Lucco Cucina + Bar’s chicken parm is a finalist in NorthJersey.com’s ‘Chicken Parm Madness’ competition. Find out what makes it special.
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Jon Jorge wasn’t going to put chicken parm on the menu when he opened Lucco Cucina + Bar in Florham Park in 2018. North Jersey is glad he changed his mind.
“I wasn’t going to have a chicken parm on the menu when we opened up here, but I ended up doing it last minute and it’s one of our top-sellers, and everyone seems to love it,” Jorge said.
It was indeed the right move: Lucco’s chicken parm is a finalist in NorthJersey.com/The Record’s Chicken Parm Madness competition, along with Verana in Norwood. Lucco’s has thus far between Arturo’s, Paisano’s and Matthew’s in head-to-head competitions; the winner of the final will be announced on Thursday, April 2.
“It’s just wild,” Jorge said of seeing his parm in the finals. “I wasn’t expecting to be in the last of the list, but I guess that many people love us that they’re out there voting for us, so it’s a great feeling.”
Lucco’s chicken parm is one of the best in North Jersey
Jorge said he ultimately decided to put chicken parm on the menu to provide customers with a familiar favorite; his rotating menu includes some staples like pizza, classic pastas and entrees like chicken Milanese, but also some cheffier modern Italian fare like pork chops with escarole and ‘nduja, cacio e pepe risotto and short rib gnocchi.
“I may have not wanted a chicken parm but people love it, and [I said] let’s continue on this cycle of just giving people great hospitality and trying to put the best foot forward with the best products and constantly changing the menu while leaving the staples on there.”
What sets Lucco’s chicken parm apart from the rest? “It’s not rocket science,” Jorge said.
“The combination of the imported Italian plum tomatoes we use for the sauce, and also the quality of the chicken and then the way we pound the chicken — we don’t pound it too thin; we don’t leave it too thinck. Combined with the breadcrumbs that we use as well as the Grande mozzarella cheese.”
And, he continued, “I said, ‘Alright, if we’re going to put it on, I’m not serving it with pasta. I’m serving it as a chicken bomb.’ Just a big, big, big, plate like a hubcap, and then you can get a side of pasta if you want,” he said.
Though the chicken parm was a late addition to the menu, it’s an exemplar of the way Jorge cooks food.
“It should be the best ingredients you can find put together the right way,” he said. “There’s obviously technique, but … Italian food’s supposed to be simple.
‘Give people a great experience’
Jorge is the son of a Portuguese father and Italian mother, and credits that culinary heritage with his simple but refined approach to cooking. He started working as a teenager in the back of the house in his uncle’s restaurant and worked his way through the ranks to manage the spot. Though he said his family advised against him entering the industry and the odd hours and tough work it brings, he opened Lucco at just 25 years old.
And yet, his 24-seat, marble-tabled, intimate spot is now one of North Jersey’s best Italian restaurants. He sees the forest for the trees, though, in describing what makes his, and any, restaurant work.
“Everyone has their own technique, which is cool,” he said. “People try to modernize stuff, that’s more of what we do, and then there’s obviously your old school Italian restaurant with the white tablecloths, the servers that are wearing button downs, but we all serve the same food and we all try to give the same hospitality. I feel like that’s the end goal: give people a great experience.”
Jorge said he’s had a few other chicken parms that made our initial 16-strong bracket and was surprised to see Casano’s early exit and also E & V Ristorante’s, which he remembers eating growing up. Nonetheless, he’s hopeful Lucco has one more win during this run.
Go: 207 Ridgedale Ave., Florham Park; 973-822-0066, luccobar.com.
Matt Cortina is a food reporter for NorthJersey.com/The Record. Reach him at mcortina@usatodayco.com.
Dining and Cooking