Luke

Today I revisted Luke, a fantastic restaurant specializing in French-German cuisine. I'd been here before, and the experience was one that I just had to try again. Joining me were three of my friends and fellow food-lovers, with whom I often try new places or revisit old favorites.
The food today exceeded my expectations. On my previous visit to Luke, I had the namesake burger, which was just okay in my opinion. The caramelized onions overpowered the other flavors, and I felt that overall the burger was a bit heavy. However, that didn't deter two of my friends from ordering the burger today, and both were very pleased with it. They especially liked the bun, which was thick and crunchy, unlike typical hamburger buns.
I ordered the croque monsieur. I was served a bubbling, hot, cheesy sandwich accompanied by thin-cut French fries, perfectly seasoned. The cheese on my sandwich was creamy but not stringy, the perfect complement to the thick layer of ham on crisp toasted bread. Tomorrow I'll judge the leftovers.
Another of my companions ordered the fried chicken and waffles. The serving size was just right, with two pieces of lightly battered chicken and one soft, fluffy waffle. It was served with muscadine syrup and a white gravy, both of which appeared to be delicious. I think this is what I will order on my next visit to Luke.
For dessert, I had the gateau basque, a common dessert in the Basque region of France. The cake was thick like a pound cake, and topped with craime freche and blueberries. These added a pleasing sweetness to the cake and really rounded out the flavor. It was simple, well-made, and ENORMOUS.
Only one of my friends ordered dessert today; he had the vanilla bean ice cream profiteroles. The serving was, once again, huge: almost an entire cup of ice cream with soft, crumbly cookies and a warm chocolate sauce.
My only complaint about Luke today is the service. Our waitress did the bare minimum to take care of us, often asking us if we needed anything and then walking away while we were answering her question. This was not enough of a problem to keep me from going back; it was simply a bit of an annoyance.

Overall, here's how I'd rate Luke today.
Ambiance: 10. This restaurant is nestled into the Hilton Hotel on St. Charles Avenue and is actually divided into multiple dining rooms. Our table had a view of the kitchen, and we got to watch the chefs preparing our meals as we munched on classic French bread and waited for the main course.
Food: 10. Enough said.
Service: 7. All of our needs were met, but our server was distant and bored.
Will I go back? Definitely. I need to try the chicken and waffles.