Review: Brunch at Pizza Lucé

Pizza Lucé is a Duluth staple, and it deserves to be. I've been to brunch there at least a dozen times since moving to the area, and I've rarely been disappointed.

Let's talk favorites. I've got the world's biggest sweet tooth, so I'm a fan of the Truly French Toast and the Chocolate Raspberry Waffle. My main complaint is that they don't provide pure maple syrup. The best I can surmise is that it might be a hybrid--part real syrup, part corn syrup/maple flavoring. It's much better than your average Aunt Jemima, though, and you'll only be disappointed with it if you're a total maple syrup snob (like yours truly).

But back to the entrées themselves. The Truly French toast is delightful--French Toast with brie cheese sandwiched inside. YUM. It's served with a banana-pecan syrup. Small drawbacks are not enough to dissaude me from ordering this dish about five times so far. Small drawbacks include: the aforementioned lack of pure maple syrup; the fact that I've received the dish almost cold once or twice; that sometimes, they don't dip it heavily enough in the egg mixture before cooking. If I can be extra-picky for a moment, I'd prefer a more substantial bread to be used (this New Yorker misses French Toast made with Challah). All that aside, order this. It's delicious. I've even gone so far as to steal the idea and make French Toast with brie at home.

The Chocolate Raspberry Waffle is good. If you like your waffles a little on the crispy side, you'll love this waffle. The raspberries are always good, the chocolate is plentiful, and the whipped cream is thick and fluffy.

If you like a little booze with your brunch (and I do), go to Lucé for the Bloody Mary Bar. At Lucé, they will bring you a pint glass half-filled with ice and vodka, celery salt on the rim, accompanied by a mini bottle of Miller, then let you go to town on the rest of the ingredients. You can choose from three different tomato juice options (one is spicy), olives, garlic, cucumber, celery, three kinds of cheese, horseradish, and more.

But this is mainly information gleaned by observation. Personally, I go with the Mimosa. The Mimosa at Lucé is a good, solid "Good." You get Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice--that's a high-five in my book, kids. I prefer a drier champagne than Lucé does, but that's a small criticism.

Now then. On to savory delights. One of the jewels in the Pizza Lucé crown is the Pesto Eggs Benedict (PEB). This dish is a masterpiece, and I'm not afraid to say it. The mating of tastes and of textures in the PEB is nothing short of splendid. The pesto Hollandaise sauce, spicy sausage, poached eggs, and part-crispy, part-soft bed of hash browns underneath all combine to strike perfectly-tuned chords in the diner's mouth and brain. If the ingredients were any fresher, this dish would make said diner's brain explode with delight, rendering him incapable of rational thought. A more authentic version of Meg Ryan's famous scene in "When Harry Met Sally" comes to mind. (Note: your PEB also comes with a side of clear conscience, as Luce uses only cage-free eggs.)

Bottom line: he service at Pizza Lucé is top-notch and very friendly; the food is definitely worth the trip. Don't miss this brunch!

If you go: It's best to arrive on the early side, as they do tend to run out of certain brunch ingredients after a certain point; additionally, you'll avoid a long wait for seating. Luckily, the crowd at Lucé is mainly low-key, which means you won't get the side-eye for rolling out of bed, into your jeans and sweatshirt, and heading straight in for breakfast. However, note that Pizza Lucé's full menu is available in the bar as well. If the dining room is crowded, meander over to the bar, and you'll often be able to plunk right down at a table. Also, take a trip to the restroom while you're there--trust me.

Recent sightings: Rob Giuliani, who oversees the kitchen at Clyde Iron Works. Rob is a CIA graduate and former sous chef at the restaurant at Marshall Field & Co. in Chicago, IL.

Grade: B+

Pizza Lucé is open for brunch Saturdays and Sundays from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. A limited amount of reservations are available for parties of six or more. Prices for brunch entrees range from about $8-$10.


On the web: http://www.pizzaluce.com/locations/?loc=duluth


GPS: 11 East Superior St, Duluth, MN, 55802