Take a trip through this hidden gem in our slideshow of Lucio's kitchen, dining room and fabulous patio.
905 Taft
Houston, TX 77019
Category: Restaurant > American
Region: River Oaks
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Just when you think you know a neighborhood and just when you think you've uncovered every stone there is to pluck up and examine, Houston surprises you. It's one of the endlessly thrilling things about living in this city, one that's so full of treasures and so spoiled for choice that you can't possibly ever know all of its secrets and wonders. At least, that's how I felt the first time I walked into Lucio's BYOB a few weeks ago.
I left surprised at how I'd managed to overlook the restaurant all this time — despite its welcoming sign encouraging customers to bring their own wine, despite its location next to now-closed Gravitas and despite my having lived only a few blocks away for the last few years. Such is the power of a perfectly cooked bronzino, stuffed with oranges and shining with a summery-sweet hibiscus glaze that hummed with the musky, floral flavors of jamaica tea. It was fileted tableside with understated but expert precision by a smiling waiter in full uniform who had, an hour before, happily uncorked the bottle of 2009 Barbera del Monferrato my colleague had brought with us to dinner — a bottle that had landed us at Lucio's in the first place.
No one wants to waste an exciting bottle of wine on a BYOB place with lousy, cheap food. And most people don't want to pay an exorbitantly high corkage fee, either. Finding a happy medium between the two can be difficult, but that's where Lucio's comes in. Scanning the BYOB listings for a good dinner option, I was surprised to see the little Montrose restaurant pop up with consistently high reviews from sites like B4-U-Eat and Urbanspoon. Lucio's has been open since 2007 but has received little attention in the press, and I rarely if ever hear it mentioned among friends or peers.
Imagine my surprise when my colleague and I walked away enamored of not only the food — including a pillowy, deeply vegetal, terrifically tangy spinach dip with hot puffs of fried pita that will make you rethink the gloppy stuff you buy at Costco by the tub — but the charming service and the elegant patio that beckoned me back for another visit, a visit that came only a few short days later, since I simply couldn't wait to get back.
_____________________I walked into my managing editor's office the next day and plonked a bottle of cabernet down on her desk. "I have to take you to Lucio's," I beamed at her. She did not resist, and the very next night we were seated on the chic patio — only seven months old — with fans and misters keeping the humid weather at bay and each table set upon its own stone block amid a field of well-manicured gray rocks, the whole scene striking against the wooden walls and copper-colored sculpture of thick steel squares that blocks the view onto Taft.
Like the new patio, Lucio's also has a relatively new wine list. Until recently, it was fully BYOB, but now it has a well-edited one-page selection with five wines by the glass. But the main attraction here — aside from the food — still seems to be the fact that wine geeks have found a quiet, off-the-beaten-path place to come and enjoy their spoils alongside truly well-made food.
The fact that Lucio's is so off the beaten path is what drew chef Brett Maesch to the restaurant shortly after owner John Sjoberg opened it six years ago.
"The place is small, it's quaint, it's only known by word of mouth," Maesch said on the phone one afternoon, soft-spoken and determinedly unassuming. "'The hidden treasure,' 'diamond in the rough,'" he laughed. "We've heard so many different expressions. But I wouldn't consider us a diamond in the rough by any means, especially if you've seen the patio that John's created here."
Like that elegant patio, Lucio's food also speaks to an understated confidence, whether in a perfectly roasted chicken with salty, crispy skin over a plush bed of pureed yams or a simple dinner of roasted vegetables — whole carrots with their tops still on lined up alongside "risotto" made from soft, pearlescent grains of barley and a formation of bright green asparagus positioned among other root vegetables on a broad plate. It may be only a plate of vegetables, but it's beautiful.
The same can be said for its heirloom tomato salad, a refined assortment of harvest gold, hunter green and blood-red tomatoes alternating with fat slices of fresh mozzarella cheese under a curiously light yet smoky tomato dressing. A house-cured tuna sashimi appetizer dazzles with a seared crust of pink peppercorns and lavender. Soups range from a roasted cauliflower with the warm depth of browned butter to a roasted red pepper cut with a sharp and colorful handful of curry powder. It's all quite simple stuff, but that's the allure.
"The food speaks for itself," said Maesch, who's been cooking for 17 years and often incorporates his classical French background into the food, while keeping the plating unstuffy and the flavors clean. He doesn't seem concerned with overt national trends like locavorism, nor with crowning his dishes in unnecessary extravagance like fried eggs or pork bellies. Instead, he likes to showcase his simple Midwestern background in dishes like Lucio's popular smoked duck breast with roasted beets and an apple-hickory consommé that sings with the hum of cider vinegar.
Lucio’s BYOB & Grill is a New American inspired BYOB, located on Taft Street near the heart of Houston. Owner John Sjoberg, and chef Brett Maeschand his team prepare a menu focused on the season, respecting French traditions along with classic and modern techniques to build a dining experience that evokes entertainment, excitement, and satisfaction. We love the charming service and recommend the beautiful patio for dining al fresco for the perfect romantic evening.
Leaving Lucio's was the hardest part about moving from Montrose. My husband and I had the best date nights strolling over there, enjoying a leisurely meal, drinking too much wine since it is BYOB, and finding our way home again, relaxed and sated after a hard week of work. The service is always excellent, the roast duck in amazing, whatever they have on special, get it! It's also an excellent place to go for special occasions with a group, I really can't tell you how much we miss being regulars there.
Would know how the food was. We spent two hours waiting after we ordered and finally approached the manager and he said the ovens didnt work. Thanks for letting us know two hours later. Will never go back.
I cannot believe you had never been there until recently. Great food and great service. It's been too long since we have been, but it is usually a staple when family comes home around the holidays.
true, not sure if i've normally seen interviews inside reviews before or not. getting too cozy with chef might spoil the impartiality, but katherine's reply makes sense. its a lil unclear in the article
If you'll note in the review itself, I interviewed the chef by phone. This was after the three visits that I paid to the restaurant, anonymously (at least, I was anonymous as far as I could glean...). So in answer to your question, yes -- these are "review reviews," although we've never employed a star system here at the paper. Our casual write-ups of restaurants are found at our food blog, Eating Our Words.
Kinda new around these parts... just wondering, are these articles supposed to be like "Review"s reviews, or more like casual write-ups? I'm guessing the latter, since there is no rating system and the writer is even interviewing the staff during the "review"?
I am a regular and I'm glad to see this place getting more press. It's so good! The new patio is beautiful.
Wanna know why you've never heard of Lucio's? Because people who've been going there for years know that it's too good to share. Some things in life you want to keep for yourself.
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