LUCK, in Trinity Groves, Has Hit its Stride

We're huge fans of Trinity Groves! Just the drive over the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge on a scooter, or with the top down (on your car) makes you excited to taste what's on the other side. LUCK is one of the bright spots on the Trinity Groves cultural map.

By LUCK, we mean the restaurant's abbreviation, which stands for "Local Urban Craft Kitchen." It exists to source ingredients and beer from the communities surrounding Dallas--within roughly 75 miles to be exact. The goal is to create a warm and inviting atmosphere that recreates a pub environment, but with a clean and modern twist.

Not everyone has always been a fan of LUCK. A scathing review in the Observer offers one such example, where the reviewer questioned whether the restaurant would even survive. And, the reviewer may have been right at the time. But that was then.

We showed up in Trinity Groves expecting to go to another restaurant--Offsite Kitchen (another favorite)--but the outdoor seating options were nonexistent, and it was a crazy-busy day for them. However, we still wanted a good sandwich/burger option, with a patio where we could enjoy the unseasonably-warm sunshine. So we decided on LUCK. We found a table that was just barely in the sun, and within about 30 seconds of sitting down with menus, had ordered drinks. Natalie ordered the Peticolas Golden Opportunity, and I ordered the Grapevine Craft Brewery's Tropical Double IPA. Both were fantastic choices, and the Grapevine Tropical IPA is reviewed on our beer page, in case you're wondering what it was like.

30 seconds after we ordered drinks, water hit the table. They were still relatively busy, both inside and out, but the service was really prompt. Natalie ordered the pastrami sandwich, and I got the burger. Both arrived within 5 minutes. If you can't figure it out by now, the service was super attentive (but not stifling) and really a nice change from recent experiences.

Let's start with the burger (which came with house-made crispy potato chips that were absolutely delicious!). It was juicy, moist, and cooked perfectly to medium, with very fresh and crispy accompaniments that worked well (lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles). Great fresh and gooey cheddar cheese as well. Even though it was juicy, it wasn't mushy--it had a great char on the outside that created wonderful flavor. Bun was toasted nicely, but not burnt. Really lovely, and paired great with the saltiness of the chips. A fancy, hoity-toity burger it is not. But it's everything you'd want in a burger.

But the real star of LUCK's sandwich show is the pastrami sandwich. It is HUGE, piled high with so much brisket that we could easily have shared it. It has such a delicious smokiness to it, that you're almost tricked into thinking it's BBQ, except for the telltale notes of pastrami in the aftertaste. And, when you pair it with some extra spicy mustard, it's just about heavenly--just enough acid to cut through the richness of the pastrami. Thin slices of crispy bread hold the sandwich together, but don't get in the way of the leading lady--the pastrami. Perfect bread to meat ratio for this one. Did we mention how good the pastrami was?? It was smoky delicious AWESOMENESS! If you're looking to experience one single sandwich in all of Trinity Groves, this is probably the best you can do. In our book, it ranks right up there with the Philly Cheesesteak at Truckyard as one of the best sandwiches in DFW!