Restaurant Review: Lucky 32

A few weeks ago I was gifted a meal at Lucky 32 with 19 of my friends. I know, CRAZY! That doesn't really happen does it? Well it did. And usually meals like this bring out all sorts of stress, and anxiety about my meal, and how I might feel the next couple of days. But, it was lunch with friends, and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity. And I am glad I didn't.

I arrived to find they were prepared for me. They already had printed out their gluten free menu and had them on the table ready to go. The rest of my crew of course opted for the regular menu, but I was pleasantly surprised by the options listed. There were several!

Since the meal was free, and well, I could get whatever I wanted, I made it a multiple course meal. I started with salad, and was a bit disappointed when my salad came with an unwrapped cracker on top. I stressed the harmful affects of that cracker resting with my salad, and they quickly whisked it away, and several minutes later came back with a new one apologizing profusely. I then had some incredible tomato soup, that was again, gluten free, and without any crackers. When my main dish arrived, I was full, but had to try a few bites and I can say, the Jambalya was out of this world! It was even better reheated the next day. I should mention that the cornbread they serve on the table, was also gluten free, and was, well, heavenly. It has been a long time since I enjoyed bread with my friends before the meal arrived. I felt almost normal!

The only downfall, which is common, was that there wasn't a dessert option. Well, that and the cracker incident, but hey, they did have a table for 20, and well, I know it isn't an excuse, but they had 3 servers working with us. The poor guy didn't stand a chance. And they fixed the problem without complaint.

I have eaten at Lucky 32 since then, a few times, without incident during the meal or in the days following. I highly recommend it if you want something that isn't a chain and is a little different.

Check out a previous post with their GF menu.

Information
Lucky 32
Web site: http://www.lucky32.com/
7307 Tryon Road, Cary, NC
Between US 1/64 and Kildaire Farm
Hours:
Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Monday 11:15 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 11:15 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Friday & Saturday 11:15 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Phone: 919-233-1632

Lucky 32 - Gluten Free Menu Update

I heard from the General Manager of Lucky 32 in Cary recently. I had previously written about their GF notations on their regular menu and gave the warning that this in fact means "Guilt Free" and NOT Gluten Free.

Lucky 32 does indeed have a Gluten Free menu available upon request and I have placed portions of it below. The menu may have items on it that are actually no longer available but they indicated they do attempt to keep it up to date.

CHILDREN’S MENU:
-Lucky’s Lunch
Turkey, havarti cheese, carrot sticks, and fresh fruit.

-Grilled Chicken
5 oz. of chicken served with creamy mashed potatoes, fresh fruit

-Grilled Salmon
4 oz. of salmon served with creamy mashed potatoes, fresh fruit

SALADS:
-Fresh Roasted Turkey Salad
Slices of both dark and light moist roast turkey meat from all natural free-range birds raised locally for us, sit atop a bed of crisp mixed greens. Bacon, red onions, toasted pecans and Granny Smith apples add brightness and diversity of flavors. The salad is finished with four slices of avocado, blue cheese crumbles and blue cheese dressing.
(NO CRACKERS, BLUE CHEESE CRUMBLES OR BLUE CHEESE DRESSING)

-Citrus Chicken Salad
Bright and complimentary flavors are the hallmark of this delicious salad. Chicken breasts (7 ounce) have been marinated overnight in a mixture of lemon peel, garlic, Dijon mustard, sherry vinegar and herbs. The chicken is grilled, sliced and placed over a bed of mixed greens. Four wedges of fresh pear, green onions and toasted walnut breadcrumbs garnish the plate. Please ask your guest for choice of dressing.
(NO BREAD CRUMBS OR CRACKERS)

-Grilled Salmon Salad
A 4 ounce portion of salmon is placed on top of salad base and served with carrot sticks, a roasted roma half, red onions, capers, a hard boiled egg. Expo garnish is a ramekin of lemon-mustard vinaigrette and a lemon wedge.
(NO CRACKERS)

-Weaver Tuna Salad
Albacore tuna is tossed with diced cucumbers and combined with lemon- mustard vinaigrette. This mixture is served over a bed of salad base and placed in a chilled pasta bowl and served with toasted flat bread, two slices of tomato, carrot match sticks, and a serving of lemon-mustard vinaigrette.
(NO CRACKERS) base is vinegar if a Celiac

-Mixed Green Salad
Our salad base is made with a combination of romaine lettuce and spinach. The salad base is with a tomato wedge, topped with carrot matchsticks, sunflower seeds, and is served with a Parmesan cracker and a choice of dressing.
(NO CRACKERS)

SALAD DRESSINGS:
All of our salad dressings are made at Lucky 32.

-Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette-mayonnaise and sour cream based, flavored with Balsamic vinegar, roasted garlic, Parmesan cheese and herbs

-Buttermilk Herb- similar to a ranch dressing made with sour cream and savory herbs.

-Lemon Mustard Vinaigrette-a tart and flavorful blend of stone ground and spicy brown mustards, red wine vinegar, and fresh lemon juice

-Honey Mustard-a sweet blend of honey, mayonnaise, spicy brown mustard and yellow mustard

-Balsamic Vinegar and Virgin Olive Oil

-Warm Bacon Vinaigrette-This vinaigrette is made with sautéed shallots, Old Smokehouse Bacon, mustard, balsamic vinegar olive oil, a touch of honey, brown sugar and salt and pepper.

CHICKEN & BEEF:
-Roast Half Chicken
An entire half chicken is slow roasted then finished in the bake oven to crisp up the crust. It is served on a large round plate with creamy mashed potatoes and fresh vegetable.

-Russian River Chicken
A breast of springer mountain free farmed chicken is marinated in oil, parsley, thyme, oregano, basil and sage. Topped with goat lady Chevre crumbles and olive oil. With fried spinach on Top. Served with mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetable.
(NO FRIED SPINACH)

-Grilled Ribeye
A 10-oz. Niman RanchÒ Beef Ribeye (14 oz at dinner) is seasoned and grilled to temperature. The Ribeye is served with fries at lunch and creamy mashed potatoes at dinner. It is served on a large round plate with a steak knife on right side of plate. A mixed green salad is served at dinner.
NO FRIES DUE TO OIL BEING FRIED WITH GLUTEN

SEAFOOD:
Grilled Salmon
-A salmon fillet (6 oz at lunch/8 oz at dinner) is seasoned with salt and pepper and then grilled to order. We offer a choice of toppings that include; lemon caper butter, corn relish, herbed cucumber sauce, Creole mayonnaise, bourbon butter and any special toppings from the special menu. The salmon is served with fresh vegetable and creamy grits and garnished with a lemon wedge at expo. A mixed green salad is served at dinner.

-Salmon and Chef’s Selection Toppings and Optional Cooking Methods:
Bourbon Butter-butter, bourbon and green onions
Corn Relish- Our Corn Relish is a mixture of sweet corn, jalapeno peppers, roasted tomatoes, red onion, fresh garlic, lime juice, fresh cilantro, ground cumin and olive oil marinated overnight before served.
Lemon Caper Butter-butter, capers and lemon juice
Herbed Cucumber Sauce-yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, lemon juice, cilantro, mint and kosher salt
Cajun Grilled-seasoned with Cajun spices and cooked on our wood fired grill
Blackened- brushed with oil, seasoned with Cajun spices and cooked on a cast iron grill top

SIDE ORDERS:
-Fresh Vegetables
4-oz. of steamed vegetables (seasonal), tossed with butter, salt and pepper.

-Roasted Vegetables
4-oz. of vegetables (yellow squash, zucchini, red onions, & cremini mushrooms) tossed with salt, pepper, oregano leaves, garlic, and dry rosemary, then roasted.

-Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Skin-on Idaho potatoes are baked and mashed until creamy with butter, whole milk and salt.

BRUNCH:
-Cure 81 Ham and Cheddar Omelet
Sauté a three-egg omelet with 3-oz. of diced Cure 81 ham and 1-1/2 oz. of cheddar cheese. The omelet is served with hash browns. Expo places seasonal fruit garnish.

-Vegetarian Omelet
Sauté a three-egg omelet with diced green bell pepper, red onions, tomatoes, avocado, and cheddar cheese. . The omelet is served with hash browns. Topped with salsa, guacamole and sour cream.

-Old Smokehouse Bacon and Cheddar Omelet
Sauté A three-egg omelet with 3-oz. of diced cooked bacon and 1-1/2 oz of cheddar cheese. The omelet is served with hash browns.

-Crustless Quiche
Bake 6-oz. of egg mixture in a casserole dish with Swiss, cheddar cheese, spinach leaves, onions and baked until golden. It’s served with hash browns and brunch garnish.

-Steak and Eggs
Grill An 8 oz sirloin is grilled to order. It is served with two scrambled eggs, hash browns and brunch garnish.

BRUNCH SIDES:
-Old Smokehouse Bacon
Four slices of crispy bacon. BRUNCH ONLY

-Hash browns
¾ cup mixture of potatoes, butter, salt and black pepper. BRUNCH ONLY

I will be following up with Lucky 32 as some of their items (which I have excluded here) had Blue Cheese.

ENJOY!

WORD OF CAUTION - Lucky 32 in Cary

I have received some emails about Lucky 32 in Cary offering a Gluten Free menu option. I had been to the location in Raleigh a few years ago before it closed and always liked the food so I decided to do a little digging.

The following is a warning about what I found out about Lucky 32's menu as well as information given to me by their Executive Chef, Jay Pierce.

If you have been to this restaurant in the past, you may have noticed something interesting about their menu. See the following webpage for yourself. Beside some of the menu choices are little GF logos. Somebody like myself automatically assumed that meant Gluten Free, right? WRONG. If you look down at the fine print you will see the following.

GF - Say "Guilt Free" and we'll modify the receipe to reduce sodium and fat. For other special dietary needs, please inform your server.

YIKES - as you can see from this, GF is not Gluten Free at Lucky 32. Once I saw this I contacted Jay to inquire further. I would hate for any people trying to order Gluten Free to be misled. Jay's prompt response is below...

From: Jay Pierce jpierce@qwrh.com
Date: Sun, Sep 14, 2008 at 10:13 PM
Subject: RE: Gluten Free Question
To: GlutenFree Raleigh glutenfreeraleigh@gmail.com

Thank you so much for your email. We do train our staff to offer gluten-free options on menus, because we do have recipes on hand for everything that is made in house, and most things are. We will not call anything gluten free that contains wheat, soy sauce or mustard, which I learned from a celiac-centric web site causes problems for some folks but not all.

As for our GF designation, I will definitely run your suggestion up the ladder. I do know that the symbol you are referring to is a registered trademark that we have been using for quite a few years to designate items lower in sodium and fat.

Once again, thanks for your observations, and feel free to asks questions about menu items of our good folks there in Cary when dining in, or email me when planning a trip there; I’d love to help out.

Jay Pierce
Executive Chef
Lucky 32
1421 Westover Terrace
Greensboro, NC 27408
p: 336-370-0707
f: 336-574-0037
jpierce@qwrh.com
www.lucky32.com

So there you have it. As I always recommend, proceed with caution at ANY restaurant, even the ones that have GF all over their menu.