La Cucina — Restaurant in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea

My wife and I heard really good things about this place so we wanted to give it a try. I made a reservation for 6 pm last Saturday 2/18. We arrived to an empty restaurant, maybe 4 people inside. We were seated and offered water, either sparkling or flat. We asked for flat. The waiter brought a bottle of water with two glasses then charged us $6 for water. I ordered the margarita pizza and my wife ordered the shrimp diablo special not on the menu. We didn't ask the price but it was $36 on our bill. the shrimp smelled and tasted very fishy as they didn't remove the poop vein before cooking and serving it to my wife. She did not enjoy it at all. We ordered a side salad $9. it was probably the best bite of the night. we also order 4 glasses of wine maybe a 4 ounce pour per glass $50. After dinner i asked for a couple of to go boxes for the pizza and left over pasta. The server said he placed it up front on the counter of this little market they have inside this small place. I asked for the boxes upon our departure and the woman behind the counter looked at me like i was speaking German or something and then realized she had the leftovers and handed me two containers. I asked for a bag and she told me dont come any closer. She then handed me this huge white bag and said I dont think it will fit. all while she was telling her little child to come back behind the counter. she was rude. You think with all the fantastic restaurants in the area they would show a little nor courtesy especially after spending $145 with tip. I was very taken back and will no go back...

We have passed La Cucina many times and thought we would try it. My wife and I separately went online to see the menu. At the bottom it indicated "Daily Specials" with no specifics. When I called to find out what they are, I was abruptly told to go online for them. I told him that both my wife and I were on two different sites and don't see them. He hung up on me. Mind blown. I called back and said that somehow our call was disconnected, when actually I heard the receiver at the other end clunk down. When I told him what had just happened, he denied speaking with me. I told him it was possibly a different voice and asked him if there was another male answering the phone there. He told there was not. When I said that it must have been you then that I was speaking with, he told me he's busy working, he doesn't have time to talk about whose voice was on the phone. I told him we were merely trying to find out what the specials were and order dinner. He began terminating the conversation telling me he doesn't have time for this and I said goodbye fully sensing he was on his way to hanging up on me again. Incredible.

I never did find out what today's specials are...but I don't think I'm too concerned about it at this point. Like many of you, I've dealt with probably hundreds of restaurants in many locations, and I've never experienced this. We will continue enjoying courteous, professional behavior and great food at other...

I wish I had come here before I was pregnant, but even with morning sickness La Cucina has some of the freshest most authentic Italian I’ve had. I would of indulged in more flavors if I I could of handled it. If you’re worried about overly salty cheesy food, you won’t find it here (unless you ask for extra cheese) . The insalate Caprese uses minimal ingredients and is filled with tomatoes and freshly sliced creamy mozzarella chunks. My husband and daughter had so much calamari and steak they were up all night. It was that good and tender. Their marinara is low sodium and tastes like fresh tomatoes and basil. You don’t even need meat in your sauce with the ravioli because the ricotta is creamy and filling. We got dessert and cafe. The latte was a real Italian latte with pure cinnamon sprinkles. They go out of their way to make sure you have everything you need. They are generous with the bread which is filling and cooked in a fire oven. It’s not dripping with salt and butter, but it’s served with a side of olive oil and basalmic.They specially prepared a dish of their marinara ravioli with extra basil just for my husband to bring home to his pregnant wife. Their are not a lot of people on staff and the dining area is small, but that makes it more remarkable because between 2-4 of them everyone was getting their food rather quickly. La Cucina will be on my return list of...