Luca d'Italia

I went to Luca d'Italia for dinner; it's been rated a top italian restaurant both locally and by Zagot. It has a small dining area. On a weekend they are completely booked by reservations. I think often a small dining area is a sign of a good restaurant. There probably is only a couple of chefs working on the dishes and they spend a lot of time on each versus cooking for hundreds out of a menu with pages of options. I had gnocchi with crab meat in a lobster sauce. Believe me, it was as good as it sounds. I was also reminded a year ago, probably on this exact date, I was eating gnocchi in Croatia. Though there, it was prepared a little differently. For the main course I had "Rabbit Three Ways" - Braised, Grilled and Confit with White Truffle Sauce. Confit (kohn-fee) refers to a method of preserving. The meat is salted and and slowly cooked in it's own fat. Braising is cooking with "moist heat", typically in a covered pot with a small amount of liquid. And everyone knows grilled. I'm getting more interested in food from all the restaurants I've been trying in Denver. There surely is a difference between going to a chain restaurant versus being able to appreciate the different ways a certain item can be prepared. It reminds me of the show Iron Chef where they have chefs compete by creating 3 or 4 dishes with one main ingredient. This was the first time I had rabbit. Honestly it tasted a little like chicken; I liked it and would have it again.