Chef Allen's to Become Luca Bella

Once a restaurant on South Florida's culinary cutting edge, Allen Susser's now-departed Chef Allen's in Aventura will next month become the region's 10 bazillionth Italian eatery. The coming Luca Bella promises a menu of family-style "Italian comfort food," mostly Southern Italian with assorted Italian-American dishes throw in for good measure,...

By Bill Citara

August 4, 2011

[
        {
          "name": "GPT - Billboard - Slot Inline - Content - Labeled - No Desktop",
          "component": "16971022",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "15769925",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "16575154",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "GPT - Rectangle 2x - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
          "component": "15782206",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "16575154",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "GPT - Leaderboard to Tower - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
          "component": "15782207",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Once a restaurant on South Florida's culinary cutting edge, Allen Susser's now-departed Chef Allen's in Aventura will next month become the region's 10 bazillionth Italian eatery.

The coming Luca Bella promises a menu of family-style "Italian comfort food," mostly Southern Italian with assorted Italian-American dishes throw in for good measure, according to proprietor Mickey Maltese.

The ex-owner of Matteo's Italian Restaurant in Hallandale says the menu will feature an assortment of pastas and seafood as well as dishes like double-cut pork chops with cherry peppers and onions and veal chops layered with mozzarella and prosciutto and topped with marsala mushroom sauce.

A complete renovation is in the works too, giving the 200-seat restaurant an outdoor patio, private dining room, 20-seat bar, and several big-screen TVs.

Oh, well, at least it isn't a steak house.

Follow Clean Plate Charlie on Facebook and on Twitter: @CleanPlateBPB.

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of South Florida, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.