rubbery, and oddly surrounded by fried sweet potato fried that were hard, and soggy with oil and fried pickled hot peppers. Interesting perhaps, but if I order calamari, that's the dish -- not an experiment. The fried zucchini was similarly disappointing: soggy and lacking substance. The worst of the starters, however, were the clams -- baked on the half shell in a tomato purée. The clams were nearly impossible to find and tasted awful -- completely inedible.
The Veal Milanese was another failure: the breading had the taste and texture of cardboard, the arugula salad was drowning in lemon dressing, and the so-called Parmesan on top was soft and flavorless. The tagliatelle Bolognese featured doughy, chewy pasta that overpowered an otherwise decent ragù, making the dish unpleasant to eat. The chicken Maximo was decent but confused. It was a thin chicken breast smothered in cheese, and an oily tomato sauce topped with sautéed vegetables you'd get from a microwaveable bag and mashed potatoes you make from a box. If I'm going to go out to eat I want food that's better than I make at home, not worse.
Dessert selections were presented nicely by the ever-cheerful staff, and there were appealing options. The crème brûlée cake and the chocolate lava cake were the best options. Followed by the dulce de leche cheesecake which had a nice consistency and wasn't too overpowering. The pistachio cake was powdery and overly sweet, would not recommend. The presentation of all desserts was nice.
Prices are on the moderate-to-high side, which would be fine if the food matched the service.
In summary: exceptional service, warm atmosphere, but deeply disappointing food. I won't be returning.