i finally paid a visit to Luciano's. As a northeasterner familiar with good Italian and good pizza I wasn't sure what to think when I heard about this place. So it took me awhile to get all the way down to Mulvane (Mulvane?? Really?)--and I had to convince my wife, too, who, as a native of the NYC area was even more skeptical than I.
But in the end even we cynical cultural elite liberal big-city types were very pleasantly surprised. This is a great little spot, romantic and warm and gracious; reminds me of little trattorias I've been to in little tourist towns or larger cities. It has a delightful glassed-in patio-porch area that suggests warmth even in cooler months...tres romantique, to be sure. But I digress...To the food!
Italian cooking is often very simple. It depends on high-quality ingredients and does not seek to bludgeon fresh tastes with heavy spices. As an example of this, consider the antipasti misti to start, with the excellent "unwrapped" mozzarella that just oozes off of your fork. Combined with high-quality olive oil and prosciutto, there is a lovely balance of creamy, salty, and savory that does not want for more flashy flavors of garlic, oregano, rosemary, or basil...there's enough here. Feng shui your menu, diners.
Our pasta dish was similarly nuanced and subtle. Homemade gnocchi tells you in itself where Luciano wants to go with his food: fresh, handmade, soft, comforting, about timelessness rather than nouveau trends. One of the essences of the old-world home, gnocchi (along with risotto, also on the menu) is humble peasant food, defiantly un-modern and impractical (dating to Roman times), totally dependent on freshness for all its graces. It is basic, subtle, and filling. Pasta carbonara, on the other hand, showed off a bit more of a balancing act with stronger flavors: garlic, oregano, black pepper, and parmesan added a bouquet to balance the hearty saltiness of fatty pancetta.
The carbonara was a harbinger of what would happen on the entrees. Luciano goes for balance and nuance without compromising the aesthetic of care with quality ingredients. I was glad to see my filetto al pepe verde listed clearly as "served medium rare;" yes, it must be this way, because the rarer beef flavor has to stand up to the heavier mushroom, pepper, and cream flavors served with it, but also because the pink jus of the beef extrudes into the cream sauce and adds another layer of taste to extend the sensation. This is not easy to do; my wife had a perfectly-prepared veal in a red wine reduction cream sauce, but in this daily special, the cream was a bit too much for the veal's delicate nature (while still being awfully good--as she pointed out, we should be so lucky if that's the worst of Luciano's). Two of the other best dishes appear to be the bruschetta appetizer--this is amazing, not to be missed--and the pasta con salsiccia, where italian sausage is crumbled amongst carrots, garlic, onions, tomatoes, and parmesan to create a delicate, aromatic dish. Pasta with garlic and sausage that is delicate rather than gloopy and heavy--it illustrates once again how important nuance and freshness are to Luciano's.
As far as the pricing, Luciano's is less expensive than many "fine dining" options in Wichita that are far lesser in their food. I cannot believe the Larkspur can get away with what they do at the prices they charge, and Yia Yia's--what pompous emptiness. You'd pay half of what they charge even in Kansas City for food of that quality. Luciano's, however, is a fine-dining bargain because of the method of preparation and freshness of ingredients. It's not a business model easily matched with expectations in this market-- nothing done fast, everything done with care and precision, slow is the modus operandi.
On second thought...maybe a small, unassuming prairie town like Mulvane is just right for this level of simplicity and time spent. I think I like that idea. More slow, more quiet, more poetry are good things. read more