First Impression

John: Does anyone else think that everyone at Mapquest hates the city of Johns Creek? Because let me tell you this, according to Mapquest, Johns Creek does not exist. Every time I put the directions to Luciano’s into Mapquest, the site kept telling me the restaurant was in Alpharetta. Mayor Mike Bodker needs to get on this. Fire off an angry letter, tell his citizens to boycott Mapquest; I’m not sure what he needs to do, I’m not a mayor, but he needs to do something. Anyway, once you’re finally at Luciano’s you’ll notice two things; they have their outdoor patio in a perfect spot and they have a very intriguing dining room. This means that if the restaurant is not packed, you might end up standing next to the hostess for 45 minutes trying to figure out where to sit. This is a good problem to have. Plus the hostess was friendly, so she could probably engage you in an interesting conversation for the better part of that 45 minutes. Oh, and your server will be able to engage you too. Our server Jenni recommended half the stuff we ended up eating on the night. ­

Copsey: We were actually taking bets on just how Jenni spelled her name. I lost, saying it was with a “y.” Once again, I had some time to take in the restaurant before John arrived, which I found odd – he lives about a mile from the place, while I live on the other side of Roswell. And I had to drive through rush-hour traffic. And uphill both ways through six feet of snow. But anyway, back to Luciano’s. It’s got that quiet, muted chic flavor that you can’t help but like, with a few hints that, yes, you are in an Italian restaurant. But don’t expect red and white checked table cloths.

John: A-
Copsey: A

Appetizers

John: If you know who Bram Stoker is or if you’ve ever read a book in the ‘Twilight’ series, let me tell you this, none of the characters in any of these stories could have eaten our first course with us. The two tastiest appetizers that I’ve had in some time both shared a common ingredient: garlic. We started off with a Scallops and Artichokes that was served in a garlic lemon sauce. Now on the surface, garlic and lemon fall in the same category as mustard and grapes for me when it comes to things you should never mix. However, the sauce ended up being the best part of the dish, which is quite the compliment when you consider that the scallops were among the best I’ve ever had. Luciano’s also serves a house specialty known as ‘potato chips.’ Now this may sound like something that you can eat when you visit your kid’s college dorm, but let me assure you that this is not the case. The chips are homemade and to make them even better, they have a sprinkle of garlic powder on them and then they’re served with a garlic aioli sauce. There is no way you’ll be able to eat just one.  As a matter of fact, you will eat at least six.

Copsey: If the vampires in books like “Twilight” can apparently survive sunlight just by wearing sunglasses, I would imagine they could survive garlic. We also ordered a tomato and mozzarella flatbread. I was fearful that “flatbread” was really code for “pizza,” which has happened to me before. I was happily wrong, since it ended up being pizza toppings on a cracker. Basically, it was light and not at all filling, leaving plenty of room for the main course. The tomato was fresh, and the cheese nice and goopy. There was even a green leaf of basil on top. On a side note, red, green and white are the colors of the Italian flag. Coincidence?

John: A
Copsey: A

Entrée

John: I’m not sure if Copsey was fasting because of some British holiday, but this week we only ordered two entrees (usually we get three or four). We ordered the Gorgonzola Crusted Filet and the Zuppa Di Mare. I’m going to start with the Zuppa Di Mare because you’re not going to believe what was in it. This dish had more seafood in it than the Pacific Ocean. Mussels, clams, calamari, shrimp, scallops and Luciano’s fish of the day can all be found in this dish. Seriously, I had not seen this many sea creatures in one place since Disney released the Little Mermaid 20 years ago. As for the Gorgonzola Filet, it was cooked perfectly and the cheese added a nice touch. Unlike the Zuppa Di Mare, the filet is not a dish I’ll be telling my grandkids about 25 years from now, but Copsey and I definitely both finished our portions of the tasty steak.

Copsey: The gorgonzola cheese went perfectly with the steak, which is what I had hoped would happen. For some reason, most of the blue cheese I have on burgers and whatnot overpowers the taste of the meat; this did not happen at Luciano’s. The cheese and meat fit together perfectly, complementing each other’s taste. I was also happy that it came with oven roasted potatoes. These are a side that I have all the time when I’m cooking Sunday dinner, simply because it’s a great excuse to have fancy French fries with a nice meal. As for the Zuppa di Mare, I particularly enjoyed the light spiciness of the tomato broth it was served in. I’m not a huge fan of shellfish, but I ate every last one on my plate. I think that speaks for itself.

John: A-
Copsey: A

Dessert

John: For the final course, we ordered the Tartuffo Al Cioccolato. If that makes no sense to you, you’re in luck because I’m going to explain it. Luciano’s takes a creamy chocolate mousse and shapes it into a perfect sphere. Imagine something the same shape as Earth, but 1/1,000,000 the size. From there, they sprinkle bits of tasty chocolate on it. Now, there’s nothing special about Luciano’s mousse. There is no secret ingredient, there is no lemon-garlic sauce in it (seriously, that lemon-garlic sauce turns anything into the best dish ever), it is chocolate and if you like chocolate, then you will like this dessert. I will mention that the chocolate is not too sweet or rich; this is a good thing. It means your teeth won’t hurt after four or five bites.

Copsey: I thoroughly enjoyed this. It was light, not too sweet, as John said, and had an interesting texture. The mousse itself was smooth and creamy, but the chocolate sprinkles on top (I’m sure there’s a fancier name for them) provided a satisfying crunch. 

John: B
Copsey: A-

Final Impression

John: Alright, the truth has to come out. One month ago, I brought my girlfriend to Luciano’s for her birthday. We ordered the Scallop and Artichokes and it was just as good then as it was this time. My girlfriend liked them so much that she talked about them non-stop for two weeks. So instead of hearing about Kim and NeNe from the Real Housewives of Atlanta, I got to hear about scallops. In my mind, it was a fair trade off. Anyway, I’ve made two trips to this restaurant and I’ve left happy both times. Any place that bats one hundred percent in the customer satisfaction department is a place worth checking out.

Copsey: This was the first time I had been to Luciano’s (see above for the geographical limitations). I might just go back, since the prices were very reasonable. When we were there, they even had a set menu special for about $15 per person, which is a better price than a meal at most of the bars I’ve been to. Is it good enough to make me come back? All signs say yes.

John: A-
Copsey: A