Petit Louis at Columbia Lakefront was known for one thing, they had great food, despite all their other misgivings (and there were a plenty) the food was always without question, excellent. Unfortunately, Lupa, a new restaurant in the same location by the same Foreman Wolf team fails to deliver the same sort of excellence that Petit Louis was known for.
The restaurant is in the exact same location as Petit Louis, this prime real estate has been the Afghanistan of Columbia restaurants. Let me explain, Afghanistan has long been considered the graveyard of empires as anyone who has tried to conquer it has ultimately failed. The same can be said for this prime corner location overlooking the Columbia lakefront. It’s most recent victim, Petit Louis, was unable to captivate the hearts and minds of the Columbia natives, whether folks thought the service was often too rude and snooty (it was) or the food just too expensive, despite the excellent quality of the food it never took hold like nearby Clyde’s did.
With the taste of defeat fresh in the mouths of the Foreman Wolf team they decided to give it another go with a re-branding, transforming Petit Louis into a rustic more casual Italian eatery named Lupa (she-wolf in Italian), no doubt a reference to the Roman Capitoline Wolf Lupa Capitolina. I think the re-branding was a fantastic idea, French food doesn’t captivate folks like Italian can and nothing has more mass appeal than Italian food. Moreover, I can appreciate their goal with Lupa, to bring you a more authentic Italian food experience than the drek that is normally served to you sopped in sauce and cheese. Due to this, I had high hopes and I still think the folks at Lupa are capable of better. But this was not good, this experience had no redeeming elements.
Right off the bat it was disappointing. We asked to be seated outside but the restaurant in their infinite wisdom decided to not have enough staff to serve outside so a beautiful outdoor dining experience was wasted. Logical planning would have you equip some outdoor heaters for diners to help alleviate any fears of a customer catching a chill. When you walk in, the decor is similar to that of Petit Louis, still cavernous and dark you feel as if you’re eating in a dark basement. All of that aside, I could care less if the food is good, unfortunately ( at least this time) it was not.
The meal began with the arancini or Suppli alla telefono, which was horrendous. The arancini was bland and fried in a coating that has the same texture and flavor of fish sticks. I felt like I was eating a mediocre filet o fish sandwich. A huge miss. Next up was the classic Roman dish, cacio-e-pepe,the dish was tossed with fava beans and it was saturated with cracked black pepper (beyond what is required for this dish) the balance that typically makes this dish exceptional was all off. Beyond the frontal assault of black pepper, the lack of cheese or pungency from the cheese left you with a dish that was not appetizing.
The biggest miss of the evening was something that even the most basic of cafes in Italy have always done well in my experience, that was the lasagna. The lasagna with veal ragu was incredibly bland despite the decent structure and presentation. I’ve eaten better lasagna out of a freezer section. And lasagna in Italy takes this lasagna out back and beats it with an ugly stick.
I would like so say that the meal was affordable, but that would also be incorrect, having been unable finish the overpriced meal I left the restaurant hungry and disappointed. After we left the restaurant we decided to try out their small cafe that is attached to the restaurant. You see we did this half as a joke, because the running gag in our house was that the Le Comptoir (what it was called with Petit Louis) was always either closed or undermanned even when they claimed to be open. Much to our chagrin, it was open this time, but like the rest of Lupa it too is a disappointment. We ordered a scoop of hazelnut gelato, you shouldnt. The gelato was terrible. It barely resembled the gelato of Italy instead it looked like run of the mill grocery store gelato (that’s giving Whole Foods gelato a bad name in fact). It lacks that perfect custardy texture and flavor that makes gelato great. The flavor is overly sweet and too watery.
Overall Lupa was a huge disappointment. I don’t know if I can face returning to try their food again when I know more delicious options are plentiful in Columbia.
Final Grade: F
