LUCE - Portland 2016

Marlena Williams is a beloved kindred spirit of mine besides being a magical human being she is also a real Portlandian. Therefore she knows where it's at in cool town Portland, like Luce . 

What a place! Luce is hands down one of my favorites places in the world. Luce serves  authentic Italian, like the soup your friends Italian grandmothers make, I say this because growing up I had lots, and I mean  LOTS of Italian friends & one in particular loved taking me to her grandmother's house(beach house too) for lunch or dinner & the food was always so memorable & delicious. 

This is how I define Luce. Authentic Italian food like your Italian friends grandmother serves you when you visit. 

Luce's smart beautifully designed interior is the dreamie  kitchen/ dining space you imagine in your mind for your house. The energy of the space is light, (much like its name). The word 'clarity' is prominent when defining the space too, intimate, welcoming & unique. There's half a wall covered with Italian wines, open windows illuminate literally everything in the square black / white tiled space & my fave, a centerpiece glass bench cabinet breaks up the dining space from the kitchen, it reminds me of old café bistros in Rome, Italy. I hope to meet the owners one day & ask them all about it. I could talk on & on about Luce, it truly is a magnificent place & it fulfilled my dining out dreams. 

So in the mean time, before your Luce experience, close your eyes & picture this....

You're sitting at a wooden table, fettuccine with wild mushrooms served on the table, a glass of Malvasia, a buttermilk panna cotta to follow maybe you're alone or not, candle light or sunlight, your heart is smiling, the flavour & aromas are fresh & real, you feel like you're floating in a cloud, a warm cloud.   It like that peace you feel when you meditate or the perfect ski down a power slope, the smooth wave you're cruising on that is Luce, bliss. 

Luce, 2140 E Burnside St, Portland, Oregon