Lupa

The key to eating at Lupa is communal dining.  Everyone should share.  The long wooden tables in the front room, the long bar presents itself for an evening like that.  When you walk in, it is as you have just entered the local eating establishment somewhere in Italy.  Sharing is the key here.  Many bottles of wine and lots of antipastos and perhaps pastas. 

I have been to Lupa a variety of times and have finally learned.  You can obviously order the antipasto, the first course (salad or pasta) and then the second course and then dessert if you want.  I have never found the main courses to be anything out of the extraordinary.  The special last night was sea bass.  Poached and served over a broth and vegetables.  Not that interesting.  Actually not that tasty and not that good.  2 people had the duck which was ok, not great but certainly crispy like I like it.  The other entree was the pork shoulder which looked stringy and dry.  Someone had the clam pasta which was perfect. 

We started with a variety of tastes.  Salami and cheeses..always good here.  I had a delicious salad of thinly sliced crimini mushrooms and fennel.  Someone else had the special pasta of the day which was top.  Papparadella pasta with a braised lamb sauce.  Yummy!  The others got the eggplant caponata which was perfect and the beets with goat curd.  More of the starters would have been better.

We sat in the backroom which is quieter and a bit more intimate.  Next time, I come with a group, I’m ordering all the starters and a few rounds of pasta, some big hearty red wines.  This included with great conversation is the key to Lupa and probably the reason they have continued success.