Il Lucano Italian Restaurant

Where: 3119 Judson Street, Gig Harbor, 253.514.8945, www.illucanoristorante.com

Hours: Lunch: Tuesday-Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dinner: Tuesday-Saturday 5-10 p.m., Sunday 4-9 p.m. Happy Hour: Monday-Saturday 2-5 p.m., pasta, salad, bread and a glass of wine or well drink $18.

Cuisine: Authentic Italian pasta, pizza, antipasti, salad, and panini sandwiches

Scene: Relaxed, casual, family friendly

Drinkies: Lots of Italian wines, liquor and beer. Italian sodas, typical non-alcoholic beverages

Damage:  $2.95 to $21.95



ANNOUNCER: Where once deep green forests of evergreens stood in Gig Harbor, now behold a Target. Gig Harbor’s Chamber of Commerce touts the area’s many business districts as great for shopping, dining and tourism in a well-planned branding effort though its never been known for many good restaurants. I’m talking real, sit-down, table cloth, linen napkin restaurants.



Can a great restaurant survive in a tired pseudo-strip mall?



One brave couple, chef Michele “Mike” and Azusa Simone, are attempting just that at Il Lucano Italian Restaurant in what’s been dubbed the Historic District along the waterfront.



JASON: Man, the smell in there was delicious and comforting. Opening the door of Il Lucano must be similar to walking into an old-school Italian mama’s kitchen. The restaurant’s soft lighting, tasteful decorations and soothing wall colors were ambience balm on my ragged soul after last week. The wait-staff all appeared to be in their 30s or older, and I anticipated dining with true, mature service.



JAKE: I was as excited as you though less dramatic. We were greeted and seated in mere seconds. A bevy of activity followed. Wine list, menus and specials, oh my.  Water, bread and oil, oh boy. The oil was a balanced blend of garlic and herbs. With 30 wines to choose from, I was glad to see bottle prices from $27 to $80 and by the glass under $10. An Italian soda might seem like a chick thing to order, but hey, my masculinity’s secure and my craving for fizzy creamy sweetness was at 11.



JASON: What, is it summertime? It’s snowing, and you’ve got a pint glass of swirling pink wonderland. Unbelievable. A steaming bowl of Minestrone soup with hearty chunks of garden vegetables is what called my name. It took zero seconds for our server to recommend the calamari steak appetizer over the calamari affogati. When it arrived the calamari steak looked like precisely cut fries arranged around a mound of cooked spinach, roasted garlic cloves, sun-dried tomatoes and Kalamata olives. Tart and tangy, the olives really set this dish off. Strips of squid were very lightly breaded and flash fried leaving them still tender to the tooth.



JAKE: My insalata gamberetti, that’s loosely Italian for prawn salad, was an interesting experience in that salty bacon pieces and chunks of cooked prawn alternated on a bed of romaine hearts. Loads of pre-grated parmesan and crumbled blue cheese mingled with Caesar dressing. For dinner, the salad’s size seemed small, but would be ideal for lunch.



JASON: I ordered halibut puttanesca simply because I like saying puttanesca and because I’m dirty.



ANNOUNCER: If there are any small children close at hand, parents may want to cover their ears.



JASON: All right. Sorry. Large and thick, pan-seared halibut steak caught a sauté ride in the pan with Kalamata olives and capers. The fish flaked right apart at fork’s touch and again, olives did their magic. Puttanesca sauce was light and tangy with just a bit of a kick and the pasta was al dente.



JAKE: I ordered the one and only beef steak dish on the menu, bistecca al pepe verde, thinking if you have only one, it’s probably done expertly. My plate touched down, knife slid in, fork pierced and beauty flowed. Ordered medium rare, the New York steak was exactly that. Blood swam into the brandy and green peppercorn sauce. Please excuse me while I beat on my chest with a mouthful of sensationally spiced semi raw meat. I like Il Lucano because it’s a real restaurant, not a joint where you order fish’n’chips served in a paper bag from a counter. That just does not count.



JASON: This place makes me rub my belly and pull a Bundy. I wanted to wrap myself up in the warm berry sauce that swam around vanilla custard dessert. As for the vanilla and chocolate ice cream ball coated in chocolate ganache, I’ll take a dozen of those tennis ball-size delights. I really have no complaint or qualm with Il Lucano.



The staff was attentive without over doing it, food arrived quickly, presentation was pleasing, taste was wonderful, ambience was soothing, and prices were reasonable for the portion size. A+



JAKE: You’re totally gonna get fat.