Dallas, TX
Review: Sicily Comes to Dallas at Caffe Lucca, With Some Kinks to Work Out
Photo by Courtney Smith
That former Dallas Cowboys head coach, Jason Garrett, is a co-owner of Caffe Lucca has garnered it a lot of attention, but I don’t like sports and don’t care about that. I’m here because the other owner, Julian Barsotti, has two Michelin-recognized Italian restaurants in the city, the eponymous Barsotti’s and Nonna, the latter of which earned a Bib Gourmand distinction. By any measure, Barsotti knows Italian food.
Caffe Lucca does something different than Barsotti’s other ventures by focusing on Sicilian food, and drawing on the island’s exposure to the Mediterranean. There are North African, Greek, French and Turkish influences, even stretching as far as Lebanon for wine and the Spanish phenomenon Picasso for its artistic influence. That tracks not just for its southerly location, but because every clan in Europe conquered Sicily at least twice before Italy finally drew it into the fold for good.
Meanwhile, in Dallas, I was trying to conquer the host stand at this restaurant. The small dining room was packed out when I arrived at around 7:30 on a Wednesday night, with a couple of parties waiting to be seated. I checked for reservations earlier in the evening and saw that several bar seats were open, so despite this being a hot spot after its relatively recent opening, I opted to go in cold. This seemed to stump one of the hosts, who simply shrugged as she told me the bar was full.
Another host swooped in quickly to give me a much fuller update on the seating situation and an estimate of how long the wait would be. It gave me a chance to watch the dichotomy of how these two worked, one running around the room, assisting the staff, juggling reservations — all while the other stood unmoving behind the computer, frozen.
The Cocktails
The bar staff was happily more engaging and informative, working in lockstep together to tell the story of the menu, proffering drinks and avidly checking on guests. I started with a White Lotus ($16), a refreshing gin cocktail with hints of laurel leaves. In Sicily, it’s typically served as a digestive after meals rather than as a cocktail mix, but it works beautifully in either situation.
Insalate
I started with a Sicilian Caesar salad ($18), made Italian by virtue of its inclusion of Colatura di alici, an ancient fish sauce from the Amalfi Coast, which is mixed with tahini. This type of salad is often mistaken for Italian, but it was created in Tijuana, Mexico — safe to assume it’s on the menu to satisfy the expectations of Highland Park diners who flock to the Knox Street district.
From the Fried Section
Along with that, I tried a dish from what was described to me as the “fried” section of the menu: seasonal fiori di zucca (fried squash blossoms with ricotta) for $22. Whatever fryer they bought is paying for itself by turning out perfectly browned crusts, but there seems to be an issue with the actual vegetable. It’s squished into one end of the fried stick, giving a big bite of squash blossom, followed by three bites of cheese stick. Not that I’ve ever had a problem with fried cheese, simply that the frying technique for making these needs to be ironed out. At the same time, the bread course appeared with saffron butter. It was excellent, though try as I might, I could detect no saffron.
Origins of Busiate
The menu makes a great show of highlighting busiate, the durum-wheat-and-water pasta invented in Sicily, which is one of the region’s oldest pasta styles. Though the menu tells diners that this pasta dates back to the 11th century, it doesn’t acknowledge that the country was under Arab rule at the time. No mention that the name of this pasta is thought to derive from the Arabic word bus, and no acknowledgment that it was all happening as the capital city of Palermo became a central Islamic center. All of this because the menu gives space to debunking the myth that Marco Polo brought pasta to Italy from China. Especially given the current political climate, it feels worth the time to share, even if only through the servers, that this pasta is the result of the intermingling and peaceful co-existence of two vastly different cultures.
The pasta is meant to be thick and chewy, and the shape comes from wrapping it around a skewer to create a twirl that makes it particularly good at capturing thick sauces. I had the al ragu della nonna Siciliane ($30), a version served with slow-cooked Berkshire pork and plum tomatoes for a Roman-style dish.
Eating the shredded meat and fresh pasta took me back to the experience of eating wild game slow-cooked in a tomato sauce in Italy, in some small restaurant buried in the countryside. It’s rustic, and this treatment of the meat leans into that. The pasta is cooked a bit beyond al dente, which is proper to give it a chewier texture.
Unfortunately, my trip down memory lane was marred when I bit down on a bone with some cartilage just a bit smaller than the tip of my pinkie finger. In rustic cooking, I can forgive a lot. But when being charged $30 for a plate of rustic pasta sized to fit one person, I cannot forgive a bone that is the perfect size to choke on. I paired the otherwise enjoyable dish with a Lebanese red wine ($15), at the suggestion of the bartender, that was precisely the medium-bodied, floral wine I requested.
Gelato
The trio of gelatos ($10) was the best value of the evening. Sicilian pistachio was the best of them, with the light-as-air quality gelato demands. Vanilla is deep and heady with flavor, offering a nice complement. There was, inexplicably, Mexican chocolate, which was too vibrantly flavored in comparison. It’s too bad that a $10 dessert had to do all the heavy lifting to save a $30 entree.
Caffe Lucca, 4445 Travis St., Sunday – Wednesday 5 – 9:30 p.m.; Thursday 5 – 10 p.m.; Friday – Saturday 5 – 10:30 p.m.
For a moment, it looked like FC Dallas was on its way to another statement win at home tonight.
Petar Musa scored two first half goals, to extend his Golden Boot leading tally to nine goals. But after Dallas grabbed control, the Galaxy found a way back before halftime with goals from Lucas Sanabria and Joseph Paintsil.
The second half brought more chances and more frustration for Dallas, which finished the night with 13 shots to LA’s nine. In the end, the point stretched Dallas’ unbeaten run to five games, though just like last week, it felt like another match where Dallas left points on the table.
Key Moments
7’ – GOAL! After a poor pass back by a LA defender, Petar Musa was free to go one-on-one with the LA goalkeeper. After a touch to get ahead of a defender, Musa slotted home his eighth goal of the season from outside the penalty box.
21’ – Offside! Joaquin Valiente sent a floating ball over the Galaxy defense, where Musa was able to get behind the defense and make an easy play for what appeared to be his second goal of the night. The play was called offside despite a fairly lengthy review period.
38’ – GOAL! This one counts! Musa gets his second of the night off a great ball from Chris Cappis. Logan Farrington picked off the ball in the midfield. He then played Cappis wide to the left of the penalty area. Cappis immediately played a ball back across the goal for Musa to slide in and finish for his ninth of the season.
43’ – Goal LA. Lucas Sanabria got the ball near the top of the penalty area. He took a couple of touches to get outside the penalty box before firing a shot that beat Michael Collodi at the near post.
45+4’ – Goal LA. Gabriel Pec got the ball near the top of the penalty area. He pulled the ball back a bit, which caught a pair of Dallas defenders. This allowed Joseph Painstil to get free behind the Dallas defense as Pec played him through inside the penalty area. Pec immediately smashed home a shot above Collodi to tie the game.
75’ – Another offside goal. This time on a corner kick for Dallas, after a scrum in the penalty box, Kaick hammered home what looked to be the go-ahead goal. But after a few seconds the flag was raised due to a deflection on Osaze Urhoghide, who was in an offside position.
Instant Reaction
Yeah, this is another disappointing result for this team. In a real way, it felt like the first half against Houston from last month. Dallas grabbed the lead, looked in control, but some defensive miscues opened the game up for the visitors to climb back.
With a double-game week coming up, this will certainly be another game where Dallas will wonder ‘what if’ more than anything else…especially when you factor in the two goals called off for offside.
About the Subs
Eric Quill went to his bench for the first time in the 66th minute, as he brought on Santiago Moreno for Logan Farrington. Quill went to his bench again 81st minute with Ran Binyamin and Nolan Norris coming on for Sebastien Ibeagha and Deedson. The final sub came during stoppage time with Herman Johansson and Joaquin Valiente coming off for Sam Sarver and rookie Nick Simmonds, who made his MLS debut.
Man of the Match
No question about it tonight, it has to be Musa.
Where does this fit into the season
As of this writing, the draw puts Dallas into a three-way tie for 5th place with Real Salt Lake and Seattle. Both are in action right now and look firmly in control of their games. I’d expect Dallas to be in 7th place by the end of the night.
What’s next for FC Dallas
Dallas wraps up a three-game homestand next Wednesday night as they host Minnesota United.
Dallas, TX
Akheem Mesidor selected by Cowboys by Blogging The Boys in SB Nation’s community mock draft
Akheem Mesidor, Edge, Miami
Pass rush has been an issue since the Micah Parsons trade. The Rashan Gary trade helped, but Dallas still needs an injection of talent. Akheem Mesidor fits here because his body size allows for some versatility inside and out, something DC Christian Parker utilizes. Mesidor is also a high-motor player with a deep bag of pass rush moves.
His last season at Miami was full of disruption in the offensive backfield and he shows an all-around game, not just a bend-around-the-edge pass rusher. Yes, he’s a little older than you’d like in a rookie (25), but his motor, pass rush toolbox, and ability to play the run matches up with a need and makes him a quality pick at number 20.
The City of Dallas Office of Community Police Oversight is hosting a Public Safety Response Symposium to connect residents with public safety leaders. Here’s how to participate on May 9.
The Dallas Police Department posted to social media about the event on Friday afternoon. The post states, “Join public safety leaders for an inside look at how emergency and non-emergency calls are handled and how resources are deployed across Dallas.”
The symposium will be held at the Briscoe Carpenter Livestock Center, 1403 Washington St., fro 11 a.m.-noon on May 9. Doors open at 9:30 a.m. Light breakfast and refreshments will be provided.
Topics for the symposium include:
- How 911 calls are handled and dispatched
- How DPD uses specialized units and technology to improve response times
- When to use 311 for non-emergency services
- How crisis and behavioral health teams collaborate through alternative response strategies
There will also be a community Q&A forum where residents can engage directly with public safety leaders. Moderation will be provided.
Dallas Police Chief Daniel C. Comeaux will offer the opening remarks. Featured speakers include 911 Communications Center Assistant Director Robert Uribe; Major of Police Anthony Greer; 311 Senior Outreach Specialist Stephen Walker; and Emergency Management & Crisis Response Director Kevin Oden.
When it comes to parking: Enter through Gate 2 and drive straight to the Pan Am Gate, and continue to the Briscoe Center (located on the left).
RSVP for the Public Safety Response Symposium here.
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