Inspired and influenced by Italian traditions, the cuisine of Luci Ancora offers a seasonal variety of organic, quality ingredients alongside house made pastas, slow braised meats, and the freshest seafoods.
Local Wine Dinner
Join the Smith Family & Luci Staff
in hosting Sandra Jean of
Sandra Jean Herbal Specialities of Maple Lake, MN
near the end of September at Luci Ancora
Enjoy organic, locally raised Produce, Eggs, and Cornish Hens raised by Sandra Jean along with apples grown by Patrick & Wendy of Breezy Hill Orchards
Our veteran chefs will prepare a multicourse meal complete with small estate production wine pairings.
Reservations can be made by calling Luci Ancora directly at (651) 698-6889.
Date & Pricing details to follow
We look forward to seeing you soon.
Sincerely,
The Smith Family & Luci Staff
[email_link]
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 !
Our Story
The story of Luci Ancora & Ristorante Luci is a romantic one, as all good Italian stories are. With a passion for food and wine, cultivated by the experience of living in and around Naples, Italy, the Smith Family began their coincidental culinary and viticulture education when Kennedy was in office. It was the 1960’s. With an opportunity to live abroad, newlywed Al & Lucille Smith packed their things and moved to Via Petrarca, Naples, Italy, a quaint neighborhood just outside the bustling city center overlooking the scenic Bay of Naples.
For 11 years, Al & Lucille spent their time raising their growing family of six children and immersing themselves in the Italian way of life. Enjoying friends and family amidst seasonal cuisine and a veritable selection of wine – these times around the table would be the inspiration for what would later become the Luci Restaurants.
Upon returning to Saint Paul and eventually retiring, the Smith Family desired to recapture what they had experienced during those years in Naples. After months of transforming what was previously “The Club” bar, narrowing down menu selections, and finalizing the wine list, Ristorante Luci was ready to offer fresh pastas, wild, line caught fish, and one of the first Tasting Menus in Saint Paul. Complete with house made bread and desserts, Ristorante Luci soon garnered local attention and loyalty, with admiration from unexpected places.
As demand exceeded supply of the 40 seat Cucina, the Smith Family saw an opportunity to offer more to Saint Paul. By coincidence, the property kiddy corner from Ristorante Luci was for sale. Due to space limitations of Ristorante Luci’s building, expansion was not an option at the 470 Cleveland Ave location. The Smith Family broke ground in 1996 for what would become Luci Ancora, an Encore of Ristorante Luci.
Built from the ground up, the second space nearly tripled the kitchen, more than doubled the dining room, and offered an open atmosphere that contrasted the cozy space some had grown to love at Ristorante Luci. With large picture windows framing the grassy knoll of St. Catherine’s University, guests could now enjoy dinner with family and friends up to 80 at a time near a wood burning fireplace.
As of January 1, 2017 and after nearly 30 years, the family decided to end the lease at 470 Cleveland Avenue South, the home of Ristorante Luci. The Luci concept carries on today at Luci Ancora, 2060 Randolph Avenue, now entering it’s 19th year in business. With the 2 restaurants merged into 1, all the passion and energy is focused at Luci Ancora.
Today, Luci Ancora offers fresh, seasonal Italian influenced cuisine that showcases handmade pastas, local produce and sustainably raised and harvested fish, seafoods, and specialty cuts of meat.