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Lucca restaurant opened April 1st, 2003. During the course of the last 5 years, it has been a pleasure and a privilege to be mentioned in many newspaper articles- as well as featured in more than a dozen news and television programs shown throughout the Sacramento area.
Recently, Lucca's received the distinguished award by the state of California to be chosen as the restaurant to represent and illuminate the California Fresh Campaign; highlighting the benefits of locally grown and sustainable agriculture and emphasizing the bounty of California's farmlands. Serving as a backdrop to the Governor's speeches in Japan, the lushly gardened courtyard presented a lovely promotion of our beautiful and culinary inclined state.
We look forward to seeing you at Lucca,
Ron and Terri Gilliland
Owners,Lucca Restaurant
Lucca Terminates the Competition
Arnold Schwarzenegger's favorite restaurant attracts locals
Caitlyn Loper
Quiet murmurs and friendly waiters scatter the setting of the popular downtown restaurant Lucca. Located at 16 and J Street near the Sacramento Convention Center, Lucca Restaurant and Bar is without a doubt a popular place in town to grab a bite.
According to the owner, Lucca is Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's favorite hangout for two reasons. First, because he can smoke his cigars on the outside patio, and secondly because of the authentic Italian cuisine.
The atmosphere in Lucca is warm; low lights and candles adorn each table. Bright paintings cover the walls of the restaurant, a bright blue painting with a duck and the other a vibrant green with a bull.
Even with a reservation, I was not seated right away because of the popularity. The wait was close to ten minutes. Despite the wait, the service made up for it. The servers were always on top of filling my glass, and I never waited again.
The restaurant has three menus: lunch, dinner and dessert. The lunch menu has a variety of soups and salads, with main courses such as braised short ribs and seared salmon. Also on the lunch menu are different types of pizzas and sandwiches.
The dinner menu has the same choices, but with a wider range of appetizers.
Gourmet options fill the dessert menu such as gingerbread ice cream or a chocolate mix called “Death By Chocolate.” The other choices were exotic Italian mixes, with special seasonings.
For the appetizer I quickly ordered the “Myzithra Cheese Flatbread” served with red lentils and a green-olive pesto. The flatbread was delicious by itself, but when lightly dipped in the pesto or lentil mixes, it added a spark to the bread which otherwise would have been ordinary. The price was $6.95.
The main course menu had a wider range of appealing foods; it was a hard decision. I ordered the spaghetti and meatballs, even though this was the plainest of all the options. The meal cost $9.95, well worth the price. It was served with a large spoon used to help pile the pasta on your fork. The bowl contained two large meatballs, elegantly placed around the strings of pasta. The pasta tasted healthy with the wide range of herbs.
After felling satisfied with the flatbread and the spaghetti, I still ordered dessert. I ordered the gingerbread concoction smothered with cinnamon ice cream, pecans and whipped cream. It was better tasting then it sounded, slightly spicy because of the ginger but cooled down by the temperature of the ice cream.
After being completely and utterly full and being spoiled by kind waiters, I understood why Arnold loves Lucca Restaurant and Bar. The olive spread for the flatbread, the seasonings of the spaghetti, and the ginger in the dessert made the food as splendid as the atmosphere.