Ca’Lucchenzo — Restaurant in Wauwatosa

I went here last evening for dinner with three of my girlfriends. Service was top notch and our server was very knowledgeable about the dishes as well as the wine list. The bottle of wine we ordered was great with our dishes. I ordered the goat cheese crustone, which was good as well as the aracini, which was smaller than expected and somewhat underwhelming in flavors. We ordered the bread for the table, which for $6 could have included some different dips (various olive oils, balsamic, etc) to make it seem more elegant and worth the cost. They were out of two of the pasta dishes that were desired by our party, which further limited an already small menu. I ordered the scallops, which for $38, I believe should have included a starch (4 scallops with endive and radicchio was not exactly impressive to me for $38, nor filling. Some risotto would have been a nice addition to this dish). The pasta my friends ordered was good, but servings were small. The bill was $240 before tip for a party of 4 and we left hungry and overall unimpressed. No one in our party was "wowed" and we left feeling a little bummed about the experience. I had really high hopes based on the high ratings and was really excited to try this place, but I will not return, nor would I recommend this place...

I had high hopes for this restaurant. I went there on May 18, with my brother who was visiting from out of town. The first issue was that we'd made reservations but discovered, on arrival, that they hadn't planned to seat us at a table for dinner. They were going to put us at the pasta bar. I can't sit on barstools, so we had to wait for a table.

My brother ordered Bucatini, which is a noodle dish, and I ordered a risotto. They had run out of other entrees by 8 PM and were pushing those two dishes. My brother got a plate of noodles with cheese on them. They were supposed to have pancetta and tomatoes on them, but those ingredients were not in evidence. There wasn't a lot of cheese, either.

I got a plateful of plain rice swimming in a sauce. The rice had not been cooked in the sauce as you might expect with a risotto. It was like eating soup, with liquid dripping from my fork onto the table. There were peas, asparagus, and mushrooms mixed in with the rice.

Both dishes were $18 for the entree alone, with no side dishes or salads. The house salad is extra at $5. I'd be OK with $23 for a dinner and salad , even with meatless dishes, if the food was great, but that wasn't the case. I'm giving the restaurant two stars because the...

Ca'lucchenzo, or roughly translated,"The House of pasta and wine," is really an ode to the aforementioned Italian staples, and both are taken to heart by owners Sarah and Zak Baker. This might be the best Italian we have had in the Milwaukee area and you can tell by the rotating menu and handful of seasonal dishes, this is really carefully layered and amazingly deeply flavorful dishes that are meant to be cherished with friends and family. I loved every single dish we had. The foccacia, the fried puffy gnoccho with sharp Parmigiano and pepper, the shishito pepper with walnut pesto... and chances are good, by the time you read this, you may not be able to get these dishes. Have the ragu, in whatever form it comes in. Take the recommendation of the wait staff and chance the wild mushroom risotto... you will not regret it. Have a bottle of wine... or two. Sip and savor. It will be worth it! Splurge on a desert. The pana cotta will taste silky smooth with a sweet fruity topping and crunchy, salty granola topping. Oooo... so good! The wait staff are attententive and fun, with a bit of down to earth Midwestern hospitality, and they know the food and wine they serve! I highly, highly recommend this place if you love...