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ALL BOTTLED UP: Lucia
The spot: Most Bucktown/Wicker Park residents know about the takeout deli and casual front eating area at Lucia Ristorante (click here for details). It’s hard to miss with its prominent location just east of the Milwaukee/North/Damen six-way tangle of traffic. But the slightly more elegant, tranquil dining room in back, complete with white tablecloths, is somewhat of an undiscovered Italian option. Open for six years in August, Lucia is a popular choice for big groups and parties. Italian-born owners Lucia and Dominico Mancini guarantee their cuisine is the real deal. You’ll find classics such as lasagna with meat sauce ($15.95) and gnocchi alla Romana ($15.95), but the ravioli di zucca con prosciutto e noci (ravioli filled with pumpkin squash and tossed with butter, sage, prosciutto and walnuts, $17.95), is Lucia’s recommendation. Don’t risk showing up on a weekend night without a reservation. During the week, a quick table is easier to come by.
The bottle: Normally, we don’t like to associate rodents with any dining experience, but Cellar Rat is an exception. Just a few storefronts to the east of Lucia, this approachable wine shop offers 300 to 400 different bottles, 80 percent of which are under $20. Owner Dean Schlabowske runs a one-man show, offering friendly suggestions to those who seek them. He suggests the medium bodied, crisp 2006 Palazzone Orvieto ($15.99) as a pairing for any of Lucia’s dishes in a white wine. For a red selection, Schlabowske likes the Vivalda Barbera D’Asti ($13.99). “It has a real vibrant crushed fruit quality,” he says. “It has a kind of zippy acidity to the wine that will lend itself to some of the heartier fare over there.” --Emily Hiser Lobdell is a Metromix special contributor.
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