Frederick Stout always dreamed of owning an Italian restaurant named Lucca's n an unusual dream for a kid growing up in the Alaskan Bush far from gourmet restaurants.

Three years ago he made his dream come true, opening a small restaurant at the Carriage House near Kendrick Field.

This year, the dream outgrew its cozy space.

On April 24, the restaurant moved to the downtown Walking Mall and doubled in size.

On a recent morning, the sounds of a drill and banging periodically echoed from the kitchen, as workmen finished some final touches. Meanwhile Stout completed tasks, accompanied by his 22-month-old son, Kelton, who happily passed the time pushing a small, whirring vacuum cleaner.

If one were to cast an Italian restaurant owner for a play, Stout probably wouldn't fit the bill.

The 6-foot-4, 240-pound fireman is neither Italian nor a chef. In fact, he earned a sociology degree with a criminal emphasis at the University of Montana, after first trying out journalism and athletic medicine.

But as soon as he speaks about Lucca's, it's apparent Stout's passionate about Italian food and wine.

"I've always worked in restaurants and always worked in kitchens," he said. "I always had a dream of owning an Italian restaurant named Lucca's."

Why Lucca's? Stout doesn't know where the name came from. But what he discovered, he liked.

"It's a small, walled city in Italy," he said, "and it's known for producing great chefs."

He seeks to follow in that tradition.

"We make the best food we can. We get great ingredients. There are no shortcuts. We expect it to be perfect... We take it very seriously."

In 2008, Lucca's garnered four top awards in the local Adit competition: best Italian food, best dinner experience, best wine selection and best steak.

Stout said chef Mike Hyyppa runs the kitchen and maitre d' Ray Spooner manages the floor staff and selects the wine list.

"I have a great staff and they all care," Stout said. "I love my employees being well taken care of, and they take care of me. My staff will do everything to make something correct."

Hyyppa is the former sous-chef at the River Grille, where he worked for nine years.

Spooner brings more than 30 years in the wine and restaurant business. He came to Lucca's by way of the Petroleum Club and Juliano's, two highly respected restaurants in Billings.

"I would put him up against anyone for his ability to pick the appropriate wine for our guests and our food," said Stout. And Spooner's wine lists have earned national recognition, being named in "Wine Spectator" magazine.

A key ingredient for excellence is being focused, said Stout. That's why the restaurant keeps its menu small.

"We'll always have a one-page menu," Stout said. "We don't make that many dishes n what we do, we do well. How are you supposed to do a lot of things really well?"

The menu changes three times per year, for spring, summer and fall-winter. In addition, there are always two features, or specials, each evening, along with an appetizer feature. Typically, three dessert choices are offered.

"We try to do seasonal," said Stout. "We're not afraid to take a local ingredient and treat it like an Italian ingredient -- like morel mushrooms. We also use domestic lamb."

Some dishes will always be on the menu, such as Shrimp Fra Diavolo, a distinctive pasta dish of sauteed shrimp in a cream sauce, spiced with crushed red peppers.

"If I took it off, I would probably be murdered. It's our most popular dish."

Stout enjoys -- perhaps relishes -- talking about how the food is prepared --how the steak is trimmed and seared and oven finished.

"Our vegetables are seasonal. We cook fresh vegetables to order. I don't see serving frozen vegetables next to a great steak."

All these details make for delicious dishes.

And Stout and his staff love to talk with customers about the ingredients.

They also talk wine.

Stout and Spooner carefully research their wines -- meeting with winemakers, visiting vineyards and working with distributors to ensure the wines they find will be exclusive in Helena to their restaurant and perhaps two wine shops in town.

One they both praise is a Cabernet-Merlot, "Valeriano," by California's Jacuzzi Winery (yes, the family of hot tub fame) .

"It's a big, bold red, relatively high in alcohol," said Stout. "It's such an incredible wine."

They've also discovered small, family-run wineries in Washington that make superb wine.

All of which, Spooner and Stout are happy to share with their customers. Wednesday nights the wine list is half price.

Stout realizes that fine dining isn't part of most folks' everyday budgets.

"Seventy percent of our guests are celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, out-of-town guests and special occasions," he said. "I love it that they spend it with us."

Our discussion winds to a close, as Kelton's enthusiasm for vacuuming flags and he climbs into his father's lap.

In a few hours, the pounding and whine of power tools will be replaced with other sounds -- water running, trays being set in cooling racks and the whir of food processors. The kitchen will spring to life in a swirl of activity as five chefs set to work. Moving swiftly, they cut basil, chop Italian parsley, rinse orzo, chop red onions, roast pecans, grind pepper, slice red and yellow peppers, portion out polenta and simmer a marinara.

All is in preparation for the first guests at 5 p.m.

"We've been caught up to by our success," said Spooner. A typical night at the Carriage House location was serving 40 dinners and having to turn away as many people as they seated. Recent nights they've served 75.

Stout isn't sure where they are headed next. He joked that he has no "exit strategy."

"I'd like to keep my staff for the next 20 years," he said. "I'm not in the restaurant business to make money. I don't know why I'm in it. My goal was to provide a restaurant that didn't take the short cuts, the little cheats I saw when I worked in restaurants.

"One of my favorite things is to see people happy in regards to food. My priorities in life are my family, the fire department and the restaurant -- in that order."

If you go

Where: 56 N. Last Chance Gulch on the Walking Mall

Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 5 p.m.- closing

Contact: 457-8311

luccasitalian.com