Grill Americano restaurant review: Chris Lucas hits his stride with up-market Italian steakhouse

He opened three restaurants to varying success last year, so does Chin Chin boss Chris Lucas’s new Italian steakhouse hit the mark?

Kara Monssen

3 min read

April 20, 2022 - 12:00PM

Food

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A big bowl of slurpy spaghetti, warm bread and butter, a well-seasoned juicy steak, a glass of red wine: these are the comforts and pleasures humans crave — we’re just wired that way.

And if our primal desires are anything to go by, instinctively we gravitate to fire and food.

These two things are the lifeblood of Melbourne restaurant king Chris Lucas’s new city restaurant, Grill Americano.

It’s a big thumbs-up for the arancini. Picture: Wayne Taylor

The Chin Chin boss is known for his high-energy, elevated casual restaurants, where movers and shakers and pretty people play. You can bet that Grill Americano is absolutely still one of those venues, but unlike at super-posh Society or Izakaya-on-steroids Yakimono, Lucas has found his groove at his fourth restaurant within 18 months.

You can’t go wrong with Italian or steak in this city, so a hybrid of the two seems like an easy win. But Grill Americano has come into our lives at the right time.

We desperately want to be out, rubbing shoulders with strangers and spending money on soul-warming food in beautiful places.

Grill Americano acts as if its been ripped out of Manhattan and plonked on Flinders Lane.

The handsome space beams big New York energy, with dimly lit, dark features and lofty ceilings.

Is that really octopus? Picture: Wayne Taylor

Unlike some of Lucas’ more recent endeavours, Grill Americano has personality – there’s a vibe.

You’d happily huddle into one of those royal blue clamshell banquettes, or sip negronis on leather stools at the white marble bar, which give you a ringside seat of the flame-fuelled kitchen.

It’s anchored by a custom-made woodfire oven, stoked by head chef Douglas Keyte, who once called the shots at Lucas’s Baby before his Brisbane stint at Greek restaurant Hellenika.

Wear your stretchy pants, as the menu is massive – Lucas fans would know this already — as there’s oysters, bread, olives, cured meats, seafood, steak, meat that’s not beef, sides and dessert.

Friendly, well-drilled staff are at hand to help. Maybe that’s another one from the playbook, “overwhelm with choice and they’ll return”.

It worked on me — I’ll be back for those arancini ($16.50), golden crumbed orbs of rice and bolognese, served in a sundae bowl with pea puree and showered in a salty reggiano blizzard. Big yum.

Wagyu pappardelle falls a little flat. Picture: Wayne Taylor

And for the confetti-thin octopus carpaccio ($27.50) that’s been tenderised, bunged in the oven for smoke appeal and then wrapped and steamed for that melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Dressed in olive oil, chilli flakes, salt and parsley, it’s a marvel in flavour and technique.

However, pappardelle ribbons tousled with beef ragu fall flat, and the dish is outrageously priced for the size ($39). Keyte uses waygu neck but it’s indecipherable in the sauce.

I’d be equally as happy with any slow-braised cut for the job.

But we’re not here for pasta.

Ordering the Eye Fillet is a must. Picture: Wayne Taylor

Playing only with the Josper charcoal grill, Keyte proves his elite steak skills with the black Angus beef eye fillet ($68) using only the centre cut of the tenderloin.

A flavoursome, well-treated cut that sets the steak stakes (sorry, not sorry) extremely high Melbourne-wide. You will need sides, and condiments are optional but not necessary. Just add a glass of something Italian, perhaps a chianti or barolo, or a bigger Australian red to counter the meat and you’re set.

Cocktails take an Italian lens with negronis aplenty, but the restaurant’s refreshing namesake is a must.

Tiramisu is served tableside. Picture: Wayne Taylor

Sure you could dial up the snug factor and end with the tiramisu ($21.50), whisked out in a massive bowl for a nonna-sized serve to be heaped on to your plate tableside, but Lucas’s own apple pie is worth a whirl.

Channelling our primal instincts has worked for Grill Americano.

Yes it is annoyingly expensive and pretentious at times, but for something special you can’t beat that comfort factor.