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| - I have heard good things about this upscale restaurant from a couple of my friends. The layout was nice and intimate with a wee bit of a rustic meets elegant jive. Although my first impression of Lucien was on the up in up, it was pretty much a slide down hill from there I am afraid.
Maybe it's the location, but I found this place a bit stuffy in a middle aged businessmen kinda way. Perhaps my gf and I should just stay in Parkdale, Junction or Queen west? lol.. There was another young couple sitting right next to us and I caught various patrons starring in our direction like we were some sort of science experiment, it was uncomfortable to say the least.
Service was tight and friendly without being fake.... very genuine.
The food was pretty good for normal standards, however, I would compare this in the same caliber as, say Black Hoof. Having said that, it was sub par in comparison.
My gf boasted about their online menu having foie gras ice cream, which they did not have... in fact the online menu was completely different from the menu that was presented that evening. Granted I expect some changes to the menus, however, consistency is a must in an establishment like this... just look at Ruby Watch Co., they literally change the menu everyday and it's completely consistent with the website.
I had the Pork Tongue and my gf got the Bibb Salad both at $12, I totally got the better end of the deal. For the main, I had the Fresh water Trout with Celery Root Puree which was really nice; the trout was cooked exactly the way I like it, the highlight of my experience at Lucien.
We had 2 apps, bread, wine and 2 mains... the bill came out to $170 excluding the tip.
For what we paid for at Lucien, we should have had a stellar experience like at Black Hoof as mentioned.
I like this place but it missed the mark in some ways.
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