If you’re looking for Tuscany, it’s a triangle-shaped region in northwestern Italy located about thigh-high on the boot.
If you’re looking for a good Italian lunch served quickly, Tuscany is a cozy treasure of a restaurant located on Ryan Street
in Lake Charles.
The former, homeland of composer
Giacomo Puccini and tenor Andrea Bocelli, will serve your needs for
listening pleasure. The
latter, located in the former home of Cedars, a Lebanese
restaurant, will serve your dining needs in much less time than it
takes to travel to Italy, and at a fraction of the cost.
We rolled into Tuscany Italian Restaurant at the launch of lunch hour, bypassed the appetizers and went straight to the lunch
menu, which is served Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. We meant business.
I selected the eggplant parmigiana, which is my custom at any Italian spot. Colleagues Mike Cooper and Laura Heller opted
for the chicken fetuccine alfredo and the manicotti, respectively.
Our first taste, though, went to the
fresh baked rolls brought to our table. Cooper ordered a bowl of alfredo
sauce for dipping;
I thought it an odd choice, but Cooper never complains when I put
my elbows on the table, so I let it pass. Our top-notch
waitress, Kadi — there may have been a heart over the “i” — noted
that the rolls were baked daily on site. They were fresh
and delicious.
Our salads were fresh, ample and flavorful. I particularly enjoyed my dressing, a tomato basil vinegarette, according to Kadi.
My eggplant parm was spectacular, a
wonder in appearance. The marinara sauce was sweet and delightful. If I
were a more strategic
eater, I’d have saved a portion for supper; instead, I downed it
all in a single sitting. I am not ashamed.
Laura found her manicotti “bubbling hot, but very tasty.” She said it had “just the right amount of cheese and sauce.”
Cooper said the chicken itself in his chicken fetuccine alfredo came in a “healthy portion, with plenty of meat.” The chicken,
apart from the sauce, had its own flavor, he said.
The sauce, he said, was creamy but not too rich. The taste, he said, indicated that it was Tuscany’s own special recipe.
“The noodles were great, not overcooked or undercooked. Just right,” he said.
For dessert, I chose the plain cannoli, but there was nothing plain about it. It was sweet and sizable and fresh, right to
the bite.
Cooper and Laura shared the strawberry cheesecake, which Laura described as “delectable.”
“I could have eaten another piece, but I had no room left,” she said. (Too bad for her; I ate what she left of her manicotti.)
Cooper said the cheesecake was fresh and creamy and noted that the “crust crumbled when it needed to.” Good thing, that.
Total ticket, sans tip, was $37.06.
The restaurant site itself is a box,
but the soft yellow walls, exposed ceiling and red furniture gave it a
clean, neat appearance.
Scenes from Italy adorn the walls, and add some cheer and
atmosphere. Chianti bottles helped decorate the entrance way; chianti
is a Tuscany red wine. And our server, Kadi, was the perfect
ambassador for this restaurant: knowledgeable about the menu,
cheerful and helpful.
Here’s my Tuscany Italian Restaurant lunchtime whine: Bring me more.