Will the third chef be the charm for Luc's (pronounced "luxe"), the fashionable fine-dining spot at El Pedregal?
The big news is that executive chef German Sega (a Sea Saw alum) departed this past week, and has been replaced by Gio Osso, who's been working as a cook at Luc's for a few months. Prior to this gig, Osso was executive chef at Oscar Taylor, at 24th Street and Camelback.
Osso is the third chef to take the helm at Luc's since it opened last August. Chef Eric DiStefano tried French-Asian fusion the first time around (as famously trashed by Nikki Buchanan, former restaurant critic for Phoenix Magazine), then Sega stepped in with a much stronger Japanese perspective. That apparently didn't work either, as Sega's exotic menu utilized lots of esoteric ingredients that even die-hard foodies didn't recognize (as an admitted Japan geek, I was psyched to try some of the quirkier dishes).
According to Luc's general manager Joshah Mitchell, the restaurant will keep its name and stylish decor, but after a three-day hiatus (Sunday, May 18 through Tuesday, May 20), it will reopen with a completely new menu, created by Osso, on Wednesday, May 21. No specifics are available yet, but Mitchell told me the new concept would be contemporary American cuisine.
