Uno | Due | Tre

9.24 Corks resize
Uno . . . Due . . . Tre . . .

Guess the Correct Number of Corks  in the Photo Above
(or Visit us at 2060 Randolph to View the Real Thing)

and You Could Win a Bottle of Wine!

The Winner with the most accurate guess will receive a complimentary bottle of their choice from our selections below for enjoyment with dinner at Luci Ancora or Ristorante Luci.

One Winner Announced On Wednesday at 3pm
through October 1st!

It’s our kick off to the Fall Season !

Winner will be contacted via email, phone, or Facebook.
Submit your guess on our Facebook Page  (leave your guess as comment on this post) or directly at Luci Ancora!

Enter to Win at Luci Ancora – 2060 Randolph Ave or at our Facebook Page!

Good Luck & Happy Guessing!

– The Smith Family & Luci Staff

Winning Bottle Selections to Choose From

Tiamo Prosecco NV

Pieropan Soave 2013

Fontaleoni Vernaccia 2012

Hoepler Gruener Veltliner 2012

Rosaenovae Irpinia Rose 2013

Robert Stucchi Coltibuono Chianti Classico 2011

G.D. Vajra Langhe Rosso 2010

La Fiera Montepulciano 2012

Winning Bottle of Wine is for dine in service only and not available for off sale distribution.

Mother's Day at Luci Ancora

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Celebrate Mama

with Brunch, Lunch, or Dinner

Sunday, May 11th, 2014

Beginning at 11:30am

Join us as Chef Stephen Smith prepares a variety of specialty dishes alongside our regular menu
to create a memorable setting to show your appreciation to Mom and all she does.

Enjoy special Mimosas and Bellinis as well as a variety of wines by the glass and bottle.

Celebrate Mama at Luci Ancora  because,

“A tavola con la famiglia uno non invecchiare”

At the table with the family, one does not grow old.

Menu to Follow

We look forward to seeing you!

Sincerely,

 The Smith Family & Luci Staff

Buona Pasqua ~ Easter at Luci Ancora

Buona-Pasqua

Celebrate Easter at Luci Ancora!

Luci Ancora will be Open for Easter beginning at 3:30pm.

Join us as Chef Stephen prepares a variety of specialty dishes.
Enjoy the creativity of pastry Chef, Daniela alongside dessert and drink specials.

Reservations can be made by calling Luci Ancora directly at (651) 698-6889.

We look forward to seeing you on April 20th!

Sincerely,

 The Smith Family & Luci Staff

4/30 ~ Anam Cara Wine Dinner

anam-cara-wine-invite-30-April-2014

Anam Cara Wine Cellars,

The Smith Family & Luci Staff

invite you to join us

Wednesday, April 30th

for a Spring Wine Dinner
featuring the wines of Anam Cara of Newberg, Oregon
Enjoy our Multiple Course Menu prepared by Luci Chef, Stephen Smith
$80 per person before Tax & Gratuity
Reservations ~ (651) 699-8258

Sign Up for Updates – Select “Wine Dinner VIPs”

The words Anam Cara are Celtic for “friend of my soul” and represent rare friendships that transcend time and distance. To us, they also symbolize the long journey we have taken to make wine.  ~ Anam Cara

OCSW-Logo grey

LIVE IOBC

R & R Week at Luci Restaurants

 

RR Week Flyer Front

Rest & Relax, Despite the Snow

at Luci Restaurants

February 23rd – 27th

with $25 Tasting Menus all Week Long

during regular hours at Luci Ancora & Ristorante Luci

Enjoy our Chefs’ Creativity beginning with Sunday’s Tasting Menu Features!

Antipasto + Salad/Soup + Pasta + Entree
$25 per person

+ Dolce
$30 per person

~ Don’t Forget About Lunch ~

Served Tuesday – Friday at Luci Ancora

11:30 – 2pm

Enjoy Your Choice of
Salad/Soup + Pasta + Dolce
$20 per person

Reserve Your Table Today!

We look forward to seeing you!

Sincerely,

 The Smith Family & Luci Staff

February Wine Features

Throughout February, Luci Ancora & Ristorante Luci will feature two special wineries

Don Chisciotte & Sallier de la Tour

 

Enjoy “Don Chisciotte” Fiano d’Avellino & “La Monaca” Syrah from Sallier de la tour throughout February at Luci Restaurants.

 

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Don Chisciotte Fiano d’Avellino 2010  $13/gls
Italy | Campania | Irpinia Highlands | Avellino | Calitri

This wine is a an unusual take on one of this region’s most promising indigenous white varieties from the father-uncle-son team of Michele, Pierluigi and Guido Zampaglione. Made in a natural style; it is organically farmed, with no additions of yeast, enzymes, or chemicals; limited use of sulfur and it’s also fermented on its skins, where it acquires a distinctive golden-orange hue and the classification of an “Orange Wine.”


The taste is fruity, long, lingering and very pleasant with mild residual tannic to clean the mouth and stimulate the drink. With amazing aromatics of nuts, spice, tangerine, apple, and herbs, the palate is fresh and tangy with spicy citrus notes. A bit of tannic grip, with beautiful balance reflects its ability to be a brilliant food companion. Despite its wildness, it is not clumsy or rustic. Expanding one’s imagination, this wine is extremely rare for its style combined with it’s limited availability – only 5,000 cases are produced annually, this is one for the cellar and for those moments when you want something out of the ordinary.

 

 

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Sallier de la Tour “La Monaca” Syrah 2008  $10/gls
Italy| Sicily | Palermo | Monreale | Pernice Estate

 

This Syrah, represents the peak of Sallier de la Tour and the realization of a dream which came true, thanks to the strong belief, a deep trust in these lands, and the people working for the project. The estate is at the center of the fertile Jato Valley with vines planted in clay, sandstone, and tufo, along the Sicilian “Strada” for Syrah. The winery itself was a marvel when constructed in 1850 and today, its innovation is still applicable. Built by French architect, De Fry, it was made to store rainwater, manage, and recycle all its grey water.

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Made from 100% Syrah from vines planted 20 years ago, the belief and trust in the land has paid off, as one can understand in the depth of character this wine exhibits. With inky-ruby hues, it is expressive. Full-blown aromas of blackberry, smoke, fresh herbs and black pepper. Dense, sweet and spicy, with the hints of fresh herbs joining simple black fruit flavors. Intensely flavored with a finish of good energy and smooth tannins.

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GD Vajra Wine Dinner

GD Vajra scaled

Due to popular demand, this Event has been Moved to
Luci Ancora.

The Smith Family & Luci Staff

invite you to join us for an evening

celebrating Piemonte through the wines of

G.D. Vajra

with Special Guest Winemaker

Guisseppe Vajra

Enjoy Luci Chef Stephen Smith’s creativity through our multicourse menu.

This wine dinner will feature robust reds including Barolo, Nebbiolo, and Barbera.
Unique to this event will be a vertical tasting of selected wines from the Vajra portfolio.

Reservations may be made by calling us directly at (651) 698 – 6889.
We cannot guarantee reservations made via email.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Sincerely,

The Smith Family & Luci Staff

August Visit to Breezy Hill Orchard & Sandra Jean's Farm

Sunday was the perfect day for harvesting vegetables, and we couldn’t have asked for more when given the opportunity to eat any and all “defective” tomatoes. Any split tomatoes were ours for the tasting and we were grateful for the chance to enjoy them under the sunny, Minnesota sky.While organizing our Sunday volunteer time & farm tour, one in the Luci crew stated, “I can’t be blamed for the ones (tomatoes) that end up in my belly.” Luckily for him, there were plenty to go around.

August 5th marked our second visit of the year to Sandra Jean’s Farm & the Breezy Hill Orchards just outside of Maple Lake, MN. Departing at 9:30am, we arrived ready to spend some time helping out Sandra with harvest. Her one woman operation keeps the Luci kitchen full of local, organic produce in the summer and fall months. With the Smith Family & Luci Staff ever anticipating her twice a week deliveries that begin in late spring, summer is a special time of year at the Luci Corner. From organic eggs and herbs to vegetables and fresh cut flowers, the Luci Restaurants take inspiration from the variety and quality of products raised by Sandra Jean. Her immense labor of love can be seen, tasted, and admired in the dishes that are served at Luci Ancora & Ristorante Luci.

While our team picked heirloom tomatoes, pickling & slicing cucumbers, and a few green beans, we learned that Sandra’s operation can be demanding and requires a certain blend of determination, dedication, and patience to make everything work. We have come to know and respect her hard work in a new light as we plucked each tender heirloom cherry tomato one by one into our bins, savoring every split tomato we could find.

While preparing to leave Breezy Hill’s fields, we were granted an added surprise with the offer to enjoy the first apples of the season grown by Patrick Lynch and Wendy Johnson of Breezy Hill Orchards. Since taking over the family farm in 1993, Patrick Lynch has continued his parents’ passion for a healthy environment and pesticide-free farming by becoming a certified organic orchard in 2002.  His dedication shows in the quality of the fruit raised. Their first apple variety of the year, “State Fair”, was refreshing with a sweet, juicy flavor that inspired us to buy over 40 pounds of the beautiful fruits for the Luci kitchens and our home pantries. Homemade applesauce anyone?

Our day ended with a tour through the vegetable & flower gardens at Sandra Jean’s Farm where we took a few more photos, relaxed a bit, and enjoyed a beautiful lunch prepared by Sandra – complete with heirloom tomatoes freshly picked from the fields.  We’re looking forward to a fall visit to Maple Lake filled with more apples, pumpkins, and fall vegetables.

Follow the chicken below for more photos from our visit and learn a bit more about Breezy Hill Organic Orchards, one of the few organic apple growers in Minnesota.

Follow me for your tour of Sandra Jean’s Farm…

Remember the chicks that hatched and followed mother hen home a couple months ago???
They’re all grown up now and can be seen roaming about on Sandra Jean’s Farm.

The Luci kitchens are filled with fresh basil, greens, summer squash, zuchinni, a colorful collection of heirloom tomatoes, and cucumbers among others. As we enter the high season of the Minnesota harvest over the next few weeks, why not stop by for a simple alternative to traditional Italian fare. You’ll notice the difference in the ingredients, case in point – our Caprese Burrata Salad has never looked better. Buon Appetito !