Checkered floors, vinyl-covered booths and black-and-white photos of swell fellas and apple-cheeked gals greet you at the entrance to Lucille’s American Cafe in Weston. Like Johnny Rockets, Lucille’s is another cheerful tribute to the gastronomically incorrect diners and soda shops of the ’40s — minus the gimmicky sing-alongs and paper hats.
Instead, Lucille’s low-key appeal is in its invitation to indulge oneself. There’s no shame in ordering a chocolate egg cream ($2.50) or an ice cream float ($2.50) before dinner here. Heck, one of the dozens of teen-age servers will even bring you the soda bottle so you can adjust the portions yourself.
If it’s meat and potatoes you crave, you’ll find plenty to gorge on. The menu offers generous entrees like the meatloaf and gravy ($9.95) and daily “blue-plate specials” like the pot roast ($10.95) and country fried steak ($10.95). Healthier items — like turkey burgers ($6.95) and spinach salads ($6.95) — are also available.
Appetizers are standard family fare. The menu features items like jumbo onion rings ($4.95), potato skins ($4.95) and a creamy spinach and cheese dip ($5.95) served with a rainbow-hued heap of red, yellow and blue corn chips. We were delighted with the creamy parmesan dip, which was thick with cream and swirls of spinach and topped with grated cheese. It was enough to satisfy three or four people and, although the chips might have been fresher, we kept dipping even on into dessert.
We didn’t fare as well with a bowl of the baked potato soup ($3.95), which looked gray and uninviting and had an oily slick. Despite the melted cheddar cheese, shredded bacon and scallions, the flavor was thin and salty, instead of rich and creamy.
Portions are large at Lucille’s, and even those who aren’t carnivores should be pleased with one of the restaurant’s bottomless salads. The crispy chicken salad ($7.95) featured about eight large chicken tenders fried in a spicy batter and tossed with cheddar cheese, bacon, scallions, crunchy fried noodles and tomatoes. A giant bed of iceberg and romaine lettuce proved a filling if unimaginative foundation. The accompanying honey-barbecue salad dressing was tasty but too sweet.
Because Lucille’s is owned by Craig and Karin Larson, the folks behind Lucille’s Bad to the Bone BBQ in Boca Raton, we were looking forward to the baby back ribs. The half rack ($11.95; full rack $14.95) included about eight slow-cooked, meaty ribs coated in a gooey-sweet ketchup and molasses sauce. The meat was juicy and tender and easily slipped off the bone, but we would have preferred a sauce with more bite. (BYOT: Bring your own Tabasco.) If you’re a creamy coleslaw fan, better to steer clear of Lucille’s slaw, which was limp and vinegary.
Maybe it was our inner teen-ager acting out, but we found the most success with the simplest items — a heavenly root beer float ($2.50) and a juicy, half-pound, two-handed hamburger smothered in cheddar cheese and topped with onions, lettuce and a giant wheel of tomato ($6.95). A few words here about Lucille’s vine-ripened tomatoes: They are divine — meaty, ripe and sinfully red in hue.
With upscale neighbors like the pedigreed Max’s Grille and the elegant Il Toscano, Lucille’s makes a cozy, affordable addition to the Waterway Shoppes on Weston Road. It’s a good place to steal away for a burger and fries or a milkshake on a steamy summer afternoon.
Jackie Potts is a free-lance writer based in Miami. Please phone in advance to confirm information on hours, prices, menu items and facilities.
