The ersatz ambiance of Caffé de Luca is one of its principle charms, that and its enormous cups of coffee. Going there for brunch, you don’t have to keep flagging down the waiter for a refill because the cup holds so much, a nice touch and one enhanced by the simple expedient of actually providing a cup and a saucer, rather than a paper cup. How nice that is? How grand and sophisticated. How European.
The restaurant is tricked out to look like a bombed out Neapolitan café, complete with crumbling walls, broken pergolas and decaying plaster. Colorful dresses are strung on a clothesline above the imitation ruins. Faded Cinzano posters are plastered up and here and there. The effect is so whimsical that Caffé de Luca could easily be transplanted to Disney World. And like a franchise in Disney World, the adventurousness is all in the décor. The food is fairly basic and predictable.
For brunch the house specialty is quiche. The ingredients vary depending on what’s available but the spinach and goat cheese seems to be what they’re proudest of. I found it merely okay, certainly nothing to be celebrated. It was a giant wedge of light fluffy eggs infused with spinach and goat cheese in its top layer, rather like a generous slice of cake with a thin layer of frosting. At first intriguing, than merely interesting, and finally just filling.
The eggs benedict looked appealing but were nothing special. They were exactly what you would expect eggs benedict to be, nothing more, nothing less. The spinach frittata could’ve used more flavor, although it was certainly inoffensive. It met the standard, and that was it.
This resort to the ordinary might be considered an advantage in a different environment (like, say, Disney World) but in Wicker Park/Bucktown where some of the most interesting cooking in the country is taking place, and where pioneering brunch havens like Bongo Room and Toast hold sway, it borders on disappointing.
By far the best thing on the menu at Caffé de Luca is the potatoes. (Curiously, this is the one area where Bongo Room falls down.) The potatoes here are absolutely scrumptuous, perfectly cooked and enhanced with a wonderful combination of rosemary, garlic and onions.
The European style presentation at Caffé de Luca is breath of fresh air. Beyond allowing you a genuine cup of coffee with an actual saucer, they give you wooden coffee stirrers and a carafe of ice water. It’s very welcoming and suggests you can stick around and relax if you like, at least until you notice the sign on the door that asks you to limit your table use to one hour during peak times.
Maybe they’re getting a little too much cooperation on that score. At 11am on a Sunday morning we had no trouble getting seated, but it did take ten minutes to receive our coffee, a slight delay that tends to magnify when you are jonesing for your first caffeine of the day. After that, however, our service was prompt and reliable.
Caffé de Luca has its charms. It’s whimsical and gracious. As a brunch alternative it certainly deserves at least one visit, but after that you will have to decide whether you like your breakfast fare as safe and predictable as you will find it here.
Caffé De Luca
1721 N. Damen Ave.
773-342-6000 / Reservations Accepted
Hours: Breakfast & Lunch 7am-4pm daily; Dinner W-Su 4pm-10pm.
Features: Outdoor Dining, Brunch, Carryout
Avg. Price of Breakfast for two including tax $30
website: www.caffedeluca.com
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