Lucini Italia Co.
If someone asked me what my favorite restaurant of my life is up to now, I would say Adesso Restaurant in Providence, RI without skipping a beat. Growing up we spent many Friday or Saturday nights as a family there for dinner. If I could go there today I know exactly what I would order… their four cheese pizza for the table to share, the Blaise salad, gnocchi in a pink vodka sauce, and end with the mascarpone dessert (mascarpone studded with chocolate and topped with a crushed amoretto cookie).
Unfortunately, the restaurant closed a few years ago.
Now would be the point where I would say that all good things come to an end, but luckily for me, they just need new beginnings. I recently received some Lucini Italia products for free to sample and review, and I did not know which product to try first! I was sent olive oil, salad dressings, flavored balsamic vinegars, and pasta sauce.*** Before I had a chance to sample any of the items, I went off to the Foodbuzz Festival in San Francisco.
When I got back I finally decided that I would make myself a bowl of spaghetti with Lucini’s pink vodka sauce for lunch that Monday since we were out of groceries. However, when I went to find the jar I saw it was missing!
Their products are that good.
Over a few weeks I sampled various Lucini items, from the Fig Walnut Savory Artisan Balsamic Vinaigrette (which is the perfect dressing for a spinach and walnut salad) to the Rustic Tomato Vodka Sauce, our second jar since PhillyBoy flew through the first one while I was away. Can you believe our local Whole Foods just started carrying Lucini products?! I am very excited.
I have been trying for years to replicate Adesso Restaurant’s pink vodka sauce so I could recreate their gnocchi dish at home, to no avail. One version was too salty, another too cheesy, and on and on. Without even knowing it, Lucini gave me that sauce, in a jar! Their Rustic Tomato Vodka Sauce tastes just like the homemade sauce that the restaurant made each day, and when I tasted it I was brought immediately to those family memories at the restaurant, dressed up and eating great food. The sauce is just the right combination between creamy cheesiness and fresh, simple tomato, with just the slightest hint of vodka. In other words, it’s perfect.
Not only are the products great, the ingredients are too. From the Lucini website:
“The Lucini Italia Company was founded by Renée Frigo and Daniel Graeff on the philosophy that great tasting food comes from only the most cared-for, high-quality ingredients. Our passion is creating authentic, handcrafted gourmet foods inspired by the culinary traditions of Italy.
Prepared in small batches using 100% natural ingredients, Lucini Italia products offer both exceptional taste and culinary performance. Our work with small regional farmers, celebrated chefs, health and wellness experts continues to provide our customers with an unmatched selection of ingredients, gourmet recipes, quality-assurance and convenience.
Meeting the demands of both home and professional chefs, the Lucini Italia family of products includes award-winning extra virgin olive oils, artisan vinegars, gourmet tomato and cheese sauces, savory soups and a special collection of limited production organic items.”
Looking for a prepared sauce for those late nights of work? Lucini has it. Looking for a different gourmet salad dressing? Lucini has that too! Give their products a chance, I am sure that you will be pleased!
And Lucini, thanks for the trip down memory lane, I look forward to many more vodka sauce memories in the future! I’m off to go buy more sauce… and fig walnut balsamic vinegar…
Don’t forget, this is the last day to enter the Regional Best Giveaway!!!!
Any big plans this weekend? I have a lot of Christmas shopping and cheer to take care of tomorrow, and I can’t wait! I’m still wondering how to drag PhillyBoy with me…
***Note: I haven’t mentioned it before but I only accept about 12-14 products to sample a year, and even then I only accept products that I would genuinely be curious about if I saw them in the market. Just thought it was important to mention. Further, I post honest reviews, but if a company would prefer me to just not mention their product if the review is that negative, I give them that courtesy.
That restaurant sounds incredible. I would love that meal you talked about. How sad it closed. I respect your view on accepting products, too!
Sounds like the perfect vodka sauce. I miss the vodka sauce from one of my old local Italian restaurants in NY and haven’t found the jarred variety that can satisfy that craving. I’ll look out for Lucini’s at WF! 😀
Our childhood Italian restaurant is closed now too!!!!! :'( boohoo! *Love* vodka sauce!! I’ll have to try to find Lucini’s!
oh my goodness this is so funny! there is an old, old italian restaurant in westerly, too, with gnocchis with pink vodka sauce. i used to love it when i was little because it was pink 🙂
I will definitely keep my eye out for this…! thanks!
What luck with the pasta sauce!
The pasta sauce sounds great…I love vodka sauces.
Yum! Sounds great.
Sabrina, have you eaten at Siena in Federal Hill? I’m going there tomorrow night and am not sure what to expect. Thanks 🙂
MelissaNibbles- Siena is my current FAVORITE restaurant in Rhode Island! Emailing you now!
That fig and walnut balsamic sounds fantastic!
Have fun with the Christmas Shopping! 😀
These products sound awesome! I’m such a sucker for gourmet food stuff 🙂
That sucks that your fave restaurant closed down– I hate it when that happens 🙁
Have a great weekend!
Restaurant sounds amazing! I love fig and walnuts together 🙂 Great pairing!!!
I’m writing down Siena’s in my to-try list right now! Sadly, I haven’t been to the Hill much at all in the past year or so. Lucini’s looks great. Have fun with the Christmas cheer!
Bad news! Just as all good things must come to an end, it is all but impossible now to find the Lucini sauces that are made in Italy. Most stores now only have the new Lucini sauces made in the USA. The bottle looks exactly the same, it just doesn’t taste good anymore. You can’t replace real San Marzano tomatos grown in volcanic soil in a mediterranean climate with something different.