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| - Luca is an ideal upmarket Italian spot to take guests when you want to show Cleveland off--sweeping views of the viaduct and the downtown skyline, beautifully crafted food, and extremely competent waitstaff. My only caution is that if you are hoping for a quiet, intimate ambiance, Thursday night happy hour is not your night. Friends and I came for an early dinner at 5:30, and by 6pm, the live music had begun and the place was swarming with singles ready to mingle. The shift in the vibe over the course of 30 minutes was like night and day, and I much preferred the more subdued environment.
Mary, our exceedingly professional and efficient server, brought us quality table bread, still-warm, to tempt our appetites. Starter rings of calamari were served in a tomato garlic broth--very tender but overall a bit too acidic for my palate. The mythic sachetti (pasta parcels with ricotta and a fig and truffle cream sauce) lived up to their reputation. Rich stuff, but how delicious, tempered with a few sprigs of fresh cress. The gnocchi with tomato sauce was also a hearty skillet-ful enhanced further by the freshly grated parmesan cheese from the large master chunk carried around by the server--make it rain, Mary, make it rain!
If you are dining on a weekday, I would HIGHLY recommend taking advantage of their half portions of pasta (not offered on the weekends). You will still get an ample serving, and still have room for dessert. The chocolate mousse was well-balanced, not overly sweet, and the homemade gelato du jour, decked out with an orchid garnish, tasted of gorgeous roasted pistachios.
I will happily add Luca's to my list of Cleveland "treat meals". The food is worth the splurge, especially if you can manage to reserve a time when the place isn't quite so boisterous.
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