Originally from Ischia, an Italian island off the coast of Naples, owner Augusto Conte came to Charlotte in 1995. Starting with Conte’s, which was located on Selwyn Avenue, where soon-to-be-closing Nolen Kitchen is located, Augusto has started a host of successful Italian restaurants – each uniquely different. His current restaurants include Toscana, Malabar, Mezzanotte, Via Roma in Waverly, and Luce which has been open for over 20 years.
Since Luce is one of Augusto’s longest-running restaurant to date, we decided to head there before we went to the Broadway play, Hamilton, at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. If you haven’t taken advantage of the shows which come to Blumenthal, we highly recommend doing so sometime. We have season tickets and thoroughly enjoy having an excuse to head up town once a month for a great meal and a show afterward.
Luce is located in the heart of the Hearst Tower directly across from from the Blumethal performing artscenter. We love sitting outside where you can see some of Uptown’s towers rising into the sky. With the sounds of cars traveling the nearby streets, it makes you feel as if you are in a large urban setting. If you have ever been to Italy, having dinner on the patio on a nice spring or fall evening will transport you back to those great Italian street side restaurants. And if you choose to eat inside, you will find a very warm and inviting atmosphere. This is emphasized by the friendly, attentive staff. Over the years, the servers who have waited on us have been very knowledgeable about the menu and about food in general. The manager, Tony, is very pleasant and proactive - regularly checking on the guests.
On our most recent evening at Luce, I had the Scallapine di Vitella a Piacere Beth the Pesce di Giorno, and both of our dishes were excellent.
Luce has an extensive wine selection from which to choose. We have found the servers to be pretty knowledgeable about the list for those who may want help picking out the perfect wine to accompany their meal.
As we have written in previous reviews, when a restaurant can operate successfully for longer than 20 years in Charlotte, then it has to be doing something right. And Luce is no exception.
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