Goodbye Luqa

Its Restaurant Week this week in Dallas. In case you didnt know, its a huge week considering eating out is a competitive sport, almost a contact sport in this city. During this week restaurants offer scaled-down 3-course meals for a fixed price, normally $35. It's a great way for the newer restaurants to gain some exposure in this city with more dining establishments per capita than any other city in the US.

Its good exposure, until something goes wrong, then it isn't good exposure.

Take for example last night. Eleven of us were looking forward to trying Luqa, the new pseudo-contemporary in the Rooftop Gardens building downtown. I, personally, was excited to try this place, if only because it is 2 blocks away from where I live.

But you just know there is going to be trouble when you walk up to a restaurant and the entire cook staff is sitting on the sidewalk in their little chef pants. Hanging out. Smoking. Looking whipped.

OK.

We went in anyway. The lady who runs the art gallery on the first floor was now on the second floor pretending to be Luqa's hostess. Her little puppy is locked up in the art gallery by himself. She is not a hostess. She does not know how to look up reservations. Its hot inside, like the AC has not quite been turned on. There are no other patrons.

OK.

Faux-hostess explains that there have been some "issues" with the kitchen and she will not be able to seat us. When I press her about why, she smiles and plays dumb.

OK.

We leave, obviously.

Back out on Main St. I ask the cook staff why they are outside. I'm thinking it because the AC is broken and its 130 degrees inside. Nope. It more that the cook staff has not been paid. Not been paid in a month. Oh, and this is not the first time.

OK.

Lets review: Luqa is a new place with no history. Luqa just pissed off 100 people who made reservations for Restaurant Week. Luqa apparently does not pay their employees. The AC at Luqa does not seem to work (or perhaps it was shut off due to non-payment). Luqa is in Dallas, a city that is phenomenally harsh on restaurants.

Conclusion: Goodbye Luqa.