by James Raia

Created on: January 01, 2010

For more than a decade I worked out of a small, midtown office in Sacramento. For a few years during that time, the Sacramento State University men's basketball team played its home games at Memorial Auditorium, an old brick building constructed in 1926 and reminiscent of Ivy League school gymnasiums.

I've always appreciated midtown, but its pleasantness was further enhanced on nights when I left work early, stopped for dinner on the way to a game and then walked back the seven blocks to my office parking space after the contest.

The well-lighted stroll past diverse storefronts, the casual available fare, the buzz of midtown, and the enjoyment of collegiate athletics, gave Sacramento the "feel" of the metropolitan college town — at least it did for me.

Lucca, the seven-year-old restaurant located across the street from the historic brick facility, would be an ideal choice for such occasions if the university still used Memorial Auditorium for sporting events.

Still, it's an attractive restaurant and bar for a night in midtown. Plenty of concerts and other entertainment is offered at Memorial Auditorium, the nearby Sacramento Community Convention Center as well as at various art galleries and local theaters. The State Capitol is less than a mile away.

Lucca is a crossover restaurant. It's just fine for a casual pizza, burger or salad, and it works well as a dinner house for a business meal or dining celebration. It's not a bad place to watch a sporting event on television, either, if your style is anything on the dignified style of a raucous sports pub.

As the former home to a car repair shop and more recently a gardening and landscape store, Lucca's interior is spacious and varied. It affords guests four distinct seating options, including a covered, heated side patio, a narrow section away from the small, front entry bar, a parallel section across the bar and a cavernous back room.

Our reservation was available at our requested time, and my wife and I were escorted just prior to our dinner companions to table 90, a snug corner booth in the back room.

With the four of us seated, we could have used a little more space. My friend and I bumped legs and few times during the meal, and I didn't have much room to stretch or shift. My wife and my friend's wife Angie, were both comfortable.

Our server confirmed diners have mentioned the back room, with its high ceilings and lack of soundproofing, is hardly the place for a quiet dining experience. Several times, my friend

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