Luci Ancora

AMAZING, DELICIOUS FOOD AND WINE!!!!!!! more

While spending $200 on dinner and wine, we were never asked how everything was and no one even said goodbye and thanks for coming. That is poor for a restaraunt of this supposed caliber. more

For my friend's birthday, my girlfirend and I took my friend and his wife to Luci Ancora last night. My girlfriend and I had been there once before but it had been a couple of years. \r It was date night at Luci. The four course taster's meal was only 20.00 each. \r \r First course was fried polenta cake with a thick basil pesto. The polenta was a tad bland, however it usually is. The bed of pesto was very flavorful and tastfully dense which more than made up for the polenta. \r \r Second course was a mixed green salad with gorganzola, white grapes raisins, and a champaigne vinaigrette. The Vinaigrette was ok. It was not tarte enough to offset the sweetness of the white grapes and the pungency of the cheese, but the greens were a mix of frize, arugala, red vine spinach...and a couple others, which made for a nice presentation.\r \r The pasta was next. It was rigatoni with broccoli, red peppers and parmesan cheese. It was tastefully modist in comparison with the first half of the experience, but I couldn't have asked for better execution.\r \r About 2 hours into the night, the main course hits all four sides of the table. Fillet of halibut atop a bed of reduced red peppers, roma tomatoes, and fennel bulb. \r This plate was perfect. Perfectly grilled, perfectly portioned fillet of fresh halibut laid out on a bed of very tender vegies that matched the delicate flavor of the fish perfectly. Will attempt to duplicate. \r \r Vanillia bean creme brule and a very dark chocolate torte finished us out in a very fashionable way. \r \r The pasta and the fish redeemed any misques from the previous two plates. \r \r Service was rather remarkable. Everything was timed well. The table was a bit small and the chairs were nothing special, but that didn't seem to hinder the dining experience too much. Pros: The 4 course taster's meal is only 20.00 on Tues/Thurs Cons: Small tables. No Effort put towards comfort. more

Luci Ancora is growing to be one of my favorite restaurants in the twin cities area. I went a few years ago and again last night and both times the service, food, wine and desserts have been excellent. On Tuesday's and Thursday's they offer a special for 2 people the 4-course ""sampler"" (which is more than enough food for one person) is only $20 a person! This sampler varies from night to night, but I can imagine you could call and ask what it is that evening. This place is very small, so make sure to make reservations ahead of time if you want to be guaranteed a seat. The ambiance is beautiful, with a real fireplace, and the bathrooms are very nice and clean. The food selection here is northern Italian, so it's a heavy based off seafoods. Last night our final course was Halibut and it was cooked perfectly. I don't know if I've ever had a better cooked piece of fish before, it was amazing. I also love that they list the farms where they receive their food from. This is a local restaurant that gets their food from local farmers! Check it out, if you go on a Tuesday/Thursday the prices are fabulous! Pros: 4-course sampler meal, service, wine list, desserts, farmers Cons: Very Small more

I think my headline covers it all. I happen to consider myself an Italian specialist. I love my visits to Luci Ancora. If you haven't experienced it and you love Italian make it happen. Pros: Ambience service and the my favorite the wine list more

Quickly becoming my favorite restaurant in the Twin Cities. I honestly say I can't say a bad thing about the place and I've been there 5 times.\r Our last experience was the best. We tried the Chef's menu. A 4 course sampler meal with appetizer, salad, pasta course and main. \r The wine list is extensive with knowlegable and friendly servers. We also went to the original Luci's across the street. I did not enjoy that place nearly enough as I did Ancora.\r Northern Italian menu at it's finest. If you have never been to this little gem your missing a great experience.\r Grazzi!!\r Pros: chef's specials, wine list, very romantic Cons: a little tight quarters more

My first time here. Went with a group of 8 for my wife's birthday. The experience was average. I chose this place because the menu looked great online...it was a but of a disappointment. The spaghetti bolognese was very bland. The beef dishes were good...cooked well (though my medium was a little more towards medium rare) and portion sizes were good. People who ordered the fish seemed to enjoy it. The deserts were very good. I had the teramisu cheesecake... a large portion but very light. Overall, I felt the experience was slightly overpriced for what we recieved. The food was decent, but unoriginal...everything was very basic. I wouldn't turn down an invitation to go back, but I wouldn't select this restaurant again. more

Alright folks, if you're living in the Mac/Groveland or Highland Park area of Saint Paul, and you are just too lazy to drive out of the neighborhood to find some good Italian food, then this place will suffice. However if you're a money-conscious spender and want to get a good Italian meal with your hard earned cash, I'd highly recommend going elsewhere.\r \r After you buy entrees, an appetizer, drink, tax & tip, you'll probably spend around $60 - $80 here. It's just not worth it. I will say that the atmosphere is satisfactory (aside from the questionably close seating) and that the food is decent, but I think that as far as quality and taste goes, you'd probably be better off stopping at D'Amico's if you are looking for taste. The waitstaff seem to have good intentions but maybe need to pay closer attention to refilling drinks and bringing the check sometime within the 30-min timeframe after everyone has stopped eating. Had to go to the front counter and ask to have our bill after waiting for some time. \r \r Anyway, again if you're in the neighborhood and don't care to stray far, and want to get out of the house for a bit, then you might as well stop in and try out Luci Ancora. Hopefully you'll have better luck than we did. But just as a message to the restaurant staff, you need to make some improvements if you want to compete with other Twin Cities restaurants. more

As with so many of the other upscale restaurants we've tried in the Twin Cities, the taste of our food did not keep pace with the price we had to pay for it. Our spinach salad was very tart with lemon juice. My Kobe beef was excellent, but the potato rice cakes that came with it were chewy and pasty. The tiramisu cheese cake was just okay. My husband enjoyed his pork but the saurkraut served with it was overwhelmed by onion. We shared a salad, had two entrees, half a carafe of wine and split dessert. Our dinner came to $73.00. When I'm spending that much money I want to feel great about our experience. more

The first time I went there I got a waitress that seemed to look down on my group the whole night. They offer cheese and pepper and when she was grading the cheese onto my friends plate for about 5 seconds she said, ""You are supposed to say when,"" feeling a mixture of shock and snide he said ""Oh whoops sorry,"" It didn't stop there but I won't go on. The waitress consistantly seemed to look down on me, and my group, as if we weren't worth her time. Since that was my first time there, it really put a damper on the night and even more so on the whole experience of dining there. But hey if you don't get that waitress and you got money that is worth wasting, Luci Ancora maybe the place to go. Pros: Good Food, Warm Eviroment, Fabulous Location Cons: Small Servings, Limited Selection, Cramped Seating more

Having dined here some 8 to 12 times, I am shocked at the negative reviews. The food has always pleased us & our companions. The service is warm, efficient, & friendly. The ambience is also warm & comfortable. The wine list is beyond extensive. We have also enjoyed many wine tasting dinners, enjoying the wonderful wines and the delightful food preparations of Chief Jim Kohler. Yes, the menu is limited, yet everything is special. The cost is not low, but the value is there. This is a resturant that works at & delivers excellence. Pros: Food, Service, Wine List Cons: Limited parking more

Truly a disappointing experience. We (2) waited over a half hour to even order, unfortunately the service did not improve from there. Theres not much on the menu, so it didnt take long to read. The pasta was awful and I didnt even eat half of my entree. My husband sent his back and ordered something else because neither of us could stomach the first entree. If youre in the mood for great Italian, go somewhere else. Pros: Wine list? Cons: Bad service, Awful Food, Over Priced more

WOW - what a great experience! We were seated promptly, next to the fireplace. The food was absoloutely incredible - flavors and textures that were deep but not overly complex. Lamb was perfectly prepared, the homemade pastas exquisite. The wait staff could not have been more helpful, offering smaller pasta portions so that we may still split a lamb entree. Also very knowledgable about wine. It was late in the evening, but we never felt rushed. A few days later, I called to ask about the wine we had ordered, and the person on the phone was very friendly and knowledgable, happy to tell me about the wine we had. We will definitely be back - a great place all around!!! Pros: Food, Service, Location Cons: Not cheap, Small parking lot more

Worst dining experience I have had in years. This was my second time there(thought I would give it a second chance) and the food was worse the second time around. I spit out the cured duck that came with our antipasti plate and the proscuitto was extrmely fatty. My daughter had to send back her first pasta dish and the second one was not much better. The so-called brisket was nothing more than a cheap pot roast with a very bizarre tasting mustard crust. Ceasar salad lacked in flavor and had a watery consistentcy. Scallops were so-so, but the accompaniment of cucumbers and guacamole was a very strange combination. Very over priced. The server was not attentive and we waited a half hour for our salads. She also bent over the table wearing a very revealing top. Extremely tacky. I would have had a more enjoyable Italian experience eating pizza. Pros: Can' think of any Cons: Overpriced, not enough parking, terrible food more

The best fresh mozerella and pasta in the Twin Cities. Try the taster's selection for a variety of the excellent dishes created at this ""the best"" Italian restaraunt in the Twin Cities and quite possibly the country more

We had a very good dining experience. We arrived a half hour before our reservation. The staff was extremely accommodating, seating us right away, near the welcoming fireplace on a cold night. The setting is intimate but not crowded like other small restaurants which sacrifice ambience for extra seating. The wine list is extensive. Carafs (about 3 glasses) are available as well as glasses and bottles. The menu offers a variety of choices. Any dish including their homemade sausage is excellent. The deserts were the best way to end a very good dinner. You can't go wrong with either the Creme Brulet or the Flourless Belgium Chocolate Torte. We intend to repeat our visit. Pros: knowledgable staff, good service, great ambience more