My fiance and I ventured to Lucio's the first time several months ago and then a second time last month. We just moved to the area and decided to try it out. The BYOB is absolutely a fabulous concept
We are usually not too picky when we are eating out because we both worked in the food industry for a few years, and my fiance attended culinary school in Cambridge and started a successful personal chef business before moving back to Texas. We have sympathy.
Trip 1 - I ordered the jumbo scallops with risotto and asparagus, and my fiance ordered the duck. My scallops were pretty good and so was the risotto. I tried a bite of duck and it was chewy and tasted a bit like ham. The waiter informed us that they cook the duck more thoroughly and cut most of the skin off because that's how their customers prefer, but my fiance attended culinary school and advised me that duck was supposed to be cooked with the skin and slightly pink in the middle (almost like a tuna steak). My finance then ordered the pork chops, which were definitely better than the duck dish, but fair at best.
Trip 2 - Two appetizers - the lump crab dish and the artichoke dip. I was highly disappointed with the crab. It was served cold with sliced tomatoes. BLAND. I didn't even have a 2nd bite. The artichoke dip, however, was AMAZING. I think that is probably the best dish we've had there. The bread it was served with was great and the flavor profiles in the dip worked very well together. I ordered the fillet mignon, which was pretty decent. My finance ordered the spring veggie risotto. The dish was prepared incorrectly - the chef did not use arborio rice, which is standard for making risotto. My friend ordered a blend of pastas, which was pretty good.
Their biggest drawback is using mediocre ingredients and charging a high price for their plates. Their food is very overpriced for what you get. I think they are trying to make up the lack of liquor through higher food costs to the customer.
Pros: BYOB, Choice of seating (sometimes)
Cons: Limited menu, $$, serivce, tables are too close together
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