What do you get when you put a Dunkin, a nail salon, an engineering consultant, and a NYC-vibe…read morerestaurant into a suburban strip mall? I can't speak for the first three. But the last one? One hell of a restaurant.
By all accounts, a seasonally driven, high-end Italian spot taking 11pm reservations on a Saturday shouldn't exist, let alone thrive, off Route 33. But La Lupa defies the odds and delivers a full-on sucker punch to your taste buds.
After finally landing a birthday reservation, my wife and I grabbed a great bottle (thank G-d for BYOB) and made the trip to a place everyone we know has been hyping. Even though our table wasn't ready, La Lupa made an immediate impression: warm welcome, offered to pour our wine while we waited, easy conversation, genuine interest. It set the tone for what might be the best hospitality I've ever experienced.
Once seated at the chef's counter, our server walked us through the menu and delivered the specials with as much detail and passion as a thespian recites Hamlet's "To Be or Not To Be".
Here's how the meal shook out:
Market Crudo (Salmon) - Not traditionally Italian, but the fatty salmon with yuzu and soy was bright, balanced, and a perfect opener.
Roman Gnocchi -Heavenly. Full Stop. If Helen's face could launch 1000 ships, this single dish would send the rest of the Greek army to battle. A gnocchi made without potatoes and the perfect elevation of what originally was a peasant dish into something sublime and worthy of a James Beard award. The umami from the mushrooms and brown butter combined with the soft pillowy texture of the semolina dumpling is exquisite and I already know will be one of the best bites I will have all year and its' only April.
Tonelli - Leek-forward to a fault. After the gnocchi, this fell flat. The concept is there, but the pasta skewed undercooked and the dish needed something to tie it together.
Skirt Steak - A Snake River Farm piece of meat grilled over a binchotan grill...don't mind if I do. Cooked to a perfect medium rare, the chef was able to respect the protein and highlight the beautiful marbling that makes this cut so yumcious.
Brussels Sprouts - Not officially a thing (yet), but these should be called Italian Kung Pao sprouts. Hazelnuts for crunch, agrodolce for sweet tang, perfectly cooked. It works.
Cacio e Pepe Potatoes - Crisp at dinner but needed more sauce. Reheated, they softened but the flavor came through more. Jury's still out.
Was every dish flawless? No. It ranged from good to exceptional. But the service? Bar none, one of the best I've ever had.
They've nailed a rare balance: food that could hold its own in a stuffy, pretentious dining room, paired with service that feels like your favorite neighborhood bar. I dropped a napkin--before I could react, it was replaced. Wine was decanted and poured without asking. The staff matched my energy, diving as deep into food talk as I wanted, clearly as excited as we were.
If the T-Birds from Grease went into hospitality, this is what it would look like. You can't fake that kind of passion.
Most places you try once and return for the service. At La Lupa, you come back for both.
We already booked our return visit for our anniversary.
