Luca’s second restaurant opened in Georgetown, CT late last year and we've finally had a chance to visit this lovely new establishment. Divided by the entryway into a wine bar area and a dining area, this restaurant seems spacious, and is certainly welcoming and friendly. There about a dozen tables in the dining area and 4 larger ones in the front of the wine bar, as well as comfortable seating around the wine bar itself.
Luca told us they have over 110 wines by the glass and a complete wine list of 475 labels. This restaurant is run by Luca (Gianluca Morrone) and his brother Fabio Morrone, and is a simply wonderful experience.
The menu is fairly extensive, with emphasis and Italian-style seafood dishes, but they do have chicken, steak, veal and lamb dishes as well. We counted 10 antipasti, including meatballs, 5 salads, 6 pasta dishes, 7 seafood dishes, and the 4 meat dishes. You could come here quite a few time before exhausting all of these delicious selections.
But in addition, they have a whole page of nightly additions to the menu, including 2 soups (oyster chowder and mushroom bisque), one antipasto (crispy tempura style bluepoint oysters), a risotto (beets, beef and goat cheese), a pasta dish(cavatelli al forno), a seafood dish (stuffed shrimp), and two carne: duckling and filet mignon.
Our service began with a basket of two Wave Hill breads, and choices from their extensive wine menu. And soon our appetizers arrived: the Bluepoint Oyster Chowder, and roasted beets with Westfield goat cheese, arugula and a homemade prosecco vinaigrette.
The oyster chowder was particularly interesting, since it was a warm oyster stock with plenty of vegetables, but included two large whole almost raw oysters! What a delicious surprise.
And the presentation of the beet salad was also worth noting, with the slice beets and goat cheese arranged to look almost like a lobster tail.
One of our main courses was Gamberoni ripieni: sautéed head-on Maya shrimp stuffed with imported gorgonzola cheese and wrapped with Trentino speck, and served on polenta, drizzled with a balsamic reduction. This spectacular dish came with broccoli rabe, a sweet pepper, roasted cauliflower, and was garnished with watercress. This was hugely successful.
Our other main course from the main menu was a delicious sea bass (Branzino) served with capers, grape tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, broccoli rabe and a slice of zucchini, and topped with a Vernaccia wine sauce with a light tomato broth and watercress. The Branzino was tender and perfectly cooked and the overall effect delightful.
For dessert we ordered a tiramisu and a cheesecake. The tiramisu was lady fingers dipped in espresso and amaretto and served with mascarpone cheese and topped with shaved chocolate. This was an evil and marvelous experience. The cheesecake was Chef Michael’s grandmother’s recipe: ricotta cheesecake, Italian style, and was light and delicious as well.
Overall, this was an absolutely lovely evening and we can’t wait to make a return visit. And the bill with tax and 3 glasses of wine was only $117. What a bargain! This restaurant is a companion to the original Luca Ristorante in Wilton, and while it has earned a reputation as the finest Italian Restaurant in Fairfield County, this new one is nipping at its heels.
We can’t say enough good things about this new Luca endeavor. But maybe we don’t have to: by 7:15 it was packed! Be sure to make a reservation. Luca Wine Bar and Seafood Restaurant is open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 10 pm. They have a separate luncheon menu as well.
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