Lunch at Luca’s Mediterranean Cafe in Keene, NH

Luca’s Mediterranean Cafe has a small and cozy outdoor patio in the summer, along with (2) comfortable indoor dining rooms year round. The food is amazing and the wine list is no slouch.

It's Thursday and I find myself in need of a trip to Keene, NH to pick out some blinds for the house. Of course, lunchtime arrives, and my companion and I choose from the many fine options in Keene - Luca's Mediterranean Cafe on Central Square. The owner, Luca Paris, is very familiar to me. Not only has he been in business in Keene since 2000, but he has also competed, and won, on the Food Network's "Guy's Grocery Games", as well as made other cameos on the Network. Yet as I approach the restaurant, here is is, greeting lunch guests, pouring water, handing out menus and reciting lunch specials, as well as working the crowd. I have a good feeling about this already. If the owner is this involved, then things are gonna be good.

Luca hands us a drink menu, a lunch menu, and a tapas menu and all are loaded with delicious-sounding items. We order a cold drink and immediately gravitate towards the tapas menu. It is hot outside and a few small tasty bites sound about perfect. We decide on three dishes -- a homemade mozzarella coated in crushed almonds and pan-fried, with fire-roasted tomatoes, arugula and a basil pesto. It is as good as it looks.

House-made mozzarella is coated with almonds then pan-fried until melty and delicious. Topped with roasted tomato, arugula and basil pesto. Eat this first while it is still hot!

For our next dish, we choose (2) duck confit tacos on mini-tandoori bread with brie, pickled veggies and mixed greens. The first bite is good, but once you reach the part with the cheese it gets pretty amazing. Total winner, the pickled veggies make it.

This duck confit street taco tastes as good as it looks. Get one for yourself, you will not want to share it!

What the heck, let's try one more dish! We decide to share the braised lamb lettuce wraps with pickled red onion, tzatziki, feta cheese and butter bibb lettuce. Today it is on Romaine as they are out of bibb lettuce, but it does not take away from the amazing flavor profile. Again, delicious!

Braised lamb lettuce wraps with tzatziki, feta, pickled veggies and romaine. Light and incredibly flavorful.

We are comfortably full by now, but we look at a dessert menu, because looking never hurt anyone, right? One item gets our attention -- they serve 4 or 5 types of gelato in the skin of the fruit they are made of, and the waitress mentions she has never seen the coconut gelato served in the coconut shell. She is new, and said she is dying to see it! So our good deed of the day is to order one and have her check it out! Not only does she get to see ours, but Luca takes one out for the kitchen staff to share so that they can explain it better. It is cool and refreshing, but one or two bites is all I got left. I can't find my photo of this, and it really did not photograph that well (lots of white), but it was smooth, cool, with little bites of shaved coconut all in a coconut shell. Choose from mango, pineapple, etc. You can't go wrong.

We then head off to do more errands, but boy, if you are anywhere near Keene, NH, give Luca's a try. I feel pretty confident in this recommendation. Luca will probably be there, I obvserve him greeting guests, passing out menus, reciting specials, serving food, tending bar and cleaning the coffee station. Total hands-on guy, which is always a key to a well-run restaurant. I'll be back soon.