Lucrezia® Café
| Address: | 428 S Calumet Rd, Chesterton, IN 46304, USA |
| Phone: | +1 219-926-5829 |
| Site: | lucreziacafe.com |
| Rating: | 4.1 |
| Working: | 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–10PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 6
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Jan Fan
I have a good enough sense of humor to have laughed at the fact that the bread was stored in a storage tub by the door like a college dorm kids sock drawer, the staff that had no place to get out of their own way was awkward (friendly, but awkward including reaching from behind me unannounced - appearing arms and strange pauses of conversation), the food was overpriced and didnt dare stay for dessert. We ordered a goat cheese and pine nut tarte as an appetizer, which by the time it got there and i tasted it, i had to read the board again to see what it was we ordered because it had no taste (or pine nuts). I ordered the sacchetti with shrimp in vodka cream sauce....let me just say, ........how expensive can fresh spinach be.....cant they find it in their hearts to use fresh and not frozen, the shrimp was clearly overcooked, my guess is they bought frozen cooked shrimp.....and then cooked again until it was undelightfully bouncy... Heres what Ill say, I didnt expect too much...but considering it was on check please and 190 north i did expect more...i should have known that when Janet Davies kissed Mark Giangreco on NYEs bash that her taste was questionable... If you want to charge that for chesterton, and be considered upscale...ill give you one bit of advice..... get cloth napkins, find a place for the bread thats not next to the door in a storage bin, at least have the decency to not buy pedestrian bread to serve with your prized olive oil (which was not great either), offer some grated cheese with the bread and oil .....i cant even get into the flavor and overcooked food which arrived cold ... Im glad i didnt stay for their FAMOUS TIRAMISU.....as if.
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amy Donaldson
Yuck. Where do I begin. They must have gotten the bread on discount because it was the most stale and nasty tasting bread that I have ever had. Im not certain how they claim to be authentic Italian because authentic is something they definitely are not. Seeing as how they have no kids menu, I ordered simple buttered pasta with a side of green beans (which my child loves). She would not have anything to do with the green beans so I tasted them to find out why. They tasted like fish and they were BARELY cooked. They were crunchy like a carrot stick and horrible tasting. They tasted like someone dunked them in Lake Michigan in a school of fish. My husband ordered the lamb shank which had a side of cabbage. The cabbage was vinegar laden - again, horrible. As for myself, I ordered the salmon with lemon cream sauce. Wow. They plopped grilled salmon on top of cream sauce, with a side of boiled plain potatoes with the skin on, and a side of the awful green beans. My green beans were mixed with canned tomato sauce - only making them taste like fishy tomato green beans. The boiled potatoes had the skin on. My salmon had bones. Really from a restaurant that somehow earned stripes from the Chicago Tribune and Check Please? How on earth anyone finds this restaurant anywhere near a minimally fair restaurant is beyond me. They use paper napkins, no cloth? How tacky. Not to mention the canned soda. I hadnt visited this restaurant in 7 years, I remember why now. I wish we would have spent our $80 elsewhere. I still feel nauseated from the food.
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A Private User
Came here for the first time since my childhood last summer for an afternoon meal with my boyfriend. He ordered the veal limone, I got a special of the day (shrimp and broccoli in a white wine garlic butter sauce over pasta). My first reaction of the inner decor was that it was beautiful, well kept and comfortable. The inside reminds me of an old-world boutique with the original hardwood floors and airy windows. We sat in a corner next to a window and under a fan (they dont have A/C but it stays comfortable) and munched on bread and seasoned olive oil while our server brought us our drinks. My boyfriend had a beer, which arrived ice-cold in a glass, poured expertly. The wait staff couldnt have been more attentive, and we ate to our hearts content. The portions were just the right size for lunch, although Im not sure how big the portions are during dinner time. I would imagine they are still small, but worth every penny. My shrimp were cooked to perfection, not rubbery and had lots of flavor. The veal limone was amazingly tender and had great seasoning to it. All in all, a wonderful experience and a great place to visit for a special occasion. If you are concerned about price vs. quantity, try the lunch hours when you get more for the money I think. Id like to come back and sit on the patio at night, I always drive past this place and see pretty lights strung above the tables. Great atmosphere and great food!
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A Private User
I have visited this place once and I vow never to return. First, the service was slow and it took forever to get a table. Nevermind that, I can deal. The food itself was really quite poor considering the cost. We had some calimari that was very watery and rubbery, just plain untasty. Did I mention expensive? For the entrees my girlfriend ordered some shrimp pasta and I had a fettucini with chicken. Each were around $16. This would have been fine if the serving size wasnt a small bowl. It was average at best and did not impress me. About halfway through our meal, my girlfriend discovered that there was indeed an actual cockroach in her pasta. We contacted the server and all that she did was told us we didnt have to pay for that dish and asked if she wanted a new one. Obviously, her appetite was gone by that time. We should have gotten the entire meal free for the terrible experience. This place is more of an upper-class status type restaurant. If you have plenty of money and arent that hungry, dont mind a roach here and there, like being in overcrowded spaces, and poor service, you might enjoy this place.
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Natalie Achten
Absolutely fabulous! My only complaint is never visiting this restaurant previous. I started my visit with the freshest raspberry tea. Would love to know what kind of tea they use because it was great. Then I had a beautiful salad topped with heirloom tomatoes, burrata cheese, pecans and fig balsamic dressing. It was splendid. As an entrée I ordered the lamb shank. It was cooked perfect, so tender and flavorful!!! My husband had the spaghetti with veal meatballs and loved it. The service was beyond good. I am very critical when it comes to service because I was a server in fine dining throughout college and right after graduation. My pet peeve is empty glasses and dishes left on the table. That was not the case at Lucrezia. The server and busser team were fabulous and so in sync with each other. We greatly enjoyed the atmosphere, service and food. I would have loved to enjoy dessert and coffee but I didnt have room for even a sip. Guaranteed I will go back for dessert because our neighbor tables looked fantastic! Maybe even tomorrow. This is by far my new favorite place. Cant wait to go visit again.
MI
Michael Allen
We stopped in for an early supper, late on a Thursday afternoon (about 4 p.m.) I think this is in a converted residence & it has a nice, homey feel. We chose a table for two, by a window. The bread & olive oil was amazing! Or, to clarify, the bread was nothing special - merely an olive oil delivery vehicle (similar to the bread & was served in a little restaurant in Naples, Italy, for the same purpose.) But the olive oil (garlic infused, from the Good to Go shop, next door) was incredible. We could have sat there all night, sipping wine & dipping pieces of bread into that olive oil. We had a nice antipasto platter to start - fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, pancetta, salami, pepperoni, parmesan, sun-dried tomatoes, salad peppers, olives, oranges & strawberries. For our main course, we both had the Linguine Pescatore, with marinara sauce. It was delicious - and every bit as good as the fresh seafood Ive eaten in Naples. For dessert, we had the tiramisu, which was the perfect end to a perfect meal. This restaurant is a real treasure.
