Restaurant Review: Lucio's BYOB & Grill...

So last Friday night we ventured out for another date night with our dear friends Scott & Ruth.  We decided to choose somewhere new and came up with Lucio's BYOB & Grill located on Taft near W. Dallas in the Montrose area of Houston.  Needless to say we were very excited about trying something different and especially favored the BYOB aspect of the evening. 

Our Guest Food Critics for the Evening in front of their lovely Heights Bungalow

First we had a drink on the veranda at Tony Mandola's new place on Waugh Drive.  There was a nice breeze coming in from some early Tropical Storm outer strands and the drinks were made perfectly.  Then on to Lucio's for supper.  We were seated near the rear of the restaurant in a nice 4-top.  Nice warm bread was delivered and the waiter came by for introductions and to remedy our cork issue for a very reasonable $5/bottle fee.

Tony Mandola's Veranda...yes, I wore those pants one more time before Labor Day!

Then came appetizers of crab cakes, tuna tartar and spinach dip served with fried pita chips.  We though it was all good but certainly not over the top.  The web reviews raved over the crab cakes which did not hold up true in my opinion.  The best part were the thick, golden brown, hot fried pita chips!

The Critic Crew

This is where the service part of the review slowed way down.  As suggested in the web reviews, the service, although very congenial and talkative, is very slow at times.  They obviously don't mean to turn your table, giving you ample time to visit and enjoy your wine.  If you're trying to get a bite and then get home to catch the end of the football game, you're in the wrong place.  The menu is somewhat all over the place with very odd, lengthy names for each dish.  Jen had something bacon wrapped, Scott had some ravioli type pasta that looked more like dumplings, Ruthie took on the U10 Scallops and I had "The Duck" with a side of vermicelli.  All was good, but the food was nothing to write home about and certainly does not rank as something I would order again.  The shining star though was Ruthie proclaiming the Scallops as "Delish!"

Extreme Scotty made a funny!

Our delightfully nice and complimentary Creme Brulee

Although dessert was not ordered, our very nice, but slow, attendant brought us a complimentary Creme Brulee, which was excellent and a really nice gesture.  After downing our last sips of BYOB wine, we took our leave.  As for the finality of this review, I have to say that the best part of the evening was our dear friends, who make anywhere we go and anything we eat fun and memorable.  The restaurant was alright, located centrally with a very nice and cozy atmosphere.  But with all the truly fantastic restaurants in Houston, Lucio's in not high on our list.  If Lucio's were in Brenham, Texas, it would be the best place in town.  But stuck in the middle of Houston's restaurant mecca at about $93/couple after gratuity, it's probably not going to get our return business.