February 2005 Dirt Cheap Eats

Lucia's is easy to walk past--it looks like your everyday pizza-and-subs restaurant. What a surprise. You'll know that cardboard crust and pink tomatoes aren't in your future from the first cup of flavorful minestrone soup ($2.95)--it's house-made.

The subs, some named for southern Italian towns, come on fresh, crusty bread. The Capricciossa ($5.95) is filled with prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, and red peppers. You can get a traditional Italian sub ($5.50) with quality pepperoni, capicola, salami, mortadella, green-leaf lettuce, oil and vinegar, hot peppers, and provolone. Thin-crusted white pizza ($12.95) and torpedo-shaped calzones ($6.95) are cheesy and filling.