Luca's

Luca's is a small Italian BYO in one of the strip malls on 27 -- I think it's technically in North Brunswick. While I find myself going to Luca's on a semi-regular basis (maybe once a month), I recently came to the realization that this is really only due to three things: #1, convenient location. #2, don't have to pay for drinks. #3, the bread.

The ambiance at Luca's is cute. Appropriately dimmish lighting, kitschy Italian murals on the walls, uncomfortable-but-pretty dark wood tables and chairs, etc. The service is good. The prices are reasonable at best, but the bread is fucking bangin. Actually, only one kind of bread is bangin, but it's so bangin that it will have you jonesing for Luca's to the point that you forget about the semi-unreasonable prices and totally half-assed entrees.

After he gets your drink order, your waiter will come back with a basket of warm, presumably home-made assorted breads, and you need to immediately pounce on the small triangles of stuffed focaccia. Sometimes it's mozzarella and sundried tomatoes, and sometimes it's goat cheese and peppers, but it always rules, and there's never enough of it. Don't tell the people you're going with that it exists, and that way maybe you can horde it all before they even notice it.

Once the focaccia is gone, you're on the fast track to culinary blue balls. The salad is so-so; while the house dressing is one of those yummy, opaque balsamic vinaigrettes, they don't dress or toss the fucking salad for you and then they serve it on a tiny little plate, so the dressing is always just in a huge puddle at the bottom and I usually make some kind of embarrassing mess. On the menu, it's very important to notice that there are two sections of pasta: "Handmade Pasta" and "Traditional Pasta." Definitely go with the handmade; the "traditional" entrees are fucking insulting. If I wanted jarred sauce and boxed, dried pasta, I'd go eat for free at my dad's house. I usually get the gnocchi, and then I usually ask myself why I got the gnocchi, but then next time I look at the menu I remember that I got the gnocchi last time because there's really like nothing else that I want. Options = shitty.

I took the boyfriend there last week, and he got "the worst veal parm of [his] life," but on the other hand, my dad claims that their eggplant parm is "good" (I think it's okay), but it isn't on the menu; you have to ask for it. And if you do ask for it, you should also ask them to hold the boxed, dried side of bullshit penne that comes with it. You don't need that garbage in your life.

Dessert gets an F- for no cannolis and an obviously-frozen assortment of go-to "Italian" desserts, but the coffee gets an A because it's strong and (I think) French-pressed.