RESTAURANTS: Café Lucia

Tucked into a renovated 1840s farmhouse on Church Street in downtown Lenox, Mass., Café Lucia has served as a veritable restaurant-away-from-home for esteemed Tanglewood musicians and conductors—Seiji Ozawa and John Williams included—since 1983. Chef-owner Jim Lucie’s sophisticated regional Italian fare—osso buco with risotto Milanese; linguine with littleneck clams; eggplant marinara; linguine alla Bolognese—showcases prime seasonal ingredients and long-standing family recipes, gussied up ever-so-slightly for the hot spot’s intimate white-tablecloth dining. Come summer, patrons clamor to dine on the expansive mahogany deck surrounded by a lush paradise of dahlias, pea plants, and herbs, or even beneath umbrella tables on the private lawn, perhaps the largest green space in the village. With or without a glass of top-notch house wine, it is a scene worthy of a symphony. [JULY 2010]

THE GOODS

Café Lucia

80 Church St.

Lenox, Mass.

413.637.2640,