Doesn't Recommend

SteveWilson

Joined 5 years ago

What a Joke!!. Hate to rate a "1" but what a rude staff!!! I'll never return and don't even think about going here...there are too many places in town where the restaurant really cares and doesn't just want you money. F-

Recommends

happyinmn

Joined 2 years ago

Great Ambiance!. Loved this place when it used to Loring Cafe, so very happy to see the vibe has remained the same! The best part is the patio during the summer, great view and perfect atmosphere!

Recommends

Mogadishu

Joined 3 years ago

Great place for a large party. My boyfriend and I hosted a going away gathering here on a Sunday evening. We didn't notify anyone at Lurcat that we would be there, and about 30 people ended up showing up for drinks and appetizers. Our one waitress served us all and did so like it was the most natural thing to do. She kept track of everyone's individual orders and didn't make any mix-ups. We were so impressed! She was awesome, the food was awesome and so were the free flowing drinks.

If you want to host a large party, Lurcat is the place. Loungy, comfortable, spacious and you will be taken care of well.

Recommends

Bobak

Joined 3 years ago

For the level its trying for, this restaurant is average. I've been a foodie in the Twin Cities for years now, and I opted to give Cafe Lurcat another try (I've visited several times over the years). I honestly don't get it, this restaurant (by the D'Amico company) tries to be an upscale restaurant, but it isn't particularly good at anything.

The food is above average for a restaurant of this type (as an experienced local, there are much better in Minneapolis, but you can look them up).

The service was lackluster. I've been to various Michelin starred restaurants elsewhere, and you can tell when you have a server that (1) knows the menu well, (2) cares about your experience, and (3) orchestrates the meal well. Our server only showed competence in (1), the other two categories were markedly inferior. Now, perhaps it wouldn't be fair to compare to the best restaurants in the world, but I've seen servers at various restaurants in the Twin Cities that also score well in all three categories. The best word for our server (and her associated help) was plastic: The attitude towards our well-dressed group of professionals was "Would you just order now?" and there was very, very little follow up (and she kept forgetting things). Just unacceptable for a restaurant at this level.

The real kicker is their valet, who crashed my car. Yes, you're reading right --that's thousands in damage. I then got hassled by the parking manager who tried to con me into using a different estimate than my own after I did what he asked and got me one. Thank god I know my rights. Normally I wouldn't fault the restaurant too much for this ruining experience, but that changed when the restaurant called me a week later assuming things had been resolved --which it hadn't yet. That's what we call poor homework and a restaurant that is trying to connect the dots without any genuine thought.

With the closure of D'Amico Cucina and the so-so brunch they have at their hotel restaurant (D'Amico Kitchen), I thought Cafe Lurcat would the D'Amico companies' jewel. I was wrong. Go elsewhere --there are plenty of good options if you look around on this site or elsewhere.

Doesn't Recommend

CSMobileUser

Joined 5 years ago

Ouch, that hurt. Bad!. Overpriced, shmoozy, nothing special. Service was mediocre, food choices Very limited and nothing for vegetarians. I had an issue with my meal and the manager came over, after schmoozing some more-important-then us kind of people, and I'm pretty sure she gave me attitude. Ouch that hurt. I will never return nor will any of my friends,family, or anyone I can possibly stop from making this awful mistake. Ouch that hurt my wallet, stomach and possibly this restra

hat hurt.

Recommends

luxuryeditionmpls

Joined 6 years ago

Has potential. Nice ambiance, fantastic wine selection, and wonderful food- I would definitely recommend cafe Lurcat and will absolutely go again for these reasons. However, the service was mediocre- the waitress that served us was rather disheveled and actually brought my fiance and I another couple?s appetizer!

Doesn't Recommend

krecreane

Joined 7 years ago

I'm never going back!. Uh-uh..I won't be going back!

$28 for 6 prawns, and one of them is mealy,mushy, inedibly? Not that that isn't bound to happen with shrimp...it's just that when I told the waiter (who was EXCELLENT!) and he told the chef -- I was told that mushy, mealy, inedible shrimp happens when shrimp is steamed/sauteed in the manner it was (though somehow the others ecaped the one's fate).

Now, I was just telling the chef cuz I thought perhaps he/she'd want to take a look-smell at the product being used. Nary a "sorry", nor a "can we get you something else?" was forthcoming. And actually, it was my 5th of 6 prawns and I wasn't looking for free stuff or bowwing/scraping ... yet to be told that a nasty, slimy-to-the-touch shrimp was part of the design of the dish was disconcerting and condescending.

Recommends

fundies

Joined 6 years ago

Food is good but expensive. I miss the old Loring!. If you're missing the old Loring Cafe and think that Lurcat might be a reasonable substitute, you're wrong. While the few foods I've tried here have been quite good (tiny hamburgers; addictive fried puffy cheese ball things), it's quite expensive and the ambiance is stuffy and uncomfortable.

Recommends

romyschinker

Joined 6 years ago

All the right stuff. I took my sister and her husband to lurcat and had a wonderful time.The food was wonderful as was the service We took our time laughed and enjoyed never did the service lax no one told us that they needed the table.I know that you should eat and free up the table but somtimes you just want to sit. Thanks Lurcat!

Recommends

Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Everything's new at the former funky Loring: D'Amico-style, chic decor, brand-conscious clientele and contemporary comfort cuisine.. In Short
Views of Loring Park and the Walker from Cafe Lurcat's floor-to-ceiling windows are some of the Cities' finest. The D'Amico touch is New York chic: diners dressed in black and white accents (lampshades, linens and chair covers) throughout. Service is casual and efficient, but sometimes confused. It's all about artisanal ingredients and simple presentation. The melted Brie and smoked ham crepe is paired sweetly with cool, pulpy figs. Oven roasting sears moistness into miso-marinated sea bass while a lamb porterhouse is succulent and juicy.