I know quite a few folks who love Luce. They're regulars and keep telling me that the place has really stepped up their game over the last couple of years. I hadn't been to Luce in ages, so while I haven't been wowed by my previous visits, heck the place is in my neighborhood.....
I've always had really great service here and I like the vibe; relaxed, very neighborly, decent beer list.
Looking at the dinner menu; well, other than the salads, it didn't inspire me very much.
I ended up getting the Smoked Tri-Tip Sandwich ($14).
This was not bad; not a particularly large portion of rather under-smoked tri-tip. Of course, I don't expect to be as good as my favorites, nor even like what I make at home. This was ok, a bit tougher than I enjoy. The roll was decent; though a bit dry. The caramelized onions was a nice touch as it added a much needed sweetness to the sandwich, I also enjoyed the horseradish crème fraiche, the sweet-pungency was perfect. I didn't care much for the provolone, which was too mild to add anything to the dish and would have preferred more tomatoes. The avocado added another layer of creaminess which was nice.
I actually enjoyed the fries most of all. Not too much truffle oil, places just kill you with that stuff these days, a nice amount of garlic.....fried to a nice crispness.
And then I noticed the chalkboards.....my goodness; sweetbreads? It seems that there are weekly specials served after 5 pm.
So I met my friend "Al" for dinner. She lives close by. Sadly, they erased the sweetbreads from the menu as we arrived. Still, there were several items to choose from.
Off the dinner menu we selected the Roasted Beet Salad.
The beets were very nice; though there wasn't much of it. The greens crisp and fresh, but a bit over-dressed for my taste. For some reason, both Al and I thought the goat cheese was overkill; there was just too much of it here.
The best dish of the night was the Tempura Shishito Peppers. Nice laquer batter; crisp and crunchy.
The cotija cheese was a surprisingly nice companion to the peppers and what seemed to be a wasabi based sauce. A very nice dish. I'd have this again.
We finished with the Octopus, which was a bit of a let down.
The seaweed salad really clashed with the grapefruit, it was a real odd combination. The octopus, a bit chewier than I prefer was lost in this dish.
Overall not bad, the food was better than on my previous visits. I'll be interested to see what else the kitchen comes up with beyond the regular pub grub. I will be back; the crew here is really friendly. And with the trolley coming in, it seems like places are trying to up their game a bit as the gentrification of this part of Bay Park continues.
Luce Bar & Kitchen
1959 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110
Hours
Mon - Fri 11am - 10pm
Sat 10am - 11pm
Sun 10am - 930pm
hope they bring back sweetbreads for you to try
Posted by: kat | Monday, 21 August 2017 at 07:05 PM
Kirk, One of my oldest friends daughter is one of the chefs at Luce (I am not sure if she is "the" chef though). I will pass on the review to her.
Posted by: Alan in Clairemont | Monday, 21 August 2017 at 07:52 PM
Never mind...she's the Executive Chef...
Posted by: Alan in Clairemont | Monday, 21 August 2017 at 07:56 PM
I just hope they keep getting better Kat!
You mean Kat Johnson Alan? I appreciate the fact that they're trying to be creative....while still keeping those Burgers and Pizza folks happy.
Posted by: Kirk | Monday, 21 August 2017 at 08:09 PM
Yep, I have known Kat since she was a little toddler....
Posted by: Alan in Clairemont | Monday, 21 August 2017 at 10:11 PM
That's really neat Alan.
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 22 August 2017 at 07:14 AM
That salad needs more beets!
Posted by: Junichi | Tuesday, 22 August 2017 at 09:05 AM
Sure does Junichi!
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 22 August 2017 at 09:12 AM