Cooke Douglass Farr Lemons | Architects & Engineers PA
In the Press
In the Press
Delicious Lüke on the Riverwalk
lotsayum.com/2010/12/01/delicious-luke-on-the-riverwalk/Cynthia McKenna, December 1, 2010
Joint Venture with Shea Lemons Berault with Evangeline Designs.
Beautiful Setting
Wood floors, high ceilings, great views; the space at Lüke is just as delicious as the food. The dining room is well-lit and feels spacious even when every table is full. There is a long welcoming bar that runs almost the length of the downstairs. Up a pretty staircase (or elevator) there is a second floor that offers views of the river, waterfalls, or downtown. The best seats are upstairs where you can sit in front of big glass windows and peer into the kitchen. That’s where I want to sit, to watch Chef McHugh and his team in action.
Beautiful Food
Like many people outside of New Orleans, I hadn’t heard of Chef John Besh before The Next Iron Chef and I was cheering for him to win. I wonder if San Antonio would’ve gotten Lüke if Chef Besh was doing Food Network programs. Food Network’s loss is San Antonio’s gain. Lüke is a real gem in San Antonio. Chef Besh isn’t in the kitchen but the incredibly talented, and Culinary Institute of America trained, Chef Steven McHugh is there. Chef McHugh has been with Besh restaurants since 2003 and was the executive chef at August and then Lüke in New Orleans before coming to San Antonio. The food is reflective of his professional training and experience – it’s really good food.
Beautiful Service
The staff is still really excited about the restaurant and it shows in their attention, friendly attitude, and just plain excitement about the dishes. They are positively bubbly about which dishes they like. The woman who was waiting on our table understood the preparations and easily explained each dish, which is a huge plus in my book. Note to other restaurant owners, this is how it’s done. Teach your staff about each dish, and let them taste everything so they can help customers make informed choices.
What we ate:
- Rabbit and quail liver pate –perfumed with truffle and served with thinly sliced “country bread croutons”. Beautifully prepared, huge serving for the price. If you like pate you’ll love this.
- Fried quail with a spicy breading, served with ranch dressing and honey for dipping. I’ve never dipped fried quail before but the sauces really added to the flavors in the quail.
- Shrimp in a cup, almost like tempura fried shrimp but spicy and drizzled with a delicious cream sauce
- Moules et frites – very good though many of the mussels were gritty. I’d still order this again, but next time, I’ll eat it carefully to avoid the sand and shell bits I got.
- Redfish amandine – beautiful fish cooked perfectly with a browned butter sauce
- Shrimp “en cocotte” – That’s shrimp ‘n grits in Texas! This was the best dish, besides the pate. The grits are from McEwen & Sons http://www.mcewenandsons.com and are prepared with mascarpone and lots of butter, andouille sausage, but not too much, and some spicy shrimp combine to make the best shrimp & grits I’ve ever tasted. I will go back for this dish again and again. In fact, I might buy the cookbook just for this recipe, it’s that good.