“Luca’s doesn’t serve draft beer, but even the guy who foams at the mouth during Budweiser commercials won’t mind after trying the café’s homemade orange crush ($7), sangria ($7) or intense vodkas infused with fruit and candy flavors ($8) such as strawberry kiwi and Lemonheads.”

Those foo foo drinks are hardly a substitute or alternative for draft beer.

First look: Luca’s Café
Upscale cafe redefines the neighborhood bar
By Jessica Novak
Special to Metromix
March 12, 2008

Luca’s Café is full of charming contradictions. At the Locust Point bar and restaurant, you can chase a $4 burger with a $200 bottle of Perrier Jouet Fleur de Champagne, or play video poker and slots while feasting on succulent garlic steak.

Co-owner Lando Orsino looks like the one responsible for those and other inviting contradictions. He’s one of the few males we’ve seen show a little chest and a Brett Michaels cross yet remain classy. Class reveals itself again in his bar-side manner, as well as Luca’s drink selection, décor and cuisine.

Orsino opened Luca’s—or the Best of Both Worlds, as we’ve decided it should be renamed—in late February with his childhood friend Chris Maler, co-owner of Matthew’s Pizza. The Highlandtown guys named the café after their sons. Look for pictures of the kiddies (both named Luca) on the menus, which appear slightly aged and affixed to dark wood—another detail that makes Luca’s better than other South Baltimore spots.

Booze: Welcome to the world of not wincing after every sip. Luca’s is the place to learn how drinks are supposed to taste, not how they taste at crap holes. Order anything on the drink menu made from freshly-squeezed fruits. Your drink will take more than a minute to crank out, but it will be worth it. The café’s ultimate margarita ($12) made with lime juice, Patron Silver, Cointreau and Grand Marnier is especially phenomenal.

Luca’s doesn’t serve draft beer, but even the guy who foams at the mouth during Budweiser commercials won’t mind after trying the café’s homemade orange crush ($7), sangria ($7) or intense vodkas infused with fruit and candy flavors ($8) such as strawberry kiwi and Lemonheads. Winos, don’t worry. Luca’s has 20 varieties of red and white.

Food: Less like a café and more like a gourmet restaurant, Luca’s serves apps, entrees, pizzas and sandwiches with unique twists. For instance, don’t look for a simple slice of pepperoni, Luca’s pies come with ingredients like shrimp, goat cheese, steak and arugula.

Portions are substantial. You can eat from Luca’s chop deli salad ($12) for about three days. But before you get yourself all hot and bothered about gorging, make sure you read Luca’s ingredient lists closely. Otherwise, the magical salad, overflowing with a log of Italian meats and a bushel of sweet peppers, eggs and iceberg lettuce, might shock you and birth a giant shrimp or two right before your eyes.

Beyond the shrimps, Luca’s also surprises with its dip, creatively named the dip ($6). Served with unbelievably soft bread, it consists of reggiano mascarpone cheese, basil pesto, jumbo lump crab and roasted shallots. Don’t think of the dip as a traditional, creamy crab dip and you’ll be OK. Luca’s dip stars spices not crab flavor. Try the fold ($12), Luca’s version of a meatball and sausage calzone, if you like your dough thin, your ricotta in small doses and your sausage sweet. The meat is as tender as Coldplay’s Chris Martin.

Digs: When you walk into Luca’s, you’ll inevitably decide you like it. Orsino, a self-proclaimed “plant guy,” decorated Luca’s with lots of greens (including pineapple trees) in addition to various items one might find at a European bazaar and works from local artists. One of three flat screens can be seen from any seat at the long bar, but placed beside fresh flowers, baskets of lemon and limes and beautiful brown cabinets, they don’t demand your attention. BTW: Ladies you need to check out the exquisite bathroom. With its colorful, flattering lighting, you’ll like the way you look in there.

Crowd: In its first few weeks, Luca’s has attracted mostly Locust Point locals. On a steady Sunday, couples and double dates crowded the bar and lower level dining room. Most patrons could ask for AARP discounts, but an equal number of ladies and gents were in their late 20s and mid-30s and wore sports coats or sweatshirts.

Bottom line: Luca’s bills itself as “the best joint in the Point,” which even SoBo pot dealers would agree is accurate.