Since 1987, when Thierry Rautureau first took over Rover’s, it has been the fine dining establishment of choice for many Seattleites. Now, in recognition of the straitened circumstances of some of his loyal diners, Rautureau will offer more casual (read lower-priced) French food at his new eatery Luc.
Here is Rautureau’s description of Luc in an email to Rover’s customers: “Named after my late father: Luc. More casual than Rover’s, LUC is a Bar/Kitchen/Luc 2 Go in the heart of Madison Valley.”
The space is dominated by a large bar (which was built from the remains of Rautureau’s old porch) and a back room and counter that peer into an open kitchen. The chairs are made of rattan and rilsan, common in bistros and cafes all across France. The food offerings range from standard French bistro fare such as an aioli beef burger with fries to more exotic Middle Eastern influenced fare spiced with harissa and saffron. Luc opens its doors to the public today at 4 pm. It is located at the Northeast corner of Madison Street and 28th Ave E, adjacent to Rover’s. Call 206.325.7442 to see if you can score a reservation.
Peeked in the windows yesterday, and it looks very nice inside. There are a lot of nice looking sides on the menu too, that seem like they’ll work well as small plates / snacks. Combine this with the bar being a pretty good sized space in the restaurant, and we may now have a good bar / snacks hang here at the bottom of the valley :-)
It would be great if someone could post a menu online!
The food was good, but the drinks (even the non-alcoholic kid drinks) ridiculously expensive. Dinner for 3 with sodas, and 1 of us eating only appetizers, was $120. That’s for 2 entrees and 2 appetizers. No extras, no dessert. Pricey, loud, and teeny portions (the steak strips appetizer = 4 tiny pieces of beef, about the size of a nickle, on tooth picks. The entire dish could fit in the palm of my hand and I have small hands.). I suppose it’s nice alternative to Rover’s, but it is not at all in the range of “affordable” dining.