Breakfast in Bridgetown

After eating, oh, 250 breakfasts in the last two and a half years, at something like 130 different places, it is pretty rare that a place makes me lean back in my chair and say “Damn.” But that’s what happened at Lucca last week.

The Crew and I — Shari and Jerry, Chela, and newest member Brian — hit the place at 10:30. I had thought there would be six or seven, so I gave a heads-up call at 10, when they opened. Was appreciated, wasn’t necessary. In fact, only three other tables were occupied, two of them with groups bigger than ours. That doesn’t happen too often.

Lucca is in one of “those” locations, the corner of NE 24th and Fremont. Seems like nothing has worked there since the original Nature’s pulled out a decade ago. Anybody remember Aja? Or The Dining Room? Me, neither. But Lucca might make it, going on my highly scientific sense that several people I know who are serious about food have told me they like it. Meanwhile, there are no lines at Sunday Brunch (10 am to 2 pm), and I’d say the food is top-15 in town, based on one visit. Plus, the Italian flair really puts it in a class by itself — and now, a moment of silence in memory of brunch at Basta’s.

Speaking of class, Lucca is a beautiful place! The ceiling is adorned with a basket-style woven pattern, the art is subtle, the colors warm, there’s plenty of light, and a side room (available for private parties) is just the right amount of set-off. The staff, too, is lovely; in fact, we agreed our waitress looked a little like Sophia Loren.

The menu is a true brunch, with pizza and salads in addition to breakfast faves like french toast, hash, fritatta, and a polenta-fried eggs-sausage combo that was a highlight. They even had a bacon and egg pizza which we didn’t order. It sounded odd at first, but really, it’s bacon, egg, cheese, some sauce, bread … what’s so odd? They are cooked in a (partially) wood-fired oven in plain view of the tables, and they are lovely, with a fried egg in the middle.

A couple of us got there early and shared a blueberry-lime scone that was just as buttery and flaky as could be. Really great. Then I had the fritatta, with goat cheese, spinach, sausage, and fennel, and while it was among the better fritattas I’ve had in town, it wasn’t the best meal on our table. Chela’s “baked french toast” (really more of a strawberry souffle with fresh cream) was amazing, and Jerry’s mushroom hash had just the right mix of flavors. Coffee (Caffe Umbria) was strong, good, and kept coming.

Everybody agreed the place was top-notch, and the word “romantic” even got tossed around. I bet in the evenings the place is even warmer and more inviting. I think I spent $15 or $16 with tip.

I think from now on, when somebody complains about lines at brunch, I will send them to Lucca — assuming that what they are looking for is excellent food in a beautiful place served by Sopia Loren look-alikes.