A North End Eatery

Last weekend we went to Lucia Ristorante. I'm usually apprehensive about going to the North End because of how busy it can get and how frustrated I get about the reservations rarely being on time. Despite this, it is worth going to the North End because you almost always get a good meal and there are plenty of restaurants that are very wallet friendly.

Well, we arrived at the restaurant at about 7:45pm and our reservation was for 8pm. We were seated right away at a cute little booth. Their menu is pretty extensive and they have all the classic dishes you would expect to see on a menu at an Italian restaurant. I initially decided on this restaurant because of the 'Mozzarella in Carrozza Lucia' appetizer. I just couldn't resist the thought of having mozzarella stuffed with prosciutto.

Before we ordered the food we ordered a bottle of their Citra white wine. Amazingly enough we were able to finish the whole bottle! It was a very light wine and even Alex approved of it (and he doesn't like wine!). After our first glass of wine we ordered our dinner. Of course we got the appetizer and it was delicious. The plate was brought out within 10 minutes of us ordering it and it was perfect for 2 people. It was two slices of mozzarella fried until golden stuffed with prosciutto and covered in marinara sauce. I'm not a big marinara person and I was scraping the plate to get more.

For the entrees, I ordered the 'Tortellini Quattro Formaggi' and Alex ordered the 'Spezzatino all'Abbruzzese. I knew I made a good choice because the waiter complemented me on my choice and said it was a good dish. Well he wasn't lying. It was a very good dish and it came in a creamy sauce. The serving size was perfect for me because it was enough to filled me up and have leftovers for the next day. The sauce is what really made this dish because all the cheeses blended to give it a really hearty and wholesome taste. When it comes to tortellini I'm usually weary because I don't like when the filling isn't smooth. I feel like the filling has a chalky texture when the tortellini isn't cooked enough. But, luckily enough, these tortellini were perfect. Alex really liked his dish and it came with a good amount of chicken and veal. The sauce in this dish was lighter than the tortellini one (it was a wine and cheese sauce). Alex's only complaint about this dish was the fact that the chicken tasted exactly like the veal. Although his serving was about the same as mine he ate all of his food. So if you go with someone with a big appetite or if you have a big appetite don't expect there to be any leftovers.

This was my favorite part of the night. The dessert. It was so ridiculously good that I even thought of finding the recipe for it but I figured why ruin a good thing? Plus, the dessert had amaretto in it and I don't think we need to add more liquor bottles to our already decreasing cabinet space. Anyway, the dessert was the 'Torta di Nicciola.' It was a cake with amaretto and hazelnuts. It was such a light and fluffy cake and such a perfect way to end the dinner. There was a hint of the amaretto in it and good distribution of the hazelnuts. This cake just had 'homemade' written all over it. It definitely took me to a happy place with every bite. Soo good!

Although the appetizer was great and the entrees were really good, the winner of the evening was the dessert. I would go back right now just for a piece of that cake.

Before I end this post I just have to mention something that struck me about this restaurant. I know this may seem random and although it is not directly related to the food it's definitely related to the overall dining experience. They have the smallest bathrooms I have ever been in. Ever. They managed to fit 2 stalls, 2 sinks and a dryer in what felt like a 5ft by 5ft space. I barely fit in the stall and the dryer was over one of the sinks...it was that small! It just seemed so comical to me. After seeing this bathroom I could totally picture it being in a routine where 20 clowns come out of it similar to 20 clowns coming out of an old VW beetle. I guess I was just thrown off because the restaurant is pretty big and I expected a bigger bathroom. Oh well. That's my random observation about Lucia Ristorante.

The bottomline is that if you go to Lucia Ristorante you definitely have to indulge in their cake and check out their bathrooms if you want a good giggle.