Italian food lovers find real thing at Il Lucano

Familiar faces provide family atmosphere

Susan Schell

of the Gateway

Patrons who visit Il Lucano Ristorante on Judson Street will see some familiar faces. The restaurant’s owners, Michele and Azusa Simone, worked at Terraccianos, the restaurant that formerly occupied the location, for several years. Peppino D’Angelo was a waiter and Rich Johnson works as the restaurant’s waiter, bartender and Web designer.

When the owners of Terraccianos moved their business to Purdy, Michele Simone bought the Gig Harbor restaurant and named it after his home town, Oppido Lucano.

“I worked here for five years, cooking,” Michele Simone said. “My wife, she does the waitressing and bookkeeping.”

Simone’s sons, Salvatore and Thomas, also help out in the kitchen, baking fresh bread and pasta in the morning for the 11:30 a.m. opening.

“We make almost everything fresh in the kitchen,” Simone said. “We do a lot of stuff here — homemade bread, focaccia, meatballs and eggplant. We make everything to order. It’s your choice — that’s the way it is.”

Anyone who craves authentic Italian cuisine can find the real deal at Il Lucano. The artwork on the walls is from Italy. The wine list is 90 percent Italian, with others from California and Argentina.

Oppido Lucano is located in the arch of the Italian “boot.” Simone was the seventh son in a big family that had cooking “in their blood.”

“We grew up with animals and with good food,” he said. “We had olive trees and vineyards. We sold wine and olive oil.

“I learned to cook in southern Italy. I worked in a lot of restaurants. They sent me to work in a restaurant when I was 15 during the summer. I worked 15-hour days, with no day off.”

Simone brought his talent and love for cooking to the United States because, in Oppido Lucano, there were “no jobs.”

He met Azusa at the Tacoma Community House 4 1/2 ago when he went there to have a document translated. He found the petite Japanese woman “charming.”

She found him, “Very strong, but a little pushy.”

He hit her with a barrage of questions — “Are you married? Do you have kids? Do you have a boyfriend?”

After all the appropriate “Nos,” the two started dating. They were married a year later.

Azusa’s calm, friendly demeanor complements her husband’s flamboyant personality.

“He’s hot-blooded,” she said. “But he gets over it.”

The personable couple likes to mingle with guests at the restaurant. Azusa Simone worked as a waitress at Sushi Tama in Tacoma for 10 years.

“I love to be in touch with the customers when there’s time,” she said.

“It’s a very family-style restaurant,” Michele Simone said, waving his arms in an arch around the room. “When I have time, I go in the crowd. We want people to feel good and happy here. There’s no yelling.”

Il Lucano’s cooking style encompasses northern to southern Italy. There are usually 12 to 15 specials not on the menu, although the menu is quite extensive.

Along with authentic Italian dishes, there are a variety of pizzas, including a “build-your-own.” A touch of the Pacific Northwest adds flare to the Salmon Verde, Halibut Giudea and Linguini Pescatore.

The chef also serves up Prawns Alla Contradina and Beef Shoulder Alla Contradina.

Il Lucano is open seven days a week, from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with a happy hour from 2 to 5 p.m. The happy hour special is pasta, salad, bread and a glass or wine or a well drink for $18. Sunday hours are from 4 to 10 p.m.

Il Lucano Restaurant

Address: 3119 Judson St. in Gig Harbor, across the street from QFC.

Phone: 253-514-8945.

Hours: From 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday

Reach Lifestyles Coordinator and reporter Susan Schell at 253-853-9240 or by e-mail at susan.schell@gateline.com.